I suspected this was the case. My boat does have wings, and I do use them, and I'd like to make this repair correctly. My plan is to start with a 4" port and if I can't get the job done with that, I'll widen to 5". Srm, I saw your reinforcement post and that has been my guide thus far, although, I will probably just use fiberglass as opposed to carbon. One question I did have, I've read to start with larger sheets of fiberglass and work my way down to smaller sheets to distribute the load. Is that something you're a believer in? I was going to put the largest piece of mesh directly against the crack and work my way down to smaller pieces, coming in towards the center of the hull. This is how I interpreted the West System instructions, although, I will admit, this is my first time doing a true fiberglass repair. I've worked with the epoxy in the past, but the jobs I've done did not involve the glass.
I've read elsewhere that the 18 has a foam block inside the hull beneath the crossbar. Can anyone verify this? If so, what is the proper course of action to get behind it to administer the repair?
I may have exaggerated a bit with my estimate of a 1/8" gap. It's probably more like a 1/16".
I'll try to attach photos here:
https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/ ... fit=boundshttps://hosting.photobucket.com/images/ ... fit=boundsThe first photo is of the actual crack. The second is where I was able to bring it together with a ratchet strap. My thought is to fill the crack with West System G-Flex, ratchet the crack together on either side of the crossbar with ratchet straps, then go inside the hull through the port and put up 3 layers of fiberglass.
I'm open to any thoughts. Let me know if you can't view the photos.
Thanks!