Keel repairs

[Cheech]

I am getting water into the builge due to the keel near the bow (where it scrapes when you beach the boat) being worn down to the extent that the gelcoat has been worn off. This is allowing water to seep through to the sump. On the last overnighter to amounted to quite a bit.

It must be pin holes or something similar. Have been told by others that they have heard of this happening with other boats.

What is the easiest way to fix this? I have some 2 pack 25%/75% A/B mix resin that I have been using with talc to glue and or fill gaps. Was thinking to make a fairly runny mix and just paint into the area trying to force in as much as I can into the rough parts/gaps.

What do you think?

Cheech

[Grand_Marlin]

G'day Cheech,

I am assuming you only want a rough, quick fix job.

Instead of using the epoxy, go to any marine chandlery and get yourself 500ml of flowcoat.

Sand the boat with 180 (ish) grit to clean it up, wash thoroughly with acetone, then paint on the flowcoat nice and thick.

Cheers

Pete

[tunaticer]

Has anyone ever tried to pressure inject epoxy into porous areas like this on hulls to force a sealer right into the defects?

Just a thought.

Jack.

[Edencraft]

You will never force epoxy in to fill the holes in the laminate and flow coating the area is not a real good idea as it will not really fix the problem.

Best bet is to grind the area out, lay in new laminate, fair the laminate (chopped strand mat and poly resin) then fill with a qcell bog and fair this in, you will have to go from about 400grit to about 1200 grit depending on how good your qcell filling was, best thing to get this job done quick is an orby, spray area with gel coat with a little wax and styrene added to thin down, out of a low preasure touch-up gun. Now orby again going from 400 to 2000grit then buff with abrasive compound like Freckler G4 and G2 then buff with 3M Perfection. Job done and should look as good as new if you can get a good gel coat colour match. You could mix your own gel coat colour using pigments to get a perfect colour match even for faded white but this is a little technical to get spot on and you have to access to pigments. Do it once and do it right. Water getting into the laminate will not only be getting into your bilge it will also be forcing its way through the laminate where you cannot see which will more than likely cause osmosis in the future.

[Grand_Marlin]

flow coating the area is not a real good idea as it will not really fix the problem.

spray area with gel coat with a little wax and styrene added to thin down, out of a low preasure touch-up gun.

Great idea, for those who have the gear and the know how...

Bar a bit of filler and a thicker compound, arent we talking a very similar product & process?

I doubt Cheech is going to spend a few hundred bucks getting it done professionally, so isn't flowcoat a) better than epoxy in this instance? b) easier and cheaper for him to do?

Cheers

Pete

[Jeremy]

Cheech,

when it is repaired, put a strip of keel guard on. I have heard it does a very good job of protecting the keel.

Jeremy

[Cheech]

Thanks Pete. Looks like I was on the right track. Will do as you suggested.

Jeremy, that sounds like a good idea. Will follow it up.

#########, thanks, but if I was going to go to that much expense, I would just pay a boat builder.

[Cheech]

Thanks again Pete. Got my flowcoat, catalyst, acetone for cleaning and added pigment. Was easy as to do and you cannot really notice the repair. I know I got the mis right (measured the mix on kitchen scales) as it all of a sudden went off at about 20 minute mark. Sure goes from usable to not usable in a hurry.

even got to bog up an old esky with the leftovers.

Probably the only thing I would do different would be to use a small roller to get a smoother finish. Though for this application that may have been a bit difficult to get a thick enough coat.

Cheech

[Grand_Marlin]

Glad it worked out Cheech.

Cheers

Pete