How would you fix this?

[travisrandall]

I have some glass work that needs to be done. How would you recommend I start atacking this?

[travisrandall]

I don't know why they are upside down

[Tiny]

I've done a couple of our keels (over the years they get worn down from hard trailering and grounding)...just ground it down till I got to good glassand feathered it out (sometimes I've had to apply a lot of acetone because it helps get out some of the moisture as it evaporates fast) then laid up 1708 on a piece of wax paper upside down, with progressively larger patches (think of it as building a small mountian) then apply it. The rest of the areas, I'm not sure.

[travisrandall]

Thanks. Any idea what a shop would charge to replace center stringer I think the only bulkhead that I would have to remove is aft of console. Everything else behind it I can pull panels out and get gas tank out. I'm thinking about selling the boat because I really don't have the money to fix it but I can't get the money I have in it out unless I fix it. The bottom area that looks like the gel coat peeled off kind of concerns me as well. I'm not looking for a show quality rig but I do want it to be dependable

[travisrandall]

How hard will it be for me to replace the center stringer myself?

[travisrandall]

Can anyone describe or possible give me pictures of the area below the forward fish box on my 23cc? Yesterday while running in the river I open the hatch in front of console and through a inspection plate I can see water running to stern. How much of the center stringer can I get to if I remove the floor of the hatch of the fish box? Can I just cut out a few feet of the stringer and glass in a patch or does the stringer need to be replace bow to stern?

[FLexpat]

Some (most???) of the post-Potter 23s did not have the center stringer at all. Several 23 owners have removed it during rebuild or replaced it with a different configuration like a half round of 3-6" PVC pipe. The big thing is to make sure you do a good job on the hull patch. Take a look at what BigShrimpin did when he had to patch a hole in his hull while fixing his stringer - he did a thread earlier this year on it.

[travisrandall]

So I cut a hole in bottom of fish box. Tried spraying water with garden hose and no water comes in. Put it in the water and water is coming in right at the beginning of the center stringer. I can't see any cracks or holes but it's coming from somewhere. When in plane it runs to the stern so I'm pretty sure it's the source. Now what should I do with it?

[travisrandall]

Picture of water

[Terry England]

Yes, It appears to be dihydrogen monoxide intrusion. It's always a BMP (Best Management Practice) to keep that on the outside of the "hull envelope" of your boat, whenever possible.

Some of us with really old "Non-scuppered" Moesly Seacrafts rely on what's known as a "float switch activated bilge pump". It's the only thing that separates us from Davey Jones Locker.

They seem to work the best when your boat is on the trailer and you are pulling away from a light. With practice, you can discharge 5 gallons of bilge slime on to the Miata driver in the lane next to you. This usually leads to some form of road rage, so be sure you are "packing".

On second thought "self-bailing" might be the best option, but not through the keel!