I just bought another late-80's Skeeter fiberglass bass boat (2 years ago I had finished a full blown restore on a mid-80's Skeeter). It's in much (MUCH) better condition than the last one I restored, so I'm not going to be doing a full-blown restore on it; basically, just a cosmetic restoration is all that is needed. All wood is solid and a drill test on the transom produced dry wood. Not really surprising seeing that I am the second owner of the boat and the first owner [a family friend] kept it well maintained.
So, with that stated, the only structural damage the boat has is along the keel from nearly 25 years of beaching. Visual inspection does not appear to show where the fiberglass was ever worn all the way through. The previous owner had bought some poly resin to build it back up. The resin build-up does not have any soft spots or cracks. I ran water down the inside of the keel from the bow to the bilge by sticking the garden hose in through the trolling motor access panel. No water appeared on the underside of the hull. I THINK it's a functionally solid repair.
I don't particularly want to grind down the resin and do any major glass work. The boat will have to stay on the trailer, but it's not a roller trailer so access isn't a problem. I really just want to throw down some sort of keel protection and call it a day. I am going to be using bed liner to "repaint" the trailer and thought I could use a little of it to roll a strip down the keel. Two birds with one stone, pretty much. I know that WoG has been referencing a member that used Herculiner as a keep protector, but haven't seen any results yet.
Another option I have been exploring is to grind down some of the resin and build it back up, but pigmented to match the hull (gray) instead of leaving it clear. Is this even possible to do? And, of course, there is always the keelshield/keelguard option, but I am trying to stay away from having to buy one of those.
Any thoughts on the matter?
So, with that stated, the only structural damage the boat has is along the keel from nearly 25 years of beaching. Visual inspection does not appear to show where the fiberglass was ever worn all the way through. The previous owner had bought some poly resin to build it back up. The resin build-up does not have any soft spots or cracks. I ran water down the inside of the keel from the bow to the bilge by sticking the garden hose in through the trolling motor access panel. No water appeared on the underside of the hull. I THINK it's a functionally solid repair.
I don't particularly want to grind down the resin and do any major glass work. The boat will have to stay on the trailer, but it's not a roller trailer so access isn't a problem. I really just want to throw down some sort of keel protection and call it a day. I am going to be using bed liner to "repaint" the trailer and thought I could use a little of it to roll a strip down the keel. Two birds with one stone, pretty much. I know that WoG has been referencing a member that used Herculiner as a keep protector, but haven't seen any results yet.
Another option I have been exploring is to grind down some of the resin and build it back up, but pigmented to match the hull (gray) instead of leaving it clear. Is this even possible to do? And, of course, there is always the keelshield/keelguard option, but I am trying to stay away from having to buy one of those.
Any thoughts on the matter?