Question for the ski builders

I've built my own timber ski. I've been out in it a few times and went out today and the rudder shaft had siezed rock solid in th tube. The shaft is SS and the tube is aluminium. It was snug fit but moved freely enough. When I assembled it, I covered h shaft with synthetic grease hoping to create some sort of barrier to minimise chance of galvanic corrosion. didn't work.

My question is; do the ski builders use a SS tube? If not, what sort of gap do you allow between shaft and tube?

Cheers

Yeah aluminium and SS don't go together unless you anodize the aluminium but I don't know why you didn't just use an SS tube?

I ran a boat yard for years and experimented with different ways to keep aluminum and SS to get along. The best thing I found was lanolin. There is a product called Lanocote that is basically lanolin and works amazingly well. Rinse the shaft and tube as well as you can after using the ski and keep some Lanocote on it and that will probably be your best solutions short of changing the tube.
www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal..._product.do?pid=3869

Cheers,

Ken

Boof Head,

Do you have any pics of your ski. Your design? I have always built my own boats until I got into skis. I plan to build my own when I figure out a design that will be worth the time and effort. Here are a few pics of some of my boats.
picasaweb.google.com/kennneee/AFewOfKenSKayaks

Cheers,

Ken

never-seize/never-seez from Bostic, nickle base might work well too.

Kennneee wrote: I ran a boat yard for years and experimented with different ways to keep aluminum and SS to get along. The best thing I found was lanolin. There is a product called Lanocote that is basically lanolin and works amazingly well. Rinse the shaft and tube as well as you can after using the ski and keep some Lanocote on it and that will probably be your best solutions short of changing the tube.
www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal..._product.do?pid=3869

Cheers,

Ken

Another more generic name for this product is 'anhydrous lanolin'. It works well but you should reapply it every once in a while. But none of these products desined as a galvanic barrier coat work well in applications that 'work'... They work much better for screws, wire, and tight non moving fits.

Bill

Time for an aluminum rudder shaft?

Thanks for replies. It was seized up so bad that the tube came loose when I tried to free the shaft. The tube had to be removed so SS tube will solve the problem.

Ken, I took some pics yesterday and will post shortly. The timber skis already posted here were my inspiration. Love your badairka.

I base mine on a CCL Pax 20 hull. Modified the sheerline, beam, bow, stern.

I have designed a few using KayakFoundary as have a few others. The designs are available at blueheronkayaks.com

Bjorn Thomasson has produced plans for sale. He designed the Nordic fusion ski. Will find the link.

www.thomassondesign.com/en/news/surfski-for-strip-building




Cheers