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My marina
had drilled holes into my marina thinking rudder was full of water given the appearance of a large blister on the port side
midway up the rudder. This was a mistake as the Morgan rudders are different. The Foss Foam rudders are
produced with a gel-coat finish and rugged fiberglass shell. Each rudder is filled with foam under pressure. Foss Foam is
high density (20 PSI), closed cell, polyurethane foam. This foam core is chemically bonded to the fiberglass shell. The formula
for Foss Foam was formulated by Chuck Foss in the 1960’s and still remains a trade secret to this day. This foam
DOES NOT collect water and water can only collect between the gelcoat and barrier coat of paint. The holes were honestly
drilled thinking their was water in the foam, however, the closed cell foam cannot absorb water. I had asked only
that the blister would be scored and allowed to drain. We later found out that the marinas planned repair using
West System epoxy "plugs" would NOT compatible with polyester foam and will distort the foam due to the heat when
it fires off during application. Turns out that the polyester foam and epoxy "do not like eachother"
!! The marina offered to pay the cost for transport to and from Foss Foam for repair.
rudder.pdf
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