Great work and execution, Tim. Yer boat, she's happy.

Re: glassing the rudder - the local shrimp boat captains might have a technique which you should ponder. When their old wooden hulls get glassed, they do it this way, which, since it works good for working vessels of indeterminate age which get not a lot of attention so long as they float, should be a good option for us recreational boaters:

Apply 3M 5200 to the wood with a trowel, smoothing it out to have an even coating.

Smoosh a layer of cloth into the 5200, wetting it out fairly well and evenly. I imagine that you'd want to take the time/effort to make it nice and even as possible.

Once that layer is applied all over, poly/vinyl/epoxy in a normal manner over top of the now-glass-reinforced 5200.

The 5200 will bond with the resin well, while allowing for some flex and/or expansion in the wooden substrate.

I think it might also be effective at sealing off all the little crevices where water would otherwise try to get around and under a stiff layer of FRP.

As far as I know, this treatment does not need a completely dry wood underneath it to be effective - shrimpers cannot afford to leave their boats on the hard for months waiting for complete drying. If you have any questions, I will go and pose them to the boatyard which does this job to see what they have to say about it.

My internet access is, at best, intermittent of late, so don't despair if you ask and the answer is slow in coming - I am at the whim of the 802.11b/g Gods,.

Keep up the good work!