Rudder/centerboard repair question...

[Tim Houston]

I'm getting my 260 ready for the season and noticed that both my rudder and centerboard had significant encounters with the bottom last year. The scraping is to the extent that it appears that all of the fiberglass is missing from the bottom of both - with what looks like plywood showing through. Can anyone explain to me the general procedure for repairing this - or should I even worry about it? The bottom was painted with Micron CSC. Can I just repaint the abraded areas - or should I do something more extensive? Thanks for your help!

 

[David]

rudder

I would suggest you sand these areas and apply a few coats of epoxy then repaint. You don't want water intrusion into the laminates.

 

[Tim Houston]

Should I use any additive?

I've not had much experience working with epoxy. Would a filler or barrier coat additive be used in this type of repair?

 

[Jeff Peltier]

epoxy

I use the quick-dry epoxy found in hardware stores to touch mine up before it goes back in the water. The self metering syringes are very easy to use. As with anything, surface prep is what makes it work.Jeff Peltier

 

[Reinhold Fussle]

paint is not enough

I had the same problem on my 240. Got a fiberglass repair kit at the autoparts store and build up the ground off corners with layers of glass fiber cloth and epoxy. Sand and shape in between layers. Finish with several coats of epoxy gelcoat.