PROGRESS IN SMALL INCREMENTS

[knot smart]

hey guys..

as the saying goes, slow and steady wins the race..

as some of you may know, im constantly on here posting, trying to get good advice..

last week I patched the glass on the bow, just needs sanding and the gelcoat

over the weekend I pounded the keel until it was straight and applied some 3M product to do the finishing touches

today I started on the rudder..the bottom 12" broke of during sandy..i , called beneteau, a new one is $3300..so, we're going with plan B..I went to home depot and picked up a piece of 1 1/2" foam for insulating home exteriors, cut it to spec, shaped it with a palm sander and I think we're ready for glass

I think that 10 -12 layers of glass should do the trick

question? should I spray primer on the sanded glass? or does the gelcoat get applied right on top??

[zeehag]

if it is going to be covered in bottom paint, why not just epoxy barrier coat it and paint it instead of spending so much money on gelcoat that wont be seen anyway....just a thought..

[knot smart]

Originally Posted by zeehag

if it is going to be covered in bottom paint, why not just epoxy barrier coat it and paint it instead of spending so much money on gelcoat that wont be seen anyway....just a thought..

epoxy barrier coat? excuse my ignorance.. but whats the process? apply the epoxy barrier coat and then regular bottom paint?

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by knot smart

epoxy barrier coat? excuse my ignorance.. but whats the process? apply the epoxy barrier coat and then regular bottom paint?

yes. easier to apply and when bonded with a coat of bottom paint you will know when to repaint in a different color.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by knot smart

epoxy barrier coat? excuse my ignorance.. but whats the process? apply the epoxy barrier coat and then regular bottom paint?

It's time to do a bit of googling.

On both the rudder and keel, you want to use a two-part barrier coat that you can fair. Check into Interlux 2000e, which will prevent osmosis (blistering.) Especially important to fair the rudder. USE LONG BOARDS unless you like a slow boat. (Google long boarding too if necessary.)

Is your keel iron?

[minaret]

You seem to be a bit in over your head. Pretty sure if you try to glass that foam with poly resin the foam will melt. Test a sample if you haven't already. If you are glassing with oxygen because you've considered this, then you can't gelcoat it.

[knot smart]

Originally Posted by Bash

It's time to do a bit of googling.

On both the rudder and keel, you want to use a two-part barrier coat that you can fair. Check into Interlux 2000e, which will prevent osmosis (blistering.) Especially important to fair the rudder. USE LONG BOARDS unless you like a slow boat. (Google long boarding too if necessary.)

Is your keel iron?

the keel is lead

[Ramblingman]

I'm no expert in rudder/keel construction but I have built glass over foam in high stress cycling applications. A few years ago I designed and mocked up but never built a fared tandem trike out of carbon fiber with a foam core. The foam would be removed by dissolving it after layup to allow for cables and final assembly, not the application here but a point to ponder.

IMHO - look at the original core and match it. Say it is a plywood core, find matching ply and biscuit joint or spine joint then wet it with epoxy and glass it in. I'd ask a yard expert on that kind of repair, it's not like it was a little gash. Me, I'd just buy a new one or make a new one from laid up oak and glass it up. I am not stranger to building new small boats but repairs like this, I'd be asking an expert.

This is the rudder and I'd do only anything that was tried and true.

[knot smart]

Originally Posted by Ramblingman

I'm no expert in rudder/keel construction but I have built glass over foam in high stress cycling applications. A few years ago I designed and mocked up but never built a fared tandem trike out of carbon fiber with a foam core. The foam would be removed by dissolving it after layup to allow for cables and final assembly, not the application here but a point to ponder.

IMHO - look at the original core and match it. Say it is a plywood core, find matching ply and biscuit joint or spine joint then wet it with epoxy and glass it in. I'd ask a yard expert on that kind of repair, it's not like it was a little gash. Me, I'd just buy a new one or make a new one from laid up oak and glass it up. I am not stranger to building new small boats but repairs like this, I'd be asking an expert.

This is the rudder and I'd do only anything that was tried and true.

the original rudder is a foam core , same consistency as "expanding spray foam"

yesterday and today I layered some glass, its looking pretty good.. the glass is probably a 1/4" thick

[Ramblingman]

The original core was foam? Kind of cool.