Gel Coat and Fiberglass repair on 1974 Laser

[Kokomodo]

I have a 1974 Laser with a variety of gel coat and fiberglass problems. I received it as a gift and have sailed two seasons. I replaced some of the deck hardware and all lines and sheets. I also replaced the grab rails. There is some impact damage to fiberglass, some separation of the hull and deck, some gel coat pitting. I have a bunch of pictures. I'm looking for "good enough" durable solutions for someone who has no intention of racing. I don't really even care what it looks like. I just want a dry boat that will not leave me stranded. I plan to cut a port for a dry bag and use it to reinforce the mast step…but I'm hoping to make it one more season before doing so.

Some specific questions… How do I repair the cracking at the deck/hull edge? What's the best way of repairing that impression right at the edge of the dagger board passageway? The metallic patch is waterproof metal tape that I put over an impression crater on the deck.

Any way to repair the impression craters without cutting out a hole and redoing the fiberglass?

I know there is a whole (no pun intended) collection of repair articles in this forum, including compilations. I'm looking more for identification and diagnosis. What do the problems presented in the pictures suggest needs to be done?

 

[49208]

Looks like the leaky spots are the rails (deck/hull joint) and possibly the spot at the corner of the daggerboard/hull (that crack looks like it might go all thru way thru and would require at least two layers of mat in that localized area). There are plenty of posts here already for the hull/deck joint - if it were me, I would use a dremel tool to open up/grind away all the filler that is in the rail.

I've added some notes to a few of the pics to give you an idea of what I would do, there are usually a few way to approach these fixes, and based on your stated goals, you are more concerned with it functioning as opposed to looks (which I think is the right approach on a boat this old)

A 4.5" grinder will make quick work of roughing up and removing gelcoat
craters and dimples, as long as there is no structural damage around it (deep cracking) can be filled with resin/thickening powder after roughing up the area.

 

[Kokomodo]

I would definitely appreciate a link (or, appropriate search terms) to the articles on repairing deck/hull joints. As for the gel coat…a 4.5" grinder would seem to go through fiberglass pretty quick. Are there less risky ways of stripping or roughing the gel coat? And, I note that you do not recommend filling/fairing the gel coat with additional gel coat. Is there a particular reason you recommend epoxy rather than gel coat?

I agree that the primary problem is likely the hull/deck joint. I don't think the dagger board crater is through, but it could be. I don't think I'm up to fiberglas repair unless someone wants to point me to a good, step by step tutorial.

 

[steveo1]

Check out BoatWorks Today on youtube for repair info on fibreglass

Cheers Scotty