Skeg repair approach?

[BigandSmall]

I have an Impex Assateague carbon/kevlar that has a very poorly done skeg box that is in need of attention. The boat came with a gelcoat repair on the skeg box that used to drip so there's a hairline crack there that's since sealed itself. I don't see a lot of glass holding the box in place unfortunately. The tubing recently slipped off the top of box and I see the builder just dabbed glue on there to hold it in place which isn't confidence inspiring. I don't know if there's a nipple the tubing fits on or if it's supposed to have a ferrule and lock on with the nut?

What would you folks suggest for a plan of attack? Put a wrench on the fitting and see what's under the glue? I had been planning on putting some tape on the sides of the box to reinforce it but the tubing has thrown a wrench into my plans.

I'm just wanting to get to a safe state that I'd feel comfortable selling it.

 

[JohnAbercrombie]

That looks to me like a tricky repair.
Not an easy spot to work in, and that 'arch' glass loop doesn't make access to the nut any easier.
My guess would be that after you clean away the 'globs' you will find a compression fitting of some kind -perhaps with a compression washer and a chunk of tubing still in the fitting?

Do I see globs of silicone or some other sealant between the skeg box and the hull?
That could make repair and reinforcement difficult.

I fixed a leak at the aft end of a kayak skeg box with liberal doses of thickened epoxy. The hard (very) part was sanding and cleaning the area before pouring in the epoxy. Sanding with a drywall sander and improvised sanding tools - things on a stick- got it done, but it was in the 'never again!!' repair category. It's nice being an amateur and having the luxury of refusing unpleasant jobs.

 

[JohnAbercrombie]

Skeg boxes and tight-packed gear: always a bad combination.
A friend had to do a multi-week trip with a taped-over skeg box in a Prana, after a crack and leak developed early in the trip.
There's no excuse IMO for such poor building, when the skeg box can be installed before the deck is attached.

 

[mick_allen]

My sympathies as well, very awkward and difficult repair - almost want to cut an access hole and then glass up again.
The tube over the cable/wire is an integral part of the skeg's action, so a robust connection to the nut is critical. Without a loooong arm, I'm not sure how to effect a repair otherwise. Much luck and tell us how you did it.

Not nice, but maybe one way would be to flush cut the whole skeg box out [ie vertical saw blade flush with sides of the skegbox], pull out, replace tube with higher quality one, re-attach tube, chamfer the box edges and hull opening edges, and re-epoxy the skegbox back in from outside. Biggish job, but more aesthetic than the access hole route.

Another bigger idea, would be to cut the skeg out as above and move it much further forward [where access acceptable] and slightly off centre [ 1-2", 2-5cm]. More in the way of gear, less definitively effective but quite workable, but way easier to maintain and repair.

 

[mikeypaddler]

I had the same problem the through hull broke ,fixed it for a year and a but with some two part epoxy
Ended up using a brass fitting but found the proper one at Trotac in Victoria
So cut an acces hole made it easy to fix and sealed up easily enough just need to find a big sticker so I don’t need to paint the west systems

 

[BigandSmall]

Doesn't sound like it will be an easy fix. I had been considering cutting the deck off for access and re-doing the seam but don't have the time to take on another big job right now. Mick and Mikey's access hole suggestion is tempting.

I assume the West Systems 105/207 I normally use would be compatible with what Impex used? Also how much sanding does it take to fuzz up kevlar? Should be able to rough it a bit?

 

[JohnAbercrombie]

but don't have the time to take on another big job right now

It depends on the value of the boat 'fixed' vs 'as-is', and the value of your time, but an alternative could be to sell it as a 'needs repair' item.

 

[BigandSmall]

Rather than attempting major surgery I decided to go for a temporary fix of sealing over the skeg opening on the hull. That way I have water tight loaner until I finish up the more interesting projects I have in line. John helped me formulate a plan and it went pretty quick.

I'm sure this isn't what people were hoping to see for a repair but it works for now. This boat tracks pretty hard and doesn't see life outside of the local lakes and deep rivers.

I made a dam in the skeg box with a bit of tape and some gasket material to keep anything from running inside. I left all the skeg parts in there once I saw the bolt through the skeg was too long to remove inside the boat with cutting.

Then I mixed up some filler with the West Systems 105/207 I normally use and spread it on with a popsicle stick.

I put a strip of 2" wide 6oz overlapping ends by at least an inch directly on the wet crowned filler and wet it out.

Following that I placed a piece of 6" wide 6oz tape over top overlapping the ends by 2"

I brushed away any excess resin and let it cure for a few hours. In discussion with John he thought one more layer would provide a fair chunk more durability so I grabbed some 6oz scrap from a trimmings bag.

After it set a little I brushed the excess resin away and removed the tape. Once it cures I'll feather the edges out and put a little gelcoat on top to try to make it look good.

 

[mick_allen]

Great idea, well carried out - good for you!

 

[BigandSmall]

Thanks Mick, I see I forgot to add that I rough sanded the gelcoat inside the taped area with 80 grit to give it some tooth before applying any glass.