I decided Puff really needed painting. The gelcoat had been scraped through in a number of places in her previous lives. The cosmetics didn't bother so much as the fact that fiberglass absorbs water. What to paint her with was the problem. I needed paint that would provide a barrier coat underwater. After much back and forth, I settled on a moisture cured urethane called Aluthane which appears to be pretty much identical to Rust Bullet which I had used as a 'paint over rust' product on Sparky the electric car. I found a 188 page website www.epoxyproducts.com that had all kinds of useful info, a person to answer questions, good prices and quick shipping. Highly recommended site!
Anyway, I had to take her off the trailer. I built a tripod with 3 14 foot 2X4s and erected it over the bow. Lower the trailer tongue to the ground and block up the back of the boat. Hook a cable comealong to the tripod and lift the bow by the mooring eye. Pull out the trailer. Block up the bow as a safety measure. It looks like this:
When I uncovered Puff, she had some water in the "bilge". There is a spot below the cockpit floor separated into 2 halves by the keel trunk and dammed off fore and aft by 2 ribs that run from the keel trunk to the gunwales on each side of the keel trunk. Water pools here and is hard to get at. I used a Shamwow on a boathook from inside the cabin to dry out this area. The port side is also accessible through the storage hatch.
A couple hours later, there was water there again! Over a gallon! On close examination water seemed to be seeping in where the ribs joined the keel trunk.
You can see where the joint looks a little porous.
System is giving me fits! Will publish this before I lose it.
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Please don't include links to your site with garbage comments. It is like advertising your services on a bathroom wall.