Hull Repair

[umecheme]

Question for the group.  I'm getting ready to repair the damage from the previous owner beaching the boat.  My plan was to clean the whole area up, fill and reshape with thickened epoxy, then run a 4" strip of 1708 fiberglass tape over that, with a 6" strip of 6 oz tape over that...  Is this sufficient?  If so, what type of barrier coat should I put over the repair?  I plan on bottom painting when I'm done.

[dbiscayne]

glass schedule might need another overlapping layer of 1708 if whatever is left seems thin but I think you're on the right track.
To help keep the finished product looking good, place several layers of masking tape along both sides of the keel just outside the repair area. Go ahead and overlap your new glass just a little ways onto the masking tape.
Keep some saran wrap ready to place over the glass after its applied and tape the s wrap very tightly up against the keel, over the glass and tape. Let it dry for a while, to the point where you can still make a dent in the resin with your finger without leaving a sticky residue on your finger.
Remove the wrap, take a sharp razor and cut along the tape line, through the overlapping glass and remove the tape.
If you let it dry too long the tap is going to be a real b***** to get off.

[RickK]

Make sure you probe into anything that looks like a void, with an awl to see if that spot goes through and into the bilge.  I had that happen on my 170 and I didn't see the spot because of the paint the prev owner had dabbed into the area.
I ground it down, and used torn/ripped 3/4oz CSM and poly resin and made sure that I built it up slowly and by using torn CSM I was able to conform to the hull without problems you'll run into while using 1708. Using 6oz cloth to top dress the repair is wise. BTW, poly is what the hull is made up with and poly melts the binders in CSM so it is a good repair component.

[redtail14]

Can poly be used under the waterline? I'm about to deal with the same issue... I'll be doing a new gelcoat on entire hull after repair.... So should I use poly or epoxy resin?

[dbiscayne]

poly is fine as long as you paint/seal it with the right covering.

[RickK]

Gelcoat is poly. You can attach epoxy to poly but not poly to epoxy. If you're going to gelcoat, you need to use poly for the repair.