blade repair

A

Azoria

New Member
What is the best way to touch up scratches on the rudder and centerboard? I have a few spots from the boards rubbing the bottom.
 
I may get crucified for this, but I find Bondo to work just fine for this. The benefit is it's pre-mixed, cheap and you can go from scratched to sailing in 5-10 minutes.
 
"49208" you won't get crucified, but "bondo" will shrink and leave tiny variances. I suggest either marinetex or evercoat's formula 27, both you have to mix but will cure/harden quickly. Wet sand and ready to splash in 10 min.
 
Doesn't make sense to use gelcoat since the blade isn't gelcoated to begin with. I wouldn't use MarineTex either as it cures a lot harder then the board surface and when sanded you will end up "dishing out" all around the marinetex leaving a high spot. If they are little scratches just sand them out with 220-400-600-1000 grit paper. If they are larger use a WEST system epoxy quick repair kit that includes white silica filler that you mix with the epoxy to thicken. Krylon White Spray Paint or any acrylic paint can be applied to touch up..
 
Yes, Bondo shrinks, as most polyester based bog does, but in most cases when filling, you overfill and then end up sanding smooth.

MarineTex does not cure in 10 minutes, unless you mix a huge batch ($$), and if you screw up the ratio of hardner it never kicks.. Evercoat and the other polyester based bogs are stronger for sure then Bondo, but are going to leave your wallet much lighter in the process and for something that is going to be filled, dinged, filled, dinged,filled ........ why not save some dough for something else..
 
thanks for the advice. Most of the wear is on the bottom where it rubs aground. I take good care of the leading and trailing edges.
 
Can enyone tell me if its worth repainting the foils after repairs, or is the weight increase from the paint tooo much?
 
You may want to be careful about teflon on the Daggerboard. It would be pretty tough to get a grip on the board to right a capsized boat.
 
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