Jerry:

Here is a start on the answer - members can view it in the FAQ area here.

Waterlogged rudders seem to be a common condition with the W32's.  The rudder has about 20 through-bolts where water can gain entry.  If you search the archives (Jack Web's site) you will find several threads discussing the rudder issue. Wether it's a problem is debatable. In warm climates it's probably less of an issue, or a non-issue, considering that there are a lot of 30+ yr old rudders out there still functioning.

If you haul out for the winter in a frozen climate, the water inside will expand as it freezes and can split the rudder open. I think this accelerates the delamination process, although the rudder is so overbuilt that it still works. If you are hauling out where it is likely to freeze, it's probably a good idea to have a way to drain out as much water as you can before it freezes.  The foam holds a lot of water and is near impossible to dry out. I had my rudder split open in my shop for 6 months over the winter 2 years ago.  I finally just removed the soaking wet foam which weighed about 100lbs.

Split rudder after a winter freeze:

I've decided to build a new rudder:

My rudder (1976) had mostly green foam that was very water absorbant, which is why all the water didn't drain out or dry out. The cracks you have, in addition to letting water in also allow a lot of it to escape. If one were to seal the visible cracks, water would likely still get in somewhere and it would need to be drained before a winter freeze. Maybe best to leave it be since it has withstood 35 winters.