> I just finished glassing the hull of my Ches. 17LT. It went much better
> than I had expected (I had been dreading that one step) and only took 2
> hours. My question is: Is there any reason for me to run a strip of glass
> tape down the keel from stem to stern as added insurance against unforseen
> bumps? Will the benefit be worth the added time and potential frustration
> of sanding the "step" between the tape and the glass? Since my
> cellar temperature is around 55, the epoxy will still be tacky enough to
> add the tape tonight if it is worth it.

> Thanks for any opinions.

I like the idea of adding additional layers of fiberglass for scratch resistance if the boat is used in rocky areas, but I question the effectiveness of a layer of tape down the center. How wide is your tape? 4 inches? 6 inches?

What is the likelihood that you will hit all rocks dead-on? I'd use a wider swath of regular fiberglass cloth. The tape has a woven edge that is 'hard' and will give you a bump that will take some aggresive sanding to remove. In contrast, when you cut a piece of cloth the edges tend to lay flatter as the fiber ends spread out a bit. Feathering this into your existing work is easier.

The tapes I've seen tend to be equivalent in weight to 6 ounce or 9 ounce cloth. If you use lighter weight cloth you can choose just how thick, wide (and heavy) you want your ding resistant area to be. You can always put on two three or more layers of cloth the build up an area as thick as you like.

If you go with cloth or tape, for ding resistance consider using a NON fiberglas material for this area. there are lots of choices: Kevlar, Dynel, polypropylene, vectracloth, polyester, carbon, etc. You could get a single yard of a very expensive material and cut it into 8 to 10 inch wide strips, and get enough to cover the centerline of your hull, and the total cost would not be excessive. Kevlar under a lightweight covering of fiberglass cloth is recommended in several catalogs I've seen. The overlaying of a thin layer of fiberglass is to reduce the sanding of the kevlar.

I don't agree with others that you have to do this now. IF, and this is a BIG IF, you should get so many dings in the hull that they need to be repaired, then at the end of the season -- before you put the boat away -- you can assess the wear. If it is really bad, put on another layer of glass and resin. If the wear is really all in just one strip down the center, then you can get way with tape. Otherwise, you can add a 'football' shaped piece of glass that follows the outline of the hull, and covers the entire bottom. On the other hand, if your current layer of glass offers enough resistance, then why add additional weight and cost. Just put on a few fresh coats of varnish to fill the scratches and make things look pretty again.

Paul Jacobson