Monoceros cabin sole
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Ok. So I am really trying not to tear up the sole but on the port side I can feel just a little give in the sole. Is this because the stingers are far apart or is it something I should worry about?
First picture is not mine as we have not ripped up the sole.
Have any of you removed the sole and re-fiberglassed the floor or have any advice?
First picture is not mine as we have not ripped up the sole.
Have any of you removed the sole and re-fiberglassed the floor or have any advice?
I presume your worry here is : is the hull flexing or is the sole flexing due to a lack of strength ? Impossible to say without seeing a picture of the stringers and ribs in your bilge area under the area that's flexing. Does it flex in the teak and holly area or in the FG covered area ?
Only way I can see to determine which one is the weaker, is to locate the area with the most give in it, install a couple of temporary stiffeners under it if it's in the area of the holly and teak. If the area with the most give is in the area of the FG, install temporary stiffeners on top and sink screws into the FG. This will give you an idea if the sole is weak. Certainly easy enough to repair.
If the flexing is still there indicating the hull is flexing, use a marine epoxy adhesive (System Three or West System) and install more stringers or ribs as required.
Just out of interest, you can locate ribs/stringers under the FG with a stud finder and someone standing on the FG right beside where you're looking.
Yes. We are getting closer to just pulling up the fiberglass sole to find out. I was thinking maybe the flex is because of the distance between stringers but the starboard side does not flex at all. Uhg. Just have to rip it up and find out. The wooden bilge covers are pretty crappy so maybe replacing the complete sole is in order anyways. Hoping to hear from someone that has done it before and can help with ideas. Thanks for your comment!
Sorry, I can't offer you anything there.
Seems a shame as both sections of sole appear to be in decent shape. Any chance you can save the port sole by taking out the screws I can see, and remove it in one piece with a little discreet cutting in the corner ?
You know that the Cherubini Hunters were constructed with a full interior pan glassed into the hull before the deck went on...right? There are no stringers, floors or cabin sole in the traditional sense. The interior pan is structural. It goes from the top of the settees, where it is glassed to the hull, down to the cabin sole, where it is again glassed to the hull in that center well where the keel boats are. DO NOT cut out large sections of the settees or the sole without understanding the structure of the boat. The 'factory' cabin sole is 1/4" Teak & Holly ply glued to the structural fiberglass underneath with silicone. The first picture you posted is not a 'stock' Hunter 37C cabin sole.
No I did not know that and is exactly the information i needed to hear. So would you agree with Ralph that I could add a fore to aft stiffener of some sort before I make my new sole?
Personally, I would not cut out the cabin sole to install bracing. The 90 degree bends at the base of the settees and the edges of the bilge opening probably add a lot of box-beam stiffening to the hull. However, you could probably cut some openings in the sole and add access hatches with some stiffening stringers added. This is what Gene Gruender did on his H37C Rainbow Chaser many years ago: http://austinsailor.net/flrlkr.html
A lot of the old H37C owners have moved on (myself included) and changes in the SBO web page software have made it difficult for new owners to tap into the old knowledge. As well as the old articles here at SBO you may also be interested in these websites:
mathurin2.blogspot.com
These are old websites. Some of the HTML coding is probably superseded. You have to poke around - for example, the SV Bonheur menu is that little green rectangle upper left; the Maturin II site is in french and english if you scroll down... I checked the links and they work as of the time of this post. In the future, you may need to access them by Wayback Machine or other archiving sites.
A lot of the old H37C owners have moved on (myself included) and changes in the SBO web page software have made it difficult for new owners to tap into the old knowledge. As well as the old articles here at SBO you may also be interested in these websites:
Mathurin II
mathurin2.blogspot.com
These are old websites. Some of the HTML coding is probably superseded. You have to poke around - for example, the SV Bonheur menu is that little green rectangle upper left; the Maturin II site is in french and english if you scroll down... I checked the links and they work as of the time of this post. In the future, you may need to access them by Wayback Machine or other archiving sites.
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These are great resources, thank you! I think I feel comfortable putting in a brace without tearing the whole thing out.