The screeching sound of the circular saw hurts my ears and my heart. It's quite a step to grind a hole in a watertight hull. But yes, I have to demolish something first before I can rebuild it properly. The solid end where the water-lubricated propeller shaft emerges is ideal for the new location of the base plate of the pod motor. After an hour of grinding, the propeller shaft bounces in the parking lot with a roaring sound. I have a hole.

The idea is to close this hole as horizontally as possible with fiberglass and epoxy. The current hull is certainly one centimeter thick at this location. From research I have learned that you also have to put back 1 cm of fiberglass and chamfer the edges of the old polyester so that a good overlap is created to create strength again. Another tip I received was to try to apply the first layer of fiberglass from the inside because that works easier than from underneath. Before I start laminating, I measure a horizontal and straight line from the inside so that I can be sure that the engine will be mounted horizontally but also tightly against the hull. I use a grinding wheel with a lamellar sanding disc to grind the line horizontally and then bevel the polyester.

From the outside I tape a base with duct tape.
I degreased everything thoroughly and placed the first two layers of woven fiberglass from the inside on the duct tape surface. I deliberately chose a finely woven fiberglass mat because they are very flexible and therefore conform well to the hull shape. I was tipped to first make a thin base and then build it up to the desired thickness. After 24 hours, the base for the new foundation has hardened. Full of anticipation, I peel off the layer of duct tape from my new piece of hull. The new piece of hull emerges as smooth as the duct tape. The result is tighter than expected.