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It is plain to see that the bottom of this boat has been through alot. This project will focus on the restoration of the keel of the boat. The stem was done about 2 years ago and is holding up well. That project was shown in Phase 3.
Lots of gouges, scratches, and a few air voids like the one above on the right.
I moved the center bunks and found several more gouges and voids.
This void was the only one that showed damage to the laminate beneath. The area was cleaned out and prepped as shown below.
The deeper/larger air void was not big enough to place any fiberglass into, so I filled it with 3M vinylester filler and sanded it along with the rest of the keel.
This is a shot of the keel after the first application of gelcoat thickened with cabosil. I didn't spend much time trying to make it pretty because my DA sander will take care of that. The larger air void can barely be seen in this photo. It may take as many as two more applications of the thickened gelcoat paste and sanding before I can spray the keel.
Here it is after 2 applications of filler and sanding with 180 grit on the DA. In this photo, you can still see 2 low spots where the larges air voids were. The low spots will be leveled with gel-coat thickened with cabosil immediately before spraying the bottom with gel coat.
Pretty drastic result, I might pick up a little speed when its all done!
Here is the finish...
I'm not all that happy with the outcome. I rushed the spray-job for the gelcoat because of weather concerns, which in the end made more work for me and a finish that I am not too proud of. Next time I get under this boat, I'll be painting the whole thing inside and out! My shoulders really need a break from sanding.
