Posted by Burrah on 11/08/09 - 10:55 AM
#1
I know hole filling and glass repairs are a tired topic. I've done a good bit of it on my Whaler and several sailboats. (MAS epoxy.) But I'm having trouble finding answers in this forum for a few specific questions.
I have a '78 15' Sport. Have faired up chips and gouges underneath. Now I'm at work on its neglected cockpit.
1) Is there a diagram somewhere of dimension/location of the wire channel in port gunwale? I want to backfill a bunch of stripped screw holes, but it's clear that there's a hollow behind some of them. I don't want to start injecting epoxy until I figure out which hollows are keepers and which I can fill. Holes are drilled and drying.
2) In cleaning out my drilled-out holes with compressed air, I accidentally jammed the nozzle into a couple of them, and found that they caused outer boat skin to bulge away from foam over a couple-square foot area. I don't want to repeat this, but I do think I should try to restore that hull/foam bond (that Whalers are so famed for) in those places. My current thinking is that I'll drill a couple of holes in the hull skin above the areas that I can make bulge, and inject epoxy while gently "inflating" again from above with the compressed air. And then press them in, and keep fingers crossed. Any ideas here?
3) Has anyone found a flex mold that matches nonskid gelcoat pattern on these older Sports? I had to cut out a forward deck section to grind out some plywood that had become wet and softened below a crack. Will replace wood and rebed whole thing with epoxy--but I'd like to make the seam of the repaired deck as inconspicuous as possible.
Thanks for any advice.
-Barry
Posted by Bake on 11/09/09 - 12:45 PM
#2
1) there should be no wire chase or hollow. factory navigation l
lighting wiring would have been run behind the rubrail.
2) wow that is some compressor to bulge the laminate. If you plan on putting in epoxy I do not think I would try to blow it out just fill the void with the epoxy. Again hard to believe you moved the fiberglass with a air nozzle.
3) I have not heard of a mold that is a exact match but if the area is small enough you can buy the stuff to make your own mold.