no problem, always repair

Posted by LeeG on May 28, 2004

able. Where is the crack in the side panel? Depending on the nature of the crack on the side panel this is one way to handle the bottom,,assuming you've got an aft hatch and acess to the compartment. Open it up,,wash out any salty water and let dry. On the outside sand the damaged edge where the wood/glass is cracked down almost to the sealed wood (at least through the glass) then feathered out an inch with varnish/epoxy sanded away another few inches out,,maybe an area 9" in diameter will get wet epoxy on it. Think of the exterior patch going over a sanded area where most of the glass is removed so the patch doesn't sit high and there's kind of a raised donut of patched glass that will be sanded flat to level out the fill coats on the patch to the rest of the bottom panel. Sand the interior over the cracked area and continue sanding an area about 2' long or so from the aft bulkhead back, over the 3" tape with the intention of laying down 6oz cloth over the bottom panel. As long as you're going to be repairing a bottom panel that is only glassed on the exterior(per standard glassing?)why not make the whole area glassed? If you've already glassed the aft compartment then just put a patch on the inside an inch bigger than the one on the outside. Oh,,with all the sanding on the inside if you discover cracks in the wood extending farther than the 3" pipe impression then extend the patch on the inside and outside accordingly. Ok,,so you've sanded an area on the outside and inside (vacuum, vacuum),,if the wood is compressed in and needs to be flattened out you could do an initial glueing with weights/pressure on the inside pushing onto a flat plate on the outside,,then sand again when cured. Glass away. fill coats, sand,finish,you've been here before.

In Response to: Need advice- cracked hull by Dan F on May 28, 2004

Replies:

  • oops by LeeG on May 28, 2004