TOPIC: Pics of my Hull - which of these blemishes is bad?

First is the transom, cracks running top to bottom. Transom wood passed the drill test - all the drill shavings were good clean wood.



This is the keel, ugly patch job but no cracks.



This is further back on the keel, first layers of fiberglass worn through and a pretty long crack along the side of the keel. What's the right way to fix this one?



And this is just so there's a pretty one while you're looking.

Gelcoat crazing/checking/cracks are a normal occurrence on an older fiberglass boat. The gelcoat becomes brittle and fails where there is normal flexing. Of those images, the vertical cracks on the transom MAY indicate a softish transom that should merit further investigation. It's probably ok though. The thing is that you will want to remove the gelcoat where it is checked and apply a good fairing and finish. The keel looks a touch worn and should be built up if that is the case. One thing to keep in mind is that boats flex. Try to NOT add stiffening structures where there were none before.

All in all, pretty typical pictures there. She'll be a gem when you're done.

Open up that floor, grind a bit and add some mat in there. Fill and a couple layers of tape on the outside and fair it out. West systems supplies a good carbon fiber tape for the outer layer on the keel that helps with wear if you beach it often.