Similar question I have a Sanger bobble deck and the hull is starting to split from the deck how would you fix this or is it worth it
How good is the gel coat? In addition to repairing the inside, I would take this a an opportunity to cap it.
Some will only grind out a little of the seam an fill it, only necessitating touch-up of the gel coat an inch or two away from the seam. I would feather it back at least 2-inches on each side of the seam and about half of the thickness of the hull halves deep.
I would then lay in one 2" wide strip of ~26oz +/-45 degrees fabric followed by a 4" wide strip of the same fabric.
There is much debate over which layer should be laminated first and I sometimes flip-flop as to which theory I subscribe to. One theory, used in aerospace repair procedures, is that listed above, so that the fibers of each layer have 1" of bond overlap onto existing structure. The only time I reverse the layers is if I am planning any grinding or sanding which might break into the strands of the fabric.
After the two layers of +/-45 degrees fabric, I would build the remainder with Chopped Strand Mat (CSM). In this case, the CSM is going to cover the fabric. Continue to build and sand CSM until the original shape is achieved. For very small imperfections, you can use Bondo or you can make your own filler from resin and talc, Cab-O-Sil, microspheres, et al.
Application of the gel coat or paint is really dependant on what the boat looks like now. Post up some pictures for more accurate suggestions.
Cheers,
Joe
