Repair:
Rudder damage is one of the most common surf skis damages
o
If you hit your rudder and the rudder is hitting the hull, either the rudder shaft is bent or the
rudder tube has been dislodged.
o
Remove the rudder from the boat and check if it is bent. A bent rudder shaft can be bent back
straight if you put the shaft in a vise and bend it back straight.
o
For rudder tube damage, the boat will probably leak and will need to be dried out before a
repair. Unless experienced in composite repair it is probably best to take the boat to a reputable
professional repair center.
Depending on the size and severity of the damage, it may be necessary to take the boat to a Marine or
Auto Repair shop that deals in composites.
The materials used to make each boat will dictate the materials used to repair it. The Sport grade uses
Polyester Resin, where the Advantage, Excel and Ultra use Epoxy Resin. Sport and Advantage laminates
are built with fiberglass, Excel uses Kevlar with Nomex Core and Ultra uses Carbon with Nomex Core.
For large cracks or holes you can repair the boat from the inside on the Sport grade. For Advantage, Excel
and Ultra, repairs will have to be made on both the inside and outside depending on whether the damage
goes through both sides of the laminate.
o
Before starting a repair, the laminate should be dry or else the resin will not bond properly nor
will it cure properly.
o
Make sure that all loose fibers are removed before repairing and that the damaged area has
been sanded down to the laminate.
o
Fill the void with a filled resin (use a silicate powder from a marine or auto supply store) at
peanut butter thickness.
o
With unfilled resin use a chip brush to apply resin to the repair area and then apply one thin layer
of cloth which matches the boat grade.
o
Let cure and sand the repair smooth to the surrounding part of the boat.
o
Clean thoroughly with a solvent such as isopropyl alcohol before applying Gelcoat and then apply
Gelcoat in multiple thin layers, allowing it to dry between applications, to prevent the gelcoat
from sagging.
o
Once cured, wet sand the Gelcoat smooth and buff back to a shine
For advice on a repair or possible locations of repair shops, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Further Learning:
to find more manuals and instructional videos about the proper
usage and features of your Stellar product.
Please feel to contact us at Stellar with any questions or concerns, by going to our website,
and submitting and inquiry to the “contact us” submission form.
Summary of Contents for Surf Skis
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