Slightly bent rudder

Hi, I'm new here and I'm soaking up lots of great information!

I bought a used Futura Blade ski, overall it's in great shape. The rudder has a slight bend to the left if sighted down the hull axis from the stern to bow. Are these rudders fairly easy to replace? I'm thinking that removing it to bend it back may damage it.

Any information about this ski is greatly appreciated.

Rainer Lang

Recently had a Epic V12 rudder repair, tore the end off on a rock and slightly bent the shaft. Put the shaft in a vice and straightened. Take your time, you should be fine. No sure if your shaft is solid or a tube.

Bent rudder shafts are not uncommon for anyone who paddles in the surf, especially where there is a big shore break. Assuming that your rudder shaft is stainless steel the best way to straighten it is to remove the rudder from the ski. Clamp the rudder blade firmly in a vice using some old cloths to protect it: this stops the blade from splitting when you straighten the shaft. Find a suitable tube that fits over the rudder shaft (a big rattle fit is still fine) and use that to straighten the shaft in the correct place. If you try and straighten a badly bent shaft without the tube then it tends to bend in the wrong place, and the tube allows you to bend it exactly where you want. Grade 316 stainless steel is very ductile, so it can easily be bent back without significantly weakening it.

Awesome suggestions! I'll try to correct the bend.

At this point in my learning, I've been out paddling my ski for 3 days, I can't blame my rudder for the swims that I'm taking

Rainer Lang