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.