thats great Joe
Thanks for all the tips.
I like the paper idea for the cutouts.
Arr it we be a grand adventure.
Phillip day
Crystal Raven
2549
East Sooke B.C.
From: Joseph Kibelbek <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: catalina27-talk:keel
Date: Fri, 01 Jun 2007 12:18:02 -0500
catalina27-talk:keel
Joe Kibelbek
Fort Myers, FL
I did a interior keel bilge sump repair following the factory information
on a 76 C27. This is a long summary of what I did.
If you dont have to worry about the bolts you are half way home.
I also replaced the interior wood mast support at the front of the bilge
and the lightening grounding wire at the same time so I had a longer work
time.
The important part is to get ALL of the supplies and tools you will
need before you start. I used a work light to provide proper lighting
'cause I worked when I had spare time and it had a place to plug in the
electric drill too. Read up on epoxy working and get a LOT of disposable
brushes. solvent for cleanup, mixing pots and trash bags for the mess you
will be making. I found that thin disposable plastic gloves saved my hands
from the epoxy and were easy to put on and take off. Any extra tools and
materials left over can be used for the next project.
REMOVING THE GLASS AND WOOD
I did this in MANY 1 to 2 hour stints. You will be working 8 or more
inches below your knees and my back could not take that for too long. Get a
couple of good kneeler pads to save your knees and some good work gloves.
I didnt have much dust so I didnt need a mask, but use good safety
practices if youre not sure. I used a whole lot of different tools but I
remember that a wood and metal chisel were the prime workers. I used an
expendable spade/paddle (5/8) drill with an extension section to work in
tight places and to get a start on the wood in a new area. I also remember
pealing off some roving by rolling it around a pair of pliers. Whatever
works. You will be working around the bolts in narrow places so a small
electric drill helps. Cant remember what I used to smooth the bilge sides
and get the gray paint off; probably a wire brush on my electric drill.
The hardest part was the aft narrow part of the bilge. I may have gone to
a smaller drill for that. Just be patient and keep working, you will see
progress, in small steps. The important part is to wear gloves to keep
from hitting your knuckles too many times.
GLASS AND PATTERN
Finding glass mat and the roving that was compatible with epoxy was a task.
Most of it is made for polyester resin and not epoxy and has some coating
on it that may interfere with the epoxy bonding. I believe I found a
combination roving and mat that came as one layer which made things easier.
I bought the glass products in dimensions that would minimize waste.
Make a small dimensional drawing to see how it will fit together.
I made up a full size template of the bilge and bolt holes using
freezer paper to draw on and did a match up on the bolt holes, overlaps
and bilge wall fit several times before I cut my first piece of mat.
The general plan was to make a master bolt hole/bilge pattern for all
layers so that you can cut the fiberglass for the largest pieces; then cut
the pattern down and start on the next smaller layer and then finish with
the smallest. You destroy the pattern but it works. I believe that each
layer was 2 or more inches wider than the next one. I also overlapped the
pieces length wise so that the mat pieces were easier to handle while
glassing. I cant remember if each layer was made of overlapping 2 (or
more) pieces. I do remember that the overlap joints were staggered and not
at the bolt holes and that they were spaced so they didnt cause a bulge in
one area. The pattern looked like a modern art drawing when I was done,
with the edge outlines and the dimensions for the layer overlaps. Cut and
tag (with masking tape) each piece for each layer and do a fit for the
pattern holes. You will have 6 (or 9) pieces. Once you cut the pattern
for the next smaller layer its hard to go back. I protected the bolts with
vinyl tubing to keep the epoxy from coating the threads. After the mat has
cured I then cut the tubing flush with the finished level and filled the
tubing with epoxy.
EPOXY
Now you are ready to work with the epoxy. I used West System epoxy
because it was readily available and has good information on how to do
repairs. Follow their directions and start with the smallest layer working
up to the largest, last layer. I used a metal glass roller (bought several
in case I couldnt clean them up) to work air out of the layers and get
things flat. It is a very good idea to put plastic covering on everything
in the cabin before working with the epoxy, it saves a whole lot of cleanup
time. I had a dinette interior so put fresh plastic sheets on the table
when I wet each piece of mat for each layer section. I felt like I was
building a boat before I was through. Since I did the work off season I
needed some heat lamps to make it cure in mid winter. When it was done I
sanded the rough edges and used the extra epoxy give one last finish coat
and smooth it out. NOTE your bolts will be about 1 1/2" longer because
you have lowered the bilge bottom, so the sockets may not fit, hence you
nay need some 7/8" box wrenches.
After it all has cured you can put a couple of coats of paint on the
finished job and then tighten your keel bolts to the repair factory spec.
I bought some 2x1/4 SS washers to put under the lock washers and nuts to
spread the load better.
Im proud of the job and It looks better than new.
Joe
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