Recently noticed that the seahood panel flexed & felt spongy when foot pressure applied. I usually don't walk on it; however, sometimes unavoidable. The panel is approximately 32"x40", covers the forward most position of the acrylic companionway slider when the slider is opened, and is a non structural panel attached to the deck with screws. I removed the seahood and drilled 2 four inch inspection holes into the underside surface of the cored panel; just as I expected, the balsa core was damp and had deteriorated. Really a mystery as no fractures or cracks were noted. The cored area on the under surface of the panel is approximately 24"x24", the balsa core is 3/8"--1/2" thick with a 1/4" laminate overly. I plan to cut & remove the laminated overlay and remove the deteriorated core, sand the inner surface to bare glass, vacuum, & scrub the exposed surface with acetone. I will use a new core material; thinking about corecell, divinycell, or coosa & epoxy resin + biaxial cloth overlay. Any suggestions for the core would be appreciated.
The photos show the top surface of the panel and the bottom surface with the two inspection holes and cored area.
The photos show the top surface of the panel and the bottom surface with the two inspection holes and cored area.
