[Paddlewise] boat abuse/keel strips

I've been following a lot of the suggestions for installing sacrificial
fibreglass or Kevlar strips. Although I have worked with epoxies to repair
my boat, it's something I avoid if I can (I hate the feeling of my alveoli
shrivelling even when I use it in well ventilated conditions:-) so here's
what I've been using for the last several years: at your handy-dandy
chandler you'll find a product called Marine-Tex, available in grey or
white. I use masking tape to mask off the last few feet of the boat keel,
then add the catalyst and gloop the stuff on. If you mix it right you get a
goop that can be brushed on and built up to whatever  thickness you desire.
Once hardened, it can be finished with a rotary wheel (The set Marine-Tex
is so hard that sanding by hand is real work!) As a bonus, it will stick to
itself, so you can fill in nicks, and add the new year's coat without
having to grind it down to bare fibreglass again.   
I've also meet a kayaker who had installed a brass canoe drag strip. I
haven't figured out how you would keep the sharp ends of the screws which
come through the keel from shredding your drybags, short of doing a pour of
resin over them.

Cheers,
Philip T.
N49°16' W123°08' 
"The opinions expressed in this posting are not necessarily those of my
employer, or indeed, of any sentient being."
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