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Michel
St-Eustache
Boat Name: AWAY
Model/Year: 1975
Hull No. CTYH5560775
Hailing Port: Two Montains lake |
 02/28/2008 7:40 AM Pacific Time
is the cabin top made with foam ,balsa wood , or marine plywood, i need to do some repairs were the stepping mast plate is and was wondering if i should cut the outer skin or inject epoxy to give it strength.
Thanks
Michael |
Michel
St-Eustache
Boat Name: AWAY
Model/Year: 1975
Hull No. CTYH5560775
Hailing Port: Two Montains lake |
03/18/2008 10:08 PM Pacific Time
don't bother i found out it was plywood |
Scott
Portland, OR
Boat Name: Promiseland
Model/Year: C22 Swing Keel/1985
Hull No. 12982
Hailing Port: Tomahawk Bay, Portland OR |
03/19/2008 9:19 AM Pacific Time
I have a 1985 C22 and I had to repair some very bad core rot under my mast step plate over the cabin. It was so bad my mast step plate would wiggle. The cabin is cored with marine plywood, but it's not a solid sandwich of laminate around the core except just under the mast step plate. I'm not sure about the area over the forward berth.
Forward of the mast step plate and to the point of the cabin where it slopes down to meet the forward deck, there is a great deal of space between the top layer of laminate and the core. The core is sealed in resin, but there is a large void above the core . If you try to inject epoxy in this area you will go through buckets of the stuff to fill up this void.
If you suspect core rot, it's better to cut out the rotten core and replace it with epoxy, then either re-lay it up with epoxy and a suitable cloth, or if you can, save the old deck skin you cut off and epoxy it back into place and repair the cut line.
Don Casey's book called "Sailboat Hull and Deck Repair" does a very good job of walking you through this type of repair step by step.
I had no experience doing this and I was able to cut my deck skin, pry and pull it off, literally scoop out the rotten core with a spoon, let the remaining core dry, then poured epoxy to replace the scooped out rotten core. To avoid having to fill in the entire void under the deck skin with epoxy I mixed up a batch of thickened epoxy, to a consistency of peanut butter. I used a putty knife to place the thick epoxy in a manner to create a "reservior" around the area I needed to completely fill with epoxy. After this cured, I just poured liquid epoxy into the reservoir, in lifts so it didn't get to hot while it cured. Once the epoxy was cured to the depth I needed it, I layed it up with epoxy and cloth, let that cure. Added one more thin layer of epoxy, let that cure and painted with a non-skid paint. It turned out very well and my mast plate doesn't budge now.
My rot was caused by a previous owner that drilled all kinds of holes through my deck for various blocks and deck organizers but didn't over drill them and wet them out with epoxy first to prevent water from soaking into the core when the fittings started leaking. In fact the previous owner installed a lot of hardware by just using lag screws drilled right into the deck and core then just dropped a dab of 4200 under the screw head. Now I have hours of work over the next few years, as I can get to it, pulling deck hardware, fixing little spots of rot, and properly re-installing the hardware.
This was probably way more than you asked for but in summary, this kind of work is not difficult, it's time consuming as epoxy takes 8-hours to cure, but with Don Casey's Book, some patience, and the right tools you should have no problem. |
Michel
St-Eustache
Boat Name: AWAY
Model/Year: 1975
Hull No. CTYH5560775
Hailing Port: Two Montains lake |
04/28/2008 6:08 AM Pacific Time
hi Scott,
I thank you so much for the info i just got the book you mention and indeed it is very well explain, i have to take the outter skin out and replace it cause the wood is rotten, my problem will be to give the original curve to the cabin top, about the mast step how did you attach it, with the lag screw and machine bolt or did you made some insert and glass it over, am not sure if i should have some weldment done like on the swing keel to attach the mast step.
Thank again
Michel |
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