BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - crack in keel of an '86 Forester fiberglass boat

Bruce in Bangkok[_7_]

On Tue, 1 Jul 2008 07:18:37 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

Okay, that makes sense.

Would it be even better for me to cut through that layer of fiberglass
that's above the floor in order to repair the damage from the
inside? If I can cut enough of the fiberglass out from that
elevated layer to access the floor, could I lay new glass from the
inside, and then also fill the crack from the outside using Marine
Tex?

Clark

I talked to a mate who is in the business here in Phuket and he
suggests that you treat the repair much like repairing a hole in the
hull. Grind out the damage. Taper the hole back to original hull
thickness over a distance of say, four inches. He suggests using epoxy
to make the repair stronger. Lay in cloth until you built up the
damaged area to hull thickness. Fair roughly by grinding and then use
epoxy filler for final fairing. Sand fair, prime and paint.

He commented that you do need to analyze the problem to determine what
caused the original problem and possibly you may need to add some
reinforcement to prevent further cracking.

Bruce-in-Bangkok
(correct Address is bpaige125atgmaildotcom)