We have two soft spots on the top within a few feet of the mast. I would like to repair but don't know where to start. Any suggestions as to where I can get the procedures for doing this?
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Erik
soft spots repair
You can pick up a great fiberglass repair book for about $3 (US) from 3M at West Marine. It sounds like you have some delamination around the mast boot. What happens is water seeps through the deck fittings or the bolt for the mast boot and disolve the epoxy that holds the fiberglass skins to the plywood or balsa core material of the deck. This can be pretty bad, but if you catch it early it's a pretty easy repair. More importantly you need to find which fitting or bolt is the culprit causing the problem and seal it with polysulfide sealant. Spend the $3 bucks to get the book, it explains all fiberglass repairs simply and with great pictures. Good Luck!
You can pick up a great fiberglass repair book for about $3 (US) from 3M at West Marine. It sounds like you have some delamination around the mast boot. What happens is water seeps through the deck fittings or the bolt for the mast boot and disolve the epoxy that holds the fiberglass skins to the plywood or balsa core material of the deck. This can be pretty bad, but if you catch it early it's a pretty easy repair. More importantly you need to find which fitting or bolt is the culprit causing the problem and seal it with polysulfide sealant. Spend the $3 bucks to get the book, it explains all fiberglass repairs simply and with great pictures. Good Luck!
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TOM MANALILI
DON'T attack this pronlem from the inside
First you have to take yor mast down, and while its down, check out you compression post, also for damage, from water, while your mast is down, drill some 3/16" dia. holes, and viewing the wood particals determine the periphery and extent of the delamination,remove all hardware from this area, mark it and cut it out "IN ONE PIECE", it has to go back, cut only 1/4" deep, and remove the cabin top section, dig out all of the water soaked wood or balsa, clean the entire area, once the mat'l is removed, measure the thickness between the inner pan and th cabintop along the cut line on the cabin,IF there's any wet wood still sandwiched in the uncut areasm dig it out, DO NOT cut any more, go buy some marine ply, the same thickness, cut into 6"x6" squares, soak them in resin, 15% acetone, for absorbtion, and hardener, slide the dried squares,smeared w/resin & hardener,and smear the top side of the pan,place them between the pan and top, for those little areas you dug and cleaned out, and all over the open section, now, the area just below the mast is a diferent thickness, so you have to compensate, buy at home depot, qts of chopped glass and resin, mix w/ hardener ad fill in between the gaps between the wood, whe dried, coat everything with resin including the inside surf. of the cabintop, then place the top cabin piece back, and position with screws, when dried, remove screws, fill in the holes and seams with the chopped glass, sand and paint, reinstall all h'ware. "GOOD LUCK" it's not that hard.
First you have to take yor mast down, and while its down, check out you compression post, also for damage, from water, while your mast is down, drill some 3/16" dia. holes, and viewing the wood particals determine the periphery and extent of the delamination,remove all hardware from this area, mark it and cut it out "IN ONE PIECE", it has to go back, cut only 1/4" deep, and remove the cabin top section, dig out all of the water soaked wood or balsa, clean the entire area, once the mat'l is removed, measure the thickness between the inner pan and th cabintop along the cut line on the cabin,IF there's any wet wood still sandwiched in the uncut areasm dig it out, DO NOT cut any more, go buy some marine ply, the same thickness, cut into 6"x6" squares, soak them in resin, 15% acetone, for absorbtion, and hardener, slide the dried squares,smeared w/resin & hardener,and smear the top side of the pan,place them between the pan and top, for those little areas you dug and cleaned out, and all over the open section, now, the area just below the mast is a diferent thickness, so you have to compensate, buy at home depot, qts of chopped glass and resin, mix w/ hardener ad fill in between the gaps between the wood, whe dried, coat everything with resin including the inside surf. of the cabintop, then place the top cabin piece back, and position with screws, when dried, remove screws, fill in the holes and seams with the chopped glass, sand and paint, reinstall all h'ware. "GOOD LUCK" it's not that hard.
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Dave Abbott
Tom, what about the compression post
I have a 1977 Hunter 30 with the same delamination problem which I also plan to repair myself this fall. I was wondering about how you repaired the compression post. Most of the articles I have read have described the repair as being done from the inside of the cabin. Did you remove the area around the mast also when you removed the deck surface in 1 piece in order to gain access to the compression post? Sounds like the way to go in order to completely remove all bad wood. just womdering.
I have a 1977 Hunter 30 with the same delamination problem which I also plan to repair myself this fall. I was wondering about how you repaired the compression post. Most of the articles I have read have described the repair as being done from the inside of the cabin. Did you remove the area around the mast also when you removed the deck surface in 1 piece in order to gain access to the compression post? Sounds like the way to go in order to completely remove all bad wood. just womdering.
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Tom Manalili
Responding to Dave
IF the area around the base of the mast is depressed, (add water to the area and see if it puddles) and if your compression post is solid, then the wood between cabin top and upper pan is soft, mind you this is the centerline of the cabin and crowned, there can be water damage from the maincabin hatch, if this wood is wet, then the mast must be droped,the entire fwd section on the cabin can be routed out in one piece, the cutter set for 1/4"to 5/16" deep, not to cut any elect. lines, if there's no soft spots near the fwd hatch, don't touch it, and DON'T extend the cross cuts into the side radius, (above the teak eyebrows) then gently remove the top section of the cabintop, remove the damaged wood, replace it with the same shape and thickness ply, BUT prior to installing, soak the ply with resin and 15% acetone for deep penetration, glass will not adhere to dry wood, and what you wanr to do is smear resin and hardner on the upper surf. of the inner pan, smear resin on the wood panels,to glue them to the inside, when every panel is in place you smear more resin and even chopped glass between cracks/seams, then smear the inside surf. of the cabin top skin and put it back into position, what ever you router cutter diameter is, you should have an equal gap, now drill holes and install screws to secure the top skin in place, when dried/cured, remove screws, fill holes and gap with chopped glass(bondo sells in in a qt. size @ home depot. when dried sand fill with bondo filler, primer and paint to match color.
IF the area around the base of the mast is depressed, (add water to the area and see if it puddles) and if your compression post is solid, then the wood between cabin top and upper pan is soft, mind you this is the centerline of the cabin and crowned, there can be water damage from the maincabin hatch, if this wood is wet, then the mast must be droped,the entire fwd section on the cabin can be routed out in one piece, the cutter set for 1/4"to 5/16" deep, not to cut any elect. lines, if there's no soft spots near the fwd hatch, don't touch it, and DON'T extend the cross cuts into the side radius, (above the teak eyebrows) then gently remove the top section of the cabintop, remove the damaged wood, replace it with the same shape and thickness ply, BUT prior to installing, soak the ply with resin and 15% acetone for deep penetration, glass will not adhere to dry wood, and what you wanr to do is smear resin and hardner on the upper surf. of the inner pan, smear resin on the wood panels,to glue them to the inside, when every panel is in place you smear more resin and even chopped glass between cracks/seams, then smear the inside surf. of the cabin top skin and put it back into position, what ever you router cutter diameter is, you should have an equal gap, now drill holes and install screws to secure the top skin in place, when dried/cured, remove screws, fill holes and gap with chopped glass(bondo sells in in a qt. size @ home depot. when dried sand fill with bondo filler, primer and paint to match color.
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