Cockpit Sole Repair

[wes]

Agree with previous posts that you also need more stiffness underneath. Doesn't have to be beautiful. I'd wipe off the gray bilge paint with an acetone soaked rag, rough up the surface with #80 grit, and epoxy a piece of 3/4" plywood over the existing area from below.

Wes

[geeman]

I figured that's what I would do after I put the patch on the upper side.  That was until I put a piece of plastic covered plywood underneath the repair area today.  The sole isn't anything like flat.  I know thickened epoxy will fill the gaps, but all I can picture is how messy all that resin squeezing out would be.  So I'm thinking about using mat as NateD mentioned.  My idea is that I'll wet out a piece of mat on the bench, lay it on a piece of ply wood covered in heavy plastic sheeting, place it and hold it to the underside of the sole with a jack.  Let it cure and then repeat.  Just seems to me that the mat will conform better. Am I about to make the job harder/messier doing it that way?

[wes]

You can certainly build up several layers of cloth rather than plywood. You definitely don't want to allow each layer to cure individually though. Apply the next layer as soon as the previous one has kicked off. You want all the layers to achieve a chemical bond while curing together. I would use biaxial cloth, not chopped mat, but that's just me. I would also use thickened epoxy to reduce dripping. It will wet out the cloth just fine.

Wes