Woodwind
Active Member
Reinforcing and repairing the deck and reattaching the coaming:
I’ve opted to use West System epoxy with the 407 filler and either fiberglass tape or cloth..
The 407 filler is much easier to sand than the other harder structural fillers and since I’ll be using fiberglass cloth in addition it will be just fine.
Of note is that I am using the Standard hardner. But if you are picky and you want your layup to be more translucent, you can always use the West special Hardner that will give you a clear resin. Standard hardener always quickly turns to a reddish color after opened due to absorbing moisture which gives a reddish colored resin. I don’t think it really matters as the coaming and sealant will cover the entire area that’s been repaired and reinforced. This boat at the coaming had a lot of crazing, chunks of gelcoat chipped out down to the fiberglass, crazing around most of the rivet holes. I got the boat without the spray coming on it. Most of the rivet holes Were enlarged with the rivets not holding the coaming down.
A few of the holes in the coming are enlarged too but I think the rivet heads are large enough to handle this.
The How Part:
Taped off and sanded with 80 grit
Applied one layer of unthickened epoxy saturating all the chipped and crazed areas and oversized rivet holes
Filled all the rivet holes and chipped areas with 407 mixed to peanut butter consistency with piece of small squeegee ( a cut piece of credit card works good too) right on top of the unthickened resin before it fully kicked off.
Don’t worry if the 407 putty gets a little squirrely most of it gets sanded off anyway. Just keep it in between the lines...
If you want you can stick painters tape on the underside of the rivet holes to keep the putty from sagging through into the boat.
I chose to wipe with acetone and then rough up with 80 grit, wipe with acetone again and epoxy half dollar size pieces of mat on the underside at the rivet holes. Kinda punch it in with a chip brush.
You Can’t reach them all due to the foam blocks but you can get to most of them.
When you’ve quit fussing with the epoxy and you can tell it’s beginning to kick, and before it gets hard, pull the tape off so it doesn’t get glued to the deck. After it cures, remask before you sand. No worries, this is an easy area to mask
A piece of one by one makes a perfect with sanding tool.
I rounded the edges a little to keep from gouging.
Wrap a piece of PSA 120 grit around it.
I use Mirka paper, it is sharp and will cut through the 407 quickly and give you a fair surface on which to put your fiberglass.
Sand until fair so you can put on the cloth/ tape next.
I’ve opted to use West System epoxy with the 407 filler and either fiberglass tape or cloth..
The 407 filler is much easier to sand than the other harder structural fillers and since I’ll be using fiberglass cloth in addition it will be just fine.
Of note is that I am using the Standard hardner. But if you are picky and you want your layup to be more translucent, you can always use the West special Hardner that will give you a clear resin. Standard hardener always quickly turns to a reddish color after opened due to absorbing moisture which gives a reddish colored resin. I don’t think it really matters as the coaming and sealant will cover the entire area that’s been repaired and reinforced. This boat at the coaming had a lot of crazing, chunks of gelcoat chipped out down to the fiberglass, crazing around most of the rivet holes. I got the boat without the spray coming on it. Most of the rivet holes Were enlarged with the rivets not holding the coaming down.
A few of the holes in the coming are enlarged too but I think the rivet heads are large enough to handle this.
The How Part:
Taped off and sanded with 80 grit
Applied one layer of unthickened epoxy saturating all the chipped and crazed areas and oversized rivet holes
Filled all the rivet holes and chipped areas with 407 mixed to peanut butter consistency with piece of small squeegee ( a cut piece of credit card works good too) right on top of the unthickened resin before it fully kicked off.
Don’t worry if the 407 putty gets a little squirrely most of it gets sanded off anyway. Just keep it in between the lines...
If you want you can stick painters tape on the underside of the rivet holes to keep the putty from sagging through into the boat.
I chose to wipe with acetone and then rough up with 80 grit, wipe with acetone again and epoxy half dollar size pieces of mat on the underside at the rivet holes. Kinda punch it in with a chip brush.
You Can’t reach them all due to the foam blocks but you can get to most of them.
When you’ve quit fussing with the epoxy and you can tell it’s beginning to kick, and before it gets hard, pull the tape off so it doesn’t get glued to the deck. After it cures, remask before you sand. No worries, this is an easy area to mask
A piece of one by one makes a perfect with sanding tool.
I rounded the edges a little to keep from gouging.
Wrap a piece of PSA 120 grit around it.
I use Mirka paper, it is sharp and will cut through the 407 quickly and give you a fair surface on which to put your fiberglass.
Sand until fair so you can put on the cloth/ tape next.
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