Rough day at the boathouse 9/17/09

[CharlieCobra]

We managed to get the aft section of the Port bulwark off but not without some carnage:

The ijiots manage to drill the hole cockeyed which weakened the piece. They also epoxied the seams. We tried using a heatgun to no avail:

Here's the join. See the goop?

I then started working on the stern cap because the decking goes under it about 2" as well. Apparently, these morons LOVE goop because not only did they epoxy the cap down so I can't get at the screws, like they did on the end cap for the companionway hatch trunk, they also made bungs of wood flour and epoxy and stuck mahogany veneer circles on them as caps. THEY'RE NOT EVEN REAL BUNGS??? I had to sacrifice the corner piece to verify there were indeed screws under it:

Before:

After:

and the aftermath:

You can see the gunked up screw:

I don't know of any way to break these joins and lift the cap without totally destroying it. I'm NOT happy. Good thing these b@st@rds are in Puerto Rico or I'd make sure they never again polluted the gene pool.....

 

[Napa Ed]

Wasn't the boat used when you bought it? Isn't buying a used boat the same as buying someone else's problems? Come on, you have a great boat that needs a lot of work. You'll do it right and be proud when it's finished. It will be even better since you'll be replacing a lot of rotted/marginal lumber. Yea, costs more but re-bedding and varnishing dry rot wouldn't be anything to be proud of.

 

[CharlieCobra]

Yeah she's 48 yrs old. This stuff is an old repair done very badly and not traditional at all. I mean, who the H makes fake bungs outta epoxy and slaps veneer circles on 'em fer chrissakes? I'll get it done and get it done right. I just HATE splintering that gorgeous and VERY hard to get wood because of some moron's work ethic or lack of one...

 

[Mike Holibar]

I have a 42 year old wooden boat (for sale) which had many similar problems, particularly around the stern post, cabin corner posts etc. I found the Fein Multimaster invaluable in cutting out dodgy timber without damaging adjacent wood. I am currently replacing a large section of the transom and the MM proved extremely useful cutting down the glue lines leaving the original frames in perfect order to accept the new planking.

 

[BobM]

I think Mike has the ticket. It might even be easier to cut in under the piece and cut the screws with the multimaster. At least at that point you are just patching the bottom of the piece a little and the bedding will fill most of it.
The multimaster might not reach in deep enough in some locations, but should do fine for most.

I guess I don't understand why you had to destroy that piece to determine if there was a screw there. Was it impossible to drill down with a good Forstner bit or similar for some reason?

No doubt it was all the epoxy the piece is apparently sitting in that drove you to it. I hate to say it, but it might be easier to undercut into the fiberglass a little with the multimaster and then repair the fiberglass afterward. most of it will be under the cap, so it won't have to be picture perfect.

 

[CharlieCobra]

She's a wood boat with a C-Flex hull. As for why I had to remove that piece, I had pulled the single screw from that corner piece and saw it wasn't long enough to reach the framing under the deck. I had to see if there were additional screws under there holding the other layers on. There are and there was no way to see where they were to drill a hole. Traditionally, boatwright's would use varnish to seal a cap like this or resourcinal with a couple of short bunged screws. You are NOT supposed to use a permanent adhesive to cover attachment screws.

While I don't have a multimaster nor the funds to acquire one, I do have the use of a sawsall with looong blades. I'll use a blade guide to keep the blade from diving on the other end and cut at the glue joint.

 

[Snotter]

Now that the Fein patent has expired both dremal and craftsman sell Fein knock-offs for much less. I have the dremal and it is not very robust but for as little as I use it I feel it was worth the money.

 

[BobM]

Thanks for the explanation Charlie. Maybe you need a metal detector too ;-)

I have the dremel version too. $89 at home despot, but I don't know if it has a blade that will cut a stainless screw. It will definitely do a neater job cutting the epoxy though, as the blade is off set. Just be sure to pay attention to the washer orientation as the cone must fast down away from the blade or it won't stay tight.

 

[Ross]

I have found that Dremel tools can't endure hard work. I burn up two of them before I moved on to a Dewalt rotary tool.

 

[CharlieCobra]

I just ordered the Rockwell Sonicrafter after reading some reviews. We shall see.....