Cockpit Sole

[hhcribbs]

Good day all! I will try to keep this short with a few observations and questions.

History: we recently purchased a 1980 Hunter 27'. The cockpit sole was replaced by the PO due to delamination.

1. In the rear starboard area a portion (2" x 1/2") of the glass mat is exposed to air. Is this just a re-epoxy situation or is there more involved to prep it for finish work?

2. The main sole is about 36" x 24" and demonstrates some springy feel. Is this an indicator that I need to run stringers?

3. Most of the epoxy on the sole is bare, there was a very bad paint job attempted at one time. Do I need to do a 2 part paint, or just a good cleaning/prep job and a 1 part paint to cover the epoxy?

Thanks ahead of time for all the collective knowledge. We are trying to DIY as much as possible while leaving time to sail her and let the kids play on her.

Have a great week!

Howard

 

[Eric M]

Howard,

I would recommend you address the springy issue before worrying about the paint. Otherwise you will likely find whatever paint you put on cracking when it get stressed. If you can access the back side of the cockpit floor you could glass stringer in there to stiffen it up. If not, your best option would likely be to epoxy in place a layer of plywood to the floor, and then glass over top of that to create a sandwich of wood between two layers of glass.
With all of these project, surface prep is key. You need a good clean surface for either epoxy or paint to adhere to.
I am a fan of West Systems epoxy. It is not the cheapest stuff out there, but their technical support is incredible and the guides available for their products will ensure you get the job done right.
Good Luck,
--Eric

 

[RichH]

2. The main sole is about 36" x 24" and demonstrates some springy feel. Is this an indicator that I need to run stringers?
*** Maybe stringers, but better to find out IF there is ROT ..... drill into the sole from underneath using a 1/16" drill bit in several places .... if there is no 'dark' in the drillings you can be pretty sure there is no rot in the 'core'.

3. Most of the epoxy on the sole is bare, there was a very bad paint job attempted at one time. Do I need to do a 2 part paint, or just a good cleaning/prep job and a 1 part paint to cover the epoxy?
*** 2 part will better withstand the abrasion.

 

[Ross]

most epoxies cure with blush that must be washed away with soap and water before any other finishing.

 

[rardiH36]

Congrats on your new boat. Lot's of info on your model on the Cherubini forum portion of this website. Suggest that you also copy your post on the Cherubini forum. Also do a search of the Cherubini archives.

As yours, my 1980 Cherubini Hunter cockpit sole was spongy when I bought the boat. And the pedestal and grab bar would sway few inches when pushed/pulled from side to side. I removed all all the steering components and then neatly cut away the top skin at the non-skid/smooth interface. Peeling it off not an easy task, I found that the core was 3/4" green plywood (so probably pressure-treated to resist rot). Wood itself was in solid and hard and was still firmly adhered to the top and bottom fiberglass skins. What had happened is the plywood layers themselves had delaminated due to the swelling effect constant moisture intrution.

Do you know "how" the PO replaced the sole? The rigidity is acheived by a strong bond of the top and bottom skins to the core and that the core is sound. If the PO didn't really fix correctly, stringers or other stiffeners from underneath may help, but won't resolve. If the core and bond is solid, yes the size of the area might allow some give. The area is small enough that just epoxying/screwing stiff piece of wood to the bottom skin will firm things up.

Another thought. The cored area of the cockpit 24"x36"sole is probably isolated. Any problems inside won't migrate to other areas of the boat. How bad is the sponginess? If you are using the boat for just day sailing, could you live with the condition? Postpone repairing for a long while? One consideration however is the pedestal itself. (that is if you don't have tiller steering). If tightening the pedestal's anchor bolts/nuts keeps compressing the thickness of the sandwich and/or the free play is excessive, then the tension and alignment of the steering cable to the quadrant could be difficult to maintain ... and possibly a safety concern.

 

[druid]

Ya know what I bet? I bet the PO "replaced" the sole with inadequate (or NO) plywood - just made it up with fibreglass. Like Rich said: drill a few exploratory holes to see what's been done: if the wood is sound, add another layer (say, 1/2" ply totally encapsulated with epoxy, then covered with gelcoat).

Sounds like the job was not well done - either the plywood was inadequate or not properly encapsulated and is already rotten. Eek - bad fix is worse than no fix!

druid