I appreciate all the
advice. The West
Marine book recommends
epoxy for a
repair this large because they say that a polyester
repair will shrink. They say that the they have a hardener that won't shed the stuff that peels off the
gelcoat. It is the same hardener you would use when you coat
wood to prime it for finishing.
Thoughts? If I knew that polyester would not shrink, that would be my choice.
They claim that you can just wash
epoxy to remove the stuff that peels the
gelcoat, but after listening to the experience here, I don't believe that. But if the special hardener simply does not produce it, well, I don't know. What about the claim that polyester will shrink?
I can see that the crack goes farther than I initially thought. Right now the
boat is on 4x4 cribbing, two stacks at the stern, one at the bow. Bit by bit I am cutting the old
trailer out from under it. I need to put the new
trailer under it once I get the bunks fixed up. Once I do that I will be able to go inside it and assess any hidden damage. I am worried about going on the
boat while it is on blocks.
I bought the boat and trailer for $1000. The
kicker outboard cost me $650. Prop needed a rehub, $36.
Replacing the trailer cost $400.
To redo the standing
rigging with quick releases for the forestays will cost $200 (so that the
mast can be raised and lowered in under an hour). I will also need to build a gin pole, etc. There are ideas for stabilizing it as well.
The
wood to replace the
bowsprit cost $130. I am going to make a lamination, hard outside, soft
core.
I will get a local estimate for the
fiberglass repair, but over a grand for a repair breaks the
budget.
I know I want to look at the
electrical system, probably will need dual 12 volt deep discharge
batteries with an isolator. Eventually. I want to put a homebrew
autopilot on it eventually. I believe I can build one for about $150, linear actuator with position feedback, arduino board and flux gate
compass, pushbuttons and LEDs. OK, maybe $175. But that is for the future. And I probably need to replace the old
radio, I want to put a GPS/depth finder on it. The
depth finder on it now is kaput.
And, yes, I know it will cost me more than I think it will. It always does.