So I'm waiting for the trailer to be finished. Seems like a good time to dive into the keel replacement project on Embers Watch, our Michalak Mike's Boat. Bill Moffitt should be glad to hear this. Here we have laminated an 8:1 scarf with epoxy.
The joint turned out better than I have done in the past, really smooth and strait!
After a trip up to West Marine for some 206A hardner (slow), we took the bull by the horns and laid her up. It took a lot of thickened epoxy and a lot of clean up. Looks like it's going to be a good one. Next we'll round over and fillet and then glass it in. I may run some Kevlar down the lowest portion of the keel in case of grounding. Really all that is left is to build a mizzen mast and sort out the rigging. Oh, and buy some sails:-(
And now Embers Watch is on the trailer. As soon as the epoxy work and painting is done she will store outside upside down. Note Zero Turn used as yard mule for trailer transport. Also, once again, the electric hoist made transport to the trailer a breeze!
The skeg gets epoxied on.
And this is filleted and glassed in with E-glass. The middle 8 feet of the keel will be covered with Kevlar and the balance will be glassed with E-glass tape. I expect it to stay intact well past my life expectancy:-).
