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I put a post up a few days ago about some keel damage to the bottom of my boat.
I am doing the repair with West System Epoxy. I ground 2 holes into the keel to facilitate the drying of the fiberglass in the area that needs repair.
The boat has bee upside down for days now. The foam is dying out (again) but is still damp. The fiberglass around the area that needs to be repaired is dry. Is it ok to go ahead and close this up or should I wait for the foam around these areas to dry?
I want to get this thing closed up and flipped back over so I can get to work on finishing the wood inside and getting the controls hooked up.
I have found the foam to be very poor at evaporating water. The foam right now is probably the driest it will ever get. Keep the boat flipped (keel in the air) for the repair. I would recommend taking a air nozzle from and air compressor and blowing the foam thus forcing the existing water towards the deck area and drying out the foam enough to do the repair.
Edited by Jeff on 04/26/07 - 1:27 PM
1993 23' Walkaround Whaler Drive
Litespeed,
I went so far as what Jeff aptly reccomend, but I also brushed the foam with acetone before I hit it with the air. It worked fine for me.
Jim
Thanks a bunch for the input guys.... I have given up and hired a professional.
I will be sure to be there when he grinds and applys the new material. I will metion "blowing the foam" to him. He is a Whaler nut and has a few himself. He used to work in the plant in Edgewater.
I dont have the time to mess with this anymore. I barely have a little over a month of Snook season left.
I will have him do the major repairs. Then I will re-apply the barrier coat where needed along with the bottom paint.
