Keel - Building out the leading edge and planing the trails edge

Trailing edge and about a 1/2 foor out needed to be planned down.
Same on the port side.
The templates were showing that the leading edge needed to be built out a bit so I used hardwood batten to build out the leading edge.
Glassed over the "new" leading edge.

Templating the Keel

Had to grind down the cracked glass located where the keel attaches to the fibreglass stub on both the starboard and port sides. They were minor cracks but I couldn't live with them.


Using the templates I have confirmed that this keel has not been templated with J/30 templates. The keel requires about 1/2 an inch (10MM) added to the leading edge. As you can see with the templates that creates a gap up into the maximum chord thickness.

The end of the keel about 1 foot from the trailing edge wasn't flat so it had to be planned down.
I only had to plane down the trailing end of the keel (using a power planer). The leading edge was left untouched as it will be built up using hardwood battens about 10MM wide and 5MM thick.
Same on the port side.

Hull Update - All that is left is the polishing

The Starboard and port sides have been wetsanded (800, 1200 1500 grit). The boat has been cut with a machine polisher.

In this picture the first quarter of the starboard bow has been machine polished with polishing compound.

Epoxy barriered holes for the deck hardware

All holes required to fasten down hardware was filled with epoxy before redrilling.

If leakage occurs in the future, the balsa core is not compromised and will stay dry. I predrilled the holes using variable speed with a 5/8" counter sink bit - then use a 5/8" inch forstner bit to drill the balsa out. Then filled the holes with epoxy thickened with collidical sillica, I used a 50 ML medical shringe to push the epoxy in. I used masking tape to seal off the inside so that the epoxy couldn't ooze out.

Hull Liner Primed and Painted

With the boat taped off with no ventilation I couldn't spray. I'll rolled awlgrip 545 primer and then rolled awlgrip properly prepared with flattening agent. Not as good as spraying but I can live with it.

95% of the hull is now faired

Removing the antifouling

Antifouling has been removed with Carbide Scrapers(shown below)... I have found nothing to be as fast and efficient. Using a cheap scraper doesn't do the work! If you use one of these make sure you grind down the edges so you don't gouge the gelcoat! I get mine from http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=20095&cat=1,190,43040,43041.





Starting to fair the hull with a board sander.

Templating the rudder - Phase 2

Using the template to create the new shape. The pictures below show the steps in creating the guides usingepoxy thickened with Collodical Silica. Fairing filler will be used to fill in the rest. So when block sanding the Collodical Silica which is harder to sand then the fairing filler will retain the foil shape.

I will grind down the high spots created by the epoxy that was squeezed out from under the template.

Fair the rudder using template

I ground down the high points on the rudder. There where 4 areas that had to be ground differently (A,B,C,D) due to the fact that when I glassed the old skin back it was in four panels from the water line down and each panel was off more than the other.

The A section was fine, I just ground off the gelcoat and pretty much had it. The red arrows outline the bevel over the cut that will be glassed over for added strength.

The B section from the leading to trailing edge was to thick so I ground the old skin completely off and thinned the balsa out. I'll lay up new glass and build it up all over again.
The C section had an overly thick area right in the middle so I ground down the skin and ground down some of the balsa. This will be built back up with new glass. The black highlighted areas indicate areas that are fine.
Section D never had it's panel glassed in and it won't be. I'll be laying up new glass in this area.

Rudder - Balsa and skin completed on one side

Underneath the epoxy that was mixed with colodical silica is the 1/4 inch balsa. Once I placed and pressed the skin back on the overflow of epoxy would spill out. Also Note: I spread epoxy/colical silica on the skin before assembly.



80 Pounds of salt pressed and kept the skin in place.
One side with new balsa and the skin put back on. This side will next have the cuts beveled and glassed over with cloth.

Rebuilding the Rudder - continued

Rebuilding the area where the rudder's pintles attach to the rudder and where the Tiller attaches to the rudder with glass and epoxy...there will be no more wet balsa in the rudder again!

Cutting open the rudder - Summary

The Summary:

• The balsa was wet throughout the rudder.
• Half of the rudder was rotten with no structural integrity.
• All water damage was a result of the 7 bolts holes exposing the balsa wood.
• It took 2 hours to cut open and clean out both sides.
• When cutting open above the water line leave at least 1" from the leading and trailing edges.
• When cutting below the water line leave 3.5 inches from the trailing edge and 1 inch from the leading edge.

Rudder - Opening up the port side.

Using the measurements from the starboard side I cut open the port side.

Look at the rot around the bolt holes! It doesn't leave much doubt as to where the water was getting in.

Rudder: Opening up the starboard side

The big question....where to cut into the rudder. I used a drill to figure out where the balsa ends on the leading and trailing edges of the rudder. The marker lines indicate that below the water line I need to cut:

- 3.5 inches from the trailing edge
- 1 inch from the leading edge

Above the water line I can cut a close as 1 inch on both sides.

I'm using a grinder with a metal cutting disc to do the job.
The first section is open!

The second section...on the starboard side.
As you can see I was close, the cut can be no closer than 3.25 inches from the below waterline trailing edge.