The previous owner told me that the after-market rudder started to crack a while back. He had someone "weld" the plastic at the back of the rudder to repair it. He then saw it start to crack at another location the other day. He told me that he felt that it was caused from being out in the sun. He closed the new crack with 5200. If he had kept the boat he stated that he was going to fiberglass over it plastic.
Would putting a layer of fiberglass over the plastic be a viable fix? Any other suggestions on how to fix this?
I would be cautious about applying epoxy and fiberglass over plastic. Depending upon what kind of plastic it is made of it may not stick at all. In fact plastic is what I usually use as a work surface because epoxy won't stick to it. I would never use polyester resin and fiberglass for anything. It does not adhere to most surfaces and does not cost that much less than epoxy. In fact I just completed a mast step repair on my CP23 because the previous owner used polyester resin. It fell apart within a couple of years.
I would contact the manufacturer of the rudder before doing anything. They will be able to guide you best.
Chris
If it is a Rudder Craft rudder they are supposed to have a lifetime warranty (to the original owner, so probably doesn't apply to you). But I would try contacting them and see if they will warranty it or suggest how best to repair it. If the problem is UV, then I would paint it after repairing to block the UV.
THe problem is that I don't know who manufactured the rudder. I don't have any paperwork on it either. Is there a way to tell who made it?