I turned over my 1980 gp 14 mark 1 recently to repaint the hull. Condition of the paint was generally good and I was thinking I could get away with spot painting a few cracks and bringing her down the club to get some badly needed sailing hours under my belt. (Only my third summer sailing so I still consider myself a novice). However, in 2 areas either side of the keel band over what I now know to be the mast step (already converted) the ply was spongey under the good paint. Rot!!! I dug away the soft wet stuff with a screwdriver and the attached photo shows my current predicament. 2 holes in the hull! the rest is now dry and seems solid.
My question is (1) what do I do now and how much more ply do I cut away to insert new material. (2) how do I stop this happening again. The water must have come from the centre board case internally as the outside paint looked perfect. I was spending the spring varnishing the deck to perfection and never lifted the floorboards to check the floor.
Any assistance greatly appreciated here in Dublin. Dermot.
P.s. anyone know how to get the centre board out?