Replace rudder tube

New to surf skis and picked up a used Elan Crosstrainer with a very stiff rudder. In trying to remove the rudder I've buggered up the rudder tube. I'm fairly decent with composite repairs and was trying to find a replacement rudder tube, rudder, and yoke. The rudder and yoke seem findable, but I can't find anything on the rudder tube. I'm on the U.S. East coast.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks!!

One option is to use carbon fiber tubing. I found the best prices for small amounts/pieces to be at online hobby shops that cater to model airplane or kite building.

I do not know what the original material of the tube is, but to me carbon seems not a logical choice. The tube / shaft combination is an unlubricated bearing, and in a surf ski quite seriously loaded due to the pressure on the steering pedals. Carbon is not a bearing material at al, unless you use it oversized and press in bronze bushes.
Brass or even stainless steel would be a better choice, and both should be available in a good metal shop. Brass tubing will also be available in modell airplane shops.
If your boat is made from carbon, take care of galvanic corrosion when you mount a metal rudder tube. In my carbon bicycles I use to wrap metal in a thin layer of glass / epoxy (the lightest glass you can get) to make an electrically insulating layer.

Just my HO.

Well, if am not mistaken, the rudder tube on my 2006 Epic V10
is carbon and has been working fine all these years.
Go figure?!

Carbon or fiberglass tube could be used. But also, this:

www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=12...hes&id=902&top_cat=1

Don

Carbon tube has been used from day one at Epic for all their craft. With a metal shaft there is no problem.

I am not saying that EPIC makes wrong engineering choices, but they do design a rudder system, not pick just some piece of available tube. With smart engineering choices you can design and make a proper carbon rudder tube.

The OP requested advice about a replacement rudder tube, and even though EPIC is using carbon, getting some unspecified carbon tube from a model aircraft shop is not a good idea. That stuff usually is pulltruded, and therefore prone to cracking when loaded from the inside e.g. in case of a bump against the rudder.
If you really want carbon, buy a replacement tube from EPIC. That should be designed for the load case.

With stainless steel of the correct material it is hard to go wrong, with carbon it is easy to go wrong. So if it were my boat, the choice for me would be an easy one.

You know it is real easy to over think things. I call it paralysis through analysis.The OP just wants to fix his boat and go paddling. Interestingly I have only had problems with stainless steel rudder shaft tubes. The shaft on my XT was kinked or bent and I had to ream it out to prevent the shaft from binding. It also came delaminated from the deck. The SS tube on my EVO also came delaminated where it protrudes through the deck. Sorry but do not think a good long term bond with epoxy to metal is possible. And by the way the rudder shaft is lubricated with water. The only area the the shaft is going to have any serious loading is at the protrusion through the hull and deck where it needs to be properly bedded with thickened epoxy and or laminates anyway. I have been repairing water craft from 70' US Coast Guard inspected passenger carrying vessels to surfboards for 45 years and I am confident a carbon tube from a hobby shop properly installed would work just fine and is much easier to work with than stainless steel or bronze. If the OP wants to use something else that's fine too. The important thing is to get back on the water and go paddling!

Thanks for all the ideas guys! The original tube is lead believe it or not. It was already delamned from the deck. I think I will probably go with a fiberglass tube. I'm not too worried about weight savings on this ski, and anything will be lighter than the existing.

Wavekayaker, glad you found a solution to your problem. FG tube should work fine.
Lead, that's a little weird. When you think about it the only thing the rudder tube really
does is keep water out of the hull.
Good luck!