Bow/Keel Repair
 

Here is a picture of my bow/keel :o :

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g1...pairneeded.jpg

It really is not as bad as the picture makes it look,
does not leak.

What would be the best way to repair this,
do I have to grind it all out and re glass
or is there something I can use to just cover it over?

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

I would maybe get one of those Keel guards, but they are big bucks$$ and hopefully they wont fall off.
If it was my boat, grind the glass down and put on some cloth and resin. OOPS, wait a minute that what I did. ;D
Parissht, if you wanna do resin and cloth, I'll help ya do it. :D

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

Some of my work.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...r/DSC01720.jpg

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

I have a roll of cloth and hardner still if you need it.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...r/DSC01718.jpg

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Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

When I hit the rock mine looked like that, but on close inspection I saw that all that was bad was the gel coat.

I sanded all the glass smooth and about 2" bigger all around, I used Formula 27 filled and flared and then recoated with bottom paint.

F27 better to work with then gel coat!! Much cheaper then Marine Tex, sands and shapes great!!

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

I'd stay away from those keel guards. My boat came with one when I bought it and after a couple months it started to peel. I'm sure the previous owner was just trying to cover the damage when he was selling. It's better and cheaper to fix it right. :)

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

F-27 ?????? Where and what is it . What store?

Thanks Whopper55

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

Thats short for, Formula 27 and you can get at any boat store, even some non boat stores!
Its just like using Bondo.

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

I've found the West System 2 part epoxy bonds to old glasswork pretty good. I'd make the repair with fiberglass cloth...mix some microballoons in the epoxy to thicken it up. Dunno how all that damage happened but, a metal keel guard may not be a bad idea.

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

I like the West system 2-part with using the cloth. I did so much of it, i'm not to bad with it now. ;D

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

That's pretty minor there. Just grind back about 3 inches on either side, not very deep. Smooth out the damaged area, but try not to cut deep. It doesn't need to be very smooth, just so you don't get air pockets under your cloth. I would put one layer of matt that covers the entire area and then 2-3 layers in just the center to build back the point of the bow. Grind/sand everything smooth and fill with some fairing compound. West Systems will work well for this job, you may want to use a little thickener to hold everything in place as it cures.

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

just strip it of wax and put a keel guard on they work great when installed correctly, i've had a boat with one worked out great when beaching and trailering, my neighbor talked me into it his had one and it was well worth it.

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

Skool, did you have to sand off the bottom paint prior to installing the keel guard ??

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

i used wax and grease remover then used scotch brite pad the rough up the keel slightly then preped with denatured alcohol and then installed

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

Thanks Skool, been nicking up the paint a bit and thought about going that way. Only if I can find one in Black to match the bottom. Hopefully when the tax return comes in. ;D

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

Thanks all for the replys.
This is why I come to this site, it is a great knowledge base.

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

sorry, but what the hell does a keel guard look like?

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

A keel guard looks like that pretty little blonde you have rubbing herself. Just mount her on the bow and you will be ok. ;D ;D ;D ;D :o

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

Click here:

http://www.keelguard.com/

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

Here's my question...is your bow gonna just get banged-up like that again or is it being babied a little more? ...I put a Keel Guard on mine, cause I beach it at the lakes frequently and it does get dinged up ... seems no use makin' it all pretty if ya know it's gonna get HIT again, put a Guard on it ... ;D ...

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

I know it will get babied after repair,
Last year was my first full year of learning to trailer
during tides.
Now that I know what I am doing,
I can get on the trailer during a full flow tide.

Keel guard is tempting, but it just may make me lazy.

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

Parishht, I agree with you on the tides. The tide ripps through the Lewes canal making it tricky to dock at times. Thank god for extra bumpers. ;D

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

if anybody has pics of a keelgard installed on a V I would like to see them, been thinkin about putting a keelgard or hambe on mine but i'm not sure if they will work on that sharp of a V, all the pics on the keelgard website show them on bass boats. thanks

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

This is the only pic I knew about without any searching.
http://www.overtons.com/cgi-bin/over...arge.cgi?22283

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

I had some rough areas on my keel. I just sand down around the rough area. Then used west system and the thickening stuff they have to make it likt a past and just applied and sanded. Took a couple of coats but only a couple of hours.

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

No pics to show ya, but the KG attaches very well to the V's V ...only problem I had was w/ trailer on/off ... ;)

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

I think thats the problem mine had. All the boats I've seen with a a keel guard besides mine didn't have as sharp an entry on the bow. Mine started to peel from the front, when I went to replace it I got hit with sticker shock and decided not to.

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

The V-20 sharp bow did not pose a problem for the KG ...wrapped it very nicely and looked like it came from the factory that way... ;) ...

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Keel-...77475752QQrdZ1


Here's what you need for the problem.

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

reel how far below the bow eye did you start and what kind of problems did you have with loading and unloading on the trailer

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

Actually, Mod there was some gel-cote damage above the bow-eye, so I cut out a ''slot'' in the KG before installing, so the KG started ABOVE the eye to cover the damage...it looked REALLY good after I got it on, but about a year or so after, I was loadin' the boat one day and missed the center keel-roller, which allowed the bow to come down heavy on the trailer frame :-/ ... when I backed off to reposition, the frame sliced a big gouge right outta the KG :o which bummed me out to the MAX >:( ... removed it after that ...I've changed the trailer set-up to better guide the bow on, and will eventually replace KG ...


Since I've repaired the bow damage, I'd start the KG below where the winch-roller contacts the bow when loaded ;) ...

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f2...1/100_0886.jpg

I have a keelguard on my V. Old picture, I hope you can see it. It has been on the boat since I purchased it. It started to separate from the hull where the trailer bow roller hits it. I roughed the hull and used thickened epoxy to glue it back down. That was 2-3 years ago and it is still sticking good!!

Geek

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

One other thing that you may want to do is to add a rubber pad on each side of the center roller. If you miss the roller then you will not damage the keel. I find that backing my trailor down so the back rollers are just above the water line will prevent this from occuring. If I'm not straight on the trailor I just let it kind of float off some and the rollers then will position the boat. This is a little tricky when current is an issue.

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

Yeah, Still...loadin' in a current can be a bummer :'( ...I reconfigured and added bunks to the trailer, so less likely to happen again, but thanks for the suggestion ;) ;D ...

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

Reel - Do you have bunks and rollers??

Are there pics?

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Anyone ever think about adding guide poles??
Get between them and you should be good.

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guides don't back the trailer in deep enough to keep from hitting the center of the trailer.

Re: Bow/Keel Repair
 

This is true! But that is 1/2 the problem as I see it. If you get it deep, then you get between the poles should be good to go, even if the tide is running.

I think?