CB fix O 23

[David]

Hi all,I have an O 23. I removed the CB in the fall. The leading edge looked like the previous owner had run into rocks, etc. in shallow water. Basically the board seems to be in good shape. It seems to be the original. I thought it was a plywood replacement, but it looks like the previous owner had repaired it with marine-tex or something like it. I am thinking about injecting some resin so that it flows into some of the smaller nooks and crannies within the CB. Then I plan on using a thicker mixture to finish off the outer edges. I really do not plan on using gelcoat because the area is not visible. In addition, some of the gelcoat on the side of the board was sanded away.(Don't ask!)It looks like there are two distinct layers of gelcoat. I thought I would put a thin coat of resin on the sanded area so water does not get between the top layer of gelcoat and the layer underneath it.One more question. The wedges were held in place with some sort of adhesive. I really had to pry them off. What should I use to remove the adhesive? What should I use to secure these in place, but allow them to be removed in an easier fashion?Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?Thanks in advance,David

 

[Justin - O'day Owners' Web]

Centerboard

Sounds like you're on a good track. I'd only add that I'd put a layer of cloth over the leading edge to protect it from chipping again.To get the adhesive off, I'd hit it with a heat gun and scraper but first I'd try sanding it off.Why not bolt the new shims on?Justin - O'day Owners' Web

 

[David]

Follow-up questions

Thanks, Justin. Would adding extra cloth make the leading edge too fat? Also, I will be bolting the plates under the wedges. What prevents the wedges form moving side to side between the sides of the CB slot and the CB?David

 

[Brian]

CB Repair

Sounds like you are on track. I agree that adding some laminate wouldn't hurt on the CB's leading edge. That being said it can be tricky if you haven't worked with glass much. If you haven't worked with glass, your idea of filling will work. I would suggest that fill all the voids, small gaps with straight epoxy resin, and use a filler as the gaps increase. I don't know if you have a favorite brand of epoxy, but I would use the West System 105 with 206 hardener. First fill the little gaps with epoxy and let set. Next wet the area with epoxy and let set until it is tacky. Fill the leading edge with epoxy thickend with 406 Colloidal Silica. 404 High density filler will also work. Let harden completely and sand to shape. Make sure that you don't sand down into the laminate if posible. If you do wet it with epoxy. I must admit that I would coat the CB with epoxy before applying the bottom paint. Also if there is wear on the pivot/attachment points on the CB you can use the epoxy and 404 to repair these as well. Just don't make them too tight. As far as the wedges go, I would use marine silicone, but only on the bottom couple of inches to prevent movement, and to make it easy to cut out if needed. I would also make sure my pin wasn't cut too short. If the pin is too short, it can dance on top of the wedges more than I would like it too. Just enough clearance to make it easy to remove.Just my 2 cents

 

[David]

Thanks Brian . . .

I appreciate the info. I pretty much am doing what you have suggested. I used West 105 w/206 straight, letting it run into the small cracks, etc. then I thickened up the batch and filled some of the larger small voids. Now I will sand to roughen surface, wet the surface, then fill with a putty-like consistency of the 105/206 w/ 406. I am going to use 3M 4200 on the wedges. I cut off most of the old adhesive with a razor blade. Do I need to remove the final layer, or can I just put the 4200 on top of this layer. someone had sugested using anti-bond to remove the final layer. Any thoughts?To tell you the truth, I was not going to use any bottom paint. There is no bottom paint on the hull now (it was never painted). The boat is only kept in fresh water. It is taken out of the water after each season and pressure washed. There just did not seem to be much build-up on the hull.Thanks again,David

 

[David]

Thanks again . . .

I appreciate the feedback.