bowsprit repair for limited rot. Is epoxy the solutiom -

[jack Kelley]

Damage is under the steel plate.

[Jim Walsh]

A photo with a detailed description would be helpful.

[jack Kelley]

Jim: Thank you for your response. I have a picture on my computer in an email. What address to I forward this to?

Regards,

Jack Kelley

[Jim Walsh]

Jim: Thank you for your response. I have a picture on my computer in an email. What address to I forward this to?

Regards,

Jack Kelley

Post it here for all to see. Someone may have the specific knowledge to provide a valuable response. If you have never posted a photo this may help.
http://www.capedory.org/board/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=14638

[riveredge]

I just did an epoxy repair on the teak bowsprit on my CD28. At the suggestion of someone much more knowledgeable than me, I took thin scrap strips of teak and laminated them in with thickened G-Flex Epoxy. I was fixing trapped moisture softened teak on the starboard side where the toe rail and rub rail connect to the bowsprit.

[jack Kelley]

Riveredge: Thank you for your response-it sounds like the method I can use. Is G Flex made by West? I would appreciate any other info on your repair-sanding -planing-for cosmetic appearance.

Jack

[riveredge]

G-Flex is a West product. I thickened it with teak sawdust so it is dark teak colored. I just cut the strips of teak to fit the gap and saturated them with epoxy before filling in the gap with them in the order I had dry-fitted them. I cut the last piece to fill the gap closely but it wound up being recessed by about 1/16". So I'm thinking of carefully making one more piece of teak "veneer" shaped like the face of the gap and epoxying it on to really nicely finish the patch. I may not get to that before launch Wednesday but I'll post a photo of the repair either finished or almost finished if you like.

[jack Kelley]

Riveredge: Your comments are valued-thank you so much!

Jack Kelley

[jack Kelley]

Riveredge: I am ready to start repair! Since I have a quantity of West #610 in cartridge form and easy to dispense via caulking gun - I thought I would use that up. How thick are your teak strips? Do you think the #610 would work as well as the G Flex? Again, I appreciate your comments!

Jack

[riveredge]

I'm not familiar with 610. I used G-Flex because the guy recommending said it is flexible when cured so its good with wood which has natural flex in it. The strips I used were various from about 1/8" X 1/2" to 1/2" square with lengths cut to fit the gap caused by water intrusion. The last piece that would show I cut to exactly fit the gap. Its about 1/8" thick and is about 1" or so at its widest. See attached photo. The patch is in the bowsprit behind the broken toerail. A bad repair of the toerail by someone before me probably caused the water intrusion. Not pictured is the final repair where I added one more fitted slice of teak and epoxied the toerail back together.

[riveredge]

Here's the finished repair. Not perfect but not bad.

[jack Kelley]

Great Job! Did you allow the epoxy to cure between the strips or did you lay up everything at once to complete your repair?

Jack

[riveredge]

I did it all at once. As far as I know epoxy cure is a chemical reaction between resin and hardener as has nothing to do with air.

[jack Kelley]

Thanks again Riveredge-GREAT JOB!

Jack