Bill,
Your right, discussing is good, arguing is not.

The reason I suggested a removeable coaming is I feel a first timer,laying bias cut strips on his existing coaming could quickly create a disaster. Apparently you don't realize 6-8 total layers of 4oz.glass & 6oz.carbon are only about 1.5 MM thick at the most. This lay-up is a very thin, flexible and extremely easy to remove, even from a non plumb or curved riser. In fact till it cures it's rubbery, and quite fragile. Triming, shaping, and adding more fill coats are mostly done off the boat. If the final result is not what's expected, nothing is lost. The boat has not been damaged. If the layup is directly on the existing coaming, everything has to be right the first time. This may seem like extra steps, but I think it's worth the effort.

Most of my past experience with coaming reinforcement only, has been on very thin and weak race boat coamings, 1MM or less, and this method worked great. I recently used a variation of this method on an old downriver boat that had severe cracking, and chiping of the gelcoat on the lip. It created sharp edges that wern't very nice. I actually cut the lip completely off, leaving just the riser.I could have just belt sanded the gelcoat off down to the glass, but the damage required more radical surgery. The new lip was made with 12 layers of 4oz. S glass with white pigmented epoxy for fill coats.The finished product was less than 3mm thick, the same white as the original and plenty strong. I would normally use carbon cloth is in the layup because the number of layers can be less with a much stronger/stiffer result. This boat wasn't worth the extra expense.

In my original post, I was trying to open up discussion on alternate methods of coaming repair or complete coaming replacement. As I stated earlier, there are many methods to accomplish this task, your suggestions and concerns are valid. However, from someone that has actually built and repaired several composite layup coamings, I feel my methods are also valid. You are correct, I have no way of knowing what Dan's coaming looks like or do you. I was merely suggesting a possible repair from my actual experience, Closer scrutiny may alter my suggestion, however I still feel it's a safer method than a direct layup, especially for a beginner. Discussing different methods is how we all learn, wouldn't you agree?

Larry C.

: Hi Larry,

: Don't want to argue about this, discussing is fine. NDK coamings
: have lots of gelcoat and are prone to it cracking from use, it's
: more cosmetic than structural. My old Greenlander is 12 years
: old and has had a huge amount of very hard use and the coaming
: while not really pretty is plenty strong.

: I don't see the point in basically laminating up a whole new
: coaming to be epoxied to the existing coaming after the
: lamination is complete, if you're going to do that, why not just
: epoxy it in place in the first place. Won't be fun getting the
: new piece off the old one and might not even be possible without
: cutting it off, you have no idea remotely if the coaming sides
: are plumb anymore and if not the new part may get stuck.

: I doubt he'll need 6 to 8 layers for a reinforcement, would just
: end up with an over thick coaming that isn't the ideal for
: sealing with the skirt. A couple layers at most should easily do
: the trick.

: Bill H.