Does anyone know the core thickness of the side decks and cockpit floor on a 37 cutter? I need to do a re-core in both areas and would like to buy the balsa core in advance of going to the boat. Would like to hear from anyone who has done either of these tasks as well. Many thanks, Marc
37C Core thickness
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On my boat...
...which is a 1983 H37C, the times I've have cut in to the side deck, fore deck and cabin top near the mast with a hole saw, it has always been 3/4" and it appears to be plywood, not end-grain balsa. Ditto for the cabin trunk (sides) when I installed new ports. Good luck (and post pictures!) Jim Legere
...which is a 1983 H37C, the times I've have cut in to the side deck, fore deck and cabin top near the mast with a hole saw, it has always been 3/4" and it appears to be plywood, not end-grain balsa. Ditto for the cabin trunk (sides) when I installed new ports. Good luck (and post pictures!) Jim Legere
Core Material
If you use plywood it should work just as well (or better) then end grain balsa... But it will also be about 20 times less expensive.
If you use plywood it should work just as well (or better) then end grain balsa... But it will also be about 20 times less expensive.
Good advice
I agree with Ron about marine plywood, and I think it would be stronger (particularly important in the cockpit floor). And, Jim is right about the sides. I did my ports as well, and found marine ply inside. Small areas needing repair can be done by drilling and injecting West Systems, which is what I did around the ports and on an old power boat I had that needed the deck reinforced... Check out the "how to do fiberglass" booklet at WM. I think it was about $3 and had a world of good info on repair projects. Good luck... S.
I agree with Ron about marine plywood, and I think it would be stronger (particularly important in the cockpit floor). And, Jim is right about the sides. I did my ports as well, and found marine ply inside. Small areas needing repair can be done by drilling and injecting West Systems, which is what I did around the ports and on an old power boat I had that needed the deck reinforced... Check out the "how to do fiberglass" booklet at WM. I think it was about $3 and had a world of good info on repair projects. Good luck... S.
Plywood Cockpit Core in Cherubini 1980 H36
Dear Sailtip: I did repair this past summer the cockpit sole section under/around the pedestal of my 1980 Cherubini H36. The core was a mosaic of individual plywood squares. The plywood itself was not rotted and was still firmly attached to the upper and lower fiberglass skins. But probably because of years of H20 ingress, the glue holding the plywood layers together had failed. Took several hours with a sharp wood chisel/hammer and then an orbital sander/grinder to get the all plywood off of the fiberglass. I'm a newbie to sailboat maintenance, so best to make your own assessment about the following which is how I went about my repair. I'm sure that others have better methods, but maybe you can find some nuggets of info that might help. I don't know if the Cherubini 37 cockpit sole is constructed similar to the Cherubini 36. On my 36, after removing the pedestal and other mounted hardware from the sole, I used a cutting bit on my dremel tool to neatly cut around the top layer of fiberglass at the interface of the non-skid and smooth surface. Then I was able to peel off the top section... (didn't come off easy). Cutting out the bottom from the limited space underneath the cockpit floor seemed just too difficult. I removed all the old plywood core and roughed up the new mating surfaces. I put duct tape over the holes into which the pedestal and grab rail bolts went, both on the top and bottom skins. Maybe not necessary, but from underneath, I attached several long/straight 2x4's using deck screws through the wood into the lower fiberglass skin. I did this to bring the lower skin to a reasonably flat condition since the pedestal and steering sheaves are mounted in this area. I cut off the portion of the screws that protruded up through the fiberglass. Later, after the epoxy work had been completed, from the bottom I was able remove the screws and then the 2x4's. I drilled lots of 1/2" holes in the replacement wood. Then I flooded the bottom with West Systems epoxy and layed in the new wood. Pressed it down until epoxy oozed up through the holes. Then flooded over the wood with more epoxy. Then brushed a layer of epoxy to the underside of the top skin to wet it. Then layed and centered the top skin on. Jiggled it around for a while so the epoxy would flow and adhere. An issue was deciding how much expoxy was needed to flood the space so that all plywood/fiberglass would be mated everywhere, but that lots expoxy wouldn't ooze out. The fact that the boat was not completely level also complicated. I put heavy stuff on the top skin to keep it compressed and level on the new core. After the expoxy had set up, but was not yet rock hard, I shaved back the high spots that had oozed out. I found that having some syringes on hand was useful to neatly fill the gaps where epoxy had not filled to the top. Since the orignal cut to remove the top was at the smooth/non-skid interface, and with careful shaving the excess epoxy, and sanding with a small block, and with two-part polyurethane paint to finish it all off, the repair is not readily noticeable. One item that I would vary if I ever do this repair again (hope not), is that I should have made the core area around the pedestal maybe about 1/8" thicker than at the edges of the repair area. After a rain or washdown, I have noted a small 1/16" deep puddle in the center around part of the pedestal base. If the center thickness hd been bowed up a bit, the water would run off and into the cockpit drain. regards, Rardi
Dear Sailtip: I did repair this past summer the cockpit sole section under/around the pedestal of my 1980 Cherubini H36. The core was a mosaic of individual plywood squares. The plywood itself was not rotted and was still firmly attached to the upper and lower fiberglass skins. But probably because of years of H20 ingress, the glue holding the plywood layers together had failed. Took several hours with a sharp wood chisel/hammer and then an orbital sander/grinder to get the all plywood off of the fiberglass. I'm a newbie to sailboat maintenance, so best to make your own assessment about the following which is how I went about my repair. I'm sure that others have better methods, but maybe you can find some nuggets of info that might help. I don't know if the Cherubini 37 cockpit sole is constructed similar to the Cherubini 36. On my 36, after removing the pedestal and other mounted hardware from the sole, I used a cutting bit on my dremel tool to neatly cut around the top layer of fiberglass at the interface of the non-skid and smooth surface. Then I was able to peel off the top section... (didn't come off easy). Cutting out the bottom from the limited space underneath the cockpit floor seemed just too difficult. I removed all the old plywood core and roughed up the new mating surfaces. I put duct tape over the holes into which the pedestal and grab rail bolts went, both on the top and bottom skins. Maybe not necessary, but from underneath, I attached several long/straight 2x4's using deck screws through the wood into the lower fiberglass skin. I did this to bring the lower skin to a reasonably flat condition since the pedestal and steering sheaves are mounted in this area. I cut off the portion of the screws that protruded up through the fiberglass. Later, after the epoxy work had been completed, from the bottom I was able remove the screws and then the 2x4's. I drilled lots of 1/2" holes in the replacement wood. Then I flooded the bottom with West Systems epoxy and layed in the new wood. Pressed it down until epoxy oozed up through the holes. Then flooded over the wood with more epoxy. Then brushed a layer of epoxy to the underside of the top skin to wet it. Then layed and centered the top skin on. Jiggled it around for a while so the epoxy would flow and adhere. An issue was deciding how much expoxy was needed to flood the space so that all plywood/fiberglass would be mated everywhere, but that lots expoxy wouldn't ooze out. The fact that the boat was not completely level also complicated. I put heavy stuff on the top skin to keep it compressed and level on the new core. After the expoxy had set up, but was not yet rock hard, I shaved back the high spots that had oozed out. I found that having some syringes on hand was useful to neatly fill the gaps where epoxy had not filled to the top. Since the orignal cut to remove the top was at the smooth/non-skid interface, and with careful shaving the excess epoxy, and sanding with a small block, and with two-part polyurethane paint to finish it all off, the repair is not readily noticeable. One item that I would vary if I ever do this repair again (hope not), is that I should have made the core area around the pedestal maybe about 1/8" thicker than at the edges of the repair area. After a rain or washdown, I have noted a small 1/16" deep puddle in the center around part of the pedestal base. If the center thickness hd been bowed up a bit, the water would run off and into the cockpit drain. regards, Rardi
Just got back from putting in a few new ports
Just happened to have taken this over the weekend as I replaced two port on my H37C. See previous post Mark Price Illusion H37C
Just happened to have taken this over the weekend as I replaced two port on my H37C. See previous post Mark Price Illusion H37C
Structural or Not.?????
I also have a cockpit with a spongy sole, from what I can see this has not lead to any fracturing/stressing of the glass in the cockpit area and I wonder if this is a tactile issue or if it can turn into a structural problem. I was considering making a teak cockpit grate for 1) looks, 2) for those instances when my feet notice the sponginess and 3) to save cutting out the sole and giving more time for sailing. FYI the sole does not feel like a trampoline just a disconcerting feeling in places. Robert Artemis H37c
I also have a cockpit with a spongy sole, from what I can see this has not lead to any fracturing/stressing of the glass in the cockpit area and I wonder if this is a tactile issue or if it can turn into a structural problem. I was considering making a teak cockpit grate for 1) looks, 2) for those instances when my feet notice the sponginess and 3) to save cutting out the sole and giving more time for sailing. FYI the sole does not feel like a trampoline just a disconcerting feeling in places. Robert Artemis H37c
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