keel to hull joint

[Mark.Wilme]

Was don at the marina yesterday in the hi 40's temps stripping the bottom of Impeckable. As a reminder she is a 1984 Kirie Elite 32, fiberglass hull, iron keel with swing keel/ CB. We had the CB broppsed and done over last spring, now am doing the bottom.

A sharpened 5 in 1 tool proved best to zip off the old ablative paint, as thick as three quarters in places! - ther is no glass over the keel, just raw metal. I was planning on using an underwater metal primer and then bottom paint - that sound right ?

The 'seam' between the keel and the hull seems to be a 6" piece of CSM glassed in place - in places it is lifting, I was going to grind out these bad areas and then replace with similar and then use thickened epoxy to fair. Again, correct approach ? Should I be using fairing putty and not thickened epoxy ?

One side of the hull is well stripped, the other is not. I am waiting for a warm weekend when I can put the peel away on on a Friday evening or Saurday afternoon and let it 'work' overnight. Will it actually 'work' at 50 degrees or do I really need 60 or better ? Would I be better off applying at 6am and finding a way to 'add heat' within a tent or something and then stripping that sane afternoon

Mark

[Tim]

A sharpened 5 in 1 tool proved best to zip off the old ablative paint, as thick as three quarters in places!

Your stripping must have taken some old, soft filler off too, in order to see that sort of thickness, and maybe some layers of old non-ablative paint. Ablatives couldn't build up to that thickness alone.

I was planning on using an underwater metal primer and then bottom paint - that sound right ?

At a minimum, yes. The iron needs to be freshly ground, clean, and bright just before any applications.

The 'seam' between the keel and the hull seems to be a 6" piece of CSM glassed in place - in places it is lifting, I was going to grind out these bad areas and then replace with similar and then use thickened epoxy to fair. Again, correct approach ? Should I be using fairing putty and not thickened epoxy ?

If the other areas are still well bonded, simply grinding out the loose and replacing with appropriate material will work. Keel-hull seams tend to compromise just about any attempts to cover, span, and hide them. If applying epoxy to the cast iron, be sure to grind it to clean, bright metal immediately before attempting to bond.

I'm not sure what you mean by "fairing putty" specifically, but don't use anything polyester. I would advocate making your own fairing putty from epoxy, microballoons, and a bit of cabosil.

Don't use CSM. Use a structural fiberglass cloth.

Will it actually 'work' at 50 degrees or do I really need 60 or better ? Would I be better off applying at 6am and finding a way to 'add heat' within a tent or something and then stripping that sane afternoon

One thing about Peel Away is that it really likes warmer temperatures. It is often drastically less effective in cool weather, though it still works--just a lot more slowly. It will keep working as long as it remains thick and moist, and doesn't dry, but the longer it stays on, the more it dries out, so it's sort of a double-edged sword.

If you can wait for warmer temperatures, you'd be better off. If you must apply despite the weather, then put it on thick, cover it well, and hope for the best.

[Mark.Wilme]

Thanks Tim, I knew about the 'bright shiny metal', good point with the 'polyester' - thanks.

The bottom layer is actually a primer, given the thickness - did slice the pieces with a razor out of curiosity and it is definitely all paint. I would say that not all of the slices are that thick, some are more "normal".

[Rachel]

I'm not completely familiar with all the ins and outs of this yet, but the yard here favors Interprotect (sprayed on) for a bonding primer on iron keels.

Rachel

[Hirilondë]

I'm not completely familiar with all the ins and outs of this yet, but the yard here favors Interprotect (sprayed on) for a bonding primer on iron keels.

Rachel

We use it there as well. Plain epoxy resin would work as well. A few things to keep in mind about why boatyards use it over pure epoxy:

1. very easy to use, recoat etc.
2. has a good name in yachting circles
3. its a specialty product marketed to be recognized for being designed for this type application
4. cost doesn't matter, we charge time and materials

[Mark.Wilme]

One last question re peel-away.

A couple of the old timers at the yard say to use regular thick poly sheeting sealed (duck tape?) At the edges over the top of the peel away.

Does anyone have experoience of this versus the "real" paper supplied?

[Tim]

The idea of the paper is to withhold moisture. I don't know if it's also supposed to allow outgassing of some sort (why else would it be paper vs. plastic in the first place), but there's no question plastic would keep the product moist for a long time.

I do know that you don't get nearly enough paper with the supply of Peel-Away, leaving one to find something in desperation. I've seen lots of wax paper pressed into use.