SQUISHY DECK

[Rick Ellis]

I HAVE AN O-DAY 25 AND THE DECK/COCKPIT SEAT THAT IS IN FRONT OF THE COMPANIONWAY IS GETTING A LITTLE SOFT FROM ALL THE TRAFFIC IN THAT AREA. THE FIBERGLASS HAS DEVELOPED SOME STRESS CRACKS FROM PEOPLE STEPPING IN THE SAME SPOT THROUGH THE YEARS. I WAS THINKING OF DRILLING SOME HOLES AND TRY TO INJECT SOME RESIN INTO THE AFFECTED AREA. ANY SUGGESTIONS

 

[Ed Schenck]

Can you get under it?

My old Hunter has a glassed in stringer under the bridgedeck. It runs the "length" of the bridgedeck which is actually from coaming to coaming. Could you get under yours and do that? Not sure there is enough thickness in that area to drill. On mine there is no coring there, just thick f/g.

 

[Ed Garcia]

Epoxy & Plywood Repair

My O'Day 25 needed some glass repair in the cockpit area. I noticed that the entire cockpit sole was not supported from underneath, i.e. the entire coaming, cockpit area was simply "hanging" from the edge of the hull. My solution was to bond in a plywood bulkhead (marine grade of course) using epoxy to support the cockpit sole. This has significantly stiffed up the entire aft deck structure. Try that or simply putting a stiffener in should resolve the problem if your deck is not delaminated. Otherwise you will have to do the epoxy injection thing. Good Luck.