Cracks around bottom of centerboard

[Eric Cordis]

I have an old 88 laser with some cracks in the gel coat at the base of the centerboard. The hull appears to be flexing in at this point.
What would be the best way to reinforce it??

Any thoughts would be appreciated, The easy way would be to lay fiberglass on the outside and fair it, it would ruin the hull shape, but it should last. Any thoughts on an inside repair?

Thanks

 

[mihor]

I have somewhat the same situation.

After the summer I slightly opened up the cracks with a sharp knife. The cracks have now been drying out during the winter. My plan is to fill and sand out the cracks as they would be any other scratches. I have not really decided if I’m going to reinforce the structure – but if so, I will do it from the inside through an inspection hatch.

I suppose the need for reinforcement depends on the cracks. If they are small hairline cracks I suppose small fixes should be enough. But if they are due to structural failures you definitely need to fix the problem. I would recommend preserving the hull shape and doing the repairs from the inside.

-mikko