Can you ID these rudders?

AND what should I do to rehab them? Just Sand & Paint?

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1974 Hobie 16 (not to mention my age, but that's the year I graduated from High school)
1993 Hobie 17 For Sale
JMBoatStuff

From the age of the boat, they're either ABS or Lexan, probably the latter.

Paint will not stick to the Lexan, so sanding them is pretty much all you can do. Lexan is very tough and flexible (that's why airplane windows are made from it). Don't go after it with coarse paper - you'll just gouge scratches that you can't sand out. Try it with 150 silicon carbide paper (dry) to see how it goes.

The outer layer has probably been UV degraded, so that's what you want to take off.

I have the same rudders that were sun beaten. I tried going with 200 grit and it just gummed up the paper and made little "scum balls" on the rudder. One day i tryed wet sanding with 500 grit and it worked much better. the water kept the scum balls from sticking back to the rudder and i got them back to a stable surface. I then shot them with krylon fusion. So far it seems to be holding up pretty well. of coarse it did show some wear from hitting the beach but they still look alot better than they did.

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'73 hobie 16 restored 2011
'00 Seaswirl fishin boat

I am doing the same with mine, which look about the same vintage. I have one set from 72 or 73 and another from '79. I gummed up some 200 grit, but it took off most of the UV eaten stuff. I planned to just give them a good coat of wax or space age fiberglass coating stuff (I can't remember what it was called? Mirroglaze?)

Let us know what you end up doing and how well it works.

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Steve
2017 Hobie 16 "Cayman" sails 114795
1985 & 1973? Hobie 14 "Sea & Ski"