Closure!

jhenson · Post by **jhenson** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 7:19 pm

I am delighted to have the gaping hole in the side of my boat closed after nearly a year of having discovered the problem. I still need to laminate and fair some layers of tape on the ballast/hull and false keel/hull joints, but it is delightful not work inside the confined small openings it had to cut on the opposite side. I have to say that it was just nasty working with epoxy and putting two-part foam inside this cavity.

Here is a description of the damage:

http://www.triton381.com/forum/viewtopi ... false+keel

Here was the keel two days ago:

Here are the access holes filled today:

I would like to thank Tim for his tireless help to get me this far. I don?t know how many times he responded to my questions. I can post some other not-so-good pictures of the process after I finish with the outside, if anyone has an interest.

Joe

Post by **Tim** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 5:18 am

Looks good, Joe. It's nice to get those big underwater holes closed up!

CharlieJ · Post by **CharlieJ** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 9:10 am

YEAH BUT- Now how's all the water gonna drain out *grin*

Looking good. Having glassed over a BUNCH of stupid below water line drains on Tehani, I know how happy you are finishing that job- not a lot of working space there is there?

jhenson · Post by **jhenson** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 10:40 am

It was really difficult for me to reach inside with a wet section of biax tape and spread it upside down at a 90 degree angle. The 4" X 8" oval and 4" circular holes allowed me to reach inside, but I couldn't see what I was doing through these cutouts. I did three layer of tape on the inside and will do a couple on the outside. It was also impossible to keep epoxy off my skin dispite using long stripping gloves and covering my arms (my wife noticed I had a big glob on my nose).

There really was no pleasure involved pouring two-part foam way back in the triangular opening either. I had to make a series of temporary plywood partitions that acted like dams to keep from having voids in the top of the cavity. Once the foam had partially cured, I had a bear of a time pulling these out. I used milk jugs and plastic cups cut at an angle to pour the foam. Still, I got this stuff everywhere also. Doing a layup outside today seems like a relative joy.

I have had unsolicited strangers and aquintenances that came by the house to look at my boat project. Everyone seemed to have a sense of shock at the gaping hole in my boat. I won't miss having to explain the process of how I chose this particular boat to restore.

Joe

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 11:38 am

Nice work. It's good to have milestones, eh? :)

jhenson wrote: I have had unsolicited strangers and aquintenances that came by the house to look at my boat project. Everyone seemed to have a sense of shock at the gaping hole in my boat. I won't miss having to explain the process of how I chose this particular boat to restore.

Careful there. You'll get a reputation faster than you think.
Last night was the monthly membership meeting at my boat club. I'm at the club bar waiting for the meeting to come to order, thumbing through the back pages of Soundings or Points East or whatever was out on the bar, when one of the Old Timers jokes at me "Whadda you doing? Looking for a new boat?"
Old Timer no.2 chimes in "Nah, not him. He doesn't buy boats. He buys PROJECTS."

jhenson · Post by **jhenson** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 12:08 pm

Figment,

I know what you mean. I'm always perusing the various want ads for what will be my "retirement" boat. It imagine it to be an even more challenging work than the one I am doing now. Scary isn't it. My wife thinks that it is a disease for which there is no cure. Fortunately, for me, she accepts this affliction along with others I have.

Joe