Looks like someone has dropped a mast or similar on 4435, a Winder 1. It has caused a dent in the starboard side tank just where you sit. The dent/chip has penetrated through the gel coat and a multi legged spider has formed running forward and aft and out to the gunnel, at least half a meter in each direction. It is rough enough to catch the wetsuit but I have yet to determine if the tank is airtight or not. I presume it will need to be fixed rather than covered up until the end of the season. Has anyone got any ideas on suitable repairers? Or would sending it back to Winder boats be the best solution? Although a 20 year old hull, it has few marks on it and had hardly been used when I bought it two years ago. Mast, sails rigging all updated now.
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Tim and Richard, thank you for your comments above. I must admit to being a little daunted by the repair procedure you suggested Tim, but basically the advice was spot on. I did chicken out of doing the job myself. The answer was in these very pages; next post down concerned wooden Solos and mentioned J J Boats, near Diss in Norfolk. Some other Blakeney Sailing club members are having restoration work done by James to a composite Seafly; investigation of his website shows he works on almost anything and the results are stunningly good. So, Solo 4435 had a little trip down to James and is now fixed and looking good again. James also drilled some suitable holes and re-roped her for continuous lines. Real craftsmanship and a great guy.
This should be pretty straightforward to repair. You need to check the actual state of damage where the dent is. Best done by digging out any gel coat with a sharp chisel or sanding back with a multitool. I suspect if it has been caused by a dropped mast/gooseneck or even a boom end it may require a little glass work. It is important that the core and the underside of the foam core is OK. Don't worry about removing broken or crushed foam in the sandwich.
If the bottom (inside tank layer) of glass is torn you need to put a layer across that then build up the core with a microfibre/micro balloon mix or similar then scarf in a top layer of glass. I'd recommend something like 2 layers of 200 gsm weight woven roving or similar. Use epoxy which you should rub down and clean before applying the gelcoat. Colour will be Scott Bader Super White (337) unless it is a grey one which is Silver Grey. Be aware that there are two versions of Silver Grey (can be shifted to match with either the Super White or Black)
The spider cracks need to be chamfered out back to the top of the glass and refilled with fresh gelcoat. I find a small triangular pad on a multi tool excellent for this. Cut back and polish.
If it is white you will find the hull will have yellowed very slightly but the new gelcoat will match in well after a couple of months. Try a bit of T cut or similar near the area first, it should show a slight difference.
Winder first option.
Second - I got T-boned in a Flying Fifteen, resulting in a big hole in port side - repair area approx 300x400mm. The boat went to P&B and the repair is fantastic. I would say as close to being invisible as is possible. Gel coat is matched to our boat, which is from 2007 and the shape profile is perfect.