Recent content by MartyChafkin

  1. M

    rudder repair advice needed

    Oh, I think I know why they refer to boats as a hole in the water, etc. I wanted to remove the black, splintered wood that was at the end of the factory metal reinforcing pin so I worked at it carefully with a knife. As the pin was not installled squarely, it had splintered the wood at the end...
  2. M

    rudder repair advice needed

    Thank you all very much. I will make a jig for the router to take down the cheeks approximately the thickness of the glass on both sides. I am guessing that I should wrap the glass all the way around the rudder and seam it on one side, just in front of the trailing edge. Or would it be better...
  3. M

    rudder repair advice needed

    Ah, yes. I will pin the new board. Does the Bible recommend oversizing the holes to give the epoxy some room, or do we want a tight fit and then let the epoxy be absorbed by the wood? I am assuming 3-16 stainless for it's corrosion resistance; am I wrong? I don't know what the old one was...
  4. M

    rudder repair advice needed

    A little more information, in light of your very knowledgeable responses: While some of the cracks are small, there is one that runs from the top edge of the rudder to the hole for the spring pin. That one concerns me as it seems like that corner of the rudder could break off. Bad, I should...
  5. M

    rudder repair advice needed

    Very nice advice, indeed. Thank you everyone. I do have a copy of the Bible on order and will review your advice when it arrives. The fiberglass method seems very interesting as the cracks run to the top edge and have opened up a bit. That, I suspect is the result of water swelling the...
  6. M

    rudder repair advice needed

    I have a mid-70s sunfish that has the new style blades, which are in need of refinishing. When I took the rudder hardware off, I discovered that the rudder had two short splits hidden under the cheeks. Since I don't want to buy a new blade for $130, I was wondering about the feasibility of a...

Back
Top