Sanding and Filling questions

[DAVA390]

First project this winter is refinishing/repainting the tiller/rudder.
(To be followed closely by installing a prop guard on the Tohatsu.) Sanding has begun, what do I use to fill in the craters?
This boat is drysailed, most of it`s life is in the parking lot at the marina.

Maybe it`s just me, surely this will be more fun than the BVI...

 

[kloudie1]

Best repair is thickened epoxy but since you are dry sailing, a polyester resin with something like microbaloons mixed in would do fine. Mix the poly resin and hardner then mix in a thickener until it is kinda like peanut butter .. Trowel that into the craters .. after it sets up, sand and paint.. I like microbaloons because they are easy to sand and shape.. some folks prefer colloidal silica or other heavy fillers.. You won't need much.. Your local boat stores should have what ya need.

 

[Brian S]

I would use epoxy such as West System, MAS, Raka, etc. with either West System 406 colloidal silica filler, or maybe 407 low density filler. Since I have 406, I tend to use that as my go-to for repairs. Dig out any loose stuff, widen out cracks into a V shape with Dremel or even the pointy end of a "church key" can and bottle opener.

That repair doesn't look bad at all compared to the destruction caused by my rudder falling down while I was backing down the ramp launching one day. BTW, the end of my rudder blade DOES touch ground when the boat is on the trailer… I was definitely nauseous that day…

Brian

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

Only trouble with Micro balloons is that they ARE balloons. They are hollow, so when you sand, you open them up. If that's what you use, be sure to overcoat with a final roll on of resin to seal the surface.

 

[Joe]

Be careful with the belt sander.

 

[mitiempo]

I would use epoxy and colloidal silica, but whatever you use if you are careful putting it on, ideally with a plastic squeegee like those West Epoxy sells, there will not be too much sanding. Colloidal silica makes it harder to sand but it is tough and durable. I would use it with epoxy because rudders, especially on dry sailed boats, take a bit of abuse.

 

[rgranger]

JB Weld sells a "Marine" version of their thickened epoxy. Since you have so little area to fill, I'd do that for the ease and simplicity instead of ordering silica and thickening your own epoxy. You can get the marine version of JB Weld at Auto-Zone and from time to time I've even seen it at WalMart.

I've used it before.... and for the leading and trailing edge of your rudder, I'd work a bit of the JB into the voids and then fold a piece of clear plastic sheeting (the kind you use to catch paint) over the edge with the epoxy under the plastic... and tape it in place. This will hold the epoxy in the void but it will also give you a very smooth finish when you remove the plastic.

 

[Ross S]

I have had good experience repairing some dings on my keel with a product called Marine-Tex. It is easy to use and my repairs have held up well over several seasons now.

 

[Brian S]

Good call, Ross!

I have done so much work with epoxy over the past few years, building a friend's Chesapeake Light Craft kayak and repairing my mast step and such, I always think of thickened epoxy.

But Marine Tex is awesome stuff, and does really well with chips and dings like that - and it comes in white or graphite grey. I've done lots of repairs with Marine Tex myself, I should think of it more often in the context of forum posts...

Caution on the Marine Tex, keep checking it until it's firm, but still kinda hard rubber-y. Then, trim off excess with sharp razor knives, or SureForm blades, because once it hits full cure, the stuff is VERY hard, and hard to sand. It's likely that trying to sand fully cured Marine Tex will be difficult, as the surrounding gelcoat will sand down faster than the Marine Tex, leaving the Marine Tex repair a little proud… Also, it's important to do your best to get the proportions correct. Too much hardener can (paradoxically) prevent full cure...

Brian

I have had good experience repairing some dings on my keel with a product called Marine-Tex. It is easy to use and my repairs have held up well over several seasons now.

 

[DAVA390]

Re: Good call, Ross!

Thanks all of you, I will look at all these products. One thing I would explain is that I messed up with original photos, the hidden side of the rudder is propeller chewed, I didn`t even think of that when taking pictures. I knew I would get a lot of good suggestions, thank you .

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

For what it's worth- Marine Tex IS an epoxy. One point- like any epoxy, it will yellow slightly in UV.

Good stuff though

 

[rgranger]

... the hidden side of the rudder is propeller chewed,....

Oh yeah, done that a few times.....

Here are some pics of my propeller chew repair. I also filled in some gouges with wood putty. I don't remember which brand but it said it was water proof. Two seasons later it was still looking okay.

What is hard to see in these pics is that I hid the set screws under a thin piece of wood -- a cover plate if you like. Both pieces of wood insert were made of oak. I stained them with a mahogany stain.

I also made the tiller if you need some pics of how that was done let me know.

 

[DAVA390]

I applied the first coat of West six 10 last night. I liked the mixing nozzle and I was surprised to see amber/clear color, I thought it would be drywall colored like spackle. Still tacky this morning, will wait till tomorrow night to sand again.

Question: Why am I typing Itallics and how do I change it back to regular font?

 

[rgranger]

Itallics

Question: Why am I typing Itallics and how do I change it back to regular font?

If you are on a PC you can toggle between normal/italics by holding down the control key and typing an "I"

 

[Buki]

Beautiful work! How did you attach the wood piece cover plate? Gorilla glue?

Oh yeah, done that a few times.....

Here are some pics of my propeller chew repair. I also filled in some gouges with wood putty. I don't remember which brand but it said it was water proof. Two seasons later it was still looking okay.

What is hard to see in these pics is that I hid the set screws under a thin piece of wood -- a cover plate if you like. Both pieces of wood insert were made of oak. I stained them with a mahogany stain.

I also made the tiller if you need some pics of how that was done let me know.

 

[rgranger]

Thanks...

Beautiful work! How did you attach the wood piece cover plate? Gorilla glue?

Yep! Gorilla glue is tough stuff but you have to provide clamping pressure for it to work properly. I next took my chisel and a hammer and rough cut the block to "almost" fair with the rudder. Then I used a combination of a power planer and a hand held orbital sander to get the rudder clean and ready to take a new varnish. Since I was already working on it... I spent a little time trying to give it a NACA foil shape. Not sure how well that worked. I really could not tell a difference in performance. When the varnish was stripped off, I could see that the original wood was some sort of dark red wood. I'm guessing it was cedar but it did not smell like cedar (40 years old maybe?). If I were to do it again, I guess I'd try and match the woods a little better. You can also see on the rudder where a previous owner had completed a similar repair. He did not use a cover plate to hide the screws but instead, he counter sunk the screws and filled in the hole with putty. Worked just as well. I went with a cover plate because of the sizes of oak boards I happened to have in my scrap pile. The original block was a bit too shallow so I ripped a small cover plate to bring the splice flush with the leading edge of the rudder. Since gorilla glue expands, I figured it would fill in the heads of the screws and any other imperfections of my splice.

 

[DAVA390]

Update, Almost finished. I have a quick release cam cleat coming for the downhaul line, will be mounted next week. Next project is propeller guard on the motor.

 

[rgranger]

Nice work.....