I sought advice from the good people of this forum several months ago about the repair of the port side hull of my Nacra 5.2. It was already damaged when I bought the boat for a song. The response to my post brought forth a wealth of information on the repair of fiberglass hulls. (Here is a link to the original post if you need info on repair. Old thread).

New photos have been added to a web page showing the damage and repair progress. Here is the link Photo page.

I don't think you can see it in the photos, but I have been able to make the repair without putting in a front inspection port.

Thanks for all the help. I should be on the water in a couple of weeks.

Regards,
Mike

It's done. See link to Photo page in above post.

Let's Hit the water.

WHOA!!

I didn't think anything that big was repairable!! How much time did it take you?

It took 3 full weekends and a few weekday evenings. Much of the time was waiting for the resin to cure and sanding. If I had a belt sander instead of a vibrating sander I could have cut the time down by about a third. Also a lot of time was used up by the learning curve.

Regards,
Mike

whew be happy you didn't use a belt sander. Those things can chew through gelcoat.

Better safe and slow than dangerous and fast

You may well be right about that Maugan. The vibrating sander did a good job with 36 grit sand paper for rough sanding.

I am now hoping that the tramp slides back in the track as easy as it slid out when disassembling.

Regards,
Mike

if it doesn't, use some dove soap on the bolt rope to lubricate it a bit before going into the tracks.

I'm curious. Why Dove as opposed to Dial or Zest? And thanks for the tip.

Mike

to be honest, I really don't know. I've just been told Dove soap specifically. Just passing on info that I got from a reliable source.

I agree with Tad.
One slip with a belt sander and you will cut a hole in the hull.

RE: Sanding
There are two different issues with respect to hull repair and sanding.
1. Smoothness or Surface Texture
This is controlled by the number of grit sandpaper or polish used to sand the hull.
You are trying to sand out scratches and small uneven areas and make it look and feel smooth.
A smooth hull is not necessarily a fast hull.

2. Fairness or Fairing
This controlled by the size(length) of the sanding block or sandpaper holder.
You are trying to take out the subtle highs and lows in the surface which cause turbulence.
I find the wallboard(sheetrock) sanding mesh and holder very good at this.
You should be able to sight down the hull and not see any uneveness or wavyness.

Generally you would Fair a hull first and then sand it smooth.

It is possible to have a hull that is Smooth, but not Fair and vice-versa.
The fastest hull would be both Fair and Smooth.

Anyone try using an electric DA sander?
(it is not as aggressive as a
belt sander, but much faster
than a finnishing/vibrating sander.)

I use an air powered D/A sander when doing fibreglass work. It makes quick work of whatever it touches. Just be careful to keep it moving all the time. It's definitely the best tool for the job. I can't imagine doing the work on this 5.2 without one.

Mike Hill
H20 #907