Keel Damage

[Tuffkopf]

Hey guys, Bought this boat last season and noticed some damage to the keel gelcoat likely due to beaching. Stored it for the winter and figured I'd DIY it this Spring. Took the boat out of storage finally and noticed some significant keel damage that I missed prior to storing the boat. Any advice on how to properly repair? How do I know if this has water intrusion damage to the fiberglass? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[scokill]

The hull is very thick there. I would be concerned if it's soft to the touch. Personally I would get a professional repair. It's likely not as expensive as you might think. This would be a straightforward repair for pro. I would expect this would need to be sprayed vs some sort of spread of patch paste.

 

[Babin Farms]

I had similar wear on my keel, just not quite as much and used the paste gel coat, sanded it smooth enough and put a keel guard over it.

 

[tdonoughue]

I actually agree with both approaches. Doesn't look like your glass is impacted, just that the gelcoat is worn away. A pro can spray that, probably have the boat back to you very quickly and relatively cheaply ($500? $1k?). And if your glass is impacted (and we just can't see it in the photos), the pro will know and will be able to grind out the bad and re-lay good glass. That will cost more...

Equally, it is very do it your self-able, but that is a big area to do yourself. This is more than just the little can of paste--you will need to get a quart or more of the regular gelcoat, mix it proper like and spray it on for it to look like anything. As noted, you can plan to cover it all with a keelguard, so shortcut the polishing and all. But if you have never worked with gelcoat before, it will be quite an educational experience. Stuff is runny and if you put it on too thick it will drip...