Leading the Escapadevideo
WE HAD TO CUT INTO OUR RUDDER!
July 15, 2026 · 21 min · 12K views · Panama
What this video covers
The crew of the 40-foot sailboat *Escapade* discovered hairline cracks at the top of their foam-core rudder while performing routine maintenance in a boatyard.▶ 0:05 To assess the damage, they ground away the fiberglass skin until they reached sound laminate, confirming the cracks were superficial and had not penetrated the internal structure.▶ 1:09 They drilled inspection holes to check for moisture or delamination, finding the interior dry.▶ 6:20 The repair involved painting a base coat of two-part epoxy onto the exposed foam, followed by filling the voids with West System epoxy thickened with Cab-O-Sil to restore the rudder's profile.▶ 9:08 After curing, they applied fiberglass patches over the repaired areas to provide structural rigidity before sanding the surface smooth and applying a barrier coat.▶ 20:34 The project highlights the necessity of grinding back cracks to clean material to ensure a proper bond and the importance of sealing voids to prevent water ingress.
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