Testimonials
Epoxy, built 1966
Strut Reinforcement
Figures 1 to 6 are of the main ribs that support the drive shaft struts. Because this area is exposed to many different forces due to drive shaft support and rudder forces it was necessary to replace this wood. All the doublers were rotten and the thru hulls needed to be serviced.
New doublers have been installed along with strut supports. Lots of our flexible epoxy was used and mixed with sawdust to create a firm yet strong flexible joint. All the thru hull fittings have been serviced with new packing and now the rudders will be installed over the winter next.
Figures 7 & 8 illustrate the slurry that was used and the consistency. Below is the final repair with the area in green enlarged area.
Figures 9 to 15 are the struts before installation. The white and light brown areas are doubler plates that I manufactured in order to get a perfect fit from the base of the strut to the hull. Fill-it was shaped by smearing a volume of it on the back of the strut, the strut was wrapped in clear tape and them it was pushed onto a piece of fiberglass that was previously made. A couple of days later when everything cured I was separated from the strut. The Photo below illustrates the different components used to fabricate this custom piece.