H49/H50 Cockpit Steering Quadrant Cover

macdu · Jan 31, 2022

Hi Had the same issue — the brown stains started while in Central and South America. I completely cut the FG bottom out of it and tossed that it was all FG mat. I then removed all of the remaining wood. Once cleaned right out I glassed it using epoxy resin. Many many layers - a bit of work but it’s stiff, no issues, no chance of rot. It’s not really heavy especially compared to when it was full of wet balsa.

macdu · Jan 31, 2022

Did the wings as well - laid new fiberglass wing to wing, did it all. Another thing I did was fill the screw holes in the deck below this piece screws into. This piece just sits in place now no screws are really needed - it never really moves it not going anywhere. Did not see the need of holes in the deck below this and yet another source of water intrusion.

Georgedoyle · Jan 31, 2022

We had the same problem when we bought our boat. It was very simple to fix. We removed the piece and cut a bunch of five inch holes in the back. The balsa was so soft that it was easy to dig out the old material. After blasting it with water and scrubbing it clean, we cut some oak stringers 2 inches wide and forced them through the holes into the void. We epoxied the wood first. Then we slipped a hardwood circle into he space where the inspection port was originally installed and filled all of the voids with epoxy. Later, we recut the hole for the inspection port and installed the plastic. Now the screws were going into hardwood and not balsa. The finished product is perfect. Looks the same as before, but there is no flex and any water ingress will be met with epoxy encapsulated hardwood. My idea was to remove the punky wood and replace it with something much stiffer and more durable without compromising the integrity of the original piece. It only took a few hours of work after gathering the necessary supplies. On a side note, I think this soft spot in the cockpit helped us get a really good deal on our boat. The fact that it was not structural was lost on most prospective buyers. The boat was also listed as having the 75 hp engine when it actually had the 110 hp. Two major gaffs on the part of the listing agent.

artboas · Feb 1, 2022

T J Furstenau said:
For those that have, or have been on, a H49/H50, you're probably aware of the rear part of the cockpit that is at the gate entrance, between the wheels, that covers the area where the steering quadrant is. Ours, like I'm assuming everyone else's, has a large round hole cut into it with a Beckson cover mounted, to allow access to the top of the rudder post for the emergency tiller.

Well, unfortunately for me, I noticed last summer that the floor there was a little soft, and upon removal of the cover (not just the screw out part, but the trim as well, found that when the hole was cut, the plywood core was not sealed, nor was the trim, or the screws, or . . . you get the idea. I had also noticed after heavy rain (or a cockpit wash) that the water running out from under the cover was brown - not good. So, I know I have some rotting plywood - great winter project.

I brought the whole platform home last fall, put it in an enclosed heated/dehumidified room for the last 3 months, and started yesterday seeing what I had to deal with. My plan was to cut the fiberglass off the back of the platform to get to the wood. See how far the water intrusion had gotten and what wood had rotted, and start fixing it. The thought was to cut as big as I could in the flat area (so as to only have to deal with one piece), take rotten ply out, replace with new epoxy sealed ply, put the back back on, and then epoxy and fiberglass it all back together. And I'll admit, I was a bit surprised with what I found. The water (and damaged ply) was NOT just around the access hole, but had spread out thru most of the platform. And I guess the biggest surprise to me - the ply was not a single big sheet, but consisted of multiple pieces of 2"x4" plywood cutoffs epoxied into place. Not positive if that facilitated the capillary action of water, but it certainly couldn't help. And while I assumed that the ply would have offered some structural support, that's not going to happen with all of the cutoffs.

So, the plan stays the same - clean out the old/bad wood, replace with a new single plywood panel sealed with epoxy, and then epoxy and fiberglass the whole assembly back together. With ALL of that said, I guess part of this was to vent on what I consider somewhat shoddy workmanship, part to warn other owners to take a look before you run get to the mess that I've found, and then finally to see if anyone else has made the same discovery that I did?

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T J

That’s a little frightening.
I noticed the same brown stains, and the Fiberglas was totally spongey to walk on.
Took the unit out for the winter, and I found an incredibly easy way to fix the whole thing perfectly in less then an hour,

I took it to a professional yard.
1/2 hour driving there… 1/2 hour back.

Hunter was still in business at this time building the AC 50. So, the most logical thing to do was buy a replacement, and put it into my storage locker inventory where I have everything except a replacement mast.
Like everything else that Hunter & Eddie Breeden did for me, they took care of this very reasonably .

I ended up changing it over about 3 years later, and then did “The crazy upgrade”, which I’ll be publishing shortly.

SEMPERAVANTI41 · Feb 1, 2022

I have noticed slight sponginess on my boat to the rear platform. But I have not seen any trace of the brown water. Is it possible that Hunter fixed this issue on the Hunter 50?
I also replaced the plastic access cover with one made of stainless steel when I first got the boat in 2015. I am not a lightweight, and I was concerned that I would put my foot right thru the plastic cover when going in a hurry from one helm to the other.

Georgedoyle · Feb 1, 2022

You’ll know if you are at risk for the problem if you see end grain balsa when you remove the inspection port. Water will work it’s way down into the balsa through the screws which are screwed into the balsa. Any water that gets under the silicon around the port will also seep into the balsa. They should have used a piece of hardwood or solid fiberglass in the inspection port area.

Rick D · Feb 1, 2022

A friend had the same issue. It was professionally repaired.

Rich Stidger · Feb 1, 2022

Back in 2016 I had a saturated line organizer cover on my deck. See this link:

https://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/h40-5-

line-organizer-repair.179429/#post-1299033

Despite my anticipation of repairing with plywood blocks, I actually used 1/4" structural foam from Jamestown Distributors and layered it with West System epoxy. The end result was a very strong cover that can be walked upon and it is very light to handle. I have looked for the photo essay that I wrote showing the steps involved, but it must be my desktop computer and not the laptop I have with me now.

I would not replace the core with wood as you are thinking. After working with the foam, I am convinced that is the way to go. I should be able to find my file if you want more info, and I am certain that I can find the particular foam that I used.

SEMPERAVANTI41 · Feb 2, 2022

Take a look at "Marine how to". Perhaps all you need is butyl. You could also drill holes and fill with epoxy to give screws something to really bite into.

artboas · Feb 2, 2022

T J Furstenau said:
Another Art "Crazy Upgrade"? I can't keep up with you! Now I'm sitting here wondering - do I finish what I started? Or do I wait to see what Art did and try to keep up with him?!? Looking forward to your input as always.

So Art, if I track correctly, the first you had professionally rebuilt, the second you bought direct from Hunter, and the third is the upgrade?
Did the second eventually have the water damage as well? And if I can ask? Cost for the repair or replacement? Trying to get a feel for how much I'm saving myself (paying myself?) for this repair.

T J

If I recall, the repair was about $500, but that was several years ago.
The replacement panel cost is in records somewhere. I believe that Hunter shipped it up with a new boat,, which saved me a huge shipping bill. They always looked after me.
If I recall correctly, I first noticed the brown stains around the mounting screws.
Then, the floor was soft.
I actually threw it onto a Bridgeport (upside down, and took a few passes with an end mill.
When I saw how mushy the interior was, I realized that this was a job for someone who’d dealt with this before. Best decision I could have made.
With electronics & mechanical stuff, I have excellent skills. It comes down to how many hours you’ve done something. My glass skills aren’t at that level. But, I know the right guys …

Georgedoyle · Feb 2, 2022

And I spent 20 years restoring a wooden Kettenburg 43 so I was happy to put some wood and epoxy together for the fix. My priority was to avoid removing the entire back of the piece. Using a hole saw to cut large holes was enough to allow me to dig out the rotten balsa and fill the void with stiffeners and thickened epoxy. I didn't want to alter anything about the original exterior shape. That would have meant fiberglass work, which I try to avoid. I’ll post some photos if I can find them. This was done in my pre-forum days. I never imagined that I could so easily receive and share vital information with other H49 owners. Now I document everything in case someone needs a solution to the same problem.

Zencra · Nov 27, 2022

we had same issue on our 2010 49. cut out and removed old plywood blocks and replaced with resin soaked balsa core, making sure that screw hole ares were solid resin, filled any voids with resin then relapsed. panel has been as solid as a rock since.

artboas · Dec 1, 2022

Zencra said:
we had same issue on our 2010 49. cut out and removed old plywood blocks and replaced with resin soaked balsa core, making sure that screw hole ares were solid resin, filled any voids with resin then relapsed. panel has been as solid as a rock since.

The problem stemmed from the fact that Hunter didn’t seal the rudder cap flange down to the panel. Water just wicked right in.
Even though I have a cockpit enclosure, every time you’d wash the floor (twice a week) you’d be unknowingly rotting out the balsa.
My original repair (done by some pros), just filled it with Fiberglas mat. It lasted a few more years, but cracked in other areas. Hence, the replacement.

Zencra · Dec 2, 2022

artboas said:
The problem stemmed from the fact that Hunter didn’t seal the rudder cap flange down to the panel. Water just wicked right in.

our issue was that the holes that were drilled to secure floor panel were drilled straight into the ply core then over the years soaking and softening.

Daze · Jan 15, 2023

Rich -

I had actually briefly considered foam (albeit the WRONG kind of foam - was thinking insulation panels), but wasn't sure. Your pointing me in this direction got me looking and it appears as if the RIGHT kind of foam is a bit of a challenge to find, with supply chain issues and everything. Defender does have Gurit M80 Corecell which seems like it may be just the ticket. Going to get that ordered and give it a try, fingers crossed.

Also, going to look to have a ring/sheave 3D printed to line the hole where the cover goes. That way, I should be able to glue it in to minimize/eliminate water intrusion there, as well as give some for the mounting screws to bite into that won't leak/rot.

Thanks -

T J
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@T J Furstenau
How did the Gurit M80 Corecell workout? I just brought my floor home to repair.