Painting epoxy & glass hull repairs

[Rick]

This is my first post on this terrific forum. I've acquired a 1972 21 foot Aquarius sailboat in need of lots of TLC. I'm repairing 3 holes in the hull - one that was drilled through the sole "for drainage", a second 1x2" hole in the stern under the cockpit and the third on the port stern area near the waterline. The last damage is from an impact and the cracks are "T" shaped with dimensions of 4" x 5".

My first question is should I grind the "T" shaped damage into an oval or circular shape before glassing it over or should I just grind until solid fiberglass is reached and repair that area.

I want to sail her this season and then paint her this winter. Should I prime and spot paint the epoxy repairs now or can I wait until the season is over (she needs so much work that asthetics are not the issue now!)?
If I paint her now, is there some short-term product you'd recommend since I'll be sanding, fairing and painting the bottom and topsides later. I want to avoid compatibility issues if I can.

[Tim]

My first question is should I grind the "T" shaped damage into an oval or circular shape before glassing it over or should I just grind until solid fiberglass is reached and repair that area.

It's a little hard to say without seeing the damage in question, but you don't necessarily have to make all your repairs roughly circular. However, circular is good because it's a non-stressful type of repair; that is, with no hard corners or straight lines, the circular shpe is less likely to crack or suffer other similar consequences when the repair is put into service.

It may also be easier to fair and blend a roughly circular area.

Whether it is desirable for you to grind out a larger area in this way depends in large extent to the nature and severity of the damage. For a minor thing, it may not be required; the larger the repair, the more likely it is that you will be better off removing more rather than less--especially when you need to add a significant amount of structural material.

Should I prime and spot paint the epoxy repairs now...?

Epoxy will be damaged by UV rays, so you need to cover it. You can just apply the primer of your choice for now, and then deal with a more thorough paint job later. A couple coats of primer on the repairs will protect them until you're ready to paint.

Good luck on the project!