Building the Rudder and Tiller

Built the rudder and tiller this winter.  Fun project.  Figuring out the compound tapers on the rudder blocking was rather challenging.....

Blocking for the tiller being epoxied on 1 inside face.  There are several compound tapers involved.

Cheeks applied (no fiberglass).  Used a router on them; look pretty good.  Getting ready to install the wing on the bottom of the rudder.

  Sanding it down for varnish.  Quite pleased actually!

1st coat of varnish on.

Tiller dimensions

Fiberglassing

Start in the stern compartment again for 'practice' as this will be closed up eventually.  I measured the area to be fiberglassed, then cut a piece of fiberglass a bit oversized.  Placed the fiberglass in the boat and smoothed it out completely.  Taped fiberglass to the vertical parts of the boat to hold it up as needed.

Note: All the little nubs and whatever that are in the area to be fiberglassed need to be sanded down and vacuumed extremely well prior to fiberglassing.  Surface needs to be pristine.  I also suggest wiping the area down very well with de-natured alcohol to remove all surface grime and dust.

Stern compartment fiberglassed.

Stern compartment fiberglassed; starboard side.

I alternated sides when fiberglassing.  Used the blue tape trick; works well.  Used 3 filler coats of epoxy on top of the initial coat.

Fillets In

Sorry been delinquent about posting to this blog....but spring is almost here so getting more seriously about working on boat again.

Learning how to do fillets well requires patience.  I suggest starting with the stern compartment which will eventually be sealed up so no one will see your 'practice' fillets.  Also suggest experimenting with the right % of Cab-O-Sil to add to epoxy mixture as it allows for smoother fillets.  I used the blue tape to help with clean up.  Pull the tape up at a 45 degree angle about 2 hours after you apply the fillets.  Some of my fillets were really rough so I sanded them well and put another thin fillet layer over them.
Sand the crap out of these fillets.  You need them smooth so that the fiberglass will lay well on them.