Paul has kindly given permission for us to use some of his stories and experiences here on the new website. We would like to thank Paul for his generosity. For those looking for a DE38, Pauls boat Sea Heather is currently for sale. Link here
Fiberglass Repairs
On June 23, 2005 the Sea Heather set off on the 500 mile journey from Kodiak to Juneau, AK. about a week later, shortly after our first sighting of land, we attempted to dock at a fuel pier in Elfin Cove, AK. Unknown to us, a link in our transmission had come loose during our sail across the gulf and rendered our neutral and reversing gears useless. We quickly figured this out as we ran into the pier (pictured below) doing almost 2 knots!
Don’t worry, the pier mostly already looked like that, the only damage we did is the little smashed on the front of the middle pier. It looks like freshly cut wood, if that helps!
However, our boat did not get off so easily…it sustained damage from the bowsprit all the way down to cracked fiberglass on the stem of the boat. The part that worried us the most was the chain plate that connected the bobstay to the stem had bent and cracked open the fiberglass just above the waterline. This section will explain how we fixed it.
First off, we had to get out of Elfin Cove, so we unanimously decided the best course of action was to go to the closest(and only) pub and get a brew. Then we temporarily sealed the crack with silicon sealant after determining to the best of our guessing ability that the crack, although clearly structural, was not so bad as to preclude sailing in light wind. Turns out we were right, go figure.
So the real repair began after our arrival in Juneau. First step, get the boat high and dry. We hauled her out (see Haulouts). Then Paul pulled the silicon sealant out of the crack to get a good view of the damage. Sea Heather is solid hand-laid fiberglass which in this case worked to our advantage because she doesn’t have a core to soak up water.
Paul then took a heat gun to the open wound to speed up the drying process. Careful here! The resin in most fiberglass will break down over as little as 250 deg F.!. The next step was to grind away using a wire wheel all the splintered glass to the extremities of every crack to stop any propagation. After completing this it was evident that something would have to be done about the bend chain plate. Clearly removing the plate would be insanity because it is laid into the hull, not bolted! So using a chain and a few very large logs as anchors Paul pulled the chain plate back into place (well at least he tried). He didn’t want to pull too hard for fear of ripping the stem open so the chain plate still has about a 10 degree list to port (details!).
The next step was to ensure the area was clean and dry for the West System Epoxy. So another quick bout with the heat gun for good measure and the surface was ready. Next Paul masked the area around the crack with masking tape. Then he used West System 101 Epoxy with 201 Hardener and 406 colloidal silica as a filler. Because the crack was angled in such a way that any attempt to put a liquid into it would result in a nice clean crack and a puddle of that liquid in the dirt below, Paul mixed a substantial amount of 406 into the epoxy. Too little and it drips, too much and it isn’t strong enough and can absorb water, so the best idea is to play with it a bit to get the feel before getting knee deep into the project(something Paul wishes he had thought of sooner).
Then he simply(Hahaha!!!) injected the mixture into the crack using a plastic syringe(also conveniently sold by West System). After about 10 minutes of panic while racing against the clock of fast-drying epoxy later Paul had successfully filled the crack. He then let it dry. Now there was a big glob of hardened epoxy over a nicely filled crack. The next step was to smooth it out. A wire wheel, again, worked great! The final touches were done by hand with sandpaper to get the curves to blend in just right(or at least close enough).
Next Paul sealed the filler with just the 101 epoxy and 201 hardener. After letting that dry Paul got out the blue paint and re-painted where the boot-top had been worn away by the work. Finnally, we removed the masking tape, and VIOLA! It looks almost as if the manufacuturer intended for that chain plate to be cocked to one side!
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