beaching damage repair

[boatman37]

hi guys. have a little beach rash at the front of the keel from the previous owner. no fiberglass damage at all but the gelcoat is chipped/scraped in a section about 18" long and about 1" wide at the widest spot. what is the easiest/best way to fix this? there is currently no bottom paint on it and the boat stays in fresh water all summer

 

[JASinIL2006]

Not necessarily the cheapest thing you can do, but a very easy (and effective) solution: install a KeelShield (or KeelGuard). They work great. You can get them right here at iboats: http://www.iboats.com/7-Keelshield/dm/cart_id.832530467--session_id.458176559--view_id.246729

I put one on for the same reason and it's a great product. Just be scrupulous in prepping the area and install it exactly per the instructions, and you'll be set.

 

[Frey0357]

Hello BoatMan37, welcome! While I'm not the right person to respond with help, someone here will help you no doubt! I know that a pic of the "rash" would be hugely helpful to help you.

Frey

 

[boatman37]

this is the only pic i have. its about 18" long and about " wide at its widest

 

[JASinIL2006]

Yikes. There's a bit more damage there than your post suggested... is the gelcoat flaking off around the rash area? After seeing it, I'd probably repair that before putting any kind of keel protector on (if you even want to go that route). Do you beach the boat, or is that from a previous owner?

 

[Woodonglass]

Uhmmm that's not really from Beaching. If it were, it would be directly on the bottom. I suspect you may have a LOT more going on INSIDE the boat than you might suspect. I HIGHLY recommend you do some thorough investigation on the interior condition of the substructure. i.e. stringers, bulkheads, transom. They could be severely compromised. How old is this boat??

 

[gm280]

I'm with WOG as well. I see more damage then some simple gel coat issues. Don't cover over that until you verified the fiberglass base isn't suspect as well. I see more repair efforts then some gel coat finish. JMHO!

 

[redneck joe]

Yep, dig deep from the inside and also investigate that area. Poke arounf with a screwdriver

 

[boatman37]

it is on the very front portion of the keel where it starts to curve up. the fiberglass looks fine under it. it looks like just the gelcoat but i will look closer.

i do not beach the boat. the PO said it was from him beaching it. FWIW i had it in the water all last summer with no leaking

the boat is a 1986 sea ray sundancer 250. the transom is solid. no signs of anything going on there short of doing some core sampling

i will try to get a better picture. i don't think it is flaking. just maybe 1/8" deep of gelcoat missing. the widest spot is about 1" wide

 

[Woodonglass]

If your really feel that it's purely cosmetic and only 1/8" deep and the glass has not been compromised...the simple answer is...do nothing. If you want to cosmetically fix it then...clean the area really well with acetone and make sure any/all loose gelcoat has been removed and then bevel the area. Mix up some gelcoat paste and do the best you can to color match it and then apply it to the area. Over fill it and then sand it back to smooth it out. OR fill it with Hairy Peanut Butter and Paint it. Either method will work.

 

[boatman37]

thanks WOG. i will check it out closer tomorrow. it all feels solid. will it feel soft or mushy if it is compromised? i will try to measure the depth (thickness) too using a depth gauge.

 

[Woodonglass]

Yup. Poke it HARD with a screwdriver. If it's solid then just use one of the patching methods described and you're done. If it's not then you need to try to gain access from the inside.

 

[boatman37]

just poked around with a screwdriver and tapped it lightly with a hammer. feels and sounds solid. i poked fairly hard and no give at all. i measured the depth of the edges and the deepest i found was about .056 so not nearly as deep as i initially thought. and the pics look much worse than they really are. i tried getting more pics this morning. the boat had bottom paint at one time but the PO removed most of it. it was docked in Erie all of its life until i bought it and now i keep it on the ohio river near Pittsburgh. i plan to re-coat the bottom but probably not this year. too much other stuff to get done first

which option is better? the hairy PB or the gelcoat paste? if equal which is easier or cheaper?

 

[Woodonglass]

Hairy PB is prolly the cheapest and easiest. spread it on sand it down then hit it with some Rustoleum Epoxy spray paint just to make it look a bit better and she'll be good to go.