fiberglass repair and caulk question

[rmilavsky]

I own a 1988 O'day 240. I had the marina sandblast off years of bottom paint buildup late last fall.

#1- I now see some pitting in areas particularly by the keel. Nothing large and deep, but there are a number of clusers. Any thoughts what is the best product and way to fill/ repair?

#2- I noticed there is some old caulking towards the bottom of the keel. It is starting to loosen. Is this like removing old caulk from a door/window? Cut it out with a sharp knife and clean it out? Any suggestions and good durable caulk?

Thanks
Ray

 

[Tim R.]

Fill with West System thickened epoxy.

If your keel is lead and this is filling a void/dent, remove, clean out and fill with the same as above, fair and paint.

 

[sand sailor]

if you are filling voids you should use filler epoxy ( has tiny glass fibers in it ) much thicker and holds up better

 

[Tim R.]

if you are filling voids you should use filler epoxy ( has tiny glass fibers in it ) much thicker and holds up better

West System has appropriate thickeners for their epoxy.

 

[rmilavsky]

Tim,
thanks for your suggestions. I have looked on West systems web site and it doesn't look like this project should be too bad. There are numerous "pits", but they are confined to several clusters. Each cluster shouldn't take that long.

Still a little cold here in Nj to start the project, but I am now also giving thought to the type of barrier coat paint I should use, number of coats, etc.

 

[Mac Daddy]

You might consider dropping the keel, replacing bolts and resealing the whole thing if it hasn't been done fairly recently. That could be sign it should be done. I'm not sure what keel setup you have so it may or may not apply.

 

[jibes138]

Working with Epoxy on vertical surfaces

Even thickened epoxy will run and droop so when working on vertical surfaces you may want to create a dam of some kind at the bottom of the area being filled, and as mentioned before I like to use saran wrap to cover the repair area and tape the saran wrap in place with duct tape or painters tape. After it cures remove the saran wrap and the surface will be beautifully smooth. If it is a large repair DO NOT MIX TOO MUCH EPOXY AT ONCE. It will get very hot, melt the plastic container and solidify almost immediately. You need to work with small batches at a time. If the repair is very deep you may need to do 1 batch to fill it then another batch to finish it. If the keel is lead you also need to watch out as the lead oxidizes and sticking to it is hard. So just before coating with epoxy you will need to sand and clean the lead, then after coating with epoxy it is good to use a clean wire brush to work the epoxy into the lead to make sure it bonds.
Several years ago I was having trouble with paint adhesion on my keel so I stripped it down to bare lead, then coated the entire keel with west system epoxy to give the paint a good base to bond to. A couple coats of barrier paint further helps the paint to stick and then finally the paint. Yes I know water won't penetrate lead but the barrier coat provides a good surface for paint to adhere.

 

[caguy]

Even thickened epoxy will run and droop so when working on vertical surfaces you may want to create a dam of some kind at the bottom of the area being filled, and as mentioned before I like to use saran wrap to cover the repair area and tape the saran wrap in place with duct tape or painters tape. After it cures remove the saran wrap and the surface will be beautifully smooth. If it is a large repair DO NOT MIX TOO MUCH EPOXY AT ONCE. It will get very hot, melt the plastic container and solidify almost immediately. You need to work with small batches at a time. If the repair is very deep you may need to do 1 batch to fill it then another batch to finish it. If the keel is lead you also need to watch out as the lead oxidizes and sticking to it is hard. So just before coating with epoxy you will need to sand and clean the lead, then after coating with epoxy it is good to use a clean wire brush to work the epoxy into the lead to make sure it bonds.
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I have used Reynold's teflon coated aluminum foil to hold epoxy in place. It is easily molded and keeps it's shape. I repaired the bow of my old Hobie a while back and was able to shape the foil around the adjoining intact bow edge. I then applied an ample amount of thickened epoxy to the damaged area. With blue tape I attached the foil. The foil came off eaily after curing with a near perfect shape. All of this was done upside down. After painting the repair was invisible.

As for the caulk, has anyone tried a Butyl cauk? I used some clear Butyl on my roof to seal some flashings. I am really sold on that the stuff. I like it because it adheres well (even to wet surfaces) dries firm but resilient, seems very durable and remains crystal clear.Compared to 5200 or 4200 it is relatively inexpensive. I foundit in the roofing dept at Home Depot $8/tube..