Not A Delam But How To Fix? :: Catamaran Sailboats at TheBeachcats.com

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Not A Delam But How To Fix?

bobcatnj

Rank: Mate

Registered: Oct 11, 2011

Last visit: May 14, 2014

Posts: 104
Posted: Apr 10, 2012 - 07:26 AM

Hey guys quick question, I'm going around marking all the areas that need some attention from some epoxy / filler and thought that the above region was just some stress cracking. I pushed on it to make sure its solid but there is a 2 inch crunchy spot.

Can I fix it like a delam and add 2-4 holes and some new thickend epoxy?

or

Do I need to remove the top layers of glass and really go nuts?

The rest of the hull is rock solid. I'm leaning towards the dlam type fix but want some other opinions.

Here are some other pics of the work in progress look for several writeups coming as I knock off each project on my list.

http://www.flickr.com/pho…/sets/72157628075156970/

Edited by bobcatnj on Apr 10, 2012 - 08:33 AM.

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Bob Miller
1983 P16 Sail # 7312
"Miller Time" A work in progress; out of the water for 16 years
Barnegat Bay NJ
Beach Cat Lesson #1 - A free cat isn't
Find more Prindles on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/173120656090532/
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bacho

Rank: Mate

Registered: Jun 17, 2011

Last visit: Sep 24, 2023

Posts: 783
Posted: Apr 10, 2012 - 04:32 PM

I would try to inject it first

PS, I tried to read your PM to me on my Iphone and accidentally deleted it before reading, please re-send it.

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Greenville SC

Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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bobcatnj

Rank: Mate

Registered: Oct 11, 2011

Last visit: May 14, 2014

Posts: 104
Posted: Apr 14, 2012 - 03:36 PM

So when making sure that my simple fix was in deed simple....I delaminated from 2 feet from the crossbar forward to darn near the point of the bow. I gave it a push with my palm and crunch and I kept pushing around to see the extent of the soft spot....It wasn't there in the fall when i got the boat but glad I found it now and not after paint or while on the water.

Not the way I wanted to spend my day off. At this point I had nothing to loose so I went drill and fill and will sail to fail.

It came out rock solid minus the glass on glass laminate sections at the far front rear and sides.

My question is; the areas that are 2 layers of fiberglass and no foam I didn't see a way to inject those areas and they are a bit soft but are often only 2' until they meet the end of the hull or side.

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Bob Miller
1983 P16 Sail # 7312
"Miller Time" A work in progress; out of the water for 16 years
Barnegat Bay NJ
Beach Cat Lesson #1 - A free cat isn't
Find more Prindles on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/173120656090532/
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benedict

Rank: Mate

Registered: Mar 20, 2012

Last visit: Jun 16, 2014

Posts: 248
Posted: Apr 14, 2012 - 04:09 PM

Hey, I've been on Youtube watching fiberglass, gelcoat, and carbon fiber fabrication videos. (No, not planning to use carbon fiber on my boat. Just needed some non-boat composite porn to watch.)

I found a technique I wasn't aware of called infusion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VodfQcrXpxc

It's for laying up a mold. You prep the mold, lay the cloth, do a lot of other setup for the infusion process, bag it, and then put the whole thing under vacuum. Low-viscosity resin is admitted at the opposite end of the mold from where you're drawing the vacuum. The vacuum pulls the resin through the cloth and out the other side, making for a really nice layup.

Has anyone tried drilling a single hole in a soft area to see if it's possible to pull a vacuum on the hole? I'm just curious if something similar to the infusion process could be used to draw resin through a soft area: drill a vacuum port at one end and drill a second hole to admit the resin. Put the whole thing under vacuum and feed mixed resin into the input port until it starts to come out the vacuum port.

Yeah, yeah, I know I'm oversimplifying what it would actually take to pull this off. But this might be a technique that would work on Bob's hull where there's no foam in the delaminated section. It doesn't take a lot of cross-section for a vacuum to be able to draw low viscosity liquids.

Please shoot this idea full of holes. I'm positive there are hidden problems that would make it a lot harder than it seems. It'd be good to know what they are before trying something like this.

Tom

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Tom Benedict
Island of Hawaii
P-Cat 18 / Sail# 361 / HA 7633 H / "Smilodon"
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