Thread subject: Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos :: 1971 Sourpuss 13 keel repair

Posted by wing15601 on 05/30/14 - 1:30 PM
#4

To properly repair the damage you need to grind away the loose/ damaged glass on either side of the keel for 5 or 6 inches either side. If the boat has been floating alright it may not be necessary to dig out any foam but anyway the boat will be upside down so there won't be ant water leaking out to interfere with the repair. You need to use epoxy and fiberglass cloth. Fiberglass mat will give you thickness but the cloth will give strength. Use epoxy because the rest of the hull is fully cured so you can't have a chemical bonding, just a mechanical bond with the area you roughed up. Epoxy provides better adhesion than polyester for repairs. Find a resin which does not blush. I would suggest you watch every youtube video about fiberglass repair you can find. I don't know how many layers of cloth/epoxy you will need but just remember the keel of a whaler is the strongest part so probably the thickest. Don't try to build thickness with epoxy alone as without cloth is has little strength. It appears the foam core is separated from the fiberglass skin so you may want to add small batches of foam till it's built back up, shape the cured foam and you can lay the first piece of cloth right on the foam, overlapped to the undamaged glass you roughened up. The cloth should be narrowest for the first layer, getting wider as you add more layers. Sanding cured epoxy is really tough work so be neat with your layup.