Rudder Fairing Repair

jfalsone · **Joined:** 06 Aug 2020 09:02 **Posts:** 142

I have cracks in my rudder fairings. Is it appropriate to scarf the cracked area and apply fiberglass? It seems like these fairings are plastic of some sort since they can flex.

WayneH · **Posted:** 19 Dec 2020 21:25

The fairing is made for fiberglass and will take fairing and re-glassing. I would not worry about the cracks at the bottom of the fairing. I think the fairing is too stiff at the bottom and any repairs to that section will fail the first time the rudder goes hard over.

Now, the upper cracks above the pintle should be re-glassed and faired. That's the vertical crack on the starboard side and that HUGE horizontal glass failure on the port side. It appears (to me) that your fairing is a replacement/re-install after work was done on the rudder. But I'm not a yard guy so I could be (probably) wrong. Anyway, I would fix those two cracks and let the lower ones slide.

jfalsone · **Joined:** 06 Aug 2020 09:02 **Posts:** 142

I think this is actually the original fairing. While I can't account for how the boat was used for the first decade of its life, it has been used very sparingly the last three decades. It's really been a marina queen but all that's going to end soon. I doubt very much that the rudder was ever dropped (don't recall it being done the last 25 years). Going to repair the fairing this spring. Just another work item on the list!

Maineiac · **Posted:** 21 Dec 2020 13:56

You can just fill the joint with west system 407 and treat it like bondo. You could do the same at the bottom if you like. I might put a couple layers of half ounce chop down there so it won't open up again, but no big deal. The top and lower sections of fairing have a gap between them anyway. I believe that's the design. Can't find photos . . . ah.

The new fairings (bottom only) are secured with 1/2" countersunk screws. I made up the fairings with 2 layers of 21 oz biaxial cloth, matched them the way I wanted them, cut them, smoothed them, then attached them with screws. No glass holding the fairings to the skeg. Then spooged them smooth. They're smoother than they look. And will improve over that once i get the white barrier coat finished. The black paint is Micron 66. It's friggin impossible to get paint in behind the rudder where it NEEDS to go (into that ecoystem), so I loaded it up some ahead of time.

To make the fairings, I screwed a 3/4" piece of wood to my wooden work table about 8' long. Then I put an 18" wide piece of shit lauan about 7' long with one edge on the 3/4" and screwed the edge away from the 3/4" piece to the table to get the curve I wanted. I had played around with a contour tool to get the curve I wanted. Just a tiny curve in the lauan. Taped wax paper on it and layed up 2 layers of biax. Cut the large piece in half once it cured and cut the 2 smaller pieces to fit and screwed them on. Deblushed everything and kept on keepin' on. I think it took less time to do it than to tell about it.

jfalsone · **Joined:** 06 Aug 2020 09:02 **Posts:** 142

I filled the fracks with west and 403/406. Also created fairings over the pintle cutout. This has got to be a source of drag going to weather with weather helm. I know, a bit much for a Tartan 37 but it was easy and why not?

Maineiac · **Posted:** 08 May 2021 07:51

That'll work. Splash and dash.

Tartan37.com

Rudder Fairing Repair

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