Hi Mike,

Yes, I meant daggerboard case. (sorry for the late reply- I was away from a PC for a couple days).

It is a good idea to cut out the entire damaged area - but dont cut though the foam core stringers. They are about 10 inches up from the centerline (that seam I mentioned). I left about 2 inches of hull skin below the stringers to bed the patch in place on the inside.

The reason it is a good idea to cut out all the damaged area is that the glass fibers will be de-bonded from the resin and can corrode. The corrosion and progressive de-bonding will continue along the individual glass fibers and the hull eventually goes soft. You can see the de-bonded area when you grind through the gel-coat. The damaged area will be a lighter color where the resin is shattered. Try to cut out this material.

It is helpful to make a cut that is roughly rectangular. It will be easier to measure and cut the patch that way. I used a fiberglass measuring tape to do all the measuring (the kind you can find at fabric stores or WalMart). It lays flat along the hull.

The patch goes on the inside of the hull. It is easiest to hold in place using strings while the epoxy cures, kind of like fixing a hole in drywall. Test fit the patch and figure out how to hold it in place before you mix the epoxy.
The other layers of glass will go on top of this patch once it cures.

It is also a good idea to sand each cured cured layer with 120 grit before putting the next one on. Epoxy can make a film (blush) when it cures and that should be removed to get a good bond.

A couple other things- Wear gloves, a mask and goggles. If you get fiberglass dust on exposed skin use a shop vac to get it off before using anything else. Note: fiberglas supply inc's motto is "itching for fun" - that just kills me.

It will be a great fall project. Have fun with it.
(I will be out of country starting wednesday - back on 15th)

talk to you later
-colin