This year I must get 3245 back into the water or I will go insane.
 
 I've traced the leak in my centreboard case to the fact that one whole side has split away along the front join. Judicious application of epoxy will solve this I guess. Has anyone invented a narrow syringe with a 12" needle to get the stuff in there? It is going to be hell to apply! Any top tips, please?
 
When clearing out the crack I notice the inside of the plywood case was painted with some very dark brown (almost black) stuff: it's not like paint, it's much harder and smoother. It is still bonded well, apart from near the joins where it has come away from the wood. What is this mystery stuff I wonder? I assume it was applied in 1979 when Winder built the boat.
 
What happens to the insides of cases these days? How are modern boards protected? My board gets scratched to pieces in there, and I'm thinking of applying a 6" circle of thin plastic to the area around the pivot bolt, to protect the wood. is there a more cunning method that copes with the ingress of Chichester mud? Perhaps something with slits to allow the muck to escape?
 
Thanks for any advice you can give.

Hi, having just re-glued a centreboard case, I can (maybe) help you with the gluing challenge.  I worked on the basis that gravity is my friend ensured that the boat is in the best position to encourage the epoxy to flow into the crack.  Opening up the crack with some carefully cut wedges helped, as did using a large syringe with a plastic tube on the end to help direct the epoxy.  If you pick a warmish day, the epoxy should flow into a crack pretty well even when mixed with a compound.  To make sure that you are bonding deep in to the wood, you might want to start by using some penetrating glue such as Zap CA. This is very effective at binding wood fibres that might have been compromised by a historic leak and seems to play nicely with a follow-up of epoxy.  
 
Someone with more skill and knowledge than me will be along with a better answer shortly I am sure!  However this approach worked for me and there is almost nothing better for morale than a dry boat!
 
Maybe also try the Merlin Rocket Revival Fleet, and the Dinghy Advice Facebook groups as the people on there love this type of question. 
 
 

Hi Mags. When I needed some really runny epoxy to get into a repair I stood the (unmixed) containers of resin and hardener in hot water for a while and then mixed them. The resultant mix is very much runnier than normal and goes through a syringe with ease. Obviously the pot life has a reduced time but I found I still had enough time to do the job. You can, of course, use slow hardener to counteract this if needed.
I have also used discs of plastic cut from milk bottles as "washers" for a centre board pivot before. Can't help with the brown/black stuff inside the case I'm afraid. Hope this helps.

Mags
Suggest you contact Dave Winder at Winder Boats. He can almost certainly help you and can probably tell you what the brown stuff is as he was probably involved in building her.
Good luck with finishing her off, its about time she was seen on the water agsin.

you really need to clean the old glue off.....thats whats given up ....so all you are doing is epoxying to old glue on one side....the old stuff needs to come out, cut down (broken )hacksaws is a good start if you dont have a dremel....

Bell Woodworking used to use something called "Danboline" for the inside of centercases and tanks. It was reddy - brown when fresh and went darker with time. It was very good stuff!