ruuddrcraft rudder fouling

[philb Junkie19]

I thought that the ruddercraft plastic surface would resist fouling but I needed to scrub it twice since mid July. Will anti-fouling paint stick to it? What do others who leave it down use?
Phil

[marc]

You do need to coat the rudder with bottom paint. Rough up the plastic surface with 80 grit sandpaper and the paint will stick to it just fine.
Marc

[wes]

I prefer not to leave mine down when I'm not sailing. That's kind of the whole point of the upgraded rudder, isn't it?

Wes

[Tim Gardner]

I concur with Wes.  Lift the Rudder out of the water. It won't foul and you have less turbulent flow over the surface when in use.
TG

[MHardy]

On my CP16 the rudder won't come completely above the waterline when raised. I have not done this yet, but here is advice from the RudderCraft website:

Painting
High Density Polyethylene is naturally non- adhesive to most products. In order to apply anti-fouling paint you should:
1) Clean the surface (brand new rudders are shipped clean)
2) Prepare by surface sanding the area to be painted with 220-grit sandpaper
3) Apply anti-fouling paint. IdaSailor Marine recommends VC-17 or Micron-17, applied according to manufacturer's instructions.

[philb Junkie19]

I have one of the basic Ruddercraft replacements which has made a huge difference over the flat plate. After the rudder kept lifting part way I tightened it down as much as I dare lightly tapping the threaded arm with a hammer I happened to have on board. That has been working pretty well but I'm afraid to strip the bronze threads so I try to leave it once set. I'd like to be able to use a derlin pin, bolt, golf tee etc to keep it down but, if you snag a lobster bouy, the line rides up to the rudder casting without tripping the rudder and the rudder needs to be lifted by hand to clear it. Don't ask how I know. Maybe a derlin bolt combined with a hole just big enough to allow for removal on the water would make a workable hold down along with a smooth bottom paint like VC17.
Phil