Rebuilding A Foam Cored Rudder Part 5~ Applying Pettit Protect Barrier Coat 

I've watched many of your videos and you always seem to have the answers to my problems, or projects, I'm not sure which. I'm. Building a new Rudder for my sailboat. A little different than the original and I'm adding a skeg to protect the new rudder. I believe you video series covers all the information I need. Thank you for keeping us informed.

I'm loving this series on the rudder since it has shown all of the stages in order from start to finish. I currently repairing a rather large hole below the waterline on a small sailboat and have been following along for tips on how to do it right the first time. All the product recommendations have been great, too. I am about to lay my EZ Fair over the patched section of hull this week! I had noticed while sanding a blister at the waterline that there is no barrier coat above the waterline, and I'm wondering if that's what caused the previous owners topside paint to blister? This means I am going to be repainting the hull above water as well and curious what the process should be for this section. Sand to fiberglass and start over? Scuff the paint with 80 and re-apply barrier coat? As always, ask 100 sailors and you get 150 opinions. Yours is most valuable. Thanks for all the great videos and I hope you're healing well.

Supercool man. Have this very job in progress

Great video, and I'm watching it again for maybe the 6th time in preparation to start rolling this stuff on. That said, I am understanding that although you have a 15 or so day window to apply more Pettit Protect, from that last coat to your bottom paint, there's only something like a 5 hour window to get that on without sanding. I would really like you to address this question within the next couple of days because that's when I see bottom paint going on my boat. Thanks, Andy!

Thank you for sharing as much as you do and taking the time for all the video editing.

This rudder did not deserve your excellent workmanship. Great Job!

Masterful. A true craftsman.

Thanks for the video. I am removing a large blister from a rudder and didn't realize all of the steps needed to glass it. Thanks for this very informative video. And thanks for the links on the web site to the products.

This was a truly informative video that was fun to watch. I actually saw it twice in order to help me prepare for my rudder rebuild. I was wondering why you didn’t apply the 12:1 rules when cutting open the rudder. Wouldn’t the new fiberglass bond better if it overlapped on the old surface? Or is the strength of the bond build on the hard foam?

I was watching and kept asking what is thr stripe across the rudder? Then I realised it was the folding ladder hinge spreader. Loved it because I may have to do one of my own sail boats like this.

Wondering what grit of sandpaper you used on the fairing?

Nice Andy! I think this video is also good for your friend from Sail life ⛵️😉

Andy, your videos are exceptionally informative and a great educational resource! Thank you! There are many videos concerning Hobie cat delimitation in which drilling holes and epoxying the holes with resin is done. In your opinion, would the process you show work well with Hobbie cat hull delam’s?

Fantastic video! Very informative. Thank you.

Beautiful

Great tutorial and helped answer a few Qs. I would like to know if you have ever worked on a yacht's mast footing where it comes through the deck and down to the floor, as I would like to fix the footing via a roof truss across the interior of the deck to the sides of the cabin.

Per the petit documentation you have up to 60 days to apply additional coats of the petit protect. After 60 days u need to sand before next coat. Coats need to dry enough to release solvents before next coat. Typical thumbprint or better yet thumbnail indent to test if dry enough- Critical is applying anti-foul within 5-8 hours (70 degrees) of last protect coat to achieve a strong chemical bond. Cheers

Very educational

Thanks, the videos are great, loaded with great information

Awesome series. Very good info!!

stellar!

Thanks Andy.

I love the show. Basically just started watching it since I got a sailboat this past summer, an Edel665. I've fiber glassed before, but I am no where as good as you. Anyway, I noticed cracks on the rudder along the seams. Mainly on the top, but a couple on both the leading and trailing edge. It looks like two halfs glued together with a foam core. It is fiber glass. I know there was water in the rudder. Water was dripping out of a crack in the bottom seam. I watched your video on fixing a rudder. But how would fix a rudder like this? Thank you for the shows. Please keep them coming.

Oh yeah, love the kid touch.

Hey Andy hello from Oregon! I was wondering will the higher quality foam hold up better to any leaking through the stern post? I read that you couldn't plug the hold without messing with the emergency roller access. That is for sure a design flaw. Absolutely love the channel and all of the knowledge you share!! Would love to see some "cold molding" if you ever get into any of that. Thanks again for your efforts.

.is the heavier foam strong enough to stop the ingress of water from the downtube which caused the problem originally --by the way ,as i was trained in electrics on how to work by method i find your videos superb and they are a great teaching tool

How long did it take from start to finish with the rudder? Love you're videos mate, think you're humour is spot on. Make more videos for us! ^^

Hello. Very informative video and well presented. I have just two questions. First why did you not take a template of sections of the chord at different stations along the length of the rudder so as to be sure it would be equal on both sides. Secondly why did you not bevel the joint around the perimeter of the new lay up, a scarf. Sincerely Richard Coffey.

Excellente information, you are the man!:)

you skirted over how you determined the shape on the rough sanding.. I did this type of work to my c22 iron keel. I used fairing..layers and layers.. Was not sure I got the wing shape just right... i guess it is a best guess..

Very helpfull series of videos.

Have you considered displaying a DIY paint process for boat builds and restoration like Roll and Tip?

Whilst going down the river Danube in my small sailing boat (Westerly Tiger 1971), I hit an underwater object and bent the rudder tube so that the rudder jammed up against the hull. It was temporarily fixed but at first opportunity I took it to a reputable yard to have it repaired. They wanted 3000 euro so I decided to do it myself. I cut one side open and dug out the stainless steel tube with off shoots giving the rudder strength. The foam inside was like concrete and bone dry and only with chisel and hammer could be chipped away. The rudder that you’ve worked on here is seemingly extremely weak. If that hit anything, it would be hopeless. No offence, of course, but thanks for the info. given.

I was just wondering, you make it look so easy, so I have a few questions. The materials that you used, how much did they cost all together?. How many hours did it take you from start to finish?, and could someone never having done anything like this before tackle a project like this?, thanks

That's a lot of effort to fix this rudder. How much did this repair cost compared to a replacement rudder please?

Cracking workmanship but I still don’t really understand why the builders never out any tangs on the stock?

Hi, thanks for the video. great job. One question i have is why did you not weld horizontal ears to the shaft? Seemed me that make use of the fact the rudder was "naked" and that it was surprising the manufacturer didnt do so, Why didn't you? Thanks, and im not hating, im just curious.

Very informative series. Thanks for your time in producing it. Is the BWT dockside still operational or did you decide to do something different? Thanks

Hey Andy wonderful video...Just curious, was the original skin material for de rudder epoxy glass or polyester glass ? and if it was polyester based why did you chose to use epoxy?...Thanks.

I've watched through this short series, and i have to say that you have a lot of knowledge amd that you do your work very carefully, however, in this particular case you did not fix the original problem of the rudder, which is leakage at the connection of the rudder shaft and the fiberglass.

Hi Andy... i love your shows.... But i need a Show about measureing on hulls.... etc... for closets... or anything else... How do you measure for that...??? Michael, Denmark

How smooth does the Pettit roll on? I've used another brand, and sanding several coats after applying 6 isn't much fun. Only 3 coats of Pettit sounds good, but doesn't leave much to sand off. I do need a racing finish.

Hi, really like your videos. If the foam had been the 8 or 16 lb per inch density type (not sure that is the correct nomenclature), how much more difficult is it to remove? What techniques might you use? Thanks!

Did you use something to plug the tube so it will not fill with water again?

Interesting process....Question: Don't you need to (at least) remove the old fiberglass from the other side and redo it as well?

Andy, thanks from over here in the UK. What paints can I use on the top of Pettit Protect? This whole series has given me the confidence to 'go for it' once I am in winter storage. thanks Doug

how did you end up plugging the tube so it wouldn't leak again?

Hi! Nice work! Does the Pettit Protect work well applied directly to wood?

I dont get coating epoxy with epoxy. What is the point?

I have a fiberglass kayak that I want to widen from 29" to 37". What would you use for the splice. I was thinking of just using then plywood, but is there something that is waterproof that would be lite and work better?

What would happen if you used bottom paint instead of a barrier coat ??

You didn't talk about what you did on the opposite side of the rudder. Was there anything more than just cleaning and applying a coat of Pettit Protect?

those barrier coats, are they the last thing that is done to the rudder?

Great video. What do you use to de-wax with?

Did you barrier coat both sides or just what you repaired

How thick was the new skin on the rudder

Great video and a big help, but isn't application of epoxy only successful if moisture content of the rudder is very low? Your rudder was soaking in water for years. How do we know when it's dry enough to work on ??

Without any ribs in the rudder what prevents the rudder torque tube from rotating in the rudder?

I am just about to repair my rudder. How do I know if it is a foam core? If I send you a picture would you be able to suggest the right approach?

Hey Andy is the 2 part expanding foam you used the same foam they use on Mako boat

I am way behind asking this but, is the new foam enough to stop the water coming in the rudder post or did you seal it on the top side. Or are you just not giving away all your secrets.

Not trying to be a smart ass but with all the materials and man-hours involved in things like this wouldn't it be longer lasting and cheaper to just cut the thing out of a big chunk of nylon?

Have you ever taken off any rudder that was not full of water? NOT SMART ASS QUESTION. JUST WONDERING IF ANY FOAM RUDDER SYSTEMS WORK?

I was always lead to believe that NO sealer - epoxy or otherwise - was waterproof. Has modern chemistry changed that rule of thumb?

Hello: I'm having to scarf joint two8' wooden waterproof peices of plywood together to make 16' panels. what kind of glue wood you recommend that I use?

what would a rudder repair like that cost?

Hurry-up, nothing on dockside?????? LOL

I waited till the last video to comment. I tried this once and the rudder broke in half. The new glass delaminated

So did you use the pettit protect on the other side as well, or just the side you glassed in? Seems to me you wasted your time on this rudder as it was a bad design and will fail in the future. Not having the winds on the rudder stock means that with a hard grounding the stock will pull off the rudder making it useless, and the water will continue to go into the foam at some time in the future. But that would be a different build... Can't believe the company that built that boat put that rudder on their boat. Go figure.

Talking too much , like listening to yourself ? The rudder looks good though