Rudder blisters - leak

[Pancho]

Hi,

My rudder has blisters with moisture underneath. I have stripped off the copper coat epoxy, and now have a bare rudder.

I gather that this is quite a common issue - should I drill holes in my rudder to drain moisture, and if so, where?

My IF is from 1979 and is in good condition.

Thanks, James

[maja]

Rudders from 1979 should contain no hollows. So let it just dry indoors warm and dry for a couple of months.

Then cover the blade with 4-6 layers of epoxy primer.

It could be wise to follow the drying by process by measuring the moisture by a gauge.

[Pancho]

Thanks Maja.

Great - it doesn’t sound hollow so that makes sense. Time to clean it up and convince my wife that it can come inside for a while!

James

[FredrikH]

[quote=Pancho post_id=29723 time=1642233577 user_id=3388]
Thanks Maja.

Great - it doesn’t sound hollow so that makes sense. Time to clean it up and convince my wife that it can come inside for a while!

James
[/quote]

You can always cut a couple of holes to see how it looks inside, and to allow it to dry out better, those holes are easy to fill before you make the epoxy treatment.

An IF-rudder is excellent to use as a cocktail-table for your wife's parties!