Repairing the Weekender, Part 3
June 18, 2013

When last we left, I'd been able to strip the fiberglass of the bottom of the boat. Today I was back, with a grinder.

Late spring squall - man, if I'd have looked up with my mouth open, I'd have drowned.

I tried a sanding wheel on the angle grinder, but I switched to a wire brush for speed.

Every once in a while, I'd take a break and pry some Bondo out from between the bottom and the keel. Bondo is a decent short term filler or OK for a cheap boat that isn't intended to last very long, but it's not very strong and it doesn't stick very well.

I decided to up the game on the wire wheel and swopped the lightweight brass brush, for a stiffer steel brush.

Now I was tearing some crap out. This is the worst spot - those darker holes go all the way through. The rest of the wood is pretty stiff.

Second worst spot - these don't go all the way through.

The lightest damage is back here towards the stern.

The next step is to find out what to do: Do I cut out the damaged areas and replace it with new wood? Do I just fill the spots with epoxy and wood flour, then cover with fiberglass? Inquiring minds want to know.