Rudder Refinishing

[MikexB]

I have a wood rudder that was varnished. For some unknown reason, the varnish was almost completely gone on one side when I bought the boat. I am sanding off the old varnish and smoothing out some of the surface irregularities. There are a couple of holes that don't appear to serve any purpose. There is also a small crack along the grain at the bottom edge. How should I address the holes and crack?

Thanks!

Mike

[GreenLake]

Rudder being immersed in water I'm questioning the use of "varnish" (if that's in fact what it is).

I built a rudder from (ply)wood and I sealed mine with epoxy, before applying additional finish. That way, I have a waterproof barrier and that also makes the outer finish last longer.

I followed advice seen in DSQ articles and posts here to cut a diagonal bit off bottom of the front edge-and gluing that back on - with epoxy. That creates a waterproof "seam" in the wood isolating the bottom forward corner which is the one most likely to hit any obstacles and to take damage (that could penetrate the seal for the rest of the blade.

As part of epoxy sealing I added a layer of really light glass cloth. If wetted out properly it becomes invisible, but helps protect against scratches that could penetrate the waterproof seal. It didn't add a lot of weight and the rudder is still buoyant.

Epoxy needs to be protected from UV. I used a paint, but I have used a varnish like Polyurethane elsewhere on my boat where the wood looks nicer.

You could use System Three WR-LPU in glossy or satin as your final cover. The last coat(s) can be used with their "cross-linker" which makes for a durable and incredibly scratch resistant finish. (I take it that you'd like to maintain that appearance - but if you were to go to paint I would recommend Pettit EasyPoxy paint over your epoxy seal. That one is easy to apply, works well, but needs forever to cure to become hard enough, so not for something you'd like to use the next day).

Epoxy sealing is done with standard laminating epoxy. I use the System Three SilverTip for that. Just brush it on, and when still "green" add the next coat (and / or the layer of glass cloth, added while still wet).

Your holes might be for an uphaul or downhaul. A downhaul might be useful if the rudder comes up when you sail fast. An uphaul is great if you beach your boat. I would keep them, if they seem intended for the purpose.

If the bottom edge would be part of a diagonal off-cut, you can probably break the off-cut apart along the crack and glue it back together with epoxy or the waterproof Titebond (wood glue gives good result when there's a tight fit, However, if you use the off-cut method, be sure to glue the offcut with epoxy to establish a waterproff barrier.

[MikexB]

This is what a helpful discussion would look like ...
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GL: Are you planning to use varnish on your rudder? It doesn't do well below the waterline. Epoxy is a better solution. I can share a write-up about how I used epoxy on my rudder if you need it.
Me: Sorry, I use "varnish" as a generic reference to wood finishing products like I use "Kleenex" to refer to all brands of facial tissue. I already read your write-up when I searched the forum. Do you have any insights about how to address the holes and the crack?
GL: I haven't seen your setup. I'd hate for you to fill those holes only to discover that you need them for the up/down hauls. Are you certain that you don't need them?
Me: Yes, I'm certain. I have a good setup for up/down hauls that doesn't involve these holes.
GL: Good. I'd recommend using <product A> or <product B> to fill the holes. You could use either of them on the crack but you might consider incorporating the crack into the cutout option I described in my write-up.
Me: That's exactly what I needed. Thanks!
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I'll find the answer elsewhere.