A small area of my deck above the cabin is spongy. I wonder how to fix it. My idea is to gently remove the "skin" of the deck, replace probably rotten wood with new wood, and glue, etc.
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A Good Reference Book ...
Don Casey's book "Hull and Deck Repair" has info for diagnosis of the extent of delamination/wet core problems and procedures for the fix. Undoubtedly other books exist, but "Hull and Deck Repair" would be a good starting point ... and might be all that you need. I didn't see the publication listed in this site's chandlery section. But it is available at Borders, Amazon, etc for about $15.00. Also Don Casey's "Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual" has in it the same text/illustrations as "Hull and Deck Repair". regards, rardi
Don Casey's book "Hull and Deck Repair" has info for diagnosis of the extent of delamination/wet core problems and procedures for the fix. Undoubtedly other books exist, but "Hull and Deck Repair" would be a good starting point ... and might be all that you need. I didn't see the publication listed in this site's chandlery section. But it is available at Borders, Amazon, etc for about $15.00. Also Don Casey's "Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual" has in it the same text/illustrations as "Hull and Deck Repair". regards, rardi
Small area?
Gooch: If you have a small area, I would suggest that you look at other methods other than deck removal. I think a common process is to drill holes in the deck and inject with epoxy. Fill the holes and refinish the deck/non-skid. You should read some on the subject on how to dry out the area prior to undertaking this job. I think West Systems may have some procedure on how to do this.
Gooch: If you have a small area, I would suggest that you look at other methods other than deck removal. I think a common process is to drill holes in the deck and inject with epoxy. Fill the holes and refinish the deck/non-skid. You should read some on the subject on how to dry out the area prior to undertaking this job. I think West Systems may have some procedure on how to do this.
Avoid radical surgery
Thank you, Steve Dion! (But I would only expect sanity from you!) Too often I have seen people 'gently remove the skin of the deck' to 'replace' the core material, only to discover (as though this couldn't have been determined beforehand, even by a casual guess) that refilling and refairing the deck becomes an immense job threatening the entire value of the boat. This amounts to radical surgery when a change of diet would clear up the condition. My 'patented' method (I say that because I devised it myself without having read or asked anyone; but it is a commonly-used procedure by many) is to drill what I call 'termite holes' all over the deck, as close together as needed in the affected area, and to fill with WEST epoxy. I used a 1/4" drill bitt with a block (you can use a thick wrapping of tape) about 5/16" from the end. This penetrates the OUTER deck skin only. Then using a syringe (cut off to fit the hole diameter) I fill it. At first I was using about 20 pumps of the epoxy set. This quickly grew to 40. The epoxy was flooding the void(s) where the now-rotten balsa core had once been. Obviously you must FIRST ascertain that there are no through-holes or it will flood the below-decks space as well. After the initial removal of hardware I puttied over every hole with Marine-Tex from below before drilling the deck. Also, I drilled only in the nonskid areas, so I had merely to sand the epoxy, tape off the area and paint it over. But be careful-- Brightside and EasyPoxy require an epoxy-based primer because the one-part polyurethane eats the WEST epoxy. (I learned this the hard way.) The crowned foredeck of my H-25 is strong enough, I so often say, 'to hold a teenagers' hip-hop dance party on it.' It DOES NOT move-- that is, any more than a healthy composite structure should. This is on a deck that was so badly emaciated from core disintegration that the molded-fiberglass deck hatch spigot had cracked on both sides from stress. Now I have only to fill that and move on to deck paint. This deck-filling method also works to provide a 'compression block' under a piece of hardware, such as a winch or cleat that requires one. Just slightly over-drill the hole in the deck, DO NOT even dent the lower skin, fill with thickened epoxy, and when it's cured drill the correct hole size through the epoxy slug. Best of all it prohibits any water-intrusion into the core... but mount the hardware with liberal mounts of 5200 anyway. I can provide details of this operation to those who email.
Thank you, Steve Dion! (But I would only expect sanity from you!) Too often I have seen people 'gently remove the skin of the deck' to 'replace' the core material, only to discover (as though this couldn't have been determined beforehand, even by a casual guess) that refilling and refairing the deck becomes an immense job threatening the entire value of the boat. This amounts to radical surgery when a change of diet would clear up the condition. My 'patented' method (I say that because I devised it myself without having read or asked anyone; but it is a commonly-used procedure by many) is to drill what I call 'termite holes' all over the deck, as close together as needed in the affected area, and to fill with WEST epoxy. I used a 1/4" drill bitt with a block (you can use a thick wrapping of tape) about 5/16" from the end. This penetrates the OUTER deck skin only. Then using a syringe (cut off to fit the hole diameter) I fill it. At first I was using about 20 pumps of the epoxy set. This quickly grew to 40. The epoxy was flooding the void(s) where the now-rotten balsa core had once been. Obviously you must FIRST ascertain that there are no through-holes or it will flood the below-decks space as well. After the initial removal of hardware I puttied over every hole with Marine-Tex from below before drilling the deck. Also, I drilled only in the nonskid areas, so I had merely to sand the epoxy, tape off the area and paint it over. But be careful-- Brightside and EasyPoxy require an epoxy-based primer because the one-part polyurethane eats the WEST epoxy. (I learned this the hard way.) The crowned foredeck of my H-25 is strong enough, I so often say, 'to hold a teenagers' hip-hop dance party on it.' It DOES NOT move-- that is, any more than a healthy composite structure should. This is on a deck that was so badly emaciated from core disintegration that the molded-fiberglass deck hatch spigot had cracked on both sides from stress. Now I have only to fill that and move on to deck paint. This deck-filling method also works to provide a 'compression block' under a piece of hardware, such as a winch or cleat that requires one. Just slightly over-drill the hole in the deck, DO NOT even dent the lower skin, fill with thickened epoxy, and when it's cured drill the correct hole size through the epoxy slug. Best of all it prohibits any water-intrusion into the core... but mount the hardware with liberal mounts of 5200 anyway. I can provide details of this operation to those who email.
Avoid radical surgery
Thank you, Steve Dion! (But I would only expect sanity from you!) Too often I have seen people 'gently remove the skin of the deck' to 'replace' the core material, only to discover (as though this couldn't have been determined beforehand, even by a casual guess) that refilling and refairing the deck becomes an immense job threatening the entire value of the boat. This amounts to radical surgery when a change of diet would clear up the condition. My 'patented' method (I say that because I devised it myself without having read or asked anyone; but it is a commonly-used procedure by many) is to drill what I call 'termite holes' all over the deck, as close together as needed in the affected area, and to fill with WEST epoxy. I used a 1/4" drill bitt with a block (you can use a thick wrapping of tape) about 5/16" from the end. This penetrates the OUTER deck skin only. Then using a syringe (cut off to fit the hole diameter) I fill it. At first I was using about 20 pumps of the epoxy set. This quickly grew to 40. The epoxy was flooding the void(s) where the now-rotten balsa core had once been. Obviously you must FIRST ascertain that there are no through-holes or it will flood the below-decks space as well. After the initial removal of hardware I puttied over every hole with Marine-Tex from below before drilling the deck. Also, I drilled only in the nonskid areas, so I had merely to sand the epoxy, tape off the area and paint it over. But be careful-- Brightside and EasyPoxy require an epoxy-based primer because the one-part polyurethane eats the WEST epoxy. (I learned this the hard way.) The crowned foredeck of my H-25 is strong enough, I so often say, 'to hold a teenagers' hip-hop dance party on it.' It DOES NOT move-- that is, any more than a healthy composite structure should. This is on a deck that was so badly emaciated from core disintegration that the molded-fiberglass deck hatch spigot had cracked on both sides from stress. Now I have only to fill that and move on to deck paint. This deck-filling method also works to provide a 'compression block' under a piece of hardware, such as a winch or cleat that requires one. Just slightly over-drill the hole in the deck, DO NOT even dent the lower skin, fill with thickened epoxy, and when it's cured drill the correct hole size through the epoxy slug. Best of all it prohibits any water-intrusion into the core... but mount the hardware with liberal mounts of 5200 anyway. I can provide details of this operation to those who email.
Thank you, Steve Dion! (But I would only expect sanity from you!) Too often I have seen people 'gently remove the skin of the deck' to 'replace' the core material, only to discover (as though this couldn't have been determined beforehand, even by a casual guess) that refilling and refairing the deck becomes an immense job threatening the entire value of the boat. This amounts to radical surgery when a change of diet would clear up the condition. My 'patented' method (I say that because I devised it myself without having read or asked anyone; but it is a commonly-used procedure by many) is to drill what I call 'termite holes' all over the deck, as close together as needed in the affected area, and to fill with WEST epoxy. I used a 1/4" drill bitt with a block (you can use a thick wrapping of tape) about 5/16" from the end. This penetrates the OUTER deck skin only. Then using a syringe (cut off to fit the hole diameter) I fill it. At first I was using about 20 pumps of the epoxy set. This quickly grew to 40. The epoxy was flooding the void(s) where the now-rotten balsa core had once been. Obviously you must FIRST ascertain that there are no through-holes or it will flood the below-decks space as well. After the initial removal of hardware I puttied over every hole with Marine-Tex from below before drilling the deck. Also, I drilled only in the nonskid areas, so I had merely to sand the epoxy, tape off the area and paint it over. But be careful-- Brightside and EasyPoxy require an epoxy-based primer because the one-part polyurethane eats the WEST epoxy. (I learned this the hard way.) The crowned foredeck of my H-25 is strong enough, I so often say, 'to hold a teenagers' hip-hop dance party on it.' It DOES NOT move-- that is, any more than a healthy composite structure should. This is on a deck that was so badly emaciated from core disintegration that the molded-fiberglass deck hatch spigot had cracked on both sides from stress. Now I have only to fill that and move on to deck paint. This deck-filling method also works to provide a 'compression block' under a piece of hardware, such as a winch or cleat that requires one. Just slightly over-drill the hole in the deck, DO NOT even dent the lower skin, fill with thickened epoxy, and when it's cured drill the correct hole size through the epoxy slug. Best of all it prohibits any water-intrusion into the core... but mount the hardware with liberal mounts of 5200 anyway. I can provide details of this operation to those who email.
How did you dry it?
John, How did you go about drying the deck out prior to the epoxy application? I won't know till after my survey next week whether or not the H-30 I'm buying has any soft spot issues, but I'm assuming that's a reality with a near 30 year old boat at some point in the future and would like to be prepared. Also never hurts to have yet one more thing to be a "jack of the trade" in.
John, How did you go about drying the deck out prior to the epoxy application? I won't know till after my survey next week whether or not the H-30 I'm buying has any soft spot issues, but I'm assuming that's a reality with a near 30 year old boat at some point in the future and would like to be prepared. Also never hurts to have yet one more thing to be a "jack of the trade" in.
How did you dry it?
John, How did you go about drying the deck out prior to the epoxy application? I won't know till after my survey next week whether or not the H-30 I'm buying has any soft spot issues, but I'm assuming that's a reality with a near 30 year old boat at some point in the future and would like to be prepared. Also never hurts to have yet one more thing to be a "jack of the trade" in.
John, How did you go about drying the deck out prior to the epoxy application? I won't know till after my survey next week whether or not the H-30 I'm buying has any soft spot issues, but I'm assuming that's a reality with a near 30 year old boat at some point in the future and would like to be prepared. Also never hurts to have yet one more thing to be a "jack of the trade" in.
Abby- Drying deck out
Abby-- the deck's underside already had many openings from removed hardware that had been off for some time. Therefore I did not 'dry' it; it was essentially already dry. I filled the bottom holes with Marine-Tex immediately before using the epoxy but there were still times where it found a way to leak out (into the cabin). I would suggest using a wet-dry vacuum and just jamming the hose end down on each screw hole (AFTER filling the underside holes). You will be shocked to hear air hissing into the deck strata from other holes! I have not put a moisture meter on this boat at all-- choosing to live in denial, I guess. But this boat is still far from done and any testing a this point would be pointless. I am using the rotten-balsa fix for the hull itself too, as after lifting the boat off the keel I have found delamination in the very bottom of the hull. This will be ignored till the keel is 5200'd back on and then dealt with in its turn. At first I was terrified of it but now I see it for what it is-- just another empty-and-fill job, and this boat has had plenty of that already.
Abby-- the deck's underside already had many openings from removed hardware that had been off for some time. Therefore I did not 'dry' it; it was essentially already dry. I filled the bottom holes with Marine-Tex immediately before using the epoxy but there were still times where it found a way to leak out (into the cabin). I would suggest using a wet-dry vacuum and just jamming the hose end down on each screw hole (AFTER filling the underside holes). You will be shocked to hear air hissing into the deck strata from other holes! I have not put a moisture meter on this boat at all-- choosing to live in denial, I guess. But this boat is still far from done and any testing a this point would be pointless. I am using the rotten-balsa fix for the hull itself too, as after lifting the boat off the keel I have found delamination in the very bottom of the hull. This will be ignored till the keel is 5200'd back on and then dealt with in its turn. At first I was terrified of it but now I see it for what it is-- just another empty-and-fill job, and this boat has had plenty of that already.
Abby- Drying deck out
Abby-- the deck's underside already had many openings from removed hardware that had been off for some time. Therefore I did not 'dry' it; it was essentially already dry. I filled the bottom holes with Marine-Tex immediately before using the epoxy but there were still times where it found a way to leak out (into the cabin). I would suggest using a wet-dry vacuum and just jamming the hose end down on each screw hole (AFTER filling the underside holes). You will be shocked to hear air hissing into the deck strata from other holes! I have not put a moisture meter on this boat at all-- choosing to live in denial, I guess. But this boat is still far from done and any testing a this point would be pointless. I am using the rotten-balsa fix for the hull itself too, as after lifting the boat off the keel I have found delamination in the very bottom of the hull. This will be ignored till the keel is 5200'd back on and then dealt with in its turn. At first I was terrified of it but now I see it for what it is-- just another empty-and-fill job, and this boat has had plenty of that already.
Abby-- the deck's underside already had many openings from removed hardware that had been off for some time. Therefore I did not 'dry' it; it was essentially already dry. I filled the bottom holes with Marine-Tex immediately before using the epoxy but there were still times where it found a way to leak out (into the cabin). I would suggest using a wet-dry vacuum and just jamming the hose end down on each screw hole (AFTER filling the underside holes). You will be shocked to hear air hissing into the deck strata from other holes! I have not put a moisture meter on this boat at all-- choosing to live in denial, I guess. But this boat is still far from done and any testing a this point would be pointless. I am using the rotten-balsa fix for the hull itself too, as after lifting the boat off the keel I have found delamination in the very bottom of the hull. This will be ignored till the keel is 5200'd back on and then dealt with in its turn. At first I was terrified of it but now I see it for what it is-- just another empty-and-fill job, and this boat has had plenty of that already.
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