Fiberglass rudders

I picked up at set of fiberglass rudders this weekend and have a couple questions...

1.) they came off of a 17, I think an 88. The holes look the same as my 18s do, will they work on it?

2.) you can see some of the fiberglass where the black has worn off. Also on the trailing edge you can just see what I assume is the foam core in one spot. Can this be fixed? And if so what's the best way?

1) As long as you have the new-style rudder castings on the 18, then the rudder holes on the 17 rudders should match up and work fine. The old-style 18 castings would require that you fill the old holes and re-drill.

2) Sand the exposed fiberglass down smooth then roll on a coat of epoxy, let it cure, and then sand it fair. If there is foam core exposed, then you sould seal it up with epoxy. If the area is big enough, then you may even want to put on a fiberglass patch. Try to keep the rudders out of the sunlight when not being used. The UV breaks down the epoxy over time.

sm

I have the old style castings. What do you fill the holes with?

Epoxy. Place a piece of tape over one side of the hole, flip the rudder over, and pour epoxy into the hole.

Download the rudder hole drill template from this site, or use your old rudder as a template to drill the new holes.

sm

Over the past 30 yrs I have filled and re-drilled EPO'S. Seems no-matter how good of care you take, the holes get "egged-out". I use black Marine TEX for refilling the holes. It sands down smooth and easily, and is hard as a rock, Use it also on "worn down tips". Just lay a good thick line down around the edge, let cure, sand to match. If no spare rudder available to use as template, fill and sand one rudder at a time. You can then use one for a template. After second rudder filled just use newly drilled one to mark hole on second rudder. Don't risk screwing it up using as a template. Hope this is some help. Jim.

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ADDICTION
1989 HOBIE 18 SE/sx wings
HOBIE ALTER SIGNATURE MODEL

The problem I've always had when trying to use Marine Tex to fill the holes is that it is way too thick and won't easily flow into the hole. Regular epoxy, on the other hand, can be easily poured right into the hole.

sm

The solution to thick epoxy is to tape one side, fill as best you can from the other, tape that side, flip the rudder over and peel up the first piece of tape, fill the hole some more and use a toothpick to get the air bubbles out.

Found the template, finally worked out how to print it (stupid Windows 10), but it has printed out too small.

From the holes on my rudders I need the D positions.

Does anyone have the measurements for how far these are from the fold lines?

With some help from a friend with much better computer skills than I, one template is now printed and ready to go. Removing all the writing and saving just the template as one page was all it took.

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H18 Newbie, Too heavy for the 14

I epoxied some milled teflon bearings in my rudders to so the rudders pivot on teflon not fiberglass and foam. These bushing where about one inch round by three quarters of an inch thick with a half inch hole for the rudder bolt and are fiberglassed in place. A decade or so later and still no egged shaped holes.....my two cents.............

smooth sailing......

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Bill 404 21SE

If you have rudders with holes in the right locations, I'd use those as a template rather than the printable template. There's too much play in a paper cutout to be anything more than a rough guide.

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Mike

'79 H18 standard 'Rocketman II' sail #14921 RIP
'78 H18 (unnamed) sail #14921
'08 H16 sail #114312
'97 H21SC sail #238

Different locations on each rudder...

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H18 Newbie, Too heavy for the 14