Deck to hull separation repair

[oliversdad]

Hello,new member here.I recently purchased an '81 O'Day 19 weekender and have been restoring her.There is one issue that has me here asking for some advise.A two foot portion of of the hull and deck joint has become separated along the deck lip.The area is approximately amidship.It looks as if someone attempted a repair with what looks like polyester or epoxy.It is difficult to clamp the deck down completely as you can see a portion of the hull lip behind the deck lip instead of being factory flush.Any suggestions as to how to clean out this joint?It looks to be especially difficult from the interior where access is tight.I'm thinking along the lines of using a sawzall with maybe a carbide bit.Any thoughts?I'm surely not trying to make matters worse!...Also,is 5200 my best bet for this type of repair?

 

[Joe11688]

Hello,new member here.I recently purchased an '81 O'Day 19 weekender and have been restoring her.There is one issue that has me here asking for some advise.A two foot portion of of the hull and deck joint has become separated along the deck lip.The area is approximately amidship.It looks as if someone attempted a repair with what looks like polyester or epoxy.It is difficult to clamp the deck down completely as you can see a portion of the hull lip behind the deck lip instead of being factory flush.Any suggestions as to how to clean out this joint?It looks to be especially difficult from the interior where access is tight.I'm thinking along the lines of using a sawzall with maybe a carbide bit.Any thoughts?I'm surely not trying to make matters worse!...Also,is 5200 my best bet for this type of repair?

Could you can post some pictures of the damaged area?

 

[oliversdad]

I will post pictures asap.

 

[oliversdad]

Here's a picture new boat 002.jpg

 

[Vic H.]

Are you trying to get it clamped back in place or fill the seperation?

Vic H.

Hello,new member here.I recently purchased an '81 O'Day 19 weekender and have been restoring her.There is one issue that has me here asking for some advise.A two foot portion of of the hull and deck joint has become separated along the deck lip.The area is approximately amidship.It looks as if someone attempted a repair with what looks like polyester or epoxy.It is difficult to clamp the deck down completely as you can see a portion of the hull lip behind the deck lip instead of being factory flush.Any suggestions as to how to clean out this joint?It looks to be especially difficult from the interior where access is tight.I'm thinking along the lines of using a sawzall with maybe a carbide bit.Any thoughts?I'm surely not trying to make matters worse!...Also,is 5200 my best bet for this type of repair?

 

[Vic H.]

Does the existing epoxy/polyester repair go all of the way up the "cap" of the deck to hull joint? Inside and out?

Vic H.

 

[Joe11688]

Here's a picture new boat 002.jpg

I'm surprised that there is no gunwale molding over that seam all the way around the boat. What holds the deck to the hull? Are there any screws holding it? I'm really not familiar with this model of O'Day. My O'Day 222 is joined together very similar to your 19 except that they have screws holding the deck to the hull behind the gunwale strip. My gunwale strip is aluminum and there is a rubber insert that fits into the track in that molding with goes right around the boat and both end butt up in the stern. I have pics of it.

 

[oliversdad]

Are you trying to get it clamped back in place or fill the seperation?

Vic H.

I have tried clamping to see if it will return to shape but there is still just a little separation visible, so I think the joint needs some cleaning out.I can pry the joint open slightly from the outside.My concern is the the portion of the joint under the deck that is difficult to access from inside the boat.I need to figure out how to clean out the joint and how to inject appropriate adhesive.

Quite honestly,I'm not positive that there has been a prior repair.Hard to tell by looking at it.Just that I can't get the joint flush makes me think someone tried to goop it up with something.This boat sat for about twenty years and when I found her was full of water.I suspect the damage may have resulted from that water freezing and putting major stresses on the hull.

 

[oliversdad]

Does the existing epoxy/polyester repair go all of the way up the "cap" of the deck to hull joint? Inside and out?

Vic H.

I believe so.

 

[oliversdad]

I'm surprised that there is no gunwale molding over that seam all the way around the boat. What holds the deck to the hull? Are there any screws holding it? I'm really not familiar with this model of O'Day. My O'Day 222 is joined together very similar to your 19 except that they have screws holding the deck to the hull behind the gunwale strip. My gunwale strip is aluminum and there is a rubber insert that fits into the track in that molding with goes right around the boat and both end butt up in the stern. I have pics of it.

Unfortunately Joe,This boat is only bonded together with adhesive.No mechanical fasteners.I know I could screw and use a similar gunwale molding but I'd like to save the original looks and my budget.Thanks for the pictures.Did you do a repair in a similar area where your molding is removed?

 

[Vic H.]

Ouch, tough repair. If your not into perfection, I would carefully pry open crack and remove as much ? as possible. Then I would find out how the factory sealed the joint. I would use same, clamp and fair out the surface. The deck / hull joint maybe permanently distorted and may not come back. If done well, should be structurally sound and look good. Again as always, just my opinion.

Vic H.

 

[Vic H.]

A cheap Grease gun makes a good high pressure injecter! It will pump thick stuff.

 

[Joe11688]

Unfortunately Joe,This boat is only bonded together with adhesive.No mechanical fasteners.I know I could screw and use a similar gunwale molding but I'd like to save the original looks and my budget.Thanks for the pictures.Did you do a repair in a similar area where your molding is removed?

I had a leak coming into the cabin on the Port side and I thought that it was coming from one of the screws in the gunwale. I removed the gunwale strip and cleaned the area and re caulked all the screw holes on that side of the boat. As it turned out, water was coming in through one of the screws holding the toe rail on that side.

I can understand that you just want a good fix without spending a lot of money. I'm going through that very same thing right now.

What I would do in your case is take a couple of pieces of scrap wood and one or two large C clamps and arrange the wood so that you can get a good grab with the C clamps to close it up. If it doesn't close up you may need to get in there with a thin putty knife and clean out whatever is preventing it from closing. It could be some large chunks of adhesive in there. You may need to heat the putty knife blade with a blow torch to loosen the glue. Once you are able to close it up, remove the C clamps and clean out the inside area with Acetone well. Then try to get some of 3-M 5200 in there. Pry it open if you have to in order to get it in there and make sure you get it all the way up inside with a Popsicle stick or putty knife.
Then install the wood and C clamps again and let it set up good. If you're doing this outside you may need to wait for a mild day or you could shine a heat lamp on that area so that the adhesive can set up.

I think that's what I would do for this particular repair. I hate using 5200 on anything, but in this case, you're never going to remove the deck from your hull and 3-M 5200 almost never lets go once it is adhered to something.
I suppose that you could use 3-M 4200 but in this case I'd go for the "Big Kahuna" because you don't want to ever need to do this repair again.
Just think it out carefully before doing anything.

 

[Sunbird22358]

Joe, my DS II is built the same way, it was SOP at O'DAY on the smaller boats (except the MARINER) from 1971 on. That would cover the WIDGEON, JAVELIN, O'DAY 15 (1981-84), DS II, and O'DAY 19. There was no standard rubber/vinyl rubrail to cover the gunwale. The deck was bonded to the hull at the gunwale with a sort-of resin/putty substance. On one side of my boat the seam looks like this 19 does, except better bonded (only a few areas 1" or less have separated a bit). On hte other side, the seam is as much as 3/4" wide in areas.... filled in with that putty stuff. A few years ago I would notice that I had water in the bilge after a good spirited sail.....yet I knew that I had checked the bilge before leaving and found it mostly dry. I finally discovered that chunks of the putty had fallen out and water was seeping in if I dipped the rail while sailing. I used Elastomeric sealant in a caulk gun to fill in the gaps as much as I could. I think any good sealant would work (5200 should make a permanent repair) or maybe a thick epoxy putty. I used the elastomeric sealant figuring it would be more flexible and less likely to chip out again.

If this were on a WIDGEON, I'd say roll the boat over upside down and try to fill the seam with epoxy resin (thickened a bit) and clamp the seam back into alignment....... but obviously that ain't happening with a 19.

My Brother-in-Law's SUNFISH (a 1991 Pearson Small Boats built model) has the same type of hull-deck joint..... and it has a few spots like this too. However, on that boat I was able to do the repair with the boat rolled over.

On the DS II the Hull-Deck joint is bolted together in just one spot on each side....... the chainplates. They are bolted through the area using 2 bolts each (10-32 stainless with "aircraft" nuts, aka nyloc nuts). I have often thought about adding a rubber rubrail (Rudy sells it by the foot) figuring that: A) It would be nice to have a "soft" edge to the boat when rafting to another boat, and B) the screws/bolts that hold the rubrail on would strengthen the hull-deck construction. Lack of $$ has so far stopped me.

I have sketched what these hull-deck joints look like. Next time I visit my boat I'll try to take a few pictures.

 

[Joe11688]

I figure that the 3-M 5200 would adhere it and keep it from popping back up. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to seal as much of the lip as possible to keep the water from coming in. At any rate, I think Rudy would know exactly what they used to bond it back then.

 

[OdayDave]

I'm with Sunbird. Why not consider adding a rub-rail. You could still do the epoxy repair, and then after it sets up, chalk and screw the topside to the hull. That would seem to me to be a more permanent fix, plus now you would have some protection against those nasty docks that jump out and ding the boat from time to time. Just a thought.

Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25

 

[Joe11688]

I'm with Sunbird. Why not consider adding a rub-rail. You could still do the epoxy repair, and then after it sets up, chalk and screw the topside to the hull. That would seem to me to be a more permanent fix, plus now you would have some protection against those nasty docks that jump out and ding the boat from time to time. Just a thought.

Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25

I'm with you and Rod on that Dave, but he says that he doesn't want to put a lot of money into it and he wants to try to keep it the way it came from the factory. Aluminum rub rail is pricey and kind of tricky to install.

I think that what they did on my boat is added the caulking or adhesive where seam comes together and and screwed it on good, then they caulked the screw heads and installed the Aluminum rub rail adding caulking to the screws as they went along. Then they inserted the rubber at the stern.

 

[oliversdad]

Thanks everyone for the helpful advise.I figure getting that joint to close up tight, my toughest task.Then I'll try to squeeze in some 5200.If all this fails the rub rail can be added.Again,Thank you,Barry

 

[geehaw]

Two things to consider 1) I have no idea what the inside is but maybe a metal hamburger turner might get in there to scrape loose particles out. Or 2) a long Allen wrench from outside. Push it up in the joint turn it and use pliers to slide it along. Well both ideas sound doubtful but just some suggestions.

 

[oliversdad]

Two things to consider 1) I have no idea what the inside is but maybe a metal hamburger turner might get in there to scrape loose particles out. Or 2) a long Allen wrench from outside. Push it up in the joint turn it and use pliers to slide it along. Well both ideas sound doubtful but just some suggestions.

Thanks Geehaw,You just reminded me of a cake decorating utensil that is long and tough.I have used it to remove Granite counters from cabinets.Thinking I can glue sandpaper to each side to make an ultra thin rasp.That might be just the "tool" to reach crevice from the inside of the boat.