Re: Potter 19....rocks 20

Bill Combs (ttursine@gnt.net)
Mon, 16 Aug 1999 15:24:11 -0500


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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> All that jacking and lifting sounds real dangerous

Not only dangerous, but hard work! Here's a suggestion For a repair
which could be accomplished with the keel in place. I personally
retrieved this off the wall. As a concept, think reinforced concrete.

1) With an abrasive cut-off disk in a grinder or any kind of circular
saw, remove the damaged material at the top of the keel trunk. Square
up the area in horizontal & vertical planes.

2) Drill necessary holes in vertical and horizontal undamaged areas to
mount small threaded SS rod (or bolts or screws) extending into what
will be the repaired volume. Epoxy the rods in place. I'd guess that
rods on 1 1/2" to 2" centers, extending vertically to within 1/2" of
top of the trunk and horizontally at least 1" into the repair, should
be more than sufficient.

3) Make a form surrounding the area to be built up. I'd probably use
thin sheet metal inside and outside the keel trunk, coated with
whatever (silicon?) curing resin won't stick to. The inside sheet
could be shimmed in place using the keel as a block. The outside sheet
could be taped on.

4) Mix up some resin with thickener (West epoxy would be good since
they provide guidelines as to what and how much to use as strength
enhancers) and "pour" it into the form. If you use the slow hardening
resin and the volume is not too large, you may be able to do this all
at once. Fast hardening resin or large volume may create too much heat
when it kicks, in which case the repair could be built up in layers.

5) Strip the form and smooth off the top surface. The top repair is
done.

Two possibilities for the bottom repair: either a classical cloth &
mat buildup on the outside as Mac describes (if the damage is large
and deep) or a direct repair with a _very_ thick epoxy resin/putty. In
either case, it shouldn't be too difficult to work around the keel.

I'm making all this up as I go along -- more or less -- so I expect
you pros out there to shoot at it if it won't work. Darned if I
wouldn't try a lot of strange things, however. Anything to keep from
wrestling with that keel!

Regards,

Bill Combs
WWP 19 #439 (Aug 1987)
"Ursa Minor"
Fort Walton Beach FL
ttursine@gnt.net