[Rhodes22-list] Cracks in keel

The Rhodes 22 Email List rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Wed Jun 18 11:24:40 EDT 2014


That looked like the swing keel to me... if not then disregard but...

You should take a grinder and grind it down until all lose fiberglass cloth
is gone and only solid fiberglass remains.  then build it back up using
rove and 2-part epoxy resin.  Don't go crazy with the grinder.  You only
want to take off the stuff that is structurally compromised.  You can get
nice smoothed forms during the build up by using plastic sheeting (like you
use for drop cloth painting).   Put 3 or 4 layers off whetted fiberglass
cloth onto the plastic, then form the plastic over the repair area and tape
it in place until the resin sets.  The plastic will peel off and the job
will have a nice smooth finish and shaped the way you want it to be
shaped.  Then sand it a bit...paint and viola

Get Don Casey's book on boat maintenance.  It has a nice write up about
doing this sort of fiberglass work... and I can post some pictures of the
holes in my hull and cracks in my keel that I fixed following his advice.

You can do this in a single afternoon.  The trick is .... don't be scared
to try it.... if you screw it up you can always grind it back off and try
again.  I'm now a complete fiberglass convert.  The stuff is easy to work
with once you get some practice.

The other Rob





Dr. Robert Granger
Department of Chemistry
Sweet Briar College
434-381-6403
rgranger at sbc.edu
⛵️⚓️⛵️⚓️⛵️⚓️⛵️⚓️⛵️⚓️⛵️⚓️


On Wed, Jun 18, 2014 at 10:01 AM, The Rhodes 22 Email List <
rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org> wrote:

> You may want to read up on using fiberglass.  All I have read indicated
> that you need to sand or grind the fiberglass to a gradual taper.  Taper to
> the crack enough to apply the new glass in layers so that the hull has the
> strength it had before.  Three to four inches might be correct.  Look up
> how to repair cracks on boats. I just Googled it and watch a lot of You
> tube.
>
> Like you lift.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Chuy
>
>
> ---- The Rhodes 22 Email List <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org> wrote:
> > Graham,
> >
> > I love your lift. Maybe I will build one some day. It would make bottom
> painting so much easier.
> >
> > I have not done any of this work (hope I never will) so I cannot offer
> advice.
> >
> > Stephen Staum
> > s/v Carol Lee 2
> > Needham, MA
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> > On Jun 17, 2014, at 4:31 PM, The Rhodes 22 Email List <
> rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org> wrote:
> >
> > > I have finally put my boat  into the lift I built so that I can begin
> work
> > > on the cracks in the keel and would welcome any advice as to how this
> might
> > > be fixed and speculation as to the cause so that I might prevent it
> from
> > > happening again.
> > >
> > > Picture 1 is of the boat in the lift. This allows me to get under the
> keel
> > > to work in reasonable comfort.
> > > The next two pictures show the cracks with the camera under the keel
> looking
> > > up. The centreboard is removed. The cracks run along the edge where the
> > > bottom of the keel meets the inside of the centreboard slot.
> > >
> > > As for the cause, I suspect that some time in the past the keel was
> damaged
> > > leaving a crack that allowed water to enter where it might have froze
> in the
> > > winter doing further damage. On the other hand I would have thought
> that the
> > > water would have drained out before freezing temperatures were reached.
> > >
> > > There appears to be voids in the keel. The last shot shows were I was
> > > drilling out osmosis blisters and went right through the skin into a
> void.
> > > Tapping on the skin often creates a hollow sound suggesting that there
> are
> > > plenty more voids. It seems to me that voids under the skin are a
> recipe for
> > > problems. Drilling holes and pumping in epoxy would not be that
> difficult
> > > for those I find under the outside skin but would be much more
> difficult for
> > > voids under the skin in the centreboard slot - which currently looks
> intact.
> > > I thought I might drill a series of holes through the cabin bottom
> into the
> > > keel and push more epoxy down from above. To find voids I might need to
> > > drill a lot of holes.
> > >
> > > As for the cracks, my current plan, absent any other ideas, is to open
> the
> > > cracks to allow access with a cartridge tip and force thickened epoxy
> up
> > > into the crack. I would then apply layers of cloth and epoxy from
> about 3"
> > > up to the slot down and around the bottom and up 3" on the outside. I
> have
> > > ground out a bevel on the inside to allow for layers of cloth to be
> added
> > > without making the slot too narrow for the centreboard.
> > >
> > > When all that is done I plan to do the whole bottom - drill out
> blisters and
> > > do the blister prevention program recommended by West System. I don't
> want
> > > to ever do this again so suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance.
> > >
> > > Graham
> > >
> > > -------------- next part --------------
> > > A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
> > > Name: Ariel in lift June 16, 2014.jpg
> > > Type: image/jpeg
> > > Size: 126405 bytes
> > > Desc: not available
> > > Url :
> http://www.rhodes22.org/pipermail/rhodes22-list/attachments/20140617/c1a6d5d8/attachment.jpg
> > > -------------- next part --------------
> > > A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
> > > Name: Ariel in lift June 17, 2014.jpg
> > > Type: image/jpeg
> > > Size: 216822 bytes
> > > Desc: not available
> > > Url :
> http://www.rhodes22.org/pipermail/rhodes22-list/attachments/20140617/c1a6d5d8/attachment-0001.jpg
> > > -------------- next part --------------
> > > A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
> > > Name: Cracks in Keel a.jpg
> > > Type: image/jpeg
> > > Size: 150743 bytes
> > > Desc: not available
> > > Url :
> http://www.rhodes22.org/pipermail/rhodes22-list/attachments/20140617/c1a6d5d8/attachment-0002.jpg
> > > -------------- next part --------------
> > > A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
> > > Name: crasks in keel b.jpg
> > > Type: image/jpeg
> > > Size: 130729 bytes
> > > Desc: not available
> > > Url :
> http://www.rhodes22.org/pipermail/rhodes22-list/attachments/20140617/c1a6d5d8/attachment-0003.jpg
> > > -------------- next part --------------
> > > A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
> > > Name: voids under keel skin.jpg
> > > Type: image/jpeg
> > > Size: 67600 bytes
> > > Desc: not available
> > > Url :
> http://www.rhodes22.org/pipermail/rhodes22-list/attachments/20140617/c1a6d5d8/attachment-0004.jpg
> > > __________________________________________________
> > > To subscribe/unsubscribe go to
> http://www.rhodes22.org/mailman/listinfo/rhodes22-list
> > >
> > > For the list Charter and help with using the mailing list and archives
> go to http://www.rhodes22.org/list
> > > __________________________________________________
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > To subscribe/unsubscribe go to
> http://www.rhodes22.org/mailman/listinfo/rhodes22-list
> >
> > For the list Charter and help with using the mailing list and archives
> go to http://www.rhodes22.org/list
> > __________________________________________________
>
> __________________________________________________
> To subscribe/unsubscribe go to
> http://www.rhodes22.org/mailman/listinfo/rhodes22-list
>
> For the list Charter and help with using the mailing list and archives go
> to http://www.rhodes22.org/list
> __________________________________________________
>


More information about the Rhodes22-list mailing list