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1975 Currituck - final keel issues - bondo or no?
pappygt	#1  Posted on 03/31/09 - 11:35 AM
Member Posts: 4 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/31/09	I've had a 1975 Currituck for about 5 years now - 4 years ago I did an 85% restoration - took everything off boat except the newly replaced rub rail and fixed some minor cracks and scrapes, a lot of worn thru gel coat places on hull and a hole in floor and a rotted console. Used that 2 part interlux perfection paint on hull (bright white) and (tan) for interior and some new mahogany plywood and 2 by stock to rebuiild and slightly customize the console. I first used the epox 2000 to barrier coat the hull and also a special poly-primer for the inside before using the interlux paint. I was able to maintain the checkerboard flooring with surprised ease even thought repainiting . At that time I had boat upside down and poured a long thick coat of west systems 105 with 410 filler down the keel and let it slowly drip down to make a nice 'cap' over the keel to both cover many bare spots thru gelcoat - and give me a padded bow section for pulling bow up on many beaches throughout the summer. It's been 5 years / seasons and loads of fun. I redid Hull paint last year - sanded down the perfection and repainted with same 2 part poly paint - in hindsight, I could have waited a few more years - the paint was doing fine. 3 hard seasons on the interior tan perfection shows many scratches, etc - but holding up ok... maybe next year. My mistake was to try and lay some fiberglass down keel again last year and not prepare it right - and 1 week in the water - the fiberglass cloth patch I had laid down the length of the keel separated - so I ripped it off and boated all season without it... hence this season, I wanted to fix it right. Spent days with boat up on a lift taking all that old fiberglass I put put on 5 years - down to the dark green in many places because - and hence my issue and question - I used bondo or marine grade filler to smoothe out the fiberglass work I did 5 years ago and make the keel chine smoothe from the layer I poured over it. It held up ok but subject it to some jabs from a scraper and it would chip off - so I spent more time sanding thru all that back to virgin green or gelcoat (you could smell when you hit the gel coat wherever there was any left). I then laid 2 application of west coat 105 with filler (410) down the keel again - no cloth this time. Thats where I am now . There were think coats - used apaint brush to paint the cream cheese consisteny 105 onto the hull keel chine. I went about 1.5" to either side of the keel - while is rounded in shape and has to transition to the flat bottom. Now - do I sand a little (I dont want to sand too much - I put it on thick but by hand, not roller so it's not consistent (my error)... so do I put a few more thin coats on trying to fill the gaps and sand lightly to smoothe out the keel.... or - get a quality marine bondo and layer it up nice and real smoothe the entire length again and sand it down ... the marine bondo would allow me the best way to make it uniformly smoothe... but what happens in 3-4 years? Do I just use some more fiberglass and make best effort and so what - the hull is not perfectly smoothe or straight - but it's 100& fiberglass and wiill not flake or chip? The cost for doing it this last way is I don't have a perfectly smooth keel line... I run an older 90 Merc on it's 2nd to last leg (says the mechaninc) but she still runs great - I do 43.5 in the summer and on a cooler fall or spring day - I hit 46 once or twice and a 17' doing 46 is pretty cool but no wake jumping at that speed - a chine walk can turn disasterous above 45... enough gabbing... Do you think an imperfect hull will affect my speed or malarkey - it won't make a difference? Cause I'd rather not do the bondo thing to make it smooth.... but if the consensus is - don't worry - the bondo will adhere fine to fresh glass and you'll want a smooth hull then I could be swayed to use it... thanks for your time reading this and your opinion... Greg Edited by Mike on 03/31/09 - 6:10 PM Pappy GT 1975 Currituck w/1996 Merc 90
ossnap	#2  Posted on 03/31/09 - 3:04 PM
Member Posts: 27 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/09/09	Formula 27 was a product that I saw recommended in another topic similar to this one. http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/...tml?ref=42
transport20se	#3  Posted on 03/31/09 - 7:59 PM
Member Posts: 15 Comments: 0 Joined: 08/31/08	Formula 27 is great easy to apply and sand.
tedious	#4  Posted on 04/01/09 - 4:40 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 1072 Comments: 2 Joined: 09/07/08	Is Formula27 polyester based, so you can gelcoat over it, or epoxy, which you can't? Tim
ossnap	#5  Posted on 04/01/09 - 6:53 AM
Member Posts: 27 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/09/09	Apparently it is poly based and can have gel coat applied over it. Here is the other thread I was referring to... http://whalercentral.com/forum/viewth...ad_id=6635 I have not used this product before but I am actually planning to pick some up this weekend because I have a few small dings through my gelcoat.
pappygt	#6  Posted on 04/01/09 - 8:23 AM
Member Posts: 4 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/31/09	thanks for the replies - so it appears that using a filler is a good idea to make the keel line as uniform and smoothe as possibe.... has anyone ever tried using the 105 and 206 from West and using the 410 micro-filler to do that as well or will that mixture not sand pefctly smoothe like a formula 27 would? Pappy GT 1975 Currituck w/1996 Merc 90
jquigley	#7  Posted on 04/01/09 - 9:06 AM
Member Posts: 269 Comments: 1 Joined: 07/17/07	I have used those West Systems products. They will work well, but will be harder to use than 27. (more cumbersome, harder to clean up drips and misses) You bet it will be more difficult to sand. Some like the West Products, I do too, but I am not that good with it. I used it to make anchors to put some screws into in the deck. Here's the stuff I used for my hull repairs... (Keep in mind, I did not have any structural issues) http://whalercentral.com/photogallery...oto_id=720 I used this to make anchors for screws and fill holes that would not be gelcoated over, like old rivets holes in the gunnels behind the rubrail that were subsequently redrilled slightly smaller. http://whalercentral.com/photogallery...oto_id=759 Edited by jquigley on 04/01/09 - 9:14 AM
Bake	#8  Posted on 04/01/09 - 9:57 AM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 902 Comments: 8 Joined: 01/30/06	I use 3m premium filler. It spreads like peanut butter and does not have as many pin holes. it sands of nice and provides nice base for finish coat. I used it on my 15 project years ago and have not found any of it cracking or anything. That has been about 8 years.