Capt'n Pauley's Virtual Boatyard -- Projects Galore!!!

Capt'n Pauley's Sketchbook-Repairing Aluminum Boats

Rusty Keels

Hi Capt'n Pauley!
Hope you're hanging in against the forces of Mother Nature. Just had a
subscriber call asking about how best to treat rust on his Cal 20 keel.
His was the second call I've had on the topic. Wondered if you might
consider a Capt'n Pauley column on rusty keels. This last caller said,
"Do you think Paul would consider it?"

Best,
Josh

Alternative Transom, Deck and Stringer Repair

A recent post here on The Virtual Boatyard covered a process for replacing a rotted and water saturated transom. That process required cutting away the interior fiberglass layer, bonding in a new plywood core and re-laminating the interior transom wall. At best, this is no small task and requires the internal equipment and structure around the transom to be removed for access.

Replacing a Rotted Transom

A customer stopped by the boat store last week to ask about a project he was contemplating. He had been given an old Glastron outboard hull and was thinking about restoring it. One thing led to another and he mentioned that water was leaking from several holes in the transom. While we have talked about replacing decks and repairing fiberglass damage, replacing a transom hasn’t been covered here before. So here goes…

Repairing Aluminum Boats

Reducing Draft: Cutting the Keel