Skid plate?

minifish

minifish

New Member
Circled is an area that often gets scraped during beaching or what-have-you. I'm considering making a sort of skid plate there so that I'm not repairing gel coat all of the time. It won't be something strong enough to take a direct hit, just something that can take the scrape against a rock or so.
I don't live near the ocean, but if I wanted to take it to the ocean, I want to choose a material that will hold up to salt water. I'm even considering a plastic hard enough to deal with scraping but still able to flex (perhaps when heated?) so that I can shape it around the hull.

For mounting, I'm considering epoxy instead of drilling into the boat so I don't have screws or bolts sticking down giving me a smooth surface.

I'd like your thoughts on possible materials that will be saltwater friendly as well as mounting.
 

Attachments

  • circled.JPG
    circled.JPG
    37.7 KB · Views: 73
minifish said:
I'm considering making a sort of skid plate there so that I'm not repairing gel coat all of the time.
Click to expand...
How about drilling and tapping a hole for a stainless steel bolt, setting it with epoxy, then sanding it fair to the bottom? (Or a stainless steel allen machine screw, which can then be backed out for wear). Nylon bolts are available at hardware stores, and could be slotted and backed out to compensate for wear.

Also, a piece of stainless plate or rod could be braised to the rudder gudgeon plate, bent into place, and faired to cover that spot.
 
My Hobbies used to wear the bottoms off from beaching, I just used epoxy fiberglass to rebuild it every-other year.

The nylon screw that Porpoise recommended seems like a good idea.

I was thinking what do traildragger airplanes use instead of a wheel?
 
This is an interesting idea, although I really think drilling holes in the bottom of the boat is a bad idea. Something glued on would be a better approach. BB
 
I've come up with a plan. :D

I too, like someone else said, shy away from drilling holes into the bottom of my boat. I also want something cheap and easy and won't rust.
I've decided on plastic that I'll mold.

Using this, I'll start with the flat side of a milk jug to see how it goes. :D
I'm not rubbing all the time and it's not a heavy boat, so I think this will work for a while.

So I'll use fiberglass to make an impression of that area of the boat. I'll form the plastic and epoxy it on.

I'll post up how this goes. I've got to get gel coat to repair the area first and I have to wait to pay day. :D
 
Well i know they have those Bow Guards for powerboats that protect the bottom of the bow then they go up the beach.... what if you were to take a strip of hat and put it on the stern... maybe not race good but it would protect the bottom. and it would stay on b/c its designed for powerboats that go much faster than a sunfish
 
memnar said:
"...I was thinking what do traildragger airplanes use instead of a wheel...?
Click to expand...
I asked my Dad, who was flying back in the early thirties. He said they were made of spring steel. When the planes got heavier, they added a second and third layer, appearing then much like boat trailer springs. He still prefers to fly "tail-draggers"!

It occurred to me that a small axle could be added to the rudder bracket, then add a small fixed wheel to the axle. That bottom "corner" wouldn't ever get scratched again, and the wheel (or wheels!) would aid in moving the boat on smooth surfaces.
 
FWIW, I know a kayaker who swears by using something called " kevlar felt " layer for high wear areas like that. The "felt " is supposed to be easier to work with than the other kevlar cloths. I'm not sure how well it could be faired in though. The stuff is supposed to be incredibly tough.
 
I have a 74 hull, and in that precise area is a flat spot with two dimples (drill holes?). I was wondering why that was there. Dosen't look like the holes "dimples" were ever drilled out. Maybe a skid plate? Saw that some one mentioned "oldstyle" rudder?:confused:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top