Ok glass gurus

If you attempt to sand off the gel you will never get a smooth surface again without fairing for a month.

If you are going to bed liner then skip the extra work and expense. That line-x stuff is very tough and will add considerable stiffness to the hull.

 

Yes always, always grind the gel of the boat before your repair. And one more hint Kevlar does not grind well so make sure your repair looks good before the epoxy cures

 

I've wondered if one could find a tough plastic (like Kydex snife sheaths) in a long length that could be glued on the keel line.

 

From the looks of the sheath, it is a heat vacuumed product. Glues won't like it but if you want something similar, look at keel guard.

 

No need to reinvent the wheel, huh?

 

Might also look into Line-X coating the keel. A couple boutique builders do this.

 

Just thinking out loud.. Flexible black tubing (1.5" plastic water pipe), if you cut it lengthwise; you could attach it to the keel with either silicone or screws. Probably wouldn't be the prettiest scuff buffer, but you would save $200 over using the high dollar yachtsman's goodies.

 

Yeah, you're right. That's what I don't like about fiberglass boats as opposed to a wooden framed (and/or skinned) boat. I will try to remember that when I settle on a skiff design to build.

 

Don't use Kevlar! It does not hold enough resin to help with impact and it will just peel right off. You want abrasion resistance, not tensile strength! Get a piece of craft felt that matches the color of your boat and cut it to the shape you want, Tape off and prep the bottom of your boat with some 80 grit paper. Soak the felt in epoxy , lay it on the prepped area and then pull the tape off to clean up any splatter.

Chopped strand matt is a little better, but you have to wet trim when its hard, but it before it cures to pull of any splatter. Felt works fine as long as your hull is in good shape underneath it.

This is what all the white water guys do to their canoes and drift boats. I had to grind mine off every few years and redo it, but I was purposefully ramming it into rocks on class IV rivers.