H18 delam project - help.

I am going to work on my badly delaminated h18 this weekend. I have read some of the posts here and they have been helpful, I have a couple ideas and questions.

First I am thinking of inflating something inside the hull to apply pressure outward on the hull to press the foam to the gel coat, has this been done and does it work?. I was thinking inner tube or something for the inflation device.

Secondly is there anywhere to get penetrating epoxy other than west, If i get it there it looks like Its 95 a gallon and the hardener is 45. Anywhere online have it for less?

Thanks

Inflation is probably not a good idea, unless you have something very thin-skinned that will fill everything to the corners without a lot of pressure. Even then, I think you'll run into problems with uneven pressure distribution against the laminate.

You run the risk of deforming the hull, which after you inject the epoxy, will stay that way.

I have done repair jobs on a few H18's. Here is what I usually do and I am in the process this weekend.
Use the West System epoxy resin. Don't buy a gallon, just get the small cans. 105/205 combo - fast cure.
For delam. I build a post out of fiberglass and install it in the hull. For the fiberglass post use a tiller arm or old umbrella pole. Wrap it in wax paper and fiberglass a post over this. After curing, it should slide off easily. cut it to the correct length and glass it inside the hull. This works if the soft spot/delam is not too long. It's kind of tricky working inside the hull with only one hand but just be patient. I use a mirror and flashlight to check my work to make sure the cloth is in the area where I want it and is coated well with the resin. I will try to post some pictures Sunday night if I get this completed - weather permiting.

i would love to see pictures of this. i am guessing that you are talking about putting the glass post in the hull to prop the soft spot out? i havent figured out how to put pics on here yet but will send some of what i have today if it will let me. My problem and the readon i was thinking about inflation is that its the whole hull or at least half on each hull on one side. so basically i have 25% of the hull that is delaminated total. I had them on sawhorses yesterday and just couldnt get the motivation to start. It seems that unless I can come up with an affective solution that will make this sailable its not worth starting.

Yea,
If there is a lot of delamination it might just be best to find some other hulls. my delam is just a small spot- and it's just a soft spot not a complete delam.
You don't want to sail with really soft hulls. I saw a H16 with soft hulls break and sink in some moderate chop!
j.

Well sinking would be very bad. At what point once you do the epoxy and relamination should you be sure they arent going to snap? When they arent crunchy anymore or when you cant move them? I would be worried with these that if the relamination wasnt totally perfect they would delam again and snap. I am sure this is quite the sight! They are still sitting there in the driveway awaiting my decision. urggh.

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Photos:
1- The post, I made it a bit long and cut it to length
2- Inside the hull looking down.
3- In addition to this piece of cloth, i cut 2" strips -wide- about 5" long and used them to attach the post to the top/bottom of the hull. Wet the cloth before putting it on the post inside the hull. It's difficult to check your work. I use a mirror to check my work and also if it's sunny it can provide a bright light to check your work too.
4- Not a great shot looking down.
5- The upper attachment inside the hull. Not a great picture.

My hull was only soft - not completely delaminated.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
It sounds like you might should look for some other hulls If they are really soft.
j.

If you want some better photos, send me a message with your email.

i just posted a huge reply to this and then my internet died. so here is the summary.

I am thinking about how to provide pressure out on the hull.

Water, Air, Magnets, Wood boards with screws?

How many of those tubes did you put in the boat hulls? At this rate i would need like a dozen. I ordered the eopxy today so i am on the way!!

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A dozen!! I say find some decent hulls and don't waste your time with the ones you have if they are that bad.
My hull was only slightly soft in one spot.

Mayor was repairing the deck, not the hull sides. Deck repairs are much easier and reliable, hull side repairs are not.