Hello all, I had a 'mis-hap' with my tiller. Not sure how it broke, but just wondering if anyone has had a similar break and if it is salvageable..... It seems to be such a small area to re-attach.
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Hi. Happy to do the repair for you at a reasonable cost. I am in the New Forest at Fordingbridge or you could send by post. Let me know if I can help. Steve
This should not be too hard to fix. I would make a drawing of the existing outline and hole positions. Break off any splinters and get a good fit when you trace the outline. Then plane back the timber core, either angling the cut to clear the top of the trailing edge or go into it. It will be harder to do if you go into it. Glue on a replacement patch in either a bit of old light mahogany, Sitka spruce of some high quality pine if you can find some. I personally do not like WR Cedar here at the stress points ie pivots. Butt joint it. Then bevel the glass covering (if it has one) on the foil and after a coat of epoxy on the new bare wood feather in some new glass (200 gsm woven roving is good) and sand back. Seal with more epoxy.
Mark the hole centres (from drawing/trace), drill them out oversize and fill with an epoxy microfibre mix. After cure drill correct size and put the rope pathway in. Remember to epoxy the inside of the rope path pulling the rudder down/up. The counterbore for the knot is created by the epoxy microfibre mix being completely full then bored.
If it is a solid unglassed blade I'd be tempted to tongue and groove the new timber in. Pretty simple, coat with gelcoat or 2k if it is a timber core glass blade. The foam core boards/rudders are gelcoat, primarily white (Scott Bader 337 Super white in the case of Winders)
Obviously paint afterwards if timber. If you know who originally made it you might be able to match the paint if you ask them.