Transom delamination repair. Epoxy? Polyester Resin? Other?

[towtruck]

Hi All
Thanks in advance for taking a look at this.

I picked up a small racing dinghy which is in generally good shape, especially considering its age. One issue is that there appears to be some minor delamination in the cabin-side of the transom. There had been a wood cap-strip on top, which was dried out and letting water get at the top edge.

I don't know for sure, but it appears that there is a single layer of fiberglass on the cabin-side surface that has pulled away near the top. The delamination only appears to go down about 1.5 inches max, and at the top it is only pulled away by about 2 mm. The plywood seems very solid, with the possible exception of a few minor splinters at the top. So it seems that once I have cleaned out the area and done some sanding on the top edge, I should be able to pour/squeeze in some bonding agent, clamp, and then hopefully use that same agent to seal the top of the wood.

I originally though that Polyester Resin was the way to go, but then read that it doesn't adhere well to wood. Epoxy resin does better, but you can't Gel-Coat over epoxy resin, which I wanted to have the option of doing.

This is where your expertise comes in.

I have attached 4 pics. The first 2 are just for context, and then there are 2 attempting to show the delamination. Any and all thoughts are appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[zool]

If you're only planning to re-laminate the top edge, I would use epoxy resin after cleaning up the mating surfaces.
I wouldnt worry about gel over epoxy, especially in a small area, Just remove the blush off the repair (wash with water after cure).
Clamp it good with plastic wrapped wood jigs to hold the repair together, the epoxy wont stick to the plastic wrap, so the clamp jigs will remove easily.

 

[towtruck]

If you're only planning to re-laminate the top edge, I would use epoxy resin after cleaning up the mating surfaces.
I wouldnt worry about gel over epoxy, especially in a small area, Just remove the blush off the repair (wash with water after cure).
Clamp it good with plastic wrapped wood jigs to hold the repair together, the epoxy wont stick to the plastic wrap, so the clamp jigs will remove easily.

Thank you zool!
I'd never heard of Epoxy blush, but I dove into it further thanks to your suggestion, and now I am wiser. You recommended wrapping the wood jigs with plastic. I normally use wax paper for something like that. Is plastic better for some reason?

I found this

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which look like the ticket. Does that seem about right to you?

Thanks again!

 

[zool]

Thank you zool!
I'd never heard of Epoxy blush, but I dove into it further thanks to your suggestion, and now I am wiser. You recommended wrapping the wood jigs with plastic. I normally use wax paper for something like that. Is plastic better for some reason?

I found this penetrating epoxy which look like the ticket. Does that seem about right to you?

Thanks again!

That would probably work ok, but what you want is laminating resin. You may also want a small amount of cabosil to thicken the resin to fill and fair over the transom cap, whether you replace the cap with wood again, or fair and paint it.

Plastic Seran wrap over some scrap wood is all u need. It will pop off smooth.

 

[towtruck]

Awesome. Thanks again for all your help!