Hull Exterior Maintenance Advice?

Apr 19, 2020
64
Catalina 310 Kenosha, WI
On my C310 I have a few projects that I want to tackle before I put the boat back in the water in 6 weeks after winter storage. Advice on how to tackle these is appreciated as I'm still in my first year of ownership and haven't had to deal with these items before. I'll note that I'm one of the first boats that needs to go back in the water based on where I'm at in the yard. That's expected to be the third week in April with average temperatures of 56 degrees (day) and 40 degrees (nighttime) if that matters to how I do these repairs.

Repair gelcoat cracks on the stern corners (see pic).
1614825668804.png


"Catalina Smile" on the keel
1614825752089.png


Striping removal and replacement
IMG_20201104_104238918 - Copy.jpg


Also, recommended products and procedure to prepare and buff the hull to a decent shine?

The bottom paint that was used by the previous owner was Interlux YBB359/1 Fiberglass Bottomkote NT Antifouling Paint - Green. Anyone know if a single gallon is enough to cover the 310 bottom?

thanks everyone!
 

leo310

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Dec 15, 2006
635
Catalina 310 44 Campbell River BC
I use 1.5 - 2 gals of antifouling every 2 years. As for the chips you may want to use a filler, seal and then gel coat. Your smile looks bad and would say you mite want to re-bed the keel also check your haul. The strip is a decal that can be removed and new installed.
 
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Oct 19, 2017
7,733
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
1614854726050.png

Smiles All Around - Epoxyworks
funny, but doing a Google image search on "Catalina smile" I couldn't find a single image of one starting in the back. Maybe the previous owner backed into a submerged object.

Have you pulled the keel bolts and looked at them? I'd start with Leo's suggestion and look at re-bedding your keel and new keel bolts.

Thickened epoxy to fill your voids and cover with a couple of layers of glass cloth on the corner. Sand and gel coat.
Here's a great website that seems to know what they're doing. Common Errors in Fiberglass Repair - Epoxyworks

You are on saltwater? There are a lot of decent anti-fouling paints. Your yard probably sells it. For the topside, scrub with a mild bleach solution and buff with a simple buffing wheel, unless you feel like going at it with the 1400 grit paper, then buff. But with the other repairs, it's going to be hard enough to get in your first sail, as it is.

Get the essentials done and go sailing.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
May 25, 2004
436
Catalina 400 mkII Harbor
catalina sells the striping, i used a wallpaper steamer and it made quick work of it!

stern i have the same issue (wife keeps hitting it with jet ski) i use this, think it may need to be warmer though


cant help you on keel
 

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
That crack has me concerned, the 310 does not have a history of Catalina smile issues, and that looks like the trailing edge not leading edge where that is a problem on older boats. That would not be a DIY for me.

Hull stripe tape options and a very good stripe off wheel:
Hull/Deck (catalinadirect.com)
 
Last edited:
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Jun 8, 2004
2,841
Catalina 320 Dana Point
3 digit Catalinas don't have the smile problem, remove some paint so you can see. Looks like it starts below the stub and then travels to the stub/keel joint. Something broke that, lead doesn't just crack.
 
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Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
As others have noted, that crack on the keel is not typical to the C310's. It looks serious enough to have a professional look at it.
 
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JRT

.
Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
Given the stern damage and that crack being on the trailing edge of the keel, was the boat backed hard into something and the keel grounded into something hard at the same time that caused it to twist and crack?
 
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rukidn

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Apr 23, 2012
160
Catalina 310 258 Sandusky, OH
A frontal impact commonly could crush the aft end of the keel upward, deflecting the fiberglass. Definitely a professional inspection is in order. The keel is bolted to stub and fiberglass banding is applied to the joint, about 8-10" wide, then faired. My banding delaminated and I repaired, but I saw nothing like this. I'd at least remove the banding in that area to get a better look. Are the keel bolts tight and close to torque spec? They may be loose if the fiberglass is deflected. Unfortunately looks like a hard hit and this should have been found on your survey. /Ed