Hi Bill If your keelboats are leaking, then your smile has progressed to the point of more than stuffing in some bondo and the need for some redoing the keel / sump seal itself to prevent leaks. Remember that the keel bolts are stainless which will degrade when wet in an oxygen deprived environment which is what happens when the keel / sump seal is compromised. A good starting place would be get the opinion of your local fiberglass repair shop. I believe this subject is also well covered in the archives of this list as well as the DIY section of the photoalbum.
To be absolutely sure, the preferred process at haul out would be to 1) lower the keel, 2) clean, fair and prep the mating surfaces, 3) reattach the keel with a preferred adhesive / sealant, 4) properly torque the keel bolts, 5) grind and fair both sides of the joint by at least a foot, 6) apply fiberglass as a fairing, 7) fair the fiberglass, 8) apply several coats of barrier coat then bottom paint. If this is too much, then you can try digging out all bondo and as best you can expose the joint as deeply as possible. Clean it to provide a good sealing surface. Stuff in your sealant, then proceed at step 4. Fiberglass tape provides negligible structural integrity. The keel bolts and adhesive at the sump / keel joint do that. The tape is to fair the joint. If there is insufficient structural integrity, the keel will flex and break the tape bond. Hope this helps John and Maryann Legacy III 1982 C&C 34 Noank, CT -----Original Message----- From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Bill Connon Sent: Monday, September 02, 2013 1:26 PM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Subject: Stus-List C&C smile I've been fixing the smile with Bondo over the past few years. This season I've noticed that I'm getting some sea water into the bilge ( along with rainwater that comes down the mast ). On haulout this year I'm planning on making a more permanent fix. Has anybody used G-Flex epoxy for this project? I plan on using thickened epoxy to fill the gap and then use wetted out fibreglass tape to strengthen the joint. Comments, ideas and suggestions would be appreciated. Bill Caprice 1 1978 C&C 36 _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com
