Took a chunk out of my wing keel. How to fix?

[paulg222]

So I hit a rock last season and took this chunk out of my wing keel on my Catalina 42 MKII (1999).



Not sure what this is made of or how to repair (is it fiberglass or epoxy? or other). Maybe just smooth it out somehow and paint over? Looking for suggestions.

[Cheechako]

It appears to be glass of some sort. I would scrub it with a stiff brush and acetone. Let it dry and just fill the gouge with 'Kitty Hair', let it set up and grind to the shape needed.

https://www.amazon.com/Evercoat-868-...gaAnnOEALw_wcB

[Jebtrois]

I think I recall that Catalina keels are fared and epoxy coated lead. No fiberglass there.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by paulg222

So I hit a rock last season and took this chunk out of my wing keel on my Catalina 42 MKII (1999).



Not sure what this is made of or how to repair (is it fiberglass or epoxy? or other). Maybe just smooth it out somehow and paint over? Looking for suggestions.

If that grey is just lead, then I might drill and tap a few holes and put screws in as 'anchors' for the filler, then apply the filler, Kitty Hair or whatever. Although it looks rough enough the filler should grip well anyway.

[wholybee]

Nothing in that picture looks like lead to me, but maybe its just the picture. The first thing to do is sand all the paint off to see what you actually have. If any glass is present, cover it will gelcoat. If any gelcoat is present, cover it will epoxy primer. And any lead, either cover with epoxy or glass, depending on how you find it constructed. Then fair and paint.

[TeddyDiver]

Ask around for an old timer car body repair guy. They'll fix that or tell the how-to..

[SailingHarmonie]

Yes, it is lead. Of COURSE it is lead. Making the wings out of fiberglass would defeat half the purpose of the wing: To get weight down low without increasing draft.

However, the material is not that important to the repair. You can remake the missing piece in FG. It will be a bit of a challenge to fair it to a clean matching shape, but if you make a couple templates of the other side it will help the process.

Be aware the getting polyester or epoxy resin to stick well to oxidized lead might be tough. Surface prep will be very important.

[paulg222]

I'm sure most of the keel is lead, but around the wing part of the keel only I think there is the idea that it may be sort of built around with epoxy of fiberglass. It doesn't really look or feel like lead (but what do I really know what lead would look or feel like). Also wondering if lead would shear away like this, I know it is a soft metal but this seems pretty clean.

[Jebtrois]

Ok, so here is the link in the Catalina Owners' forum regarding lead keel repair including feedback from Gerry Douglas, the owner and founder of Catalina Yachts. As a Catalina owner, I would recommend that you find the forum for your boat and join up there. TLDR: it's lead. You can just paint it if you want to.

https://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=6138.0

[Jim Cate]

Gerry Douglas, the owner and founder of Catalina Yachts.

Frank Butler would be surprised to read that statement...

Jim

[Wolfe10]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Frank Butler would be surprised to read that statement...

Jim

Frank Butler passed away in 2020:
https://www.cruisingworld.com/story/...talina-yachts/

[Jebtrois]

Yeah Jim, you are correct. I realized my error of words after I posted but I don't know how to edit a prior post. Either way, the comments come directly from Catalina leadership.