CONTINUOUSWAVE

I'm comfortable with there being water in my boat. Thought I'd start with that. My 1987 Revenge has been on the hard for over a year now. Sanding, MarineTex, and finally West System 105-K. I cannot get the epoxy to setup properly because water drips from the keel. Sanding, more MarineTex, sanding, then epoxy. I'm not having any luck. Any suggestions? Without hacking the bottom up?

Tried [to make repairs with WEST SYSTEM Six10® Thickened Epoxy Adhesive] today; still no luck.

Tried [using a] heat gun before applying WEST SYSTEM Six10® Thickened Epoxy Adhesive. Any help is appreciated.

See:

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/refere ... tions.html

Read the instructions that include this advice:

All areas to be repaired must be clean and dry before proceeding. Areas that have salt water in them should be first flushed with fresh water to remove salt and then allowed to dry.

If necessary, clean and dry areas to be repaired...

My advice: follow the factory instructions. In order to make repairs the hull must be clean and dry, and any saltwater must be flushed away.

But how to dry this spot? I guess that's my question.

If there is water in the inner hull space between hull and liner, you will have to find some way to help it get out. You describe the boat as a 1987 REVENGE. The smallest 1987 REVENGE is 20-feet, so it will be unlikely that you can flip the hull over. I don't have any really good advice or special method. I would drill a few test holes of perhaps 0.25-inch diameter into the hull in the area where you see water dripping out. Orient the hull so gravity will tend to lead water to those test holes. See what comes out.

Generally water is not in the inner hull space unless some opening let the water enter. Is there any sign of damage or repair to damage on the hull's bottom running surface?

The boat is a Revenge 20. I was forced to haul out during a bad storm and missed the boat trailer. This lead to the damage on the keel I'm attempting to repair. I also believe the swim ladder lag screws were allowing water into the hull.

What is the depth of penetration into the hull laminate at the damage?

Has the inner hull foam been exposed?

How long was the boat immersed in water after the damage occurred?

How long has the boat been completely out of the water?

Has the damaged area been protected against further intrusion of water from rain running down the hull?

No foam exposed.
Depth of penetration was just to the fiberglass.
It was in the water for about an hour.
It has been on land for more than a year.
It has been protected with marine tex. Than 80 grit sanded. Then west system epoxy.
Still drips through.

It is hard to know exactly what has happened because your descriptions are not very detailed or informative. When you described the outcome of your repair as "no luck," what did you mean?

Did you mean the epoxy cured, was strongly adhered to the original laminates, the damage area was repaired, but water is still dripping out?

Or, did you mean that the epoxy would not adhere to the original hull laminates?

It is rather hard for readers to interpret exactly what you meant by "no luck."

The epoxy cured, and adhered to the laminate. But water still leaks through. The manager at my local WEST MARINE store recommended a product called SPLASH ZONE EPOXY. Supposedly this can be applied underwater or will trap water inside.

Tried the SPLASH ZONE brand epoxy with the same result. It adheres fine, then forms a small bubble, then bubble pops, and water comes out. Drilled two 1/4-inch holes. I am going to attempt to dry-out the foam.

Drill it out a little, suck out as much water as you can with a shop vac. Then quickly fill with gorilla glue. It expands and reacts with water, make sure you tape it up real good, keep pushing it in as it sets up if pushing through the tape. The next day you can sand it flush, drill a smaller hole(sand the hole edges) and fill with marine tek. Sand and coat with a fairing resin mixture.

If you are still getting drips after the gorilla glue sets up then drill out again and clear out more of a pocket for it to set up in and really force it to expand into the foam and not out the hole. It is epoxy based and paint does not stick to it so when you sand just leave the hole covered and fan the marine tek out around the hole.

It does not have to be pretty because the next thing to do is put a keel guard on.