Deck Delamination Repair

[Allen Bacque]

I have recently purchased a 1972 Catalina 22 with a delaminated deck. My brother (who builds boats) and I plan to cut out the inner deck in one piece, remove it and clean out the balsa (?). The question is what material do we use to put back inbetween the two glass layers and what type of adhesive to use. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, will Catalina share this type of information? I attempted to send them an email and it did not go through. Thanks for the help.abacque@bellsouth.net

 

[LaDonna Bubak - Planet Catalina]

How badly is it delaminated?

If it's just a small area, you can just drill several holes & squirt a bunch of epoxy in there (once the balsa is dry), thus avoiding cutting up the deck. If it's a huge section...ouch! You should go to your nearest West Marine & buy the Gudgeon Bros. guide to using their West Systems Epoxy. This covers the whole gamut of boat repair. You might even be able to find them on the web & order it from them directly (I think it's only about $5 or so). Catalina might have some suggestions on what to use to replace the filler. You should call them directly. Have fun!

 

[Tom]

Deck Repair

I have not done this type of deck repair myself but from what I have read/seen epoxy seems to be the most common. There are two way to go about "recoring" a deck, drill holes in the deck and "pump" in epoxy or remove the interior liner and replace from below. I would think the inside method would be best. You will have to paint the deck if done from the outside. Also you should be able to replace some of the wood which translates into saving a large quanitity of $$$$$ epoxy. Check with Catalina. I'm sure they can tell you the amount/size of the material in the deck and what method to use. Catalina's web site is listed under "links" here in the main menu. Whatever you do, lets us know what happens. I'm sure a lot of people would be interested in how you make out (I know I would be).

 

[Ted]

I used "Git-Rot" . . .

If there is a limited area, you can use "Git - Rot", it is a pentrating epoxy. FYI - the deck core is plywood.Regards,Ted