Posted: 11 Apr 2008 at 10:11am
For lack of a better term, I'm going to call this piece the keel rubrail.
On my Yankee Dolphin, the bottom of the keel just forward of the rudder shoe seems to have had a protective strip, 1/8" thick and about 1 1/2" wide, running up to the centerboard. In my current haulout I notice that only a few inches remain, and some was loose enough for me to pry off.
Does anyone know how critical this piece is? The surface underneath appears to be barrier coat, not fiberglass, but it's hard to tell amidst the bottom paint and what looks to be old polyurethane glue. My current plan is to lay a thick film of MarineTex, sand it smooth, apply bottom paint and splash. Any thoughts?

www.ericsorensen.net


Posted: 12 Apr 2008 at 9:49pm
Well I'd say its not critical, My 68 dolphin doesn't have any thing like that so some previous owner added a little more protection.
Yankee Dolhphin Hull #93


Posted: 13 Apr 2008 at 1:44am
On closer look, it seems this was a modest piece of protection but not mission critical. I did put a thick film of MarineTex on the bottom, faired it with a file and 80 grit and put some bottom paint on. It looks good. Better yet, it's nothing like the exposed splinter of keel I first thought I was looking at.

www.ericsorensen.net