Re finishing rudders?

My rudders need re surfaceing. I tried sanding then buffing but the scratches are too deep they are not epo's. Can i spray gel coat on them? Do they come stock with gel coat?

_________________
ALLEY CAT 1984 RED LINE HOBIE 18 MAGNUM
Sail # 10505 or 277

Depends on what they are.

Plastic - (Nylon, Lexan, PCG) - no. It's tough to get anything to stick to them.
Fiberglass (EPOs, Racer Rudders) - yes. They are built just like the hulls.

So how can I give the surface a nice smooth finish. They are not in bad shape, I would like them to look great. Can I sand with 80 grit then apply gel coat to ensure a good bond.

_________________
ALLEY CAT 1984 RED LINE HOBIE 18 MAGNUM
Sail # 10505 or 277

80 grit scratches will show through gelcoat. In fact I wouldn't use 80 grit on EPO's. I'd fill any scratches and start with 220 and go through 400, wipe down with acetone, thin the gelcoat with styrene to spray it on fiberglass rudders or with graphite color added epoxy for epoxy rudders. Some people roll it on but with a good spray finish there is little if any work left to do.

They are NOT EPO'S

_________________
ALLEY CAT 1984 RED LINE HOBIE 18 MAGNUM
Sail # 10505 or 277

If they are plastic I have no idea.

OK, well what are they? Solid plastic or fiberglass (yes, there have been fiberglass rudders made that were NOT EPO'S)?

If you've got fiberglass rudders, then you can fill the scratches, wet sand and polish.

But, I'm assuming you've just got solid plastic rudders (lexan, PCG) and there 'aint a whole lot you can do to them. Wash them, scrub them, and file down any major gouges. Wet sanding and polishing will proabably be a waste of time and polyester or epoxy products will most likely not adhere to them so filling gouges or spraying with gelcoat will also be a waste. They are what they are.

sm

Ive tried to make the plastic rudders look good, and these guys are right, not possible. The only paint I could get to work was an epoxy appliance paint (sanded with 400 grit on rudder first), however it was only about a month before it started peeling off.
If you dont like the way the plastic rudders look, the only real option is to buy some fiberglass rudders, new or used. If you buy used ones and they look bad, then you can refinish them, plus you will notice a diffrence in how your boat handles.

_________________
1992 Hobie Cat 18 #16943
Hobie Fleet 198, Rapid City, SD

I do see glass in the on the worn rudder section, and the glass is surrounded by a black material. Do the plastic rudders have any fiber in them?



Now that sounds like good advice. I almost went to the store to get some black pigment for my gel coat.

_________________
ALLEY CAT 1984 RED LINE HOBIE 18 MAGNUM
Sail # 10505 or 277

Plastic rudder won't have any fiber in them. A pic would be helpfull.

You see black arround fiberglass? Is the whole rudder black? does it look like this?
These are origional epo's that need some work.


If your rudders are like this some refinishing tips can be found:
http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=12535&hilit=refinishing+rudders
and a great video of the repair from Surf City Cats:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNwMgX48uwQ&feature=channel[/youtube]

hope this helps

_________________
1992 Hobie Cat 18 #16943
Hobie Fleet 198, Rapid City, SD

holy **** then my rudders are epo's. I am taking a break right now from working on my rudders. I am letting them dry in the sun after washing them from sanding. I was about to spray them with enamel spray paint. I guess I can gel coat them.

_________________
ALLEY CAT 1984 RED LINE HOBIE 18 MAGNUM
Sail # 10505 or 277

Not really. Gelcoat is polyester based. Your EPOs are epoxy based. The two are not compatible. You can paint your rudders or you can re-coat them with epoxy (tinted black if you want), but gelcoat is likely to come off over time.

sm

How do I determine what kind of rudders I have?

Its pretty standard that hobie have one of 3 diffrent types of rudders...
Lexan (White or Black plastic) - easily flexable
Fiberglass (also known as Racing rudders, White Knight rudders...) - Stiff and made like a boat foam core, fiberglass, and gel coat.
EPO's (black fiberglass impregnated/formed with black epoxy) - Very Stiff, not made by Hobie but by an affiliate of Colman CO. from when they owned Hobie.
Epo2's (Carbon/Kevlar, Carbon, White Fiberglass) - upgraded verson of the origional, they will have a sticker underneath the epoxy

_________________
1992 Hobie Cat 18 #16943
Hobie Fleet 198, Rapid City, SD

Well I just sprayed them with gel coat. I bought some pigment to make the gel coat black but, it takes a lot of pigment to make white black. I got a solid gray before I ran out of pigment. So i went ahead and made them gray, still a nice color. I did notice the EPO sticker on it and felt like a jack ass. But the gel coat kinda foamed up on the sticker. Actually only on the letter parts of the sticker.

I did try to use enamel spray paint but it could not cover the pin holes and left a dimple on every pin hole ,the gel covered them nicely then I sprayed some mold release to give it a good finish.

_________________
ALLEY CAT 1984 RED LINE HOBIE 18 MAGNUM
Sail # 10505 or 277