Sanding and Filling All of the Holes

I have worked on the keel for several days without adding to the blog, so here is what I have accomplished.

The last few days, I have completed a lot of sanding to get the keel ready for the fiberglass on the exterior.

I have also filled all of the screw holes with a wood flour/epoxy mixture and let them cure.

I will try to sand all of them down smooth tonight so I can lay up the fiberglass soon.

I faired the sides of the keel into the stem, making it a smooth transition, and I also routed all of the edges with a 1/2" roundover bit.

Keel in One Piece!

Today I finally got to epoxying the entire keel together.

I first put a coat of un-thickened epoxy over all areas that were going to join, then I mixed up some epoxy with wood flour to thicken it up. This mixture was spread on all areas to be joined.

The left side went on first, then the right, and was screwed very carefully along the way. I didn't want any new holes in the plywood where they shouldn't be. I then epoxied in all of the keel stiffeners, and filled all of the screw holes on the interior with thickened epoxy.

The stem was then set in the same two mixtures, but I couldn't get it perfectly straight. It is very close, but not really good enough for my standards. Unfortunately, there is not a lot I can do about it at this point. I just hope it will not be too noticeable when it is completed.

I also put another layer of epoxy on all interior surfaces of the keel structure, making it at least three coats on everything.

Next, I will turn it over and get it ready for fiberglassing the bottom.