Trailer Bunks and Sailboat Gelcoat Epoxy Repairs

Article By Gene Heard

Shorty....

Another batch of pictures... Obviously, the patches on the hull weren't a very close match, but it was my first time tinting epoxy. I didn't even tint what I used on the deck, the filler makes the epoxy somewhat opaque anyway.

I notched the aft cradles about 3-1/2" and the forward ones about 2" to lower the boat. The hull still clears the trailer crossmember by 2", so I will wrap the crossmember with carpet and use large cable ties to keep the carpet in place. In the pictures the cradles are not yet bolted to the trailer. The cradles are positioned according to the dimensions on the Weeks Yacht Yard website. I will replace the outhaul wire with low-stretch line (Dyneema or similar).

All of the wood is repaired and sanded, ready for varnish. Deck is ready to buff. Going tomorrow to pick up some hardware bits, cam cleat repair kits, etc. It will take a while to do enough coats of varnish to really protect the wood. The finish was completely weathered off the parts on the boat, but the foils were only damaged on the edges.

More to come,

Gene