I bought a Force 5 with cracks in the gel coat on the hull on both sides of the boat. (where the trailer rails would have sat). I read on the Force 5 Assoc. page that I should cut a "shallow V approximately ¼”wide and 1/16”deep with good access to undamaged fiberglass" down the length of the crack, and to fill with "saturate strands of graphite or fiberglass". The hull is soft in this area because it is hinging on the crack. Mending the two sides would certainly help. But the site says to use a belt sander of side grinder. These tools are not so gentle. Maybe use a router with a 3/8" ball bit and set the depth shallow... The PO had duct tape on them.
Any advice would be appreciated. The hull is about 1/8" thick.
Rob
"If at first you do not suceed, well, so much for sky diving"
The Force 5 website is
http://force5.us/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=176:is-your-bottom-spongy-&catid=50:upgrades&Itemid=79
Rob
"If at first you do not suceed, well, so much for sky diving"
rch701 - A dremel tool is your best friend for this type of work. I've used these on Sunfish hulls and they are well suited for careful preparation. A favorite tool is the wire brush. Wear protection from the fiberglass.
Thanks mhirte, I ended up using a flapper wheel on a side grinder (an old one) to fair down to the crack. Kinda like scarfing wood planks. I cut some random fiber mat and putting saran wrap on it. And some ziplock bags of water to put on the pressure. 12hr later the saran wrap came off and the results are perfection. Took the boat on the maiden voyage yesterday.
Rob
"If at first you do not suceed, well, so much for sky diving"