Hello all, I am looking for some advice on how to repair what looks to be some minor damage to the top of a Laser deck. The top section of the mast broke above the collar and came down during a race, damaging the top layer of the deck. I have removed the damaged pieces and now have what you see in the attached image. The deck around it still feels solid and it looks like the damage only went into the core, at least from what I can tell by looking at it. Should I be looking to just fill this with some sort of epoxy or fiberglass or should I put something down in at the core level first and then another material? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Tops
Mildly Thixotropic
Hi Jakka, How long and wide is the wound?
If it were mine to do*, I'd pick out some more of the cracked bits and grind a tapered spot through the non skid/gel coat and down to or slightly into the existing fiberglass. I would fill the low spot where the old glass was removed, above the core, with epoxy and glass spheres. I would add a small piece of thin fiberglass cloth and epoxy to adhere to the tapered fiberglass. After that sets I would fill in the rest with epoxy, glass spheres, and white tint and strike it off to be level with the surrounding non-skid. I would consider taping off the repair area into a neat shape with good masking tape before adding the final fill to keep the extra filler material from landing on the non-skid and smooth areas adjacent to the former hole. Remove the tape after the epoxy sets but before it cures hard. Touch up the area with white spray paint once the epoxy has cured and has been washed for amine blush and lightly sanded.
*not an expert, just working my way through 3 holed Sunfish...if someone has a amended or different repair procedure I am all ears.
If it were mine to do*, I'd pick out some more of the cracked bits and grind a tapered spot through the non skid/gel coat and down to or slightly into the existing fiberglass. I would fill the low spot where the old glass was removed, above the core, with epoxy and glass spheres. I would add a small piece of thin fiberglass cloth and epoxy to adhere to the tapered fiberglass. After that sets I would fill in the rest with epoxy, glass spheres, and white tint and strike it off to be level with the surrounding non-skid. I would consider taping off the repair area into a neat shape with good masking tape before adding the final fill to keep the extra filler material from landing on the non-skid and smooth areas adjacent to the former hole. Remove the tape after the epoxy sets but before it cures hard. Touch up the area with white spray paint once the epoxy has cured and has been washed for amine blush and lightly sanded.
*not an expert, just working my way through 3 holed Sunfish...if someone has a amended or different repair procedure I am all ears.
As a very LAZY guy I would just put some tape over it.
Or, if I would be in an energetic mood (rarely), I would use MarineTex (or something similar) to even out the surface.
Or, if I would be in an energetic mood (rarely), I would use MarineTex (or something similar) to even out the surface.