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  • Greg Joliet says:

    Hi,
    I have a quick question my six years old son has 82 17′ Proline.CC overall condition is pretty good I have a few small cracks in Gel coat and screw holes to repair then we would like to change the factory color was off-white or almond and we would like to make it bright white. And my question what would you recommend gelcoat,Epoxy or paint and I’m not looking to do a quick and dirty don’t mind the labor would just like the best. Something that we might get A Nother 20 to 30 years.

    Thanks,
    Greg Joliet

  • wade says:

    hi
    i have a daysailer that the centerboard is hollow would foam be the way to go before i close it
    i have a large repair on the bottom that i have to fix
    thanks
    wade

  • Jeff says:

    Hi Andy-
    First of all, what a great and informative series! You have inspired me to tackle the rudder on my (new to me) Hunter 30. When I purchased the boat this summer it was on the hard and I noticed damage and delamination on the bottom leading edge, with copious brown staining.. I figured at a minimum it would have to be rebuilt. Holes drilled over the entire top side (rudder laying on table) produced wet, brown foam and applying pressurized air to the holes caused foamy water to seep out everywhere, including along the seam around the perimeter. Clearly, it had become saturated. After cutting the glass, leaving a couple inches around the perimeter, I quickly found that the glass, at least on the main body of the rudder was still bonded to the interior foam… quite well, in fact. In addition, the framework off the rudder post consists of steel (not stainless) welded to the SS rudder post.. and appears to have considerable life left, albeit covered in surface rust.
    My original plan was to remove the frame and post, have the steel plates remade, and rebuild from there. However, the foam body is still extremely hard (requiring a hammer and chisel to even chip), and securely bonded to the glass. I’m considering leaving the rudder opened and allowing it to dry, then cleaning the foam and steel, coating with an epoxy and then refilling the void I’ve already dug out with 16lb foam.

    My worry is that this would possibly create internal weakness down the road. Do you suppose an epoxy would bond well to the existing foam, so long as it is dry?

    Although I’m quite the novice, I’d have to say that this rudder is built like a tank and would have probably made it another decade in fresh water without failure, but I wasn’t going to know that until I took a look..

    Thanks again for your good work!
    -Jeff

  • Paul Emmanuel says:

    Thanks Andy, for your very entertaining videos. They bring me back to my youth when I did a bit of fiberglassing on many small boats but I tended to get more resin on myself than on the projects! I now have a 45 Gulfstar that needs some topside crazing and portlights repair and you have given me not only encouragement but knowledge as well.

    Thanks and keep up your sense of humor.

    p

  • Todd says:

    Great series, curious what material is best for a spline?
    Where can spline material be purchased?

  • Colleen says:

    On this project. are you done with just the barrier coat or do you need to finish it off with a top coat? I’m redoing a small centerboard keel which delaminated and thought I’d follow along on this project roughly for the fairing and painting.

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