Wayward Star: reinforcing the cockpit

[ilance]

I finally got my epoxy order! The Git Rot kit was absolutely DEVOURED by the petrified plywood in the cockpit sole.

I was happy to find no real wetness or rot. (Amazing, since the boat came from the coast!). What I did find was that there are about four spots where the ply and glass have delaminated. It was also really interesting to find the laminates were REALLY uneven: in some areas just about 4mm thick! Wanna guess where the delam was?

Taking a suggestion from the boards, I drilled some 3/8 holes and injected the Git Rot. In the places that were loose, I made a few more holes. It's already starting to kick off and gel......since it's supposed to be hot, I refrigerated the component parts. That seems to have been a really good idea.

My other epoxy is supposed to me here in a couple days. Amazon provided some nice 60ml syringes with catheter tips. I'll blend up a little cabosil and inject it on in there......my epoxy is a 5:1 kit from Jamestown......so hopefully I can blend something runny enough to get in there well. In the low spots where the delam shows the weakest laminate, I'm going to "fill" with a couple layers of biax to help give it a little boost. I'll top off the holes with some cabosil/fiber scraps.

Honestly, now that I've started, I kinda wish I had just chopped it all out and done it over. Mostly, I was afraid of it being "wavy"......but I'd have probably ended up using less epoxy, in the end.

My neighbors are also now more convinced than ever that I'm insane. They were watching me pack bags of landscape gravel up my ladder.......and asked me what I was up to. I couldn't resist: told them I was "adding ballast for heavy weather sailing!"

Gravel worked really good for squishing my re-lamination......

 

[ilance]

While waiting on my epoxy to kick.......I started fiddling with the mildew colony that was taking over all belowdecks spaces......

This stuff from Zep was what they recommended at the local HD. It was worth the price......but, yikes! It's TOXIC!

Even with everything fully open, it was harsh enough to run me out a few times. Be careful with this stuff.....

I'm scrubbing bilges out too, in prep for paint. What do you experts think? See the stress cracks on the tabs between the inner liner and hull? Repair/reinforce? That's the way I'm leaning......since I'm gonna Bilgekote them bright white.......here's some pix:

 

[pclarksurf]

good times! that's exactly where I started a year ago-- you'll be glad you did:

 

[pclarksurf]

And this is the end grain of what you were filling-- lots and lots of voids:

 

[ilance]

"High quality marine plywood" that is NOT!

Honestly, I'm tempted to at least put in some hatches......to get to the amazing sotorage space below! Anyone done that?

 

[Gene Neill]

It'd be cool, if you could do it in such a way that it didn't leak, and you didn't trip on the hatches.

On our Albin Vega, the entire cockpit floor is removable, to give access to the drive train. It is screwed down, though, and kinda big and heavy, so you wouldn't want to open it just to pull out a bag of pretzels or something.

That also might be a good place to put some flotation, if you're into that sort of thing.

 

[Jacktar]

From someone who had a plywood cockpit, sides and bottom which I fiber-glassed to stabilize with git rot and polyester A Luger 21 south wind kit boat from Canada. Penetration of any of it leads to dry rot and more importantly madness! But the repairs lasted 35 years so I guess it was a managed insanity of sorts. Just a sample of some of the insanity because you have to replace the ve berth ply due to hatch leaks causing dry rot.

 

[CloudDiver]

I used the ZEP Mildew cleaner also.... it is bleach based and very effective, just use where well ventilated because it certainly stings the eyes and wear a mask.
The cracks you show are mostly in the paint, probably a combination of age and the hull flexing. You can certainly re-enforce the tabbing on major structural joints with a few layers of bi-ax tape, 3 or 4 inch wide should do. Be prepared, you'll have to sand all that paint off and it will be bear.
Bilge Kote is a great choice for painting those spaces, that's what I did. I cleaned and sanded as much as I could because there is a lot of dirt and uneven surfaces to address. You don't have to take all the old paint off unless you are repairing glass work, so I found that acetone cleans and preps very well by softening the old paint and then the Bilge-Kote gets a nice chemical bond. Again, ventilate well and wear a mask in those spaces when using acetone.

 

[ilance]

Cloud: I actually think it was your posts that I remembered when I ran across the Zep......it took me a whole day to stop exuding chlorine smell......I guess me and industrial safety need a refresher, from time to time.

My plan for the re-tabbing is to get in there with my 60 grit on the 4 1/2 grinder and cleanup. The stuff left after that I figure can fall to acetone and a stiff cup brush. Don't see what a little reinforcement would hurt. It can only stiffen the boat, overall. Mostly, I'm after it to make things easier to clean up......plus, I have an old head discharge thru-hull in the second compartment that needs to go!

I got a lecture from the Admiral on the evils of fiberglass dust......so grinding will now have to wait for my purchase of a big shop vac and a tyvek suit. Under threat of individual banishment and failure to sail with me.......this will need to be attended to. I have to make the mildew disappear......as any trace has been dubbed "toxic black mold." Therefore......I'll also be crawling back under the cockpit......past the cooler rack that a PO installed there.......that should be fun at 6'3" and too fat.

Sigh......I wanted to epoxy the under-deck and paint it anyway. Guess I shoulda just cut it out the first time.

Through the HUGE forepeak access that another PO thoughtfully provided, I found a complete lack of plywood under my stem.......guess I'd better be ordering more epoxy! Got smart and already started on the micarta backing plates......

 

[ilance]

With the new Jamestown order, my epoxy supplies are enhanced......got a bunch of big syringes from Amazon, along with stir sticks and cups. (Way cheaper, free Prime shipping!)

After the Git Rot was injected, I made a nice slurry of regular epoxy, colloidal silica and killed glass fibers. A couple of teaspoons each made a nice injectable paste.

In the end, I know that it's not the right way to have done the cockpit......but I'm confident there's no rot......just crappy void plywood and thin laminates. Mission seems to be accomplished: it's super solid and doesn't creak, pop, and make horrid noises!

Not sure if I'm going to add any layers of biax or not. I'll see when I grind down the nonskid and prep for paint and such. Overall, I'm gonna call my first foray into epoxy in years, "a success."

Now: the Depot has my new Ryobi lithium grinder in stock again......so THAT is gonna come home for tonight's grinding and storage locker reinforcement!

I'll see how it sets up......but I'm liking the Jamestown epoxy pretty well. It pumps and mixes nice, and the price is really good. The gallon kit is looking like my next order......