new sailor on board

[coonass]

OK yet another new sailor in the forums. Here is my situation. Any help/advice/stories that you can offer would be greatly appreciated. I haven't sailed since I was 15 and even then it wasn't really sailing. Rather riding on a sailboat. I just purchased a 1978 hobie 16. I need to do some repairs to the hulls (shallow punctures and a crack). I've been told I can use everything from Fiberglass resin to good ole bondo. check out the pics of the hull damage http://www.biginsanity.org/pics.html . Any opinions? I don't know if the crack goes through the fiberglass or if its just the gel coat. <br /><br />After I get that fixed I want to paint it but I don't know much about boat paint prepping being a car guy. I am going to do a Black/White/Gold scheme and want to put a fleur d Le on the mainsail. Can I just sew the logo on the sail or is it not that easy?<br /><br />Lots of questions but I hope that this purchase helps me to relieve some stress in life. I miss being on the water.<br /><br />----------------------------------------<br />Coonass<br />New Orleans, LA

 

[Columbia]

Re: new sailor on board

Do not use Bondo on those holes! They need structural repair. The typical repair in glass is to grind a bevel on the glass around the hole in a 12 to 1 ratio. Then lay on successive layers of wetted glass, the first layer to be the diameter of the beveled area, each succeeding layer slightly smaller in diameter until the depth of the hull thickness is achieved. Use epoxy resin for this for best adhesion. Sand until smooth, fill with epoxy putty, I'd use Marine Tex, sand and paint. In this boat on those holes you could get away with 8 to 1, hence if the skin thickness was 1/8", a one inch bevel around the hull would be adequate, don't skimp. On the crack I would do the same but use the 12 to 1 ratio, figure that crack goes clear through and bevel and repair accordingly. Painting a boat is just like doing a car, proper prep is the key. Lots of boats are painted with LPU paint just as are cars. You can use what you like but be advised that LPU paint doesn't like constant immersion. If the boat is to be left in the water, the below the water line paint has to be suited to constant immersion. Lots of paints are suitable, check marine paints online or in catalogues like West Marine/BoatUS for ideas of what there is. I added this on this morning: With cracks in glass like the one in your pic, you only need to grind to the "bottom" of the crack, so to speak. If it doesn't go through the 'glass skin, stop where it stops and lay new glass back in at that point...but I bet it goes clear through.