Refit of our Dufour

[Voyager269]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flkhAkKs-rU

Major repair is done on the rudder and skeg at the moment.
In the skeg, Dufour Yachts inserted a wooden core, which i removed.
But now what to do with the cavity?

1) Do nothing and let the skeg hollow
2) Fill it up with PU Foam
3) Insert as much as i can stainless pipe welded together (more or less like a pipe organ) and fill it up with epoxy.

Other question: The galvanized steel plate and bolts will be removed. I think they don't have any structural meaning at the moment (only used for fixing the skeg to the boat in 1981).
Do i have to reinforce the upper part where the plate was?
I don't know at the moment.....

Taco.

[Orion Jim]

It appears the wood core was merely a matrix to allow the GRP to be built up. If that is the case I would fill the void with rigid PU foam set in epoxy to exclude voids. The halves of the skeg could then be joined and additional layers it GRP added. A solid skeg would preclude future water intrusion.

[Cheechako]

I'm confused.... why did you remove the skeg? I doubt it will ever be as strong as it was unless you put a rigid metal structure inside it now......

[Voyager269]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I'm confused.... why did you remove the skeg?

I removed one half of the skeg for reasons as:

- rusty steel plate and bolts inside.
- delamination of the GRP
- cracks in the GRP because of expanding wooden core inside
- osmosis


Taco.

[Voyager269]

Originally Posted by Jim Walsh

It appears the wood core was merely a matrix to allow the GRP to be built up. If that is the case I would fill the void with rigid PU foam set in epoxy to exclude voids. The halves of the skeg could then be joined and additional layers it GRP added. A solid skeg would preclude future water intrusion.

No, IMO the wood core was not only to allow the GRP to built up.

I found out that the skeg has 3 layers of different GRP:

1) a hollow GRP model (undersized) of the skeg was made, and than:
2) the wood core is placed in the GRP undersized model.
3) the cavity between the GRP model and the core is filled with resin (no chopped glass or so).
4) after that, the skeg is completely layed up with several layers of cloth and resin on the outside.

I am not completely sure, but the wood core is also for strength i think.

Taco.