http://www.thebeachcats.c…ewtopic-topic-11447.html
... here is the repair story: Though I would not consider this is a step-by-step repair guide, it may provide some input to anyone attempting a similar repair.
Damage on left side of portside hull:
Partially removing the deckplate using a wide wood chisel and putty knife:
A peek inside:
Damage on the right side of portside hull and paper-thin bottom:
Another look at the partially delaminated bottom. Some material has already been removed with a rasp file:
Left side damage. We temporarily supported the inner wall to push the dented parts back to original shape, then patched it with polyester and fiberglass on the inside. After curing, we filed down all the cracks and dents to zero.
We manually fitted a patch of replacement (green) foam to the tapered hole in the original foam, glued it on, sanded it down to the original shape, then added layers of polyester and fiberglass mat:
After sanding the outer fiberglass layer:
Top coat replaced:
All the sanding is really the tough part. We used 36 grit and moved up to 60 and 80, using water to avoid the dust. For the last layer (not shown) we just thinned the gel-coat a bit and used a foam roller, and no more sanding or polishing.
The top coat I do not consider a perfect repair as I wanted to avoid a complete makeover of the hulls, which we may do at a later time. What mattered was the perfect replacement of the fiberglass/foam structure.
Dan
edited by: catdan, Nov 15, 2009 - 04:46 PM
