- Two winters ago, a block of epoxy resin in the bilge came loose. The block appears to be nearly an inch thick layer of resin, without glass, poured on top of the powdery material at the bottom of the bilge. Tim Lackey, of Lackey Sailing, addressed this by putting the sepearated piece back in place and covering it all with a layer of glass (see note). Decided that this is an opportunity to create a sump in the bilge.
- Cut a rectangular piece of 1708
that fits the lowest section, where the epoxy block used to be, and extends a couple inches up the sides of the bilge.
- Cut a rectangular piece of 1708 that fits the raised section, forward of where the epoxy block used to be, and extends a couple inches up the sides of the bilge.
- Cut a trapezoidal piece of 1708 that runs from the raised section, down to the where the epoxy block used to be, and back up the raised section aft.
- Had previously sanding the bilge to the extend possible using the Ridgid multitool. The bottom of the bilge at the front is at the limit of my reach while laying down on the cabin sole with my head pressed against the engine supports and the sole.
- Placed the previously prepared and glassed-over piece of 1/4" ply that fits the lowest section into the lowest section to provide an flat surface against which the 1708 will lie.
- Epoxied the two rectangular pieces into their locations.
- Epoxied the trapezoidal piece over the two rectangular pieces.
- Epoxied a layer or 10oz cloth over each of the four corners where the trapezoidal piece rises from the lowest section to each raised section.
- In each case, wetted out the cloth using a chip brush with the bristles cut way down. Used a paint stirring stick/paddle to extend the handle of the chip brush in order to reach the glass at the aft end of the bilge.
- Spread the resin using a 3" Finned Roller The layup is resin-rich, not normally desirable, but here strength is not the issue, sealing the bilge to water ingress is the goal. Given that goal, better to rich in resin than to have any galss not completed saturated. Needed about four pumps of resin and hardener to fully wetout each largest rectangle. Boatworks Today explains that chopped strand mat should not be used with epoxy due to its styrene binder not dissolving in epoxy (vs polyester resin). They state that this not the case with 1708. Still the 1708 seemed to take the resin slowly and required a lot of resin.
- Cleaning up the finned roller is easily done by placing it in a container of white vinegar.
- Applied the first coat of Awlwood to the companionway sill.
- Applied seventh coat of Awlwood to the companionway hatch, lower companionway board, icebox hatch, spinnaker block pads, and fuel fill pad.
