Fixing the Hull to Deck Joint

[fretz]

My 1976 mariner is seperating at the hull to deck joint. there is a horizontal flange on the hull and deck that is stapled together and covered by a rubrail. My boat is dry stored and launched via a crane for a weekly racing series. The rail gets caught on the docks the seawall and other boats. We are all careful but it only takes a second for a wave to rock the boat and get the rail caught on the dock. All the mariners in our fleet have some sort of rail damage. I'd like to cut the flange off compleatly and seal the joint with epoky and tape for a more modern smooth appearance. i feel this will prevent the boat from hanging up and fracturing in the future. I'm thinking 3-4 layers of tape should do it on the outside with 2 layers on the inside where i have access. Any advice?i am not sure what would be better, paint or gel coat to cover the repair when im done. I dont think I'm going to have any protection for the hull just fenders.I've used your products to replace a powerboat transom, replace the wood core under the mast on the mariner and restore 2 wood boats. I can vouch for your quality and ease of use of the west system. this project is not covered in any of your books so i could use some guidance.ThanksChris Fretz

 

[Bruce Niederer]

Deck joint modification

To make this modification I have a couple comments. I would recommend using our 727 15 oz. biaxial tape or equivalent and start on the inside before grinding off the flange on the outside to secure the joint. Sand the bonding surfaces fairly agressively to expose clean, fresh laminate and try to create a 'trough' similar to a drywall joint to laminate the glass tape into. Once the inside is secure you can move to the outside and grind off the flange, sand again with the same goal in mind of creating the trough. If there is a gap now that you've done this, fill it with thickened epoxy (use 406 or 403 here)then apply the biaxial tape laminations. I don't know how many layers of tape would be sufficient, and your plan with 2 layers inside and 3-4 outside sounds reasonable, but you might want to run the idea past someone with engineering experience first.As for finishing, use a low density filler to create a fairing putty and follow common fairing practices. Gelcoat or paint? I'm betting you'll have had enough of sanding by this time, so priming and painting will be alot less work. Applying gelcoat for repairs requires alot of sanding to get the finish the factory gets because that gelcoat comes out of the mold finished.