Source of Weeping leak into bilge? maybe?

[GlacialEratic]

I need some sage repair advice. My 1985 Pearson 303 has an internally ballasted keel. I bought it on the hard last april and had to have it transported about 50 miles from 'there' to 'here' last June 1 when it was launched. While I didn't do an inspection between the time the hauler picked it up and delivered it before it hit the water, I soon thereafter identified a weeping leak into the bilge. Leak rate was about a couple gallons into the recessed bilge in 24 hours, and identified the entrance point where the rear of the bilge recess ended, at the top where the recessed area met the hull at the aft end of the bilge. When it was hauled in October I saw a significant crack in the fibreglass exterior at the rounded aft end of the keel at its upper point where that trailing edge meets the hull. Can't tell the depth of the crack (appears 1/4 inch deep or more) but it extends about 2 inches on both port and starboard faces of the keel starting at a point a couple inches below the hull/keel joint and at a 45 degree angle upward as it extends forward.

It wasn't there when I scaped and repainted bottom paint just prior to the June 1 transport and launch.

I've been reading the West System manuals in anticipation of a fix and have this question. How do I determine what different weights / types fibreglass fabric to use to lay up this repair after I grind open the fibreglass to see the extent (depth) of the damage?

Any words of wisdom or experience out there? Launch is May 15 and the weather here is ALMOST good enough to start this and all the other minimum requirements for pre-launch maintenance.

[scottyt]

treat it like any other crack or hole. grind out until the crack is gone, then taper it out 12 to 1. if the crack goes all the way thru try to leave the inner most layer of glass to give you something to add glass to. you might even want to add a layer or two on the inside if you can reach it, then grind to the new glass, and build it back up. you dont really need to worry about the type of resin because you need to use epoxy any way. now for glass weight anything around 7 to 11 oz will work, lighter end if it needs to bend around a tight curve.

now the spot you are talking about is where the most force is concentrated on a grounding... did you hit bottom anywhere?

now as you grind it out you need to look at the layup to make sure you dont have the laminate separating. this can be seen by the glass layers looking white vrs the yellowish it is normally. you should get a fiberglass guy to look at it, possibly with 2 trips one before you grind one after. you ins may pay for the repair

edit it might be from the shipping if they did not block it right, also you might want to drill down in to the ballast to make sure its dry.

[sailingdog]

Can you post photos??? Hard to say anything or suggest anything without at least some decent photos to look at.

[mitiempo]

You should grind to the depth of the crack and out in a 12-1 taper all around the damage. In other words if the hull is 1/2" thick grind 6" on all sides. Wipe the surface several times with acetone after grinding. As far as the kind of glass to use 1708 biaxial would be a good choice. This is a stitched roving with mat already on one side. All the rovings run in one direction. You can alternate direction with each layer. Start with the largest piece of 1708 and work progressively to the smallest. This way the integrity of the roving is not compromised during final sanding. Use only epoxy resin. You may find it easiest to wet out the 1708 and then put it in place as this is easier than working overhead or on vertical surfaces. Also inspect the interior carefully as it is rare for this much damage to occur outside without some damage inside as well. If in doubt have a surveyor or qualified person inspect it. West epoxy also has good technical help and they do answer the phone. Hope this helps.

[sailingdog]

Btw, use epoxyproducts.com and fiberglasssite.com for your epoxy and fiberglass needs.

[GlacialEratic]

I hope to be able to post some exterior photos this evening

[GlacialEratic]

well, my digital camera files were too big to upload, but i've got some great shots

[sailingdog]

Post them to picasaweb.com, Flickr.com or photobucket.com and then link to the images or the albums here.

[mitiempo]

Or just resize them to 640 x 480 small file.

[sailingdog]

The problem with resizing them down to VGA resolution is that any good detail or chance to look at such detail is lost. Posting them to Photobucket, Picasaweb or Flickr allows you to post the full size image.