It looks to me in the photos that you didn't grind off the bottom paint
before applying the glass. If so, the glass will not adhere for long and
you should peel or grind it off.

The correct repair of a wound like this is not trivial. Any less is a waste
of time and will not go unnoticed when a potential buyer surveys the boat.
Doing it right requires gaining access to the site, lots of grinding and
considerable thickness of glass. There's more in the West System pamphlet:

002-550 Fiberglass Boat Repair & Maintenance
Softcover-84 pages.
A complete, illustrated guide to most fiberglass boat repair problems.
Includes detailed instructions on repairing rotted stringers and frames,
delamination, keel damage. Also covers fairing keels, hardware bonding,
finishing and installing teak veneers.




"joeb" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hello. I was hoping that I could get some advice on repairing
fiberglass on a damaged keel. I was out on Lake Erie and lost my engine
and ended up slamming into the breakwall a few times before getting a
tow. It put a 1"x3" hole in the side of my keel. I've read up on
fiberglass repair, including the book "The Fiberglass Boat Repair
Manual."

My question is this... The flat bottom of the keel was not very
accessible, so I just wrapped the fiberglass around and under the keel.
Is this going to cause me any long term problems? Ideally, I would've
ground out around the bottom like I did the top, but I just couldn't
get access without lifting the boat off the trailer.

----------------------------------|
\ (keel) /
\ /
\--------|xxxxx|-----/

(damaged area is the xxxx's)

The boat is old and cosmetics aren't important. I just want a sound,
safe repair. I've applied about 5-6 layers of 6 oz. fiberglass cloth
w/Mas Resin & Fast Hardner. I'd rather not grind it all down and start
over if it's good enough as is.

Pictures of the repair can be found @
http://csilo.com/randomphotos.aspx?f...og/boatrepair/

Thanks for your advice,
Joe

Hi Jim. Thanks for the reply.

Yes, you're right. I failed to grind off the paint on the flat bottom
of the keel. I knew that I didn't have enough room to get my grinder
under there, while on the trailer, and it didn't even occur to me to
try anything else.

It still seems like it has a really good bond (subjective, I know). I'm
hoping that instead of tearing it all off and starting over, that I'll
be able to just file back around the edges and put one more layer on. I
guess my real concern is the edges peeling off.

My main objective is something that is safe for the remainder of the
season. If winter hits and I have to start over, then I'm only out $70
in supplies.

I would not rely on the bottom paint to adhere. Sand off the bottom
paint, and clean, dewax, etc. Grind around the area to bare glass;
clean and dewax again. Fill in with epoxy as above, and lay some glass
down as you've done. This should cost you less than your $70, but will
require additional work in the winter
Y

Any guess on whether it will last a few trips out on the Lake this
summer?

joeb wrote:
Any guess on whether it will last a few trips out on the Lake this
summer?

*NOT* if its an ablative antifouling :-(
OTOH as long as the keel is fully sealed at the top, what are the
consequences of it loosening a bit and leaking some? It isnt going to
come right off as the side was ground back and the bottom should be
fairly well interlocked with the rough edges of the original hole. You
know the encapsulated ballast is cast lead so no corrosion issues and
the only remaining problem is frost damage. This just isn't going to
happen as long as you remain afloat in *FRESH* water and as long as
after hauling out, you drill some drainage holes to let the keel dry out
(worth doing anyway before reworking the repair next winter) *BEFORE*
its exposed to any frost. IMHO go sailing while you can, additional
damage & expense will be negligable. YMMV
--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk
[at]=@, [dash]=- & [dot]=. *Warning* HTML & 32K emails -- NUL:
'Stingo' Albacore #1554 - 15' Early 60's, Uffa Fox designed,
All varnished hot moulded wooden racing dinghy.

That's what I wanted to hear. Thanks for the advice. Last time I went
out, when I put the hole in it, I didn't have a bilge pump so I had to
bail water by hand. This time, I'll bring a pump.

joeb wrote:
That's what I wanted to hear. Thanks for the advice. Last time I went
out, when I put the hole in it, I didn't have a bilge pump so I had to
bail water by hand. This time, I'll bring a pump.

Are you trying to tell me the top of the keel is NOT sealed and any
water that gets in there goes into your bilge? If so, DONT put her back
in till you've made SURE the patch cant leak.

--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk
[at]=@, [dash]=- & [dot]=. *Warning* HTML & 32K emails -- NUL:
'Stingo' Albacore #1554 - 15' Early 60's, Uffa Fox designed,
All varnished hot moulded wooden racing dinghy.