Hull Repair Advice for a "Sunfish Clone"

[Sailing Sasha]

Now before anyone gets mad at me for posting about an imitation sunfish in the Sunfish Forum, here me out! I have a Lockley-Newport Panther that is essentially the same thing as a Sunfish, so I imagine the hull repair would be the same, hence this seemed the most relevant place to ask. Also, some of you may already be familiar with the tale of this boat from my first post here. TL;DR: I wound up buying this boat for a mere $25, but it is not seaworthy. I wound up sailing my minifish (acquired 2 days before the Panther) a lot last year, but this year I want to get the Panther lake-worthy since I want to sail with others and the minifish is a solo experience. The Panther spent some months in my yard with a tarp, but on some storms water may have gotten in as the tarp blew off. I hauled it in my garage for the winter where it has remained, bottom-side up.

The most apparent issues are:
-missing drain plug (easy)
-self-bailing device either gone or not working (it is completely duck-taped over by previous owner, I'll need to investigate but it should be watertight for now
-evidence of crack / holes around inside of daggerboard trunk, around what seems to be the seem where one half of the hull meets the top half.
-can't remember if mast-step hole leaks, but probably. will need to test this.
-The big one, the most obvious issue and the reason the seller gave it to me for half his original asking: The entire perimeter of the hull, where the hull is joined to the top deck piece, is a crumbly, cracked mess. I think the daggerboard trunk is the only thing keeping the two halves together. Here's what I'm talking about:

The previous owner tried to seal it back up with white caulking of some sort, but clearly that didn't work. In some places it's really bad:



So, I am looking for wisdom on how to go about repairing this. My guess is that I will need to use some sort of tool to chisel out the irregular crumbly bits, and then use epoxy to fill it back in and rebond the deck to the hull. I'm not sure what tool would be best, would a chisel and hammer work, or maybe some sort of hand saw? Second, I've never worked with epoxy, so I would appreciate recommendations on what kind / brand to use, where to buy (preferably something available on amazon or home depot), and how to go about applying it. One thing that seems like an issue is that after removing the chunks I will need to fill a volume with epoxy without having it all simply drip down inside the boat.

Also, you can see in the photo below that the seam in the daggerboard trunk appears to have had a sub-bueno repair job as well, and looks like it would let water in. Would this be easy to fix properly with epoxy, or would fiberglass and sanding be required?

Any help is appreciated, I would love to get this thing in the water by July! I am dreaming of racing it against my minifish to see which is faster..

 

[Cactus Cowboy]

Jeez, ya don't pick 'em easy, do ya? Boat projects, I mean...

That's a bad crack, it'd almost be easier to separate the halves and then epoxy them, but that means dealing with the daggerboard trunk as well. Another option which I'll simply toss out first: find another hull, not necessarily a Panther hull either.

But if you're intent upon doing this repair, yeah, you're gonna have to clean out that trash... I suggest that you pry out whatever you can with a screwdriver, then take a lightweight handheld grinder and get all that trash outta there, being careful NOT to damage the hull or deck.

You may be able to get away with using thickened epoxy and clamping the hull & deck together until the bond is cured... we'll see what others here think. But all of that junk has to be cleaned out first, that's for certain. And you'll need a truckload of clamps too, lol...

This is a good thread for SC to address, he has done plenty o' hull & deck clamping in his time, lol. Moi, I've never seen a crack go the full distance before, that's some prize-winning damage there.

Going back to that grinder, I bought a simple Ryobi angle grinder for cheap at the Depot, and it's light enough for this sort of careful grinding. You'll want eye protection, and your back will thank you if you elevate the project... put it on sawhorses or some sort of improvised cradle to bring the work to your level.

A Dremel Moto-Tool might work too, you'll have to check your options... avoid a heavy grinder which will lead to arm fatigue. Old school metal Milwaukee grinders are OUT, lol. That's my $.02 for now, let's see what the others have to say before you commit to any course of action. Cheers!!!

 

[beldar boathead]

I’m only familiar with West Epoxy and it is pricey. Signal Charlie can tell you how much it will cost to buy the right glue to put it back together. Hopefully you have the other parts - otherwise the cost of gluing it back together may make the whole endeavor less appealing. .

 

[signal charlie]

The appropriate term is "Clonefish."

Good tips on how to remove the old material. A oscillating multi tool may also work, or rasp or good old hand file.

We'd use about 4 caulk cartridge tube of THIXO (thickened epoxy), around $80-100, to adhere the seam back together, with a strip of 4 oz fiberglass cloth laid in the seam to help bridge gaps. Use an 18:1 ratio High Thrust caulk gun. Thickened epoxy will not run down into the hull. Then light clamping, not so much as to squeeze the epoxy right back out of the seam. Po Man's clamps can be made by cutting a Schedule 40 thick wall 4 inch PVC pipe into 2 inch sections and cutting a slit along one side, to make a closed C clamp.

Use paint sticks on their side, every few feet, to hold the seam open and then use paint sticks laid along the deck edge to distribute clamp pressure.

Fire away with questions.

 

[L&VW]

Well, I'd already started my long answer, so I'll just add my 2¢.

The tool needed would depend on what material the separated crack is filled with. If it's silicone or plaster-like, you can chuck a 3- or 4- inch diameter wire wheel in your drill. I'd work outdoors.

Harbor Freight sells a lightweight 4-inch right-angle grinder. I bought four or five of them 'back when they included the grinding disk, and they were $7.95 each. Now, there's no abrasive disk, and they're over $10 dollars each! (Included are replacement brushes for armature wear, but I've never needed to replace them).

The seam doesn't need to be "filled up". I'd use "mat" glass fiber, start at the rear, and work up both sides equally. Concrete blocks are cheap, and can substitute for clamps. In any case, the halves should be squished together equally, and the fibers made smooth and watertight with adequate resin. Use coarse sandpaper to roughen the surfaces between coats—if more coats are even necessary. Maybe start with 2- or 3-inch fiberglass tape instead of mat, and trim off any excess along the outer edge.

A quart of epoxy (or polyester) resin should come close to finishing the job. I suggest a beginner would prefer "slow-set" catalyst. (I'd like to see what's under the tape before buying only a quart, though).

The daggerboard trunk: 'Guessing that's the bottom?

That needs trimming with a wire or abrasive wheel, and sealing with thickened epoxy. A tube of $22 Thixo will go a long way, even after sealing that seam shut. Thixo is not brittle and it's strong, too, so that repair shouldn't need any future attention.

You hear that wild cat howling in the distance?

If it's a Panther, don't anther.

 

[Cactus Cowboy]

If it's a Panther, don't anther.

The OP already did, now the goldurned Panther is in the garage...