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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 8:39 am 
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Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2014 3:02 pm
Posts: 37
Hi everyone - I *finally* got around (got the nerve up) to drill and inject a big soft spot on the side of one hull and do a complete bottom job. Thanks to SRM and Sabres for the recommendations and links! (yes, several years ago :-) ).

I have looked into several different gel coat/paint solutions recommended on this forum and it seems Interlux and "roll and tip" is fairly straight forward (with no spraying). However, that seems like a multi-stage, long process (seal, prime, paint, sand, polish) so I'm wondering if there's a quicker marine painting solution that will protect the boat (where the fiberglass and patch work is) so I can get out sailing quickly! I can do the beautiful paint job and spend the time on getting it really nice during the winter in the garage and would like to get it out on the water where it belongs during the summer. I just don't want to damage any of the work already done.

Thanks for any suggestions! Can't wait to get it back out on the water (and I have a nice new 5:1 downhaul to play with :-) )

Mike


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 1:20 pm 
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Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 10:20 pm
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Location: South Boardman, Mi
If you are not planning on leaving it in the water, and the repair area is out of the sun, just leave it be and go sailing.

On my H16 the bottom is considered a replenishable wear item. I don't even sand after laying new glass, I just leave it to the beach to smooth things out. Since the bottom (usually... :lol: ) faces down and away from the sun I do not worry about UV damage. It has been over 10 years since the boat last had a yellow bottom.


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 2:11 pm 
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Thanks for the reply... although my new bottoms are yellowish right now from the sanded resin :-)

unfortunately the big repair job (injecting resin) where it got hit is right on the side underneath the front crossbar so it'll get hit by the sun pretty regularly. but... since it's just little holes and two 2" areas of rebuilt fiberglass, maybe it'll be ok.


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 6:18 am 
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Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 10:20 pm
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Location: South Boardman, Mi
If you are really concerned about the brightside repair, mask off and hit it with some spray paint. Come fall when you prep for gelcoat you can sand off the thin layer of rattle can.

Realistically the UV damage in that small of an area over the course of 1 season should be minimal. Go sailing...


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 6:59 am 
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Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 3:15 pm
Posts: 610
Location: Buffalo, NY
I wouldn't recommend painting the hull. Gel coat is longer lasting and easier to maintain, even if it's a bit more work to put on initially. Once painted, you'll have to work twice as hard to remove the paint if you ever want to restore the gel coat. For bottom jobs, many (most?) don't bother restoring the gel coat on the bottom. I did, because I'd rather my boat looks like it did originally, and have good clean (smooth) bottoms for minimal resistance, and I don't plan on beaching it if I can help it.

I wouldn't worry about gelcoat or paint on the side repair for now, it's a pretty small spot. Even the bottoms aren't critical. If the fiberglass work is done, the boat is structurally sound, and you can easily sail the boat for the summer and put off the gelcoat work until the fall. It would be better to gelcoat it now, but it's not going to fall apart if you wait.

The advantage to gelcoat is two fold: it's opaque and blocks some of the UV damage to the hull, and it also acts as a water barrier. Polyester Resin will actually absorb water over time, adding to the weight of the hull and potentially causing delamination in the future (hence why sitting water in the hulls is very bad for a boat!).

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Mike
Image
'79 H18 standard 'Rocketman II' sail #14921 RIP
'78 H18 (unnamed) sail #14921
'08 H16 sail #114312
'97 H21SC sail #238


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 8:56 am 
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Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2014 3:02 pm
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thanks for the suggestions guys... and good to see you're still around Sabres. :-) I'll fill all the nicks/dents and give everything a good sand and then go sailing. If I have to redo some of the small stuff in the winter, so be it.

The injection job came out amazing! The painters tape is a life saver and i didn't penetrate through the inner lining at all so no drips inside... and it's rock solid! I was going to put an extra layer of glass on the inside but now I don't think I need it.

Well, i should at least be in the running for "most beat up boat" prize in any fall regattas!


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 3:31 pm 
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Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 3:15 pm
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Location: Buffalo, NY
Glad to hear it went well! The painter’s tape is a godsend for soft spot repairs! I usually “fold” a pice up around the border of my repair to act as a containment... that stuff really can run and make a mess of things if you don’t stay on top of it!

My soft spot repairs have always come out rock solid. The only time I got epoxy in the hull is when I inadvertently found some fiberglass in the inner layer that wasn’t fully saturated during original construction. The last soft spot repair I did, I drilled a little cured epoxy out of the fill & breather holes and plugged them with gel coat, and you’d never know there was a problem!

Oh, and the last soft spot repair I did, I weighed the epoxy pot before and after... the epoxy injected into a ~8” x ~12” soft spot weighed about 1 lb, so the weight concerns people have seen over exaggerated to me. I don’t see any reason that a few soft spots would be reason to condemn a boat. If you repair them as they arrise, and don’t let dont them get to be too large, the repairs are quite rigid and add minimal weight.

_________________
Mike
Image
'79 H18 standard 'Rocketman II' sail #14921 RIP
'78 H18 (unnamed) sail #14921
'08 H16 sail #114312
'97 H21SC sail #238


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