How best to repair worn keel area

[Nikon Man]

I've got a local area on my keel, about 8" long x 4" wide that has the gel coat gone down to the fiberglass strands. It was like that when I bought it, but thought about putting on a KEELSHIELD and need to repair this area before I can install one.

What is the best way to do this, just cover in expoy and sand smooth ? Your thoughts, advise and input are greatly appreciated.

[perfect-storm]

As long as the glass itself isn't damaged, use MarineTex. MarineTex is water tight and can be color matched a little depending on your hull color. If you want, you can then add a keel guard.

[Nikon Man]

How is it color matched ? Is this something I can make up ?

[Scott@KeelShield]

This link will give you an idea of what you can do to repair http://www.aquaskier.com/artic...r.htm
Remember what ever you use in the repair make sure you allow recommended cure times of the epoxy and paint to dry thoroughly, before applying your KeelShield.

[Nikon Man]

Thanks Scott, but this is more involved that I'd like to do. I'm not wanting to spray gel coat material. Do you think the Marine Tex method posted above would do the job well enough to allow application of the shield over it ?

[perfect-storm]

You can only tint white marine tex they say. I've actually added black to the dark grey marine tex and had good results though. You have to use the Evercoat tint and remember that it will prolong the cure time a little bit. Here's an exerpt from the MarineTex web site.............

Can I pigment Marine-Tex?

Only the White Marine-Tex can be pigmented. No pure color will be achieved by adding pigments. (We recommend epoxy-friendly pigments, like Fibre-Glass Evercoat's.)

[Scott@KeelShield]

Gary , the only way to answer for sure is if you could post or email me some pictures of the damage your boat has.

[Nikon Man]

Scott,
I'll see if I can click off a pic this weeken and I'll post it here.