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Old 05-10-2007, 06:01 PM   #1
LSUBigL
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Keel repair 2

I saw the other thread on keel repair, and it seems we have some people who know their stuff, so i thought I would throw this out there.

I damaged the keel on my boat, a 25 foot catamaran, when trailering it the first time. It was really unlucky because I missed the running boards and hit 1.5 inch gap between the running boards and the wheel well where there was the top of a u-bolt. It put about a 6-inch long scrape on the keel, exposing the wood at it's deepest point. Needless to say, it needs repairing, and I was looking for advice on the best way to do it.

What are the best materials to use and where can I get them?

Also, has anyone used those keel guards and do they work well?

Thanks for any assistance you can lend!
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Old 05-10-2007, 06:36 PM   #2
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Re: Keel repair 2

Quote:
Originally Posted by LSUBigL
I saw the other thread on keel repair, and it seems we have some people who know their stuff, so i thought I would throw this out there.

I damaged the keel on my boat, a 25 foot catamaran, when trailering it the first time. It was really unlucky because I missed the running boards and hit 1.5 inch gap between the running boards and the wheel well where there was the top of a u-bolt. It put about a 6-inch long scrape on the keel, exposing the wood at it's deepest point. Needless to say, it needs repairing, and I was looking for advice on the best way to do it.

What are the best materials to use and where can I get them?

Also, has anyone used those keel guards and do they work well?

Thanks for any assistance you can lend!






If it lives on a trailer polyester is fine with a gelcoat top.
If it is bottom painted and left in the water I would use epoxy.

Grind out the notch with some very rough paper then get you some 1.5 ounce
mat material, rip pieces of the mat (no cutting with scissors) that are about 1 ince wide and shorter than the damage. Lay these up in 3 layer sets with the width of the strips increasing each set until you get the desired thickness. Alow the materials to dry between each 3 layer set. Mix the resin and MEKP the way it says on the container. If you go over night wipe clean with acetone and grind before the next set. The last piece should be ripped about 2 inces bigger than the damage and layed up. Sand with 120 until you get the desired look and fairness that you are happy with, then cover with some adtech #14 which is white or some color matched gelcoat.
If the damage is no wider that 1 inch to start you can tear the glass up very fine and put it into the resin, adding and mixing until you get a nice paste THEN add the MEKP stir and stuff it in with your fingers. Be patient as it takes a few minutes for the styrene in the resin to break down the binders in the glass.
All materials can be had at any local marine store but a good fiberglass shop usually has better supplys that are less expensive and free info.


Baby powder and gloves are a must.!


Dago.
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Old 05-10-2007, 06:50 PM   #3
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Re: Keel repair 2

mixing in some fumed silica(cabosil,aerosil) to the catalized resin will make it a paste and less likley to run/drip off the repair area .
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Old 05-10-2007, 09:00 PM   #4
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Re: Keel repair 2

Definitely listen to Dago; he is a real pro!!!
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Old 05-10-2007, 11:03 PM   #5
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Re: Keel repair 2

Thanks Dago!
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