From: Jørn Haga
Date: November 20, 2023
To: Richard Minielly
Subject: Primer for black rudder

Hi Richard,

I got a replacement rudder last February, delivered to Las Palmas, to my boat “Toyster”. I’m now in Trinidad, after the solo crossing and traveling the Brazilian coast from Rio.

My Hydrovane has been absolutely magic, without it I wouldn’t have made it, since my autopilot broke somewhere in the Atlantic.

My question is, what kind of anti fouling-primer do you recommend for the rudder?

Best regards

Jorn H

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From: Richard Minielly
Date: November 20, 2023
To: Jørn Haga
Subject: Primer for black rudder

Hi Jorn,

Great to hear from you and congratulations on the crossing! Glad to hear your Hydrovane steered the way.

Do you mind if we post your email to our ‘True Stories’ page? (https://hydrovane.com/true-stories/) We really appreciate any feedback from customers. No worries if you prefer to stay private.

For painting the rudder, we recommend a hard (non-ablative) bottom paint. To prepare the rudder surface, you will need to roughly sand the nylon to create a rough surface on which the paint can bond. Technically, a plastic-specific primer should also be used to help the paint adhere. In practice, most of our customers skip this step as the surface area is so small that they can repaint if needed. Generally, a good surface preparation is sufficient.

Happy to answer any questions.

Richard Minielly

 

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