Does anyone know of or has tried putting some kind of protective covering on the leading and trailing edges of the rudder / daggerboards? I am thinking in terms of the stainless steel strips you see on wooden aircraft propellers.

There are lots of rocks on my reservoir and my Tiger hanging paraphrenalia is full of nibbles... : )

You need a Trash rudder set and a`good rudder set! Ditto for boards.

I have had good results by mixing Gougeon epoxy with various tough additives to repair and protect boards and rudders. The two additives that have worked best for this purpose for me have been aluminum powder and graphite powder. You can mix in white pigment but it takes a lot to get the graphite powdered epoxy to look really white. It seems not to effect the epoxy mix though I recommend that you try a few practice batches before you expect a like-new finish. If you cause damage often you should get lots of practice! It is pretty easy to mix up a batch and make the repairs - surface prep is more time consuming than the mixing and applying and final shaping and sanding takes the most time but it sounds like you do not need to sweat that so much if you keep sailing over rocks! Gougeon epoxy is pretty widely available and they sell many additives along with how-to instructions. Their big book is worth getting if you enjoy doing repairs or building.

A simple method that works well is to set the board on edge with the edge to repair on top. Then tape up the sides of the board along the edge to make a mold to extend the edge a bit to add some extra protection almost like a built in bumper. It is easier and lighter than adding strips of metal. A Dremel tool makes quick work of shaping and smoothing the edges before final sanding. Have fun!

Mike