Rudder and Strut Restoration

[bzettler83]

So I posted this a while back but I didnt get much of a response.

I want to either paint them, or restore them in some way. They dont look terrible, but dont look great. Is really the only item on the boat I am not happy with.

From what I understand you can polish them but that seems like a TON of work. Is it possible to paint the gear? If so what should I look for.

[mikeg205]

Post some pic's please.

[bzettler83]

I figured this would the first response.... I will see if I can get over to my storage and take a few pics. Stay Tuned.

[FrankSchwab]

You can polish them - but they will quickly tarnish again, so it's a losing battle (unless you have a lot more time on your hands than I do).

I don't think painting would work; it'd probably flake off in big ugly chunks due to the water flow around the item. Perhaps you could power-coat it, but I'm not sure how well that would hold up either.

Some have replaced the Nibral components with Stainless Steel, but that has it's own problems.

I think you're just gonna have to live with it.

[setidball]

My opinion, I say if it is simply a cosmetic issue, don’t bother. Anything other than letting the under water gear tarnish, will look like crap in no time. Paint will erode away … and look like crap. Polish will tarnish … and look like … well, like tarnish… they all look that way in time. S

[CantRepeat]

If you are not going to "show" the boat I wouldn't bother with it. Heck, they are under the water when you are boating.

[ahhudgins]

I've polished my prop once or twice while I was letting the oil drain. It looked nice going down the road but after a few weekends it turned dark again. Not worth the time IMO.

[1redTA]

it's pure MCOCD