I noticed the daggerboard was deeply notched on opposite sides; one high, one low; so it looks like my daughter ran aground. After a closer look at the damaged boat this weekend I found the lower aft if the dagger trunk is split or cracked (about 6 inches). I can see the crack from the outside and feel the damage from the inside (through the deck inspection port).
whats my best way to fix this?
My idea is that Ill need to install another inspection port in inside front of the cockpit. Starting with inside the hull: Shave off any fibers in my way. Soak the damaged area with epoxy, then glass and epoxy, and over do it somewhat, because this is a stress point, by wrapping the glass half way around the trunk. Outside the hull: fill crack with marinetex and keep it smooth so I won't have to sand.
I did the same repair last year, in pretty much the same way as you describe. I cut two holes in the front cockpit wall, thinking that I could reach in with both hands. That was a mistake, because I couldn't lean far enough over the boat to get both arms into the holes.
Other than that it worked really well until I ran into another rock at full speed about a month ago. Now I have to do the repair again.
so you think I will need to add another inspection port to the front of my cockpit? I already have one on the deck betwwen the coming and the splash rail.
If you can reach the cracked spot from the port that you've got, you should be ok. I couldn't, so I put ports in the front of my cockpit. As an added benefit, I can store larger items inside the hull than if the ports were on top, like a pump and a folding paddle.