J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Keel Repair

Chris,

I used 403 Microfibers mixed with 410 Microlight and did not use 407 Microballons. I found that the 406 Colloidal Silica seemed to leave little void bubbles that needed to be sanded and faired.

The key is make sure the temperature supports curing - 60 degrees or better. I fought mother nature on the temps the spring I faired the keel and mother nature won. No matter how thick the epoxy was mixed, the mixture still sagged before it cured, requiring more sanding and filling.

When I planed the keel, I made sure it was a little narrower than the templates to compensate for filling. This included the joint at the keel stub. I epoxied a tape of glass cloth about 4" wide around the entire joint and sanded smooth before fairing. You may see some good pics in this thread.