1980 Hunter 25 - Replacing the Cabin Sole/Floor

[JLeCompte]

I'm looking to remove the cabin sole/floor so that I can get a much better glimpse of the structural support and bilge area, and replace it with feax teak or some other material with removable hatches to expose the bilge as necessary.

My concern/question is that the sole/floor appears to be part of a giant inner fiberglass mold. I didn't know if it was wise to try and cut it out. Has anyone ever removed/cut out this fiberglass sole to replace it with another flooring type?

I've attached a couple of photos showing the attachment points at the bilge, as well as an overall picture of the floor.

This is my first sailboat, so any and all advice would be much appreciated!

 

[Ed Schenck]

H25 owners will know better but it appears that your sole is similar to my H37C. That it is structural, part of the inner hull. My boat came with a plywood covering, marine plywood with a teak and holly veneer. I have seen pictures where an owner has removed it. I have removed some of mine. It looks like yours. Why would you want to remove solid fiberglass? Even if it is not part of the hull why not just cover it?

 

[JLeCompte]

I have concerns after looking at the 2x4 that runs horizontal across the bilge. I want to check out the status/shape of other wood supports under the floor, but I can't currently due to the molded floor.

 

[Dennis Kitchen]

Hi JLeCompte
I am rebuilding an '83 Hunter 25. Currently I am working on the floor. You can see a previous post on my progress here: https://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/replacing-floor-timbers-in-h25.181002/
I have recently completed fabricating new floor timbers and today I glassed one in.
I thought about making a mahogany grate floor but then realized that with the shallow bilges water could come on top of the floor when heeled so I have elected to bond the original floor back down.
Dennis

 

[JLeCompte]

Thank you for the photos, Dennis! Zooming in on your 2nd photo, did you cut away the sole/mold under the “step” going forward into the head so that you could access/replace that wood?

Any tips/best practices you could share from your experience for cutting that whole section of the mold out in such a manner that I could just put it back down afterwards?

 

[Dennis Kitchen]

Thank you for the photos, Dennis! Zooming in on your 2nd photo, did you cut away the sole/mold under the “step” going forward into the head so that you could access/replace that wood?

Any tips/best practices you could share from your experience for cutting that whole section of the mold out in such a manner that I could just put it back down afterwards?

The area you are discussing is the mast compression area of the floor which picks up loads from the mast and transfers it to the keel support area of the floor. The fiberglass you can see that I cut out and then re-laminated to the beam is part of the floor pan/hull liner. It will be bonded to the floor beam to some degree depending on how the work was performed at the factory and the degree of any rot in the wood. A resin mush was used that is really hard when cured. I used a vibrating saw and a drill with a large bit to remove the rotted timber and resin. If I had to do it again I might have cut inside the lavatory floor pan and across the end of the toilet pan so that I had better access for rebuilding, instead of just cutting the face of the step area off. You'll need an angle grinder as well with a 30-40 grit sanding disc.
There is a portion of fiberglass web floor behind the beam. If you have a drain in the lavatory floor you can look aft in it and see it. I strengthened and extended this as well all across the bilge area which was hard to do with the limited access. Whatever you decide, you'll have to be able to re-flange and re-bond securely whatever fiberglass you remove for strength and finish. Try to save the pieces to reuse so you have the same form and location. Also, be prepared to build to the shapes that you have, probably nothing will be symmetrical.
Good luck!
Dennis

 

[Db421]

Interested in what both of you are doing. I'm having some trouble with the keel bolts on my'83 '25 and may need to pull the floor and drop the keel. Dennis, I've been following your refit foe quite a while and know you dropped the keel. I would rather stick needles in my eyes than drop it, but I'm getting a smile in the aft section of the keel (shoal draft) and taking on some water when I heel past about 12 degrees. Not fast enough to witness, just that I notice an inch or two in the bilge at the end of the day. I'm hoping that when I pull the boat I can torque the bolts after raking out the smile and filling with 5200 or some such but I'm not sure if I'll run the chance of breaking a bolt. They look clean but I've heard that Stainless can corrode from th einside and leave no warning signs. Also, these are slightly magnetic so they may have some carbon in them (NOT 316 SS). I've been looking forward to seeing how you finish re-inserting the floor and how you will fair the joint where you made the cut. BTW, nice refit, looks terrrific.
JLecompte: I'm also interested in the removable hatches. Keep posting your progress!

 

[dLj]

Also, these are slightly magnetic so they may have some carbon in them (NOT 316 SS).

Slightly magnetic does NOT mean they are not 316 SS. All of the austenitic stainless steels (includes 304, 316 and more) will become magnetic if they are cold worked. Bolts are often made through rolling dies, which imparts a certain amount of cold work into them and hence will be magnetic.

dj

 

[Db421]

Good to know DLJ, Thanks!