Rudder glass repair

[PurpleOnion]

I'm in need help and guidance or confirmation that I should leave this to a pro.
Due to some unfortunate circumstances involving wind, current, powerboat wake, jet skis, a woman on a paddle board, and a midget, my rudder suffered some heavy abuse. (The only falsehood in the prior sentence is the midget, but it seemed like the only thing that was missing so I added it).
The rudder is carbon with glass or, as the manufacturer describes it, "High performance profile Carbon-Glass rudder".
As you can see in the attached pictures, there's some chips on the leading edge and the bottom has been abused to the point of taking a notch out of the trailing corner.

My questions are:
1. Can this be repaired to a reasonable state by an amateur. If so, any recommended products, techniques, methods, etc.?
2. Is there any great risk to using this prior to fixing it? Is there anything I should do to protect it prior to using it?
3. Am I better off leaving this to a professional as working on a foil like this is the wrong place to learn?

I'm fairly certain the answer to question 1 is "no" and the answer to question 3 is "yes", so I'm really concerned about the answer to question 2.

Thanks in advance.

 

[SloopJonB]

Totally - some epoxy filler, some block sanding et voila.

Those are nicks & dings - not a "repair". It so trivial I would be embarrassed to even ask a pro to do it.

 

[Zonker]

That is what is technically known in the industry as "a boo-boo".

Marine-Tex thickened epoxy. Overfill, sand smooth when cured. A trained monkey could do it.

 

[Quickstep192]

That is what is technically known in the industry as "a boo-boo".

A trained monkey could do it.

That is what is technically known in the industry as "a boo-boo".

Marine-Tex thickened epoxy. Overfill, sand smooth when cured. A trained monkey could do it.

I’m proof of that. If I can re-core a hatch cover, you can do this. Just make sure it’s good and clean so the epoxy sticks well.

On the flip side, it’s an easy enough repair that a pro might not charge that much to repair it.

 

[Marty Gingras]

Marine-Tex is great stuff. Hardens like a rock. Seen many folks overfill then create bad low spots in the surrounding area via improper sanding technique.

 

[phill_nz]

as the others have already said
these are basic touch up repairs
albeit probably should have been done a little earlier

with the exception of the tip i would just create a key and dab on gelcoat for the fix

the tip after a small guilt trip i would sand to a nice streamlined curve then build it up with gelcoat

sand all, fair all and polish it

 

[slug zitski]

Looks cosmetic
Un fortunately a pile of material needed for repair ..filler ,primer. Topcoat ..is so expensive that you should drop the Rudder off at a pro shop for repair
Cheaper ...They already have everything , no need for you to purchase the pile of material

 

[Gouvernail]

Some people work on their toys as a form of therapy.
If you have a nearby shop where the staff at least understands sailboats enough to recreate the original shape, you probably can’t save and money doing it yourself.

 

[Captain Ketamine]

Ensure the exposed carbon/glass is DRY and no water leakage (if it’s wicked in water it might take a little while). Clean with acetone / epoxy thinner. Apply a coat or epoxy. Then fill defects with an epoxy filler. These are waterproof materials. You can then go onto gelcoat. If it’s very superficial with no carbon exposure then gelcoat. If you’re only using small quantities of filler then any reputable premix. If you’re doing a large job (not here). Then you can learn about fumed silica and micro balloons. The West website and their publications are a good starting resource. As the others have indicated this isn’t rocket science.

The Gougeon Brothers On Boat Construction book

This boat construction book is the definitive textbook on cold-molding by epoxy pioneers the Gougeon Brothers. Get print version download the free PDF.

www.westsystem.com

 

[phill_nz]

the must be dry advice is correct
if its been in fresh water no biggie
if its been in salt you may need to soak it with fresh to leech out the salt
solvent is not as helpful as fresh water and then a warm dry room
i wouldn't use any epoxy at all .. the chances of it making a better job are a lot smaller than it making this job a lot worse
gougeon / west are in the business of selling epoxy resin first .. being right and fixing boats come after that

 

[SloopJonB]

i wouldn't use any epoxy at all .. the chances of it making a better job are a lot smaller than it making this job a lot worse

Elucidate please?

 

[phill_nz]

i will leave that to you doing your own research

if you get to stuck get back to me

ps
i think its something neither of us have experienced but others here have
so it has to be considered when advising non pro's

 

[Captain Ketamine]

I understand your comments about Gudgeon brothers, but it’s a reasonable general text that’s free for him to check out. I appreciate there are a range of approaches that can done and as you corroborate, make sure it’s dry!

 

[SloopJonB]

The Gougeon's literally wrote the book on boat/epoxy work.

To say, or even imply that they are whoring simply for sales is to do them a gross disservice.

Advances in techniques have come along since I acquired my first edition but it is still the most useful text on the subject.

 

[Will1073]

The Gougeon's literally wrote the book on boat/epoxy work.

To say, or even imply that they are whoring simply for sales is to do them a gross disservice.

Advances in techniques have come along since I acquired my first edition but it is still the most useful text on the subject.

Agreed. But I would also be doing this repair out of poly/gel coat. Assuming that is what the blade is made out of

 

[phill_nz]

To say, or even imply that they are whoring simply for sales is to do them a gross disservice.

no of course not
they had no reason whatever to spend time making that book
other than as a goodwill gesture

 

[SloopJonB]

Phil, you sound like a dummy - they wrote the book to pass on their acquired info and to make money - just like anyone who writes a book.

My copy cost $15 in the 70's - reasonable but not cheap.

Putting it on the Interweb for free was a goodwill gesture.

 

[phill_nz]

and you sound like a naive fan boy
they wrote the book to help sell epoxy resin
your taking that to whoring is entirely a your head space problem
i said they are in the business of selling epoxy resin first .. and thats just a simple fact

to put it simply .. they didn't write the book to make money out of the book
they wrote the book to make money out of epoxy resin
being able to distribute it for free on the net meant they didn't have to charge for it to not make a loss ( on paper )

 

[SloopJonB]

You're right, I agree.

 

[Captain Ketamine]

Intriguing logic, so because they (Gougeon’s) are making money out of their business (epoxy stuff) they are whores. ? Plastic Whores?