Resurfacing my rudder

dbsanders

New Member
My 12 year old Capri has a worn spot on a bottom corner of the rudder and a lot of black marks that I can't rub out without sandpaper. What sort of paint/coating can I use if I want to refinish the rudder?

Bill in Detroit
 
Refurbishing your rudder

What type of material is yours made of, wood or plastic? Mine is wood coated with several layers of epoxy on it. Sandpaper and epoxy will take care of most problems. Buffing compound and plenty of patience should help remove marks and light scratches. Use caution if trying chemicals on any "plastic" parts. Charley
 
Depends on the material it is made of

Like Charley I am curious about what the rudder is made of. Knowing that would help answering the question.
 
I initially thought it was wood, but when I commenced light sanding, all I found was plastic or epoxy, never saw wood. I ended up sanding smooth, and spray painted with Rust-Oleum that is good for plastic. The "topside" marine paint was just too expensive.
 
Rust-Oleum ....Yea!

I used plain ordinary Rust-Oleum from the hardware store on my little sailing dinghy I kept with my Ericson 29. White on the outside, gray on the inside. It sat out in the weather year after year and only showed a very slight dullness at which point I sanded and re-painted the bottom.
 
Seem to remember reading the Capri rudder is epoxy encapsulated foam? I've repaired a bunch of fiberglass stuff over the years using a coarse filler for voids of West System epoxy with vermiculite mixed in - vermiculite is the puffed mica sold at plant nurseries for potting plants. Think of it as a lightweight inorganic aggregate. Just mix a thick paste and trowl and poke it in the voids. Once it sets up you can sand it very easily with a small disc sander. For a final smooth finish, I use West System "microbaloons", a very fine talcum powder-like stuff that is actually tiny glass beads. Mix it with the epoxy to a peanut butter consistency and it fairs out really nice. Sands out to a mirror surface with fine sandpaper. I use the extra slow hardener when working with this stuff to give me more working time. I've got a couple of minor chunks bitten out of the leading edge of my rudder and plan to repair that with some gass tape & epoxy, then fair out with the microbaloons. One of these days......

Vic Roy
 

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