I am beginning repairs on my 87's mast step because it was showing many cracks through what appears to be a bunch of gel coat slathered on the area by the PO. After sanding away the gel coat, I encountered some dark filler along the flanks of the step.
My question is, is that material original, or was that part of the crummy repair by the PO?
I cannot detect any flex or rot in the deck. When tapped with a hard wood mallet, it sounds the same everywhere. I cannot detect any give at all when I put my 200 lb weight on one foot anywhere on that area of the boat. After cleaning the hole where the deck socket for the mast wiring was, it walls of the hole seem quite sound. My plan is to grind out the cracks, coat the area first with low viscosity Maas epoxy, then layup a few layers of glass over the area, and finish with some gel coat. I will also pot all the holes and redrill them. See the photos below showing what it looked like before, then what I uncovered by sanding. What do y'all think?
My question is, is that material original, or was that part of the crummy repair by the PO?
I cannot detect any flex or rot in the deck. When tapped with a hard wood mallet, it sounds the same everywhere. I cannot detect any give at all when I put my 200 lb weight on one foot anywhere on that area of the boat. After cleaning the hole where the deck socket for the mast wiring was, it walls of the hole seem quite sound. My plan is to grind out the cracks, coat the area first with low viscosity Maas epoxy, then layup a few layers of glass over the area, and finish with some gel coat. I will also pot all the holes and redrill them. See the photos below showing what it looked like before, then what I uncovered by sanding. What do y'all think?
