ArizonaCat wrote:
A few more questions. Do I need fiberglass mat for this repair or are a few layers of fiberglass cloth enough?
2-3 layers of cloth should do it. Depends on the size of the hole when you are done sanding.
ArizonaCat wrote:
Secondly, is there an alternative to formula 27? None of my local West Marines carry it, although they said they could order it. I'd like to get this repair done by the end of the weekend though, so I'd rather not have to wait several days for an order if I can help it.
Not sure about this I always use formula 27. I guess you could use a West System filler to make really thick resin but it will not be as easy to work with.
ArizonaCat wrote:
Lastly, I understand from previous responses that "spongy foam" is bad. Well the foam directly below the gouge didn't seem to be in the best shape so I sanded it out, but I'm just not sure if the surrounding foam is in good shape. Is the foam supposed to be really hard? I sure I could take a ballpoint pen and dig more out if I really tried, so does that mean I'm not to "good foam" yet? I'm just confused on what constitutes good foam. Thanks again!
Good foam is clean, crunchy and dry. Bad foam is wet, dark and squishy. Core foam is not hard in either case. It's brittle and easy to compress. I would avoid digging out any more than you must. If you have concerns, you can inject the foam around the hole with Gitrot before you make the repair. That will take care of a potential issue. You can probably determine the state of the foam by tapping around the hole with a coin. If it the coin taps sound dull compared the rest of the hull you may have issues. If so do this...
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