Fix a hole

[colemj]

Why are you insistent on the gelcoat? It is below the waterline - forget about it. Just patch and paint with bottom paint. The only reason gelcoat was ever used below your waterline was that it was easier to make the boat in the mold that way. Other than that, there is no reason to have gelcoat below the waterline.

Neilpride is correct - if you have not done this work before (and you don't say how large of a repair it is or exactly where it is located), you may end up right where you started on this.

Frankly, if you have a previous repair that is leaking, then you may have a larger issue. Did the PO just shove some goo stick or bondo in there, or did they lay glass? If the former, then you just need to fix it correctly. If the latter, then you need to understand why it is continuing to fail.

As far as the epoxy/polyester thing goes, you won't find many of us on this forum saying polyester is OK in this application - but those few of us all seem to be on this thread! You may want to duck out for a bit while the epoxy-heads all have a go at you...

Mark

[smj]

Definitely use epoxy as I'm sure the reason the old repair is leaking is because they used polyester resin.:-)


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[mrlee]

Ok, to address this...The boat was inspected by a marina in Kemah before being put into the water. All seemed ok...The boat then came south where I met her and sailed the last 3 days to Tampico where we are now. The leak started about a day into the trip leading me to believe that this was a bad repair before that could not take the strain of sailing again and sprung a leak. I am going to have to remove all the glass etc. that they put on and get down to the original boat and the original problem and fix it correctly. There are no "professionals" here that I would trust to do anything! I have to fix everything myself or pay the "gringo" fee which is to pay for a job that is designed to fail so you have to pay again. I have been here for 8 years now and know my way around quite well hence my eagerness to tackle all jobs with help from a select few.
I thank you all for helping me to think this out with varying points of view. I have to make the decision on how to do this and with all of your input I believe I have a plan that will work out the best for my sailboat and my situation...it is not easy to do things here that's why nobody here does anything but complain and drink.
I will keep you all posted on my progress and what happens. If anyone ever gets in a jam down here in the Gulf, give me a holler...I have some resources and they will have grown a lot before this is all fixed and done.
After only 3 days at sea I UNDERSTAND!!! Yahoo!!
Peace to you all...be safe and with wind...

[smj]

Were in the gulf are you located?


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[mrlee]

Tampico...Man, I am reading a lot here and I want to use epoxy but it's not here! Poly is cheap that's why they use it on the Panga boats etc...
Would the West System boat repair kit do the job?

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by smj

Were in the gulf are you located?


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Post #11, Tampico


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[model 10]

Originally Posted by haw1961

If you are going to use gelcoat to cover the patch, then you will need to use polyester resin. Gelcoat will not adhere to epoxy.

Are you sure about that?

[neilpride]

Originally Posted by mrlee

Tampico...Man, I am reading a lot here and I want to use epoxy but it's not here! Poly is cheap that's why they use it on the Panga boats etc...
Would the West System boat repair kit do the job?

WTF is wrong with Poly may i ask,despite what the crowd say here about poly let me tell you that almost the 80% of the damaged boats after the last hurricane here got fix it with OEM materials , that mean Poly and gelcoat , dont be afraid to use Poly, is not the resin used the problem , probably you got a shity patch performed for a poor worker, owner.

If you ground the old stuff and get solid and clean laminate and grind a minimun of 12 /1 bevel a pacht of poly can be of the same or more strenght than previously, you need maybe to get a backing plate to laminate the outter layer and glass inside later , or you mean to perform a stop leaking xaxaxa epoxy patch with the boat in the wáter and keep going?

[Delancey]

Something thing like this.

[Jim Cate]

Two questions not yet answered (I think) and that are crucial to this discussion:

1. Exactly where is the damage relative to the keel root?

2. How big is the damaged area?

Hard to evaluate your situation without this knowledge.

Jim

[minaret]

Pics sure would help.

[mrlee]

Hi all, I need to find a way to get her out of the water...This may take some doing here...I will send pix and all details when I can get her on the hard.
This has been a hell of a first week with my new wife (boat)!
Thanks a lot...I will be back asap!