I purchased a 1989 Hunter 26.5 this February. I got a good deal, everything about the boat is in excellant shape, no blisters on the hull, outboard like new, interior and exterior condition are excellant, sails are in good shape. As I was cleaning the boat, I noticed a soft spot in the forward topsides on port side. It is about 8"-10" in diameter, right around the fresh water tank fill. Apparrently, the fitting has been leaking. There is some minor water staining on the headliner below. I think I may not have found it in February because the deck was frozen. I am wondering if the '89 Hunters have a wood core topside, and what steps I should take other than removing and rebedding the deck fitting. Can I do a semi-permanent repair without removing all the glass on the topsides? Can I solidify the area in some way with epoxy or urethane? What about just reinforcing from below? The area is not real close to any chainplates or other deck fittings, but is an area of frequent travel while setting sails and docking.
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Steve, You want 'GitRot'
It's an epoxy for just your problem. You drill holes in the deck at the rot location and squeeze the stuff into the holes. West Marine has it on the shelf. Close the holes with MarineTex, probably on the same shelf. (all you'll need is the small box)
It's an epoxy for just your problem. You drill holes in the deck at the rot location and squeeze the stuff into the holes. West Marine has it on the shelf. Close the holes with MarineTex, probably on the same shelf. (all you'll need is the small box)
Do this:
It makes no sense to fix the soft spot until you resolve the leak that caused it. Remove the fill port, drill some holes in the area and dry out what is remaining of the wood core. Stuff paper towels in the holes to act as a wick to hep remove moisture. Use a heat lamp if necessary. At times I've wet the core material with alcohol or acetone which will help evaporate the water trapped in there. The fill the area with epoxy, epoxy filler or marine tex and rebed the fill port.
It makes no sense to fix the soft spot until you resolve the leak that caused it. Remove the fill port, drill some holes in the area and dry out what is remaining of the wood core. Stuff paper towels in the holes to act as a wick to hep remove moisture. Use a heat lamp if necessary. At times I've wet the core material with alcohol or acetone which will help evaporate the water trapped in there. The fill the area with epoxy, epoxy filler or marine tex and rebed the fill port.
Soft Deck Repair
Purchase a can of non expanding aersol foam insulation(Home Depot). Drill (1/8" or so) holes in the deck or up from the bottom, depending on what you can get at. Drill the holes at the outside of the solf area and a few holes towards the center to act as vents. full the area with the foam...after it sets up, you can slightly drill out the holes and fill/seal them with Marine-tex. Using automotive touch-up paint of about the same color as the deck or celling, dab the hole locations. I have used this repair, it works... Good Luck!
Purchase a can of non expanding aersol foam insulation(Home Depot). Drill (1/8" or so) holes in the deck or up from the bottom, depending on what you can get at. Drill the holes at the outside of the solf area and a few holes towards the center to act as vents. full the area with the foam...after it sets up, you can slightly drill out the holes and fill/seal them with Marine-tex. Using automotive touch-up paint of about the same color as the deck or celling, dab the hole locations. I have used this repair, it works... Good Luck!
Depends on the cause!
If it is a simple delamination due to the 'mud' they use to put the deck, liner and core together curing too fast, you can drill and fill. Git Rot is simply penetrating epoxy and is not really suitable for this. You would be better off with a filled epoxy (micro-balloons work well). The polyurethane foam is one heck of an adhesive and should bond well to a solid core (note though, I have never tried this before for this type of repair). But, put some weight on the deck and prop the cabin top or you could end up with a bulge as it expands. If you have rotted core from water intrusion, you might as well suck it up. You're going to have to cut the rotten wood out and replace it if you want more than a temporary patch. If you seal up rotting wood, it will continue to rot. You can not get plywood dry enough for a repair if it is between the laminates. Epoxy doesn't bond well to wet wood. Period! Penetrating epoxy...doesn't. It will penetrate wood for about 1/16" maximum. If you read the instructions for products like Git Rot they tell you to drill a bunch of holes for deep penetration. Now you know why. Want to see what happens when you don't get it right? Visit this site. http://www.anzam.com/refurb_index_005.htm This is a friend's personal project. He is a professional yacht restorer. He purchased it on this coast and I "surveyed" it for him. We knew that it was a major project and we knew where the problems were. Blisters, deck core rot, cruddy interior, wiring, plumbing, etc., etc. What nobody could know until he started cutting into her, was the full extent of the structural problems. Sadly, after thousands of dollars and countless hours of labor, she fell victim to the chainsaw and scrap yard. The site is also a good primer on how to do a deck core replacement. Note that if the damage is confined to a small area you don't have to work beyond the point where the rot ends. Here is a link with step-by-step instructions for repairing non-skid after a core replacement. ftp://ftp.sailnet.com/Cal/how-2s/non-skid/ There is a valid debate as to whether it is best to go down through the deck or up through the cabin liner. Down, you can put lots of pressure on the layup and it is easier to work that way. The downside is messing with the non-skid and the difficulty for an amature in making an un-noticable repair. Up, no non-skid, repairs are less noticable. Working overhead is a royal pain and you have to prop everything while it sets up. Save all those cheap hotel shower caps, you'll need them.
If it is a simple delamination due to the 'mud' they use to put the deck, liner and core together curing too fast, you can drill and fill. Git Rot is simply penetrating epoxy and is not really suitable for this. You would be better off with a filled epoxy (micro-balloons work well). The polyurethane foam is one heck of an adhesive and should bond well to a solid core (note though, I have never tried this before for this type of repair). But, put some weight on the deck and prop the cabin top or you could end up with a bulge as it expands. If you have rotted core from water intrusion, you might as well suck it up. You're going to have to cut the rotten wood out and replace it if you want more than a temporary patch. If you seal up rotting wood, it will continue to rot. You can not get plywood dry enough for a repair if it is between the laminates. Epoxy doesn't bond well to wet wood. Period! Penetrating epoxy...doesn't. It will penetrate wood for about 1/16" maximum. If you read the instructions for products like Git Rot they tell you to drill a bunch of holes for deep penetration. Now you know why. Want to see what happens when you don't get it right? Visit this site. http://www.anzam.com/refurb_index_005.htm This is a friend's personal project. He is a professional yacht restorer. He purchased it on this coast and I "surveyed" it for him. We knew that it was a major project and we knew where the problems were. Blisters, deck core rot, cruddy interior, wiring, plumbing, etc., etc. What nobody could know until he started cutting into her, was the full extent of the structural problems. Sadly, after thousands of dollars and countless hours of labor, she fell victim to the chainsaw and scrap yard. The site is also a good primer on how to do a deck core replacement. Note that if the damage is confined to a small area you don't have to work beyond the point where the rot ends. Here is a link with step-by-step instructions for repairing non-skid after a core replacement. ftp://ftp.sailnet.com/Cal/how-2s/non-skid/ There is a valid debate as to whether it is best to go down through the deck or up through the cabin liner. Down, you can put lots of pressure on the layup and it is easier to work that way. The downside is messing with the non-skid and the difficulty for an amature in making an un-noticable repair. Up, no non-skid, repairs are less noticable. Working overhead is a royal pain and you have to prop everything while it sets up. Save all those cheap hotel shower caps, you'll need them.
Here's what I did!
Thanks everyone for the replies! Based on your reccomendations, this is what I ended up doing. I removed the water fill inlet fitting from the deck. I found that there was no bond between the deck surface on the bedding compound under the fitting. I also found saturated plywood between the outer hull glass and the inner hull. I was able to remove most of the wet and rotted wood by using a 12" long sawzall blade with tape wrapped around for a handle and bent slightly. I worked this in between the fiberglass skins by hand through the deck fill hole, for about 6" - 8" all around the fitting, removing as much of the rotted plywood as possible. I then blew air into the void using the exhaust end of a shop vac for about 3 hours. This seemed to remove most of the moisture that was left. I then made a marine plywood reinforcing plate that fit below the deck, and one that would be placed above temporarily, and bolted through the fitting hole and the plate below. I was cafefull to put masking tape down on the topside all around the area to prevent scratching and also to keep the urethane sealant from bonding to the surface. I then sprayed meduim expansion urethane foam into the cavity through a small hole drilled in the top plate. I allowed the foam to cure the stated time, scaped off a little overage and removed the bolt holding the top plate down. The foam had filled the void entirely. I then drilled a hole through the foam and bottom plate, and re-installed the deck fill fitting. This time I through bolted the fitting, and used sikaflex sealant, leaving the sealant to set for a few days before I snug up the through bolts. I then drilled some 3/8" holes through the inside layer of glass, carefull to only go into the wood and not all the way through using a drill stop to hold the depth to 1/2". I did this to see how far the rot had gone around the fitting, and also how far the foam had penetrated. I found that the foam had filled the voids quite thoroughly, but did find some more rot a few inches past the foam. I plan to leave the holes open on the inside to allow the core to dry, and will do the same process only from below this time, by drilling a few 2" or 3" holes through the glass below, removing the rotted wood, allowing it to dry, and spraying foam into the void in a similar manner. This time I will also install a marine plywood reinforcing plate below, but will brace it from below with screws into the sound core, and blocking wedged underneath to the v-berth. I found the deck to be extremely solid feeling after the first repair, without any noticeable bulge or damage. The marine plywood plate below will be finished to match the interior cabinetry, and will be hardly noticeable. Thanks for all your input!!
Thanks everyone for the replies! Based on your reccomendations, this is what I ended up doing. I removed the water fill inlet fitting from the deck. I found that there was no bond between the deck surface on the bedding compound under the fitting. I also found saturated plywood between the outer hull glass and the inner hull. I was able to remove most of the wet and rotted wood by using a 12" long sawzall blade with tape wrapped around for a handle and bent slightly. I worked this in between the fiberglass skins by hand through the deck fill hole, for about 6" - 8" all around the fitting, removing as much of the rotted plywood as possible. I then blew air into the void using the exhaust end of a shop vac for about 3 hours. This seemed to remove most of the moisture that was left. I then made a marine plywood reinforcing plate that fit below the deck, and one that would be placed above temporarily, and bolted through the fitting hole and the plate below. I was cafefull to put masking tape down on the topside all around the area to prevent scratching and also to keep the urethane sealant from bonding to the surface. I then sprayed meduim expansion urethane foam into the cavity through a small hole drilled in the top plate. I allowed the foam to cure the stated time, scaped off a little overage and removed the bolt holding the top plate down. The foam had filled the void entirely. I then drilled a hole through the foam and bottom plate, and re-installed the deck fill fitting. This time I through bolted the fitting, and used sikaflex sealant, leaving the sealant to set for a few days before I snug up the through bolts. I then drilled some 3/8" holes through the inside layer of glass, carefull to only go into the wood and not all the way through using a drill stop to hold the depth to 1/2". I did this to see how far the rot had gone around the fitting, and also how far the foam had penetrated. I found that the foam had filled the voids quite thoroughly, but did find some more rot a few inches past the foam. I plan to leave the holes open on the inside to allow the core to dry, and will do the same process only from below this time, by drilling a few 2" or 3" holes through the glass below, removing the rotted wood, allowing it to dry, and spraying foam into the void in a similar manner. This time I will also install a marine plywood reinforcing plate below, but will brace it from below with screws into the sound core, and blocking wedged underneath to the v-berth. I found the deck to be extremely solid feeling after the first repair, without any noticeable bulge or damage. The marine plywood plate below will be finished to match the interior cabinetry, and will be hardly noticeable. Thanks for all your input!!
Some might think so...Fred,
But, he is a retired engineer and a knowledgeable perfectionist. His customers love his work and they are a unique lot themselves. He removes every nut, bolt and screw during a restoration project and replaces them with all new. He installs all new systems to the highest standards. In many cases, those standards will exceed the original factory specifications. Typically, the cost of one of his restorations when added to the purchase price of the yacht, may well exceed the fair market value of a same model, year and equipped yacht in good shape. So, they are typically reserved for classic yachts who's designs have stood the test of time...And for owners that appreciate true craftsmanship. They also understand that they are getting a virtually new yacht ( obviously, with 'traditional' design) for substantially less than the cost of a new one. That is not a choice for everyone.
But, he is a retired engineer and a knowledgeable perfectionist. His customers love his work and they are a unique lot themselves. He removes every nut, bolt and screw during a restoration project and replaces them with all new. He installs all new systems to the highest standards. In many cases, those standards will exceed the original factory specifications. Typically, the cost of one of his restorations when added to the purchase price of the yacht, may well exceed the fair market value of a same model, year and equipped yacht in good shape. So, they are typically reserved for classic yachts who's designs have stood the test of time...And for owners that appreciate true craftsmanship. They also understand that they are getting a virtually new yacht ( obviously, with 'traditional' design) for substantially less than the cost of a new one. That is not a choice for everyone.
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