Re: [Paddlewise] General Maintenance

> Hello again Clyde,

> It's 5.30 a.m. and I awoke thinking about the incomplete advice I gave you on
> my last post ! I know, sad isn't it : I need to get a life. I was rushing out
> last night to see friends and brevity got the better of content.

> Re. the keel strip.

> A neater and easier way is to use 2" wide woven glass cloth. It's sold in
> most marine stores and you should be able to buy it by the foot rather than
> the whole roll.  Prep as before, wipe a brush load of resin on the keel and
> lay the cloth on the keel. Mix in to the resin a 'thickening agent' of some
> type, prefarably microballoons rather than plain old filler which is not that
> durable.Check on the colour of the microbaloons as some, like the West
> system, are a dirty red and may effect your colour match. Coat over the top
> of the cloth as a finish. If you  have used resin you might want to add a
> pigment available in the store but white gel is standard on most hulls and is
> available pre-mixed. For that perfect finish, another coat of gel over the
> sanded strip adds more protection.A quick word on Gel and it's shorter 'pot'
> or 'working' life. Gel is much more viscous than resin and just a few strokes
> of the brush is enough. Try not to go back and mess with it. The nice thing
> about it is that you can remove the masking tape almost immediately after to
> leave a cosmetically pleasing line without the Gel starting to migrate across
> the hull unlike resin which needs to start to go off  before removing the
> tape.

You could also go the epoxy route. Same method but read the instructions on the
can as the % of catalyst to resin need to be as recommended. I don't believe
you can accelerate curing by the 'add another squirt of catalyst method' as one
can do with the polyester resins. Epoxy's do give a more durable finish but are
impossible (?) to pigment so what you see is what you get. Also polyester gel
won't take over epoxy.
An even more expensive finish would be some of the 2 part marine epoxy paints
used on sail boats. Hideously expensive and untried by me at any rate.
It may be worth extending the job to the whole keel if your boat shows wear and
is no more difficult than glassing on a small strip( just more stressful !)
I hate to sound like a mothering hen but there are a few safety precautions you
should think about. Wear eye protection.
Wear a dust mask. Wear disposable gloves. Ventilate the room. Watch out where
you place containers of resins after use as the little buggers are strongly
exothermic and could conceivably light up your trash can.
 Disclaimer.
All the above advice has been distilled entirely by years of trial and error (a
lot of error I might add) and other more competent advice should be definitely
sought !
Now shall I go back to bed or stay up ? Hey, I could go paddling, what's the
forecast ?
See ya
Phil

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************