A large tree fell on my boat during Hurricane Ivan, breaking the mast and causing considerable topside damage, including a depression in the deck surface below the mast step. The fiberglas is depressed about 1/4 inch below the level of the rest of the deck at the rear, sloping to the front where there is no depression. Does anyone have any suggestions for a fix before raising the new mast?
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A large tree fell on my boat during Hurricane Ivan, breaking the mast and causing considerable topside damage, including a depression in the deck surface below the mast step. The fiberglas is depressed about 1/4 inch below the level of the rest of the deck at the rear, sloping to the front where there is no depression. Does anyone have any suggestions for a fix before raising the new mast?
Hope you 're in good hands & have a good neighbor
Sounds like major damage. If you don have boat insurance that covers you on the hard now is the time to call up your homowners isruance. My guess is that you crushed the mast support that is on the dege of the cabin divide and probably cracked the timber framing under the fiberdlass deck. My bet it that the cost of the repair may exceed the value of the boat if you have a older model.
Sounds like major damage. If you don have boat insurance that covers you on the hard now is the time to call up your homowners isruance. My guess is that you crushed the mast support that is on the dege of the cabin divide and probably cracked the timber framing under the fiberdlass deck. My bet it that the cost of the repair may exceed the value of the boat if you have a older model.
Hope you 're in good hands
Sounds like major damage. If you don have boat insurance that covers you on the hard now is the time to call up your homowners isruance. My guess is that you crushed the mast support that is on the dege of the cabin divide and probably cracked the timber framing under the fiberdlass deck. My bet it that the cost of the repair may exceed the value of the boat if you have a older model.
Sounds like major damage. If you don have boat insurance that covers you on the hard now is the time to call up your homowners isruance. My guess is that you crushed the mast support that is on the dege of the cabin divide and probably cracked the timber framing under the fiberdlass deck. My bet it that the cost of the repair may exceed the value of the boat if you have a older model.
insurance?
I hope you have insurance. Mine (Progressive) would pay to have it surveyed and even open up the (I assume) covered mast support for an inspection. I don't think these boats are disposable throw-aways! I'd look at repairing the deck and the substructure support. Inspect the bottom of that support where it joins the keel (below the sole). BTW Where was the boat during Ivan. My 36 was on the Industrial Canal at Gulfport. My damage was the break-in and theft of gear before the boat was retrieved. Minor sand problem under the keel at the time. Best wishes.
I hope you have insurance. Mine (Progressive) would pay to have it surveyed and even open up the (I assume) covered mast support for an inspection. I don't think these boats are disposable throw-aways! I'd look at repairing the deck and the substructure support. Inspect the bottom of that support where it joins the keel (below the sole). BTW Where was the boat during Ivan. My 36 was on the Industrial Canal at Gulfport. My damage was the break-in and theft of gear before the boat was retrieved. Minor sand problem under the keel at the time. Best wishes.
insurance?
I hope you have insurance. Mine (Progressive) would pay to have it surveyed and even open up the (I assume) covered mast support for an inspection. I don't think these boats are disposable throw-aways! I'd look at repairing the deck and the substructure support. Inspect the bottom of that support where it joins the keel (below the sole). BTW Where was the boat during Ivan. My 36 was on the Industrial Canal at Gulfport. My damage was the break-in and theft of gear before the boat was retrieved. Minor sand problem under the keel at the time. Best wishes.
I hope you have insurance. Mine (Progressive) would pay to have it surveyed and even open up the (I assume) covered mast support for an inspection. I don't think these boats are disposable throw-aways! I'd look at repairing the deck and the substructure support. Inspect the bottom of that support where it joins the keel (below the sole). BTW Where was the boat during Ivan. My 36 was on the Industrial Canal at Gulfport. My damage was the break-in and theft of gear before the boat was retrieved. Minor sand problem under the keel at the time. Best wishes.
Open it up
I have opened up my 1980 H27 both under the flooring and at the cabin top. Carefully inspect the floor at the bottom of the compression post in the cabin. It it is depressed, you have a collasped/collasping support rib under the flooring. Removing the flooring is a pain if you have the plywood teak & holly. You end up taking all the trim off to free up the sole. The teak and holly sole is held in place by the teak pegs which you drill out then pull up the plywood. You have to free up the center cabin bulkhead and actually knock the compression post out in the forward direction. Then cut away the cabin fiberglass flooring to get to the rib and cut away the covering on the rib to get to the rotted wood rib. Replace it (I used multiple pieces of marine ply glued together) and reverse the process. Use a lot of epoxy to seal the new support rib and be sure to allow for drainage. Cosmetically, you only have to be concerned in the head area that you cut out. Everything under the sole just needs to be epoxied and leveled for the sole to cover. If the only area depressed is at the cabin top, you have compressed balsa core under the mast step. I used a dremel cutter to cut away the whole mast step area. Then I pried up the step and found some rotted balsa where the mast electrical connection leaked. I replaced the bad sections of end cut balsa with teak I had on hand and epoxied it all back. I spent a lot of time makeing sure that all holes drilled through the balsa for the mast step were drilled oversized and filled with epoxy and then redrilled to the right size for the step bolts. That way you don't get water leakage into the balsa. Same for the electrical connection which I moved out of the mast step area just to prevent future leaks that would be hard to get to. All of this is much easier with the mast off. You can do it all or hire out the refinishing of the gel coat as I did. If you pay someone to do all this, you'll end up with more invested than the boat is worth. But the boat will be better than new so if you can do it, go for it. email me for ideas. wrenninger3@comcast.net
I have opened up my 1980 H27 both under the flooring and at the cabin top. Carefully inspect the floor at the bottom of the compression post in the cabin. It it is depressed, you have a collasped/collasping support rib under the flooring. Removing the flooring is a pain if you have the plywood teak & holly. You end up taking all the trim off to free up the sole. The teak and holly sole is held in place by the teak pegs which you drill out then pull up the plywood. You have to free up the center cabin bulkhead and actually knock the compression post out in the forward direction. Then cut away the cabin fiberglass flooring to get to the rib and cut away the covering on the rib to get to the rotted wood rib. Replace it (I used multiple pieces of marine ply glued together) and reverse the process. Use a lot of epoxy to seal the new support rib and be sure to allow for drainage. Cosmetically, you only have to be concerned in the head area that you cut out. Everything under the sole just needs to be epoxied and leveled for the sole to cover. If the only area depressed is at the cabin top, you have compressed balsa core under the mast step. I used a dremel cutter to cut away the whole mast step area. Then I pried up the step and found some rotted balsa where the mast electrical connection leaked. I replaced the bad sections of end cut balsa with teak I had on hand and epoxied it all back. I spent a lot of time makeing sure that all holes drilled through the balsa for the mast step were drilled oversized and filled with epoxy and then redrilled to the right size for the step bolts. That way you don't get water leakage into the balsa. Same for the electrical connection which I moved out of the mast step area just to prevent future leaks that would be hard to get to. All of this is much easier with the mast off. You can do it all or hire out the refinishing of the gel coat as I did. If you pay someone to do all this, you'll end up with more invested than the boat is worth. But the boat will be better than new so if you can do it, go for it. email me for ideas. wrenninger3@comcast.net
Open it up
I have opened up my 1980 H27 both under the flooring and at the cabin top. Carefully inspect the floor at the bottom of the compression post in the cabin. It it is depressed, you have a collasped/collasping support rib under the flooring. Removing the flooring is a pain if you have the plywood teak & holly. You end up taking all the trim off to free up the sole. The teak and holly sole is held in place by the teak pegs which you drill out then pull up the plywood. You have to free up the center cabin bulkhead and actually knock the compression post out in the forward direction. Then cut away the cabin fiberglass flooring to get to the rib and cut away the covering on the rib to get to the rotted wood rib. Replace it (I used multiple pieces of marine ply glued together) and reverse the process. Use a lot of epoxy to seal the new support rib and be sure to allow for drainage. Cosmetically, you only have to be concerned in the head area that you cut out. Everything under the sole just needs to be epoxied and leveled for the sole to cover. If the only area depressed is at the cabin top, you have compressed balsa core under the mast step. I used a dremel cutter to cut away the whole mast step area. Then I pried up the step and found some rotted balsa where the mast electrical connection leaked. I replaced the bad sections of end cut balsa with teak I had on hand and epoxied it all back. I spent a lot of time makeing sure that all holes drilled through the balsa for the mast step were drilled oversized and filled with epoxy and then redrilled to the right size for the step bolts. That way you don't get water leakage into the balsa. Same for the electrical connection which I moved out of the mast step area just to prevent future leaks that would be hard to get to. All of this is much easier with the mast off. You can do it all or hire out the refinishing of the gel coat as I did. If you pay someone to do all this, you'll end up with more invested than the boat is worth. But the boat will be better than new so if you can do it, go for it. email me for ideas. wrenninger3@comcast.net
I have opened up my 1980 H27 both under the flooring and at the cabin top. Carefully inspect the floor at the bottom of the compression post in the cabin. It it is depressed, you have a collasped/collasping support rib under the flooring. Removing the flooring is a pain if you have the plywood teak & holly. You end up taking all the trim off to free up the sole. The teak and holly sole is held in place by the teak pegs which you drill out then pull up the plywood. You have to free up the center cabin bulkhead and actually knock the compression post out in the forward direction. Then cut away the cabin fiberglass flooring to get to the rib and cut away the covering on the rib to get to the rotted wood rib. Replace it (I used multiple pieces of marine ply glued together) and reverse the process. Use a lot of epoxy to seal the new support rib and be sure to allow for drainage. Cosmetically, you only have to be concerned in the head area that you cut out. Everything under the sole just needs to be epoxied and leveled for the sole to cover. If the only area depressed is at the cabin top, you have compressed balsa core under the mast step. I used a dremel cutter to cut away the whole mast step area. Then I pried up the step and found some rotted balsa where the mast electrical connection leaked. I replaced the bad sections of end cut balsa with teak I had on hand and epoxied it all back. I spent a lot of time makeing sure that all holes drilled through the balsa for the mast step were drilled oversized and filled with epoxy and then redrilled to the right size for the step bolts. That way you don't get water leakage into the balsa. Same for the electrical connection which I moved out of the mast step area just to prevent future leaks that would be hard to get to. All of this is much easier with the mast off. You can do it all or hire out the refinishing of the gel coat as I did. If you pay someone to do all this, you'll end up with more invested than the boat is worth. But the boat will be better than new so if you can do it, go for it. email me for ideas. wrenninger3@comcast.net
Thanks Alot Warren!
Now I have MORE to do! Larry, we'll have to get together and cry in our beer over this.
Now I have MORE to do! Larry, we'll have to get together and cry in our beer over this.
Thanks Alot Warren!
Now I have MORE to do! Larry, we'll have to get together and cry in our beer over this.
Now I have MORE to do! Larry, we'll have to get together and cry in our beer over this.
Rebuilding the step
I had the upper step totally rebuilt for about $1,100 a few years ago. We used aluminum to replace the balsa after first leveling the hole with liquid epoxy. This distributes the load, and aluminum is cheaper and lighter than epoxy! No way I way going to put wood in there again. See the archives for more details of our work. David Lady Lillie
I had the upper step totally rebuilt for about $1,100 a few years ago. We used aluminum to replace the balsa after first leveling the hole with liquid epoxy. This distributes the load, and aluminum is cheaper and lighter than epoxy! No way I way going to put wood in there again. See the archives for more details of our work. David Lady Lillie
Rebuilding the step
I had the upper step totally rebuilt for about $1,100 a few years ago. We used aluminum to replace the balsa after first leveling the hole with liquid epoxy. This distributes the load, and aluminum is cheaper and lighter than epoxy! No way I way going to put wood in there again. See the archives for more details of our work. David Lady Lillie
I had the upper step totally rebuilt for about $1,100 a few years ago. We used aluminum to replace the balsa after first leveling the hole with liquid epoxy. This distributes the load, and aluminum is cheaper and lighter than epoxy! No way I way going to put wood in there again. See the archives for more details of our work. David Lady Lillie
getting carried away
you boys scare the hell out of me,#1 below thr fooring in the head, is a galss block 3" high between thr hull & head floor, sitting over the keel, if there's nothing wrong with your compression post,and the pressure on your standing rigging is within spec's then shim the compression post internally, at the top or bottom a 4"x4" post with two 8" square x1/2" ply for the floor & ceiling and with a small hydraulic jack, run up snug loosen rigging,& raie the jack and shim the compression post, mind thr wires add a notch in thr shim, but don't cut the boat up. don't get carried away, and compound thr pronlem.
you boys scare the hell out of me,#1 below thr fooring in the head, is a galss block 3" high between thr hull & head floor, sitting over the keel, if there's nothing wrong with your compression post,and the pressure on your standing rigging is within spec's then shim the compression post internally, at the top or bottom a 4"x4" post with two 8" square x1/2" ply for the floor & ceiling and with a small hydraulic jack, run up snug loosen rigging,& raie the jack and shim the compression post, mind thr wires add a notch in thr shim, but don't cut the boat up. don't get carried away, and compound thr pronlem.
IVAN
I AM NOT SURE HOW TO MAKE THAT REPAIR BUT I HAVE ALOT OF THAT TYPE OF WORK AHEAD. I PURCHASED A HUNTER 27' THAT WAS TRASHED BY THE SAME STORM, QUESTION WHERE DID YOU FIND A REPLACEMENT MAST?
I AM NOT SURE HOW TO MAKE THAT REPAIR BUT I HAVE ALOT OF THAT TYPE OF WORK AHEAD. I PURCHASED A HUNTER 27' THAT WAS TRASHED BY THE SAME STORM, QUESTION WHERE DID YOU FIND A REPLACEMENT MAST?
Stopping rot of the balsa
Hi, Tom - great to hear from you again. If the balsa core is rotting (as it clearly was on Lady Lillie) then I see no substitute for ripping up and replacing the missing core, and drying and sealing the rest. It wasn't that big a project, and could easily be DIY. David Lady Lillie
Hi, Tom - great to hear from you again. If the balsa core is rotting (as it clearly was on Lady Lillie) then I see no substitute for ripping up and replacing the missing core, and drying and sealing the rest. It wasn't that big a project, and could easily be DIY. David Lady Lillie
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