Need Help Replacing Ports Wood Rot in Core

[pateco]

The Gray 512 ports on my 1983 Hunter 31 were original, leaking, and had seen better days. So instead of just repairing them we decided replace them with brand new. They came in Just before thanksgiving, and so today I started the project.

This is one of the better looking ports.

It removed rather easily.

Because the bedding was completely failed.

On closer inspection, I found that the plywood core was completely rotten on the bottom, and partway up the sides of the port.

First step, was to remove the rotten core.

So this is where I am at now.

Now I am looking for suggestions on how to proceed.

I need to decide whether to use RotFix

or Git Rot

or West Marine's Clone

There is still a lot of moisture in the damaged area, so I am leaning toward the Rot Fix since it claims to work on wet wood. Where the Git Rot wants the wood to be dry. The west Marine Product is not really specific.

What have you used? What worked, and what didn't?

Once I get the rot stopped, i need to refill the cavity with something. I have seen some people go back with wood, but others suggest fiberglass, or Epoxy filler. I have also considered PVC Board. What are your suggestions.

Any assistance will be greatly appreciated. This is only the first of seven portholes to be replaced, and I expect to see more of the sames damage in the other port locations.

You can see the rest of my restoration at The Stargazer Adventure

 

[Allan12210]

Looks like Divinycell crosslinked PVC foam core is your best choice. Try to hog out all the wet wood first rather than trying to impregnate rotten wood with the epoxy. You should be able to buy the foam core material in the thickness that is the same as the gap between the cabintop and the interior liner. Coat the surfaces with epoxy and slip it into the gap then clamp through the window opening so no water will ever get between the fiberglass skins again.

Keep documenting your project as it is on my list as well.

 

[Ian McGain]

looks just like the problem I had on my h30 1979. I pulled our all the cabin ports and then used a long screwdriver with bent tip to pull out all the rotten core that would come out. I then got some heavy duty plastic and covered the outside opening, taping them to make them water-tight. I then let the boat sit to dry out. Using the West system I built the insides back up with thickened epoxy. I blue taped around the ports to prevent drip stains. Note: due to large void I had to fill, when the epoxy started to cure, the heat it generated caused the blue tape to start smoking from the heat. This scared the hell out of me because I thought the boat would catch on fire. Wet towels cooled it down, but be careful. I had to cut in new drain cutouts, as the new ports did not match the drains on the old ports. Just run tape on both sides and fill with thickened epoxy. This turned out very well. After this it is just a mater of inserting port and filling the small gap with caulk.

Good luck.

 

[capejt]

I did the dame as Ian

I used the same method as Ian on 1979 H33. One way to avoid the heat is to apply the filler in layers. Other than that my method was the same and results were great.
I also had the same problem with a ceiling vent/fan in the head. Did the same thing to fix it

 

[pateco]

I was thinking of trying this product.

West System Six 10 Thickened Epoxy Adhesive

Has anyone tried this stuff? Do you think it would be a good product to try?

 

[kito]

I was thinking of trying this product.

West System Six 10 Thickened Epoxy Adhesive

Has anyone tried this stuff? Do you think it would be a good product to try?

Have you priced this stuff?. You would be dollars ahead to mix your own thickened epoxy.
I guess I'm a slacker....I didn't use epoxy as a filler. I dug out all the wet wood and filled the gap with Dow 795. All the screws on the interior flange seem to bite good. The Dow 795 used to fill the exterior gap holds it secure and watertight also.

 

[pateco]

Have you priced this stuff?. You would be dollars ahead to mix your own thickened epoxy.
I guess I'm a slacker....I didn't use epoxy as a filler. I dug out all the wet wood and filled the gap with Dow 795. All the screws on the interior flange seem to bite good. The Dow 795 used to fill the exterior gap holds it secure and watertight also.

Kito,

$22.99/tube from West Marine. I think I could get two to three ports done with one tube, doesn't seem that bad compared to the labor of mixing my own.

On the 795, I thought about that since I am using 795 to reinstall the new ports. However, I was worried about it breaking down over time. The 795 used to seal my old ports sure did.

 

[njlarry]

I used 6-10 on my large fixed ports.
However the wet wood on the O'Day was plywood not balsa. Once you stop the leaks, the wood should dry out. I felt that this area is not structurally stressed so I left a lot of the wood to simply dry out over several weeks (likely not enough time) and then added the 10-6. As the plys were somewhat separated, the epoxy was not very thick and so heat build up was not a problem but I should have been more alert to the possibility.
Now the area reads dry on the moisture meter and sounding gives solid sound.
If it were a soft deck area around a chain plate I would be more aggressive removing wet core.
my humble 2 cents-no refunds given!

 

[kito]

Kito,

$22.99/tube from West Marine. I think I could get two to three ports done with one tube, doesn't seem that bad compared to the labor of mixing my own.

On the 795, I thought about that since I am using 795 to reinstall the new ports. However, I was worried about it breaking down over time. The 795 used to seal my old ports sure did.

The tube holds 190 ml of resin and hardener......that's about 6.42 ounces. You will be lucky to use only one tube per port.

 

[njlarry]

ps to be clear. The 6-10 was only used to repair the wet plywood. 795 was used to seal and hold the port to the deck house sides.

 

[kito]

Actually, if I were to do mine over again, I would just go to Walmart and pick up a couple $12 cans of BondoGlass and use to fill in where the rotted ply was. It's has fiberglass strands mixed into the resin. Not as strong as epoxy but will be fine in this application imo.

 

[Allan12210]

I think the exotherm properties of all these thermoset resins may be a problem. Here is a link to a supplier that sells the core material in half sheets. Probably one of those will yield enough cut up pieces to do the entire job. It most likely will cost less that the quantity of epoxy or polyester to fill those rather substantial gaps with no chance of air voids or thermal runaway. Once installed it can be filed or shaved to the proper dimensions and is impervious to future water leaks. Structurally it will be as good as the current plywood core and you can screw fasteners into it.

Also, if you try to fill the vertical and upper gaps completely, even when thickened, it will probably try and slump out. Very frustrating and extremely messy to say the least.

http://www.fiberglasssupply.com/Pro...pfULuTKrcBHLIi9Y5E4c0tPoYTOjY60zPQaAu0n8P8HAQ

Which ever way you go, good luck.

 

[pateco]

I have access to 1/2" expanded PVC board scraps through my work.

I was wondering if I used this with epoxy, and routed it smooth with the port opening, if that would work?

What do you think?

 

[Allan12210]

I have access to 1/2" expanded PVC board scraps through my work.


I was wondering if I used this with epoxy, and routed it smooth with the port opening, if that would work?

What do you think?

That's good stuff. Bonding pieces in then routing to the correct opening size should be a really good repair. From the picture, I hope you have enough.

Make sure to mask plastic down everywhere inside and out as you will find the drippage factor to be quite significant.

You can see in my picture I clamped all the way around the perimeter of the opening when I replaced my fixed portlights to bond the skins to the core. I did not have nearly the rot you have found, but so far that's only on the port side and I still have to address the opening ports.

 

[Nereussailor]

I did the same thing as Ian did, only I filled the gap with marine plywood and epoxy but left it recessed about 1/4"-3/8" in the opening. I then mixed west systems epoxy with the micro balloon filler and filled it in to the edge of the fiberglass. I also drilled out the screw holes larger and filled in around them with epoxy and re-drilled. I replaced the ports with the same ones that came out.

 

[pateco]

So as suggested I was going to fill the gaps in the port openings with the 1/2" expanded PVC board from work, but I tried a test piece, and it was bowing the fiberglass. It is slightly too thick.

Looks like it is going to be chopped fiberglass mat and epoxy resin. I picked up some of the mat below this evening.

Has anyone used West's White Pigment additive with their 105 Epoxy Resin?

 

[Nereussailor]

Do you know anyone that has a planer that could plane it down a little. There must be a wood working shop that can do it. That stuff planes like wood. I've done it before using a Rigid 13" planer it worked beautifully.

 

[njlarry]

Please correct me if my thinking is off. (it often is)
Once the portlights are resealed the wood should slowly dry out. The area is not a stressed structural area. The original plywood was mainly use as a spacer. Not so on the decks. So could one not use just about anything as a filler? The main concern should be to simply seal completely the new ports? Glass mat will not hurt but is it overkill? Is it not likely that the wet wood would extend all the way down the doghouse sides anywhy? So long as the new ports are sealed the problem is fixed from progressing????
Heck why not just inject some foam and just bed the portlights with a sealant?
Just wondering.

 

[Dalliance]

I am doing the same project on my '82 H30. Right now the old port lites are out, the boat is on the hard for the winter, shrink wrapped, the port openings sealed with plastic, and Damp-Rid buckets and H2Out canisters through-out the cabin. The plywood core should be pretty dry by spring. Five of nine openings were damp and I only knew for sure that two were leaking before I pulled them all out the first week of November.

Fortunately, only one had some rot at the bottom which I dug out with the hooked end of a paint can opener. I plan to fill the dug out area with scraps of plywood set in straight or slightly thickened epoxy. That way, in theory, I won't be using enough epoxy to generate excessive heat. Additionally, I plan to lightly sand the plywood core edges at all of the openings and seal them with epoxy to protect against future leaks. I can't think of any reason not to do this. I've sealed every other deck penetration with epoxy (Brushed on or Maine Sail's core out, fill and re-drill method.). Cheap insurance.

Previously, the trim rings were adhered to the cabin top with silicone (Not sure exactly what kind.) and there was something like Boat-Life sealant between the port lite frame and trim ring. There was no sealant between the port lite body and cabin top. It was the silicone behind the trim rings that had failed.

I have not decided exactly what sealant product(s) to use. It sounds like Dow 795 is the preferred product, though I am a bit apprehensive about using silicone. I know that thorough removal of the old silicone is critical, regardless of what the new sealant will be. I'm thinking of using sealant between the epoxy sealed cabin top edges and port lite body, smooth it flush to the cabin top gel coat, and then adhere the trim rings to hide the sealant filled gap which will vary from 1/8" to 1/2" wide. The rough openings are that uneven. A second line of defense could be provided by sealing the trim ring to port lite body.

By the way, I have already purchased the new Gray port lites from this site. They arrived in less than a week.

 

[kito]

Please correct me if my thinking is off. (it often is)
Once the portlights are resealed the wood should slowly dry out. The area is not a stressed structural area. The original plywood was mainly use as a spacer. Not so on the decks. So could one not use just about anything as a filler? The main concern should be to simply seal completely the new ports? Glass mat will not hurt but is it overkill? Is it not likely that the wet wood would extend all the way down the doghouse sides anywhy? So long as the new ports are sealed the problem is fixed from progressing????
Heck why not just inject some foam and just bed the portlights with a sealant?
Just wondering.

Exactly. The ply is just a filler and not structural. That's why I used 795 as a filler. The inside port flange screws bit good into it and tightened up fine. Digging out the wet ply and filling it to seal from any water intrusion was my only concern. I don't see a need to use expensive 105 imo. As I mentioned earlier, if I had to do it over I would just use Bondo Glass from Walmart next time. A $12 can would have done at least 3 ports.