If I may, I`d like to make a suggestion regarding the dowels that Jaime suggested.
Wood dowel is not very suitable for this kind of keel repair. The reason being; as you re-wear those keels (inevitable) the dowel will wick up the water, then swell and bust open the entire repair site. And, once the wicking starts, you`re pretty much toast and the whole repair will have to be cut/ground out.
As for what to use, including two-part epoxy and polyurethane for finishing...see my two separate posts titled "major restorations". I have detailed step by step almost everything you are asking. This includes fillers, techniques, product names and even the number of ounces of paint and primer needed.
Though my keels were quite worn, they only had to be built up about 3/8 inch max in some spots - usually less. So, I was able to get by with only epoxy (fumed silica as a filler) or plain old VINYL ester resin putty from 3M on the smaller repairs. If you are building up more than this, you really must go with Matt`s suggestion using glass cloth. I personally try to use glass cloth in tape form (as Matt suggested) whenever I can. It is MUCH more convenient than cutting up strips of glass yourself.
There are many "before and after" pictures to show you what to expect for your finished product.
http://www.catsailor.com/forums/sho...=&sb=5&o=&fpart=all&vc=1http://www.catsailor.com/forums/sho...=&sb=5&o=&fpart=all&vc=1hope it helps,
Dave
