> > If I sealed her up right now I'd have the largest Montgomery dinghy ever > built! Little hard to right when she went over though! > _______________________________________________ > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
Just "hike out" a bit and I'm sure it will be fine! On the dead space issue.....if totally sealed, it would remain full of air....which technically, sounds like floatation to me, but full keel bilge boats all have air above the ballast and below the waterline, so I wouldn't let that worry me too much. If I was hoping for a total seal, I'd tape and glass that Trunk / Keel joint, inside and out. Tape the outside joint first, then when you pour the bottom of the keel cavity with epoxy (without the lead), the epoxy will fill the entire joint from the inside, leaving no voids. While still green, lay a piece of tape over the inside and coat that. I doubt it will ever leak. And also inspect those bolt holes if they also pass through the ballast area. You might want to drill all the way through the keel and epoxy in a piece of bronze tube, stainless steel pipe or even PVC pipe as a bushing if the pivot bolt passes through ballast. But a poured, epoxy lead mix may be the same as a bushing, and may not leak either, as long as you have scuffed a good margin around the inside of each hole as it passes through the keel (keel and trunk sides - 4 holes in all). Epoxy will create a mechanical bond to the polyester glassed hull and trunk, but only if you really scuff it up to give it some "tooth" to cling to. But if the keel leaks, that means water. Water of course is also ballast, but is it something you want in the keel dead space? Is the interior surface gell coated or open and exposed? Could you potentially get blisters on the inside? Maybe. So if you don't think you can get it 100% sealed, you have to find a way to eliminate the water. You might be able to install a bilge pump intake hose, leading to a bilge pump in the cabin.....or I have also heard of guys who simple let the water accumulate, and install a drain in the side of the keel. If trailored, it drains when you load the boat. If left in the water, you can't do that, so the bilge pump might work for that. Some pull the boat at the end of the season and simply drill a small (1/4") hole right at the ballast line and let the water drain out, and seal the hole with 5200 or some such thing next spring. Drill and seal. Not something I'd want to do, but an option. Or find something that is negative to neutrally bouyant (like solid plastic balls) and fill the remaining cavity with those and fill the dead space between with epoxy. Real easy to think of but not so easy to do. Howard _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
