> Today I took my Coho out with a friend, and as he was showing me a new way
> to re-enter the boat he jumped on the bow just fore of the front bulkhead
> and bounced his way aft into the cockpit. After he got out I noticed what
> looked like a small tear around the top shear seam, about 1.5 inches fore
> of the front bulkhead. Not along the seam, but nearly perpendicular to it
> and cutting across the seam, about .75 inches long.

> Color was lighter yellow than the varnished deck and it looked like a tear
> in the cloth. The area was raised slightly, but the tear didn't actually
> break the surface -- just made a small bump, and it remained watertight.
> Underside I couldn't see any damage -- the tape along the seam seemed
> intact. Someone said, "Your cloth looks like it's lifted off the
> wood."

> Anyone have a suggestion on how to repair this? I was thinking of just
> reinforcing the spot from below with couple of layers of glass tape. We
> won't be re-entering from the front any more, I don't think.

Try the method I used for filling air bubbles. Drill two tiny holes in the glass at the damaged spot, one high, one low. With a syringe, inject epoxy into the lower hole till it comes out the upper hole. This should reglue it and keep air out. Clamp it if you can. If not, put plastic wrap over it and a smooth flat weight. I would also reinforce it from below.

Mike