Jen, I have used Deks Olje with very good results ( using #1 and #2). It is hard to find so I am using Deks #1 and Petit Captains spar varnish over the #1. I believe you can use Penetrol in lieu of #1, with equal results. Let the topcoats dry, sand lightly with 220 wet or dry, recoat, as many times as you want. Usually takes a minimum of 3 or 4 coats. Note- varnish does not fill grain well- sanding will help- use a block and get lots of sandpaper, varnish clogs the grit. Sand just enough to take the gloss off the most recent coat of varnish, final coat hang rudder indoors (garage etc) and let dry for 3-5 days. Have fun, go sailing! GO On Sat, Mar 2, 2024 at 5:17 PM Jennifer Wood < jennifer@buskersguidetotheuniverse.org> wrote:
Hi all. I'm stripping the nearly 50 year old varnish from my M17's stock rudder, and man is that varnish sturdy. I'd love to replace it with something as durable -- what would you all suggest?
There are some cracks near the bottom that were repaired with fiberglass and resin, which I plan to re-do as well.
Cheers! --Jen