When Zephyr was pulled from the water, the centerboard keel had obviously taken some damage from groundings (what a surprise). So, before a new coat of bottom paint is added, I've got to fix the keel. I've never done fiberglass work, but I've always wanted to learn... And why not learn on something that no one should ever see?
Ouch. You can see the leading edge is pretty torn up. It's about 24 inches long on the front, and worse, it's exposing the core. Damn. I did a bunch of Internet research over the last few days. Here's some links for you:
Link: Sailfeed - Repairing Serious Keel Damage Part II by Paul Calder
Link: West Systems Fiberglass Repair Manual
Link: Cruiser's Forum
Anyway, I showed up with a new set of tools (angle grinder, respirator, goggles, tyvek suit) and grabbed my gloves and got to work. I ground the fiberglass down into the 12:1 bevel (which I think I did okay on, but it doesn't have to be perfect).
Link: Sailfeed - Repairing Serious Keel Damage Part II by Paul Calder
Link: West Systems Fiberglass Repair Manual
Link: Cruiser's Forum
Anyway, I showed up with a new set of tools (angle grinder, respirator, goggles, tyvek suit) and grabbed my gloves and got to work. I ground the fiberglass down into the 12:1 bevel (which I think I did okay on, but it doesn't have to be perfect).
It took me four battery charges to do all of it (both sides). The dust was pretty nasty, but the respirator worked really well. Since the core was exposed, I ran my sandpaper over it, and I mixed up some West Systems 105/205 epoxy with the low density filler. I got it to a peanut butter consistency, then I applied it. The first round was really just to cover the core up, and then tomorrow (or later this week), I'll go back to the boat and knock it down a little, then work on putting on a second layer of the same mixture. The idea is to build up the keel a little, then layer on the glass.
Remember, this is my first project, so I know it's rough. But more importantly, I'm pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to use the West System products. I got the pumps - which takes out the guesswork. They're worth every penny.
Anyway, here's a bad picture of the epoxy layer - very nasty, but like I said, I'll knock it down later.
Remember, this is my first project, so I know it's rough. But more importantly, I'm pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to use the West System products. I got the pumps - which takes out the guesswork. They're worth every penny.
Anyway, here's a bad picture of the epoxy layer - very nasty, but like I said, I'll knock it down later.