fiberglassing hole through keel. Drilled out to drain boat.

[luvitt]

My boat sank at one point. Its been restored. I have a hole drilled all the way through the hull, right above the keel. the hole goes into the bilge on both sides of boat. I temporarily "patched" it with a 1" oak dowel about 3" long on each side of the boat, and epoxied it in. the boatyard had to float it to step the mast down (stepping it up was on the hard in a different boatyard). They said it didnt leak. How should I go about making a permanent repair? should I leave the oak dowel in and glass the area on the outside and in the bilge? should I remove the oak dowels and fill the 2-3" "tunnel" through the hull with something? I can handle the glassing part on the hull & bilge, its just such a deep hole I dont know what to fill it with. I can imagine I would have trouble with curing if i pack it full of epoxy?

your advice is always appreciated!

 

[Ross]

I would remove the wood . Eventually it will rot. Grind a 5 or 6 inch diameter depression a half inch deep in the out side and glass that fair then fill the hole with resin and chopped fiberglass and when that is cured glass the inside as you did the outside. The repair isn't structrual as the hole size is no more than you would have with a small thru hull.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

And if it doesn't rot, it will swell causing bigger issues. Get a copy of the West System manual, available online, which will give you explicit instructions and drawings how to properly restore the glass mat.

 

[luvitt]

thanks guys, thats what I thought about the wood. I already prepped the area around the hole. its ready to glass.

 

[sailaway78]

Good advice

Good advice given. Just be sure to taper the edges back. Seems like the recommended area is like 12 - 1 for the taper, going fairly deep into the glass. If you will research this on this site, some good info. and photos. Probably posted by Mainesail.

 

[Brian Schwerdt]

Good advice given. Just be sure to taper the edges back. Seems like the recommended area is like 12 - 1 for the taper, going fairly deep into the glass. If you will research this on this site, some good info. and photos. Probably posted by Mainesail.

I have found YouTube to be an invaluable resource. I for one understand better when I see it being done, and you can find videos of people cleaning out holes, tapering them to 12:1, then reglassing. I know everyone learns differently, guess I'm more of a visual learner myself.

 

[kloudie1]

Quick caution about filling the hole on the inside. One pour that size will get really hot. It should be filled with about 4-5 different pours and cures of material so that it does not overheat. The West Systems book probably speaks to a maximum depth per pour. Good Luck !

 

[Ross]

You don't need a BIG repair just a strong repair. A half inch deep will be more than enough. It isn't like this is a lost bearing repair, just a hole in the wall.

 

[luvitt]

the problem is that the 1" hole was drilled about 2" above the kell/hull joint. so i can't really prep to a 6" diameter in all directions.

I drilled the wood out yesterday. here is a pic of the hole.

the rust on the keel isnt as bad as it might look! just surface bubbles, happened in the past year. any recommendations for prepping the keel? I was gonna get a sandblaster and blast it and prime it all in one shot. but, I have the time and could do it by hand if there is a way. do a 2' section at a time?

thanks

 

[kloudie1]

Keel protection

For best results, all at once is the way to go; if ya want to do it yourself and have limited time, small sections with a little overlap to the new finish side will be OK, as long as the application directions for the coating allow this. The cast iron keel has to be primed fairly quickly to keep the rust bloom on the newly exposed metal from affecting bonding of the new primer. Looks like you have a good tight keel and the joint is intact. Coal tar epoxy (kinda like Interlux VC Tar2) is a great primer for this. There are comparable products from other suppliers as well. A yard applied (poorly) barrier coat was peeling and required lots of scraping and sanding.. before I went back with Interlux barrier coat.

 

[Ross]

the problem is that the 1" hole was drilled about 2" above the kell/hull joint. so i can't really prep to a 6" diameter in all directions.

I drilled the wood out yesterday. here is a pic of the hole.

the rust on the keel isnt as bad as it might look! just surface bubbles, happened in the past year. any recommendations for prepping the keel? I was gonna get a sandblaster and blast it and prime it all in one shot. but, I have the time and could do it by hand if there is a way. do a 2' section at a time?

thanks

The hole patch won't come off if you do a good prep for it no matter what size you make it. The 12:1 routine was/is for repairs that are structrual in their nature. For example I glassed my entire hull/deck joint. It was already structurally sound from the glass work on the inside, so I ground about a quarter inch deep and about 3 inches to each side and glassed the joint fair. Prior to my work the joint was held with "pop-rivets" and putty bedding compound on the outside and covered with a wood strip. The inside was glassed by the builder.

EDIT to add: I just looked closely at the ground portion of the area surrounding the hole. Take the grinder to the paint and push it out of your way for the glass work. Just take it down to the gel coat but give yourself room to work.