in response to Peter's question:
Let me say first in reference to another post about glassing over the drain, I wish my Vega's drain had not been glassed over. It would be very helpful right now.
I bought her about a month ago. I trailered her home and discovered a few blisters on the rear port portion of her keel. I drilled a couple of very small drain holes and found water in the keel. So I started sanding and watching. As she dried I found more, sanded more, and drilled more. So I ended up scraping and sanding the entire bottom. Only 1 of the blisters I have found was structurally significant, and it was less than an inch in diameter and at the midpoint of the keel on the starboard side. She ended up with exposed fiberglass on the rear 1/3 of her keel on both sides to remove all of the blisters and bad layers. However most of the blistering is between her two layers of gel coat. She appears to have a second gel coat layer over fiberglass and/or fairing over much of her bottom. This outer / second gel coat is not as thick as the original and had been sanded through in many places with only the barrier coat between the glass strands and the bottom paint (I was told that her bottom had been painted with 3 layers of penetrating epoxy). All of the blisters that I found that were not on the keel were tiny and at these "exposed glass" spots.
I had been drying and draining and sanding and filling to get her keel dry, and had reached a point where no more water was draining - or oozing. Then a storm hit and an engine compartment vent was uncovered. She got water in the bilge, and all over her naked bottom (which had all the drain holes filled), and now water is back in the keel and draining again via reopened drain holes. I have found 2 very small cracks in the bilge and noticed when she was drying the first go-round that water seemed to be "sweating" from the starboard side of the bilge. Also, the starboard window (now covered) did leak when I got her.
I have not yet figured out completely what has caused the problem. Obviously there is a connection between the bilge and the water in the keel. So a sand and reseal is in store. It appears that at some point there was a large repair made to the rear portion of the keel (blisters, maybe I really can't say for sure). I think it may have been when the extra gel coat was laid down. At the moment sanding, filling, fairing, and drying continues as does the mystery.
Cindy
Let me say first in reference to another post about glassing over the drain, I wish my Vega's drain had not been glassed over. It would be very helpful right now.
I bought her about a month ago. I trailered her home and discovered a few blisters on the rear port portion of her keel. I drilled a couple of very small drain holes and found water in the keel. So I started sanding and watching. As she dried I found more, sanded more, and drilled more. So I ended up scraping and sanding the entire bottom. Only 1 of the blisters I have found was structurally significant, and it was less than an inch in diameter and at the midpoint of the keel on the starboard side. She ended up with exposed fiberglass on the rear 1/3 of her keel on both sides to remove all of the blisters and bad layers. However most of the blistering is between her two layers of gel coat. She appears to have a second gel coat layer over fiberglass and/or fairing over much of her bottom. This outer / second gel coat is not as thick as the original and had been sanded through in many places with only the barrier coat between the glass strands and the bottom paint (I was told that her bottom had been painted with 3 layers of penetrating epoxy). All of the blisters that I found that were not on the keel were tiny and at these "exposed glass" spots.
I had been drying and draining and sanding and filling to get her keel dry, and had reached a point where no more water was draining - or oozing. Then a storm hit and an engine compartment vent was uncovered. She got water in the bilge, and all over her naked bottom (which had all the drain holes filled), and now water is back in the keel and draining again via reopened drain holes. I have found 2 very small cracks in the bilge and noticed when she was drying the first go-round that water seemed to be "sweating" from the starboard side of the bilge. Also, the starboard window (now covered) did leak when I got her.
I have not yet figured out completely what has caused the problem. Obviously there is a connection between the bilge and the water in the keel. So a sand and reseal is in store. It appears that at some point there was a large repair made to the rear portion of the keel (blisters, maybe I really can't say for sure). I think it may have been when the extra gel coat was laid down. At the moment sanding, filling, fairing, and drying continues as does the mystery.
Cindy