F-22 Rudder

[Ian Farrier]

The first F-22 production rudder is now out of the mold, and details
are at:

https://www.f-boatmart.com/product.php?productid=16222&cat=249&page=1

Ian Farrier

Farrier Marine (NZ) Ltd
Farrier Marine, Inc

[Grant Kinsman]

Hello Ian,
The rudder blade looks absolutely marvellous.  I'm wondering if clear coating carbon fiber is a new trend. 
A quick question, your production manufactured blade looks to be a bit heavier than my hand shaped blade I made from your plans. Should I be concerned?
Regards,
Grant Kinsman

--
Grant Kinsman

[Ian Farrier]

Grant,

In reply to:

> A quick question, your production manufactured blade looks to be a
> bit heavier than my hand shaped blade I made from your plans.
> Should I be concerned?

No, as a good hand laid part will usually be LIGHTER than an infused
part, which is one of the downsides to infusion. When infusing, every
little crevice and hole will be totally filled with solid resin,
whereas a hand laminated part will still have many little micro
voids, or they will be filled with a light weight putty, which means
less weight.

All Farrier Marine rudders are also infused in one piece, in a closed
mold, which requires an infusion path inside the laminate, which has
to stay there, and this will add a little weight, compared to
externally infused parts. The trick is to minimize this path, so
weight added is minimal, and this is part of the refinement process.

The real advantage of infusion, for repeatable production parts, is
much less labor (once setup), a very consistent higher quality, and
usually a 100% solid part. However, such parts can be slightly
heavier than a well made hand laminated part. It should also be noted
that with a 'one off' boat, infusing hulls will require more labor
and setup time compared to hand laminating hulls.

The next molded rudder be lighter as we further refine the process,
and eliminate any small gaps that can be a factor in what is a unique
closed mold infusion process. However, a very well made hand
laminated rudder would still be a little lighter, but these are not
practical to manufacture for sale, as the final cost would be double.