Redneck Keel Repair

[jeff-register]

That is a big 10-4 ALWAYS use epoxy resin & for your use use laminating resin. Read instructions & mix a small amount & mix the resin so it will cure slowly. Temp matters too. Get everything ready before adding the hardener. Have your cloth on foil & saturate then wet the area & add the cloth transferring from the foil to the repair. have a windshield squeegie to remove the bubbles & let cure. Next sand & add finishing cloth. I get glass filler & mix & use like sanding putty I will send you a piece of cloth e mail me Jeff.50@cox.net..

[twsnagel]

quote John C:

Get a length of used fire hose, a couple tubes of silycone, and some short deck screws. Oil based porch and floor paint would work great to hide the fix. Hope this helps. I was told that roof flashing may work if you have a hard time finding used fire hose.

Apologies to all. I stopped getting notifications for replies to this thread for some odd reason and haven’t been back since.

Thanks for all your great suggestions. Building on Jon C’s recommendations above, I have opted to use a length of vinyl roof gutter material secured with PL400. I’m going to use some sheathing tape (probably the generic stuff, Tuck Tape is too pricey) to seal between the vinyl roof gutter and the hull of the boat, and then coat that with a liberal spray of Krylon (Rustoleum is too pretentious for me). If it still leaks, that’s what my bilge pump is for. If it outstrips the bilge pump, I’m planning to borrow the plug-in sump pump from my basement when I go boating. I have a nice Honda generator that can power it while I’m out on the water.

All kidding aside, I’ll go with the fiberglass repair / rustoleum suggestions in this thread. I’ve already found some local suppliers. Thanks again for all your help!

[johnny-infl]

Jeeeezzeeeeee you guys !!!
I come from a part of the country where people actually DO some of this stuff !!!
LOL it is hard for me to cypher through the muck and truth.
but it sounds like fun getting the wrinkles out of that there flashing !!!

[jcrigan]

You realize I’m joking, don’t you?

[wiscoboater]

In all seriousness, If the boat is just a boat… nothing you plan on doing a show restoration on or keeping for the rest of your life to pass down to the kids, go with the fiberglass resin. Epoxy is nice, but more then double the cost. Epoxy also has NO U.V. protection, so you have to keep it well painted to avoid degradation. The fiberglass resin will last for a long time without issues. Just look at how old your fiberglass boat is now. Nuff said.

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