Hull construction

[Bob]

I have a 1986 Cat. 30 and plan to do some fiberglass work in preparation for the spring.Can anyone tell me what the hull construction is? ie: Balsa core etc.Also, I want to mount stereo speakers in the cockpit but hesitate to create holes. I was thinking of mounting two flush mounts which would each require a hole of approx. 4 inches in diam. Any comments or suggestions on location.

 

[Joe Luciano]

Speaker Installation

Not sure about the hull itself, but the deck has a plywood core, fairly thick. I cut a hole in mine to install my heater stack. It's always nerve-racking to cut a hole in your boat.I'd be interested in what you decide for speakers in the cockpit. I've been debating on doing a similar thing. I have mounted 2 surface units down below that work great, but I want to add two in the cockpit. Poly planar makes a marine grade speaker that mounts through a 4 inch hole and is only 1 inch deep. On the cockpit side it only protrudes about 1/2" and looks to be a neat installation. I've thought about mounting them right through the bulkhead if there is 1" of depth there. Haven't done much more than that. Please post your results and how it worked out. Good luck!!

 

[R.W.Landau]

coat the hole

It is best that when you cut a hole in fiberglass, with or with out a core, to coat the exposed area (sides of the hole) with polyester resin or epoxy. This will seal the exposed fiberglass ends and the core from wicking water into the laminate. For small holes if there is a core and it is a structural connection ( cleat,etc) redrill the hole a bit over sized,hollow out the core in between the fiberglass layers and fill with polyester resin or epoxy then redrill the hole. This removes the variables of the core flexing and keeping water tight and strong connections. You should look at a reference book prior to doing this to get some details.r.w.landau

 

[John Gajdos]

What do you think about running the speaker wires to the stash boxes on each side of the cockpit and mounting the speakers there. You lose some room but can mount the speakers over the holes made by the factory.

 

[Bob Stephens]

Mounting speakers

I have a Catalina 36 with speakers mounted low in the aft cockpit lockers. I'm very dissatisfied with the sound quality. I had speakers mounted on the stern rail of my Catalina 30 and thought they had better sound. It's more work but in my opinion worth it ! Also no holes!

 

[Bob]

Thanks

Thanks to everyone for my question about mounting speakers. I really do hesitate to cut holes in the cockpit since I am not at all convinced that the speakers would prevent water from coming in even if they are well sealed. I am leaning to to the idea of mounting them in the stash boxes or on the stern rail.