This makes perfect sense! I had not thought of having to repair them and understand why they would not be glassed in. Thanks for the insight and tips!
Reid wrote: ↑Thu Apr 28, 2022 2:44 pm matth6,
There are a few conflicting opinions on the application of spray rails/runners/skegs and I'm sure you will hear several shortly.
Personally I like to install these parts after the boat has been faired, prior to primer. I don't like to attach these with fiberglass, simply prep the site well and epoxy glue them on. The reason being (and this may be more crucial to skegs on the bottom of the hull), if you were to make an error and hit something, rub a piling, run over a sandbar or oyster bed, or hit something below the waterline, the skeg/rail would be sacrificial and hopefully come off without doing any damage to the integrity of the hull. You can always go back and make a new skeg/rail easy enough.
Fairing is not a complicated process. Mixing microballoons into your epoxy is easy enough. It may take a few tries to get your technique right.
That being said, the System Three Quick Fair is a really nice product that has taken a lot of the guess work out of mixing up a fairing compound. It is also very easy to spread and (probably the best attribute) it is easy to sand. The down side, it costs a little more.
A good compromise is to do the initial fairing with microballoons and then switch over to Quick Fair to dial in the hull.
Hope this helps!
-Reid