Rudder - New coat of Varnish or....

PMagnani

PMagnani

36474
I need to fix up my blade for the upcoming season but wanted to know if I'm better off sanding it down ( and tips on grit is helpful) and just giving it some new coats of varnish Or should I go crazy and find out what I need for a modern "plastic look"? What would I do....sand then apply what? Epoxy? Not sure so wanted to ask! At the same time, I have a few knicks in my board as well.

Thanks in advance for any help!
 
Not sure what's best, but what I do is clean it up (You don't want grease, wax, or roughness), sand lightly, and put on a coat of varnish. Any bare wood will soak up the first coat, and it will be rough. I sand that roughness out and put on one or more local coats additional. The new varnish over old varnish will probably slough off, but you can just brush off the flakes. . . Doesn't seem to be a problem. Where you started with bare wood, it'll stick very well (Might be a different color, though.).
 
Well, how good a job do you want to do? Why not start with stripper? That way you'll get the old varnish off and you won't get the different colors the last guy spoke of. If you got questions, [email protected] I've been a Sunfish sailor since 1970, and a woodworking teacher since 1977.

Al Courtines
 
Good idea, if you want to do it. Stripping has always been a mess for me, though, and the old varnish doesn't impact the performance of the blade. . . It just needs to be waterproofed. I do the same thing with my canoe paddles. It's quick and it works fine. Chacon a son gout.
 
Al, Yes, I'd like to learn as much as I can about varnishes, polyurethanes, uv stability, etc., etc. right now. I'm in the process of refinishing an old 10 sq meter IC and haven't chosen what to put on it. Also, any tips you might have on stripping/preparing centerboard and rudder frame slots would be welcome. BobF
 
I'm on the edge of my seat Al! I have seen some people paint the board with epoxy/gel coat of some kind, but I don't want to get too complicated. I think big and then due to time restraints fall a bit short! I just want a nice clean blade and tiller!

While I'm on the topic( or similar) Why hasn't anyone come up with an east to apply Gel coat in a can? My hull had been coated with that blue anti-fouling paint you find on big boats and it hasn't been the same since I stripped it off. All i've ever wanted was a nice clean bottom.....home and on the water!
 
I'm on the edge of my seat Al! I have seen some people paint the board with epoxy/gel coat of some kind, but I don't want to get too complicated. I think big and then due to time restraints fall a bit short! I just want a nice clean blade and tiller!

While I'm on the topic( or similar) Why hasn't anyone come up with an easy to apply Gel coat in a can? My hull had been coated with that blue anti-fouling paint you find on big boats and it hasn't been the same since I stripped it off. All i've ever wanted was a nice clean bottom.....home and on the water!
 
[ “better off” AND “time constrained”, and “don’t want to get too complicated” ]

Tall Order

Delmar thinks in order to meet all your criteria you should have your blade and board cast in bronze.

Since money was about the only constraint you didn’t mention, you could upgrade to the composite board and new fiberglass blade. ($400 for the pair) Future maintenance would only involve slapping on a Marine Tex patch now and again.

Keeping up your existing wood foils will take some work. How much and how often is up to you. The results will, of course, be commensurate.

Epoxy resin coating has the potential for giving you the brightest finish and highest resistance to wear & tear. It also takes some time investment to learn the material.

Marine varnish is the traditional method and second to an epoxy finish for looks and durability.

A down-n-dirty, low-cost, minimal time solution would be to strip and/or sand, and slap on a couple of coats of epoxy paint. {Just think of the color possibilities}

The Red Green school of wood refinishing says just slap on a little varnish over nicks and scuffs whenever necessary. As mentioned earlier in this thread new varnish loosens old. Thin spots and lifting result allowing water to microscopically penetrate and rot to get a foothold. Not to mention with time the color variations begin to look like leprosy. On the other hand this method spreads the time involved across months or even a couple of years giving the illusion of being a quick fix.

As for a quick & easy fix for Gelcoat. Well, gelcoat is what it is – a thick, hard protective coating for fiberglass. Gelcoat is basically fiberglass resin with color in it and nothing easier has come along to replace it - yet. Epoxy resin could be applied, but the process is nearly the same so no effort saved there. Epoxy fairing and paint comes in a very very distant third, but by comparison Epoxy Paint is to Gelcoat what Stretch Wrap is to a Bullet-Proof Vest. If the gelcoat has been completely removed down to the fiberglass fabric there’s no solution other than take the hull to a boat yard and have new gelcoat sprayed on. ($$$) Probably be more sagacious to get another hull.

No sense in re-inventing the wheel here. Reams have already been written on the subject of refinishing. If you want good results you’ll have to do your homework. A quick outline here just isn’t going to cover all the bases unless you are already familiar with the techniques. Since you asked about sanding I assume you are not.

Google these if you like and see if something suits your sense of quality.


Transparent Epoxy Layup (the technique applies)
http://www.laughingloon.com/epoxy.html

Epoxy Tips
http://www.epoxyworks.com/

System Three Epoxy Book
https://www.fiberglasswarehouse.com/help/epoxybook.pdf

About Epoxy Resins
http://www.raka.com/UserManual.html

Epoxy surface prep example (every brand’s guide is a little different)
https://secure.international-coatings.com/pds/yacht/GB_ISO_I_5000431.htm

Material Source (just as an example)
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/

Marine Varnish Examples
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/boatvarnish.jsp

Varnish surface prep example
https://secure.international-coatings.com/pds/yacht/GB_ISO_I_5000210.htm

Clean Bottom Guide
http://www.charmin.com/en_us/pages/home.shtml


.
 
I've mentioned this many time before. If anyone wants a lasting varnish ( I value my time spent with disassembly, stripping, sanding, etc.), search on Poly Fiber Aircraft Coatings. You want a product known as UV-550. I suspend my parts from overhead for the varnishing process. I suspect 10 years from now I'll start hearing from people thanking me for this tibit of info.
 
For the Google challenged, from Aircraft Technical Support, Inc.:

Poly-Fiber Urethane Varnish UV-550 *
Clear, high-gloss, exterior and interior. The most durable varnish available. A tough, light-fast, non-chalking, weather, chemical, and solvent resistant two-part urethane varnish formulated especially for aircraft and marine wood surfaces which will be exposed to severe environmental conditions. Kit includes catalyst. Needs to be thinned with UE-820 Reducer. One gallon urethane varnish base component catalyzed and reduced 25% will cover approximately 600 sq.ft. with one coat. $81/quart kit.

Kevin
 
Scraped, sanded and varnished my rudder last year and it came out nice. I gave a few coats of spray varnish for a smooth finish. One helpful tip: save the shavings and sanding dust and mix with glue or epoxy for a nearly invisible patch for those dings and dents.
 
Great stuff all - I appreciate your thoughts. I suspect the easiest thing to do is buy the new plastic, but the price is a bit high. I'll likely sand, varnish, sand and varnish.

I appreciate eveyones input! You've given me some good ideas!
 
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