Help! I pulled the swing keel on my h22 and found that the fiberglass is broken around the pivot point. The brushing inside the keel (white nylon, about 1.5 inch in dia.) is moving around as if the material that is supposed to be holding it in place is broken. Has anyone had this issue and fixed it? How is this area supposed to be constructed and how do I repair? I have had a fiberglass repair guy look at it and he wanted $4-800 to fix! Advise, diagrams welcome....Seth
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Dan
Centerboard
I am going to be rebulding the board in my 22 soon. Mine is in pretty bad shape at the pivot point due to freak storm that pulled my anchor up and blew me onto an island. The weight of the boat bouncing on the retracted centerboard really tore it up and punched a hole the size of a quarter as well as a crack in the centerboard trunk. Your repair guy is probably going to simply fill the area around the bushing with epoxy then sand it and paint it. This is how I am going to be repairing mine. Be sure to paint the inside of the trunk while you have the board out. You may also want to inspect and possibly replace the cable while you have it out.
I am going to be rebulding the board in my 22 soon. Mine is in pretty bad shape at the pivot point due to freak storm that pulled my anchor up and blew me onto an island. The weight of the boat bouncing on the retracted centerboard really tore it up and punched a hole the size of a quarter as well as a crack in the centerboard trunk. Your repair guy is probably going to simply fill the area around the bushing with epoxy then sand it and paint it. This is how I am going to be repairing mine. Be sure to paint the inside of the trunk while you have the board out. You may also want to inspect and possibly replace the cable while you have it out.
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seth
Dan - questions/feedback
Dan; Thank you for your feedback. I spoke with Hunter today. They recommended filling the hole where the brushing resides with high density foam, glassing over the area, and then re-drilling the hole. I think some blow to the front of the keel enlarged the cavity the brushing sits in and if I dont re-fill it the brushing will just slide around. Do you think I can use epoxy instaed of fiberglass to repair the outer skin? Will it bond to the glass and have the same strength? Can I drill through it?...I have lots of questions and no experience.....seth
Dan; Thank you for your feedback. I spoke with Hunter today. They recommended filling the hole where the brushing resides with high density foam, glassing over the area, and then re-drilling the hole. I think some blow to the front of the keel enlarged the cavity the brushing sits in and if I dont re-fill it the brushing will just slide around. Do you think I can use epoxy instaed of fiberglass to repair the outer skin? Will it bond to the glass and have the same strength? Can I drill through it?...I have lots of questions and no experience.....seth
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Dan
Hunter had a good idea
I like Hunter's response and I may rethink mine and do it that way depending on the amount of damage. Epoxy resin is the more modern of the two common fiberglass resins however I believe the fiberglass of a Hunter 22 was constructed with polyester resins. It seems like I remember reading about some compatibility problems with using epoxy over polyester. I am not sure but I think the last time I had the yard repair my centerboard they used epoxy resin. This would be a great question for the guys at Hunter. They should be able to tell us of any problems with using epoxy resin for repairing the board. I would like to know where I can get the high density foam. If you do glass over the hole on both sides be sure that it doesn't make the board so thick that it won't go into the trunk.
I like Hunter's response and I may rethink mine and do it that way depending on the amount of damage. Epoxy resin is the more modern of the two common fiberglass resins however I believe the fiberglass of a Hunter 22 was constructed with polyester resins. It seems like I remember reading about some compatibility problems with using epoxy over polyester. I am not sure but I think the last time I had the yard repair my centerboard they used epoxy resin. This would be a great question for the guys at Hunter. They should be able to tell us of any problems with using epoxy resin for repairing the board. I would like to know where I can get the high density foam. If you do glass over the hole on both sides be sure that it doesn't make the board so thick that it won't go into the trunk.
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seth
All good points and questions
I thought vinyl based was the way to go underwater due to low water absorbtion; I will have to ask. The foam can be bought from Boat US; it is a two part mix (About $30). Agree about the risk of thickness...worried about that too....Seth
I thought vinyl based was the way to go underwater due to low water absorbtion; I will have to ask. The foam can be bought from Boat US; it is a two part mix (About $30). Agree about the risk of thickness...worried about that too....Seth
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george m
How I fixed mine
I cleaned the hole out then I put a copper sleeve in it then I used marine tex as a filler.Then I painted it with a two part epoxy. then I got a rubber blanket from the power company and I cut two 18 inch washers from it and put them on both sides of the pin.Now the board does,not bang at all.I done this about 12 or 13 years ago and I haven,t had a problem yet.I've done alot more to the boat in my 18 years of ownership and I think it's a great boat.goodluck George s/v Tangerine
I cleaned the hole out then I put a copper sleeve in it then I used marine tex as a filler.Then I painted it with a two part epoxy. then I got a rubber blanket from the power company and I cut two 18 inch washers from it and put them on both sides of the pin.Now the board does,not bang at all.I done this about 12 or 13 years ago and I haven,t had a problem yet.I've done alot more to the boat in my 18 years of ownership and I think it's a great boat.goodluck George s/v Tangerine
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seth
question George
Geo; Was the fiberglass around your hole broken? If so, what did you do to repair? What is a 'rubber blanket'?...seth
Geo; Was the fiberglass around your hole broken? If so, what did you do to repair? What is a 'rubber blanket'?...seth
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george m
Broken fiberglass
The hole in the fiberglass was about the size of a quarter. I went to a machine shop and got a piece of 1/2 stainless 4 1/2 long then to the hardware store and got some copper tubing for a sleeve. It fits nice and snug. As for the rubber blanket. It's about 3 ft. square and about 1/8 inch thick. If you see a power company truck working in the area ask them maybe they would give you a old one.If not I would go right to the power company. They only last so long around high voltage then they throw them away.They last forever underwater. I'm pretty sure you can get 2 18inch circles out of one blanket. Good luck George s/v Tangerine crew8@webtv.net
The hole in the fiberglass was about the size of a quarter. I went to a machine shop and got a piece of 1/2 stainless 4 1/2 long then to the hardware store and got some copper tubing for a sleeve. It fits nice and snug. As for the rubber blanket. It's about 3 ft. square and about 1/8 inch thick. If you see a power company truck working in the area ask them maybe they would give you a old one.If not I would go right to the power company. They only last so long around high voltage then they throw them away.They last forever underwater. I'm pretty sure you can get 2 18inch circles out of one blanket. Good luck George s/v Tangerine crew8@webtv.net
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