Hello all, I'm looking at a 1976 Catalina 27. I noticed that the side decks sound a little hollow when I tap on them - especially around the chainplates for the upper shrouds. It's hollow sounding, at least, compared to the sound on the cabin top. Also, there's a bit of "give" in the deck when I bounce my full weight on it. Not exactly the kind of sound and give I associate with spongy deck, which I've seen on other boats. So, I'm wondering if the side decks are balsa cored, or if they're just solid FRP. A non-cored deck might have that sort of character - at least if the glass is a little thin. Does anyone know, or does anyone know where I can find the answer?
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
L
LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners.com
DOH!
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, David, but it sounds like your coring is gone. The side decks are cored (though I'm 90% sure it's with plywood, not balsa) and the shrouds are a known source of deck rot - I don't think they were sealed well and undoubtedly have gone ignored through the decades. You might also check your bulkheads where the uppers attach - you might have rot around them as well. There are a couple schools of thought on fixing the deck problem (your best bet for bulkheads are complete replacement) and you'll find many proponents on both sides. 1) The Hard Way: replace the coring, which entails cutting away the interior liner, lots of dripping epoxy, neck craning and cursing OR 2) The Not-So-Hard Way: drill holes in the deck around the soft spots but NOT through the liner, inject penetrating epoxy till it won't take any more & call it good. As you could surmise, #1 is more thorough & is considered the "right" way while #2 is significantly cheaper & easier but is less "sturdy". If the soft spot is small, I'd personally try #2 first but if it failed... :-( If the entire side deck sounds hollow...well, home refinancing rates are pretty low right now... ;-) Good luck! LaDonna
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, David, but it sounds like your coring is gone. The side decks are cored (though I'm 90% sure it's with plywood, not balsa) and the shrouds are a known source of deck rot - I don't think they were sealed well and undoubtedly have gone ignored through the decades. You might also check your bulkheads where the uppers attach - you might have rot around them as well. There are a couple schools of thought on fixing the deck problem (your best bet for bulkheads are complete replacement) and you'll find many proponents on both sides. 1) The Hard Way: replace the coring, which entails cutting away the interior liner, lots of dripping epoxy, neck craning and cursing OR 2) The Not-So-Hard Way: drill holes in the deck around the soft spots but NOT through the liner, inject penetrating epoxy till it won't take any more & call it good. As you could surmise, #1 is more thorough & is considered the "right" way while #2 is significantly cheaper & easier but is less "sturdy". If the soft spot is small, I'd personally try #2 first but if it failed... :-( If the entire side deck sounds hollow...well, home refinancing rates are pretty low right now... ;-) Good luck! LaDonna
F
fred winter
its plywood
just recieved an email from catalina h.q., asking the very same question. the only balsa is in the cabin top, decks are plywood. ladonna is right. if you go over non skid it looks crummy, underneath is not as bad as it sounds, thicken the epoxy it wont drip. email geougon bros.saginaw mi. they have a great amount of info on this and other repairs some books and pamphlets free, some not. i know this because i will be doing this on my 27 this spring. i will go from the underside, easier to hide the repair, and ultimately a better job ,important for resale value i feel anyway. if you have trouble making the connection with the bros. email me back ill send you the address. later
just recieved an email from catalina h.q., asking the very same question. the only balsa is in the cabin top, decks are plywood. ladonna is right. if you go over non skid it looks crummy, underneath is not as bad as it sounds, thicken the epoxy it wont drip. email geougon bros.saginaw mi. they have a great amount of info on this and other repairs some books and pamphlets free, some not. i know this because i will be doing this on my 27 this spring. i will go from the underside, easier to hide the repair, and ultimately a better job ,important for resale value i feel anyway. if you have trouble making the connection with the bros. email me back ill send you the address. later
J
Jim Huhta, Sr.
I replaced the bulkheads last year!
I have a Cat' 27, a 1979 'er. Look back in this site's archives for a looonnnnng explanation of what I had done by a boat yard to rectify the chainplates being attached to rotted bulkheads. In summary, I replaced the portion of rotted bulkheads, kerfed in new plywood bulkheads, sandwiched the new and part of the old bulkheads between form-fitted 1/8th inch aluminum sheeting(looks like the boat came that way), bolted the whole thing together, and the cost for everything (a class job) was $1400.00 If you need any further help, lemme know, but check the archives re: CHAINPLATE REPAIRS. Good Sailing! Jim Huhta
I have a Cat' 27, a 1979 'er. Look back in this site's archives for a looonnnnng explanation of what I had done by a boat yard to rectify the chainplates being attached to rotted bulkheads. In summary, I replaced the portion of rotted bulkheads, kerfed in new plywood bulkheads, sandwiched the new and part of the old bulkheads between form-fitted 1/8th inch aluminum sheeting(looks like the boat came that way), bolted the whole thing together, and the cost for everything (a class job) was $1400.00 If you need any further help, lemme know, but check the archives re: CHAINPLATE REPAIRS. Good Sailing! Jim Huhta
P
Peter
Bulkheads
Replacing your bulkheads doesn't have to be that expensive if you're willing to merely replace what was there previously i.e. just plywood. I used the old bulkheads as templates for new ones on nice marine plywood, cut them out with a jigsaw, sealed the edges and replaced. Took me two days, but I could probably have done it in a day. Couple of hundred bucks.
Replacing your bulkheads doesn't have to be that expensive if you're willing to merely replace what was there previously i.e. just plywood. I used the old bulkheads as templates for new ones on nice marine plywood, cut them out with a jigsaw, sealed the edges and replaced. Took me two days, but I could probably have done it in a day. Couple of hundred bucks.
B
Brian
just did it...
I thought I would add my two sense. I just did method #2 as described by LaDonna to my 27. It was not very hard, how strong it is remains to be seen. I drilled small holes (about 16 of them - the spongy area was not very big) around the area. Don't accidentally drill through the liner or epoxy will drip into your interior - use a depth guide. Then I made a cardboard "cone" to place over a wet/dry shop vac and placed it over some holes. This cleaned out the rotten wood and drew in air to dry what hadn't broken loose. Takes hours, plan on most of the day to dry. Then squirt in penetrating epoxy until it's full. Caution - some kinds get very hot when drying. I don't think going up through the bottom is an option, the epoxy would not spread to all affected areas. All I have to do is touch up the drill holes with a gelcoat touch up....
I thought I would add my two sense. I just did method #2 as described by LaDonna to my 27. It was not very hard, how strong it is remains to be seen. I drilled small holes (about 16 of them - the spongy area was not very big) around the area. Don't accidentally drill through the liner or epoxy will drip into your interior - use a depth guide. Then I made a cardboard "cone" to place over a wet/dry shop vac and placed it over some holes. This cleaned out the rotten wood and drew in air to dry what hadn't broken loose. Takes hours, plan on most of the day to dry. Then squirt in penetrating epoxy until it's full. Caution - some kinds get very hot when drying. I don't think going up through the bottom is an option, the epoxy would not spread to all affected areas. All I have to do is touch up the drill holes with a gelcoat touch up....
D
David Bradford
Thanks...
for the great advice, everyone. I think we're going forward with the purchase, and I'll let you know how the deck repair comes out.
for the great advice, everyone. I think we're going forward with the purchase, and I'll let you know how the deck repair comes out.
F
fred winter
to d. braford charleston s.c.
re: your last inquiry, and my response. check these folks out, west systems, gougeon bros. po box 908, bay city mi.48707. ph. 1 517 684 7286 these guys are sailors and boat builders. their info is spot on and easy to understand. good luck brother. fair winds to you. fred w
re: your last inquiry, and my response. check these folks out, west systems, gougeon bros. po box 908, bay city mi.48707. ph. 1 517 684 7286 these guys are sailors and boat builders. their info is spot on and easy to understand. good luck brother. fair winds to you. fred w
- Status
- Not open for further replies.