I guess there has to be an each individual boat fix, a good enough fix.
Then there's ebb's way.
Water gets in obviously thru the laminate.
Thru stupid everetts like we've just seen with the gudgeon fastenings entering and going thru the interior OPEN SPACE of the keel.
AND 'intrusion' like all other water that gets in from above.
Water is going to go to the lowest point, no matter what.
Water is the UNIVERSAL SOLVENT. Boaters know that.
There's no film, caulk, sealant, adhesive or FOAM that will keep the water out.
I believe what you are doing is the correct solution. If you have integrity in the laminate in the keel area, great! I might just paint in waterproofing with some super garage floor polyurethane rubber type stuff. The kind that advertise themselves as water blockers. Not over foam.
Adding a layer of 6oz fiberglass to the outside crazed gelcoat is good too. The cloth is added to create thickness for your barrier. Put on in the hollow of the bilge it is easy to make the reinforcement disappear with fillers and fairing.
My gut feeling that if you want strength too, it's better - but MUCH more awkward - to add it inside.
I don't see how a fix can be freehanded with fouled foam in place.
338's heel fitting was attached to crumpled glass and crystallized plastic. Only two pins/bolts were thru something 'solid' - and that solid was pure no glass polyester resin - from the factory! It's a bad place down there to get good lamination - with correct fabric to resin ratio.
Anybody's Ariel/Commander has to keep this in mind when upgrading. But that's another thread.
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