Catalina 30 smile repair

[tomdow]

My Catalina 30 has the infamous catalina smile. I would like to do a
quick repair on it. Possibly wire brush the crack, fill it with
something and then paint. Would anybody have any suggestion on how to
go about this?

Thank You

 

[Stu Jackson]

Would anybody have any suggestion on how to
go about this?

Yup. Do a search on "Catalina smile" exact phrase, and read all about it.

 

[tomdow]

I don't get a lot of information on how to do it.
1. After cleaning the crack wire brush/drummel what do I fill with?
2. After I fill and sand do I have to use bottom paint on it?
3. If I use bottom paint do I have to buy a gallon? can I get by with something else?
The bottom is not ready for a full bottom paint yet, I just need to paint were the crack was.

Thank You

 

[Dean5735]

Best money ever spent.

Find your nearest West Marine, stop in and talk to someone there. At least at ours they are very helpful and know thier stuff. You will use a 2 part epoxy and some filler like 410 (like bondo) mix till stiff, sand off and paint. It is real easy, give it a shot.
My 85 C30 needed the same thing, I had the bottom sand blasted to find a hundred or so little blisters too. I used the same filler (after plucking out all the blisters) sanded everything down nice and used an epoxy barrier coat, then bottom paint. Now this old girl is BETTER than new. I used my own labor (with friends) and did it for about $1100.00 well worth it! Now no worries till the bottom paint wears off4-5 years here in summers only Michigan.
Dean

 

[clewedin]

I am in the process of restoring my Catalina. The first season we had her we did what you are talking about. Sanded out the crack and filled it with fiberglass filler. After the season when we had her hauled, we found the crack was right back. The real source of the problem is the keel bolts (actually studs and nuts). If they are not torqued correctly or the floor is soft or bolts corroded, almost any external repair will be temporary. If your nuts, studs and floor are in good shape, then you should be able to simply re-torque them. Catalina told me 105 ft. lbs., but you can check with them for yours (mine is a 1977 mk1). Then the area around the crack should be sanded and re-glassed with roving mat and glass cloth. We used epoxy instead of resin. You can see the details of my repairs at http://www.clewedin.com/node/118 and http://www.clewedin.com/node/117.

Hope this helps.

 

[Bill Wehmer]

A Tip for Sanding

If you have never done any fiberglass work, here is a sanding tip. It is easier to sand if you do not let the repair cure to full hardness. Watch the area until it is just a little bit tackey to touch (usually around 20 minutes depending on the filler you are using) and then sand the area for the rough sanding. Then do the fine sanding after it hardens a little longer. A friend of mine owns a boat dealership and his repair crew gave me the tip. It has worked for me many times.