Deck core repair - Do I have everything I need?

[smj]

Originally Posted by minaret

And how would you match the gelcoat finish, since you can't put gel over epoxy without a ton of extra work?

Yes, gelcoat has a hard time adhering to epoxy yet some people claim success. Just as a secondary bond using polyester on to old polyester also has a hard time adhering yet some people also claim success. I would rather have a good bond between the old polyester and balsa using epoxy and worrying about the finish rather than vice versa. To me structure comes way before cosmetics.


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[minaret]

Originally Posted by smj

Yes, gelcoat has a hard time adhering to epoxy yet some people claim success. Just as a secondary bond using polyester on to old polyester also has a hard time adhering yet some people also claim success. I would rather have a good bond between the old polyester and balsa using epoxy and worrying about the finish rather than vice versa. To me structure comes way before cosmetics.


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Yeah, "some people". Like everyone who's ever professionally built a boat.

[Cheechako]

Based on where it is have you considered just drilling some holes from below and letting it dry out? How wert is it? drill one small hole and squeeze the core that is in the spiral of the drill bit between your thumb and forefinger. how much water really comes out? If your leaks are stopped I really wonder if there is any concern. Small holes might be easy to fill and not show. You could use a vacuum pump also. Unless you let a pro do it, if done from above it will likely never look as good as it does now. Even with a pro I've had tow gel coat matchings that didnt really turn out that well. Looked good initially and after a few weeks seems to show more.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Based on where it is have you considered just drilling some holes from below and letting it dry out? How wert is it? drill one small hole and squeeze the core that is in the spiral of the drill bit between your thumb and forefinger. how much water really comes out? If your leaks are stopped I really wonder if there is any concern. Small holes might be easy to fill and not show. You could use a vacuum pump also. Unless you let a pro do it, if done from above it will likely never look as good as it does now. Even with a pro I've had tow gel coat matchings that didnt really turn out that well. Looked good initially and after a few weeks seems to show more.

If he found it by hammer sounding as stated, odds are its good and rotten. Did you see the Gelcoat finish on the headliner? Exploratory drilling from underneath will result in the need for interior overhead glass repairs. That means masking off the entire interior. And wet sanding overhead, which sucks.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by minaret

Yeah, "some people". Like everyone who's ever professionally built a boat.

Remind me gently if I ever ask your advice... and then do the complete opposite...

By gentle... I mean a blunt object with some mass, or your foam shaper...

[smj]

Originally Posted by minaret

Yeah, "some people". Like everyone who's ever professionally built a boat.

Your absolutely wrong. I worked for a custom catamaran builder that would NEVER use polyester for a secondary bond. The only reason someone would use polyester is a lack of dollars and or sense.


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[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by redpointist

I'll be attempting to recore a section of my deck in a week and need to go ahead and get the order placed so that I can get started on it next weekend. I've never done any fiberglass work so I'm not entirely sure I've got everything I need lined up.

The "softspot" is about the size of a dinner plate, but i sounded out the area around it that I'm not getting a sharp sound from the hammer, and the area is about 4 feet by 1.5 feet. I think I'm going to try to reuse the top skin of fiberglass, but I know theres a chance that I'll ruin it when I try to remove it. I'm planning on ordering 1.5 gallons of resin/hardener. I'm assuming that will be enough if I reuse the top skin, but will it be enough if I end up having to reglass the entire surface?

Also, I'm not sure what kind/ how much of the actual fiberglass to order. I'm ordering through Jamestown, and this link contains my options: Fiberglass Supplies

In my shopping cart right now, I have 1 gallon system 3 silvertip resin, 1/2 gallon silvertip slow hardener (should I switch to fast? weather is predicting mid 60s temps), dispensers for the bottles, mixing sticks, 3/8 x 3 inch aluminum laminating roller (should i get a bigger one?), silica thickener, and micro ballon fairing compound. I still need to decide what kind and how much glass to order, and I'll get the balsa wood locally. I also have a circular saw, full fasked respirator, and gloves at the house. Am I missing anything? You can see my wishlist is here if the link works: https://www.jamestowndistributors.co...ck%2Fsy1ZfA%3D

Thanks so much for the help, I'm a bit nervous about tackling this project!

Please refer to my deck repair photos on this site. I recommend this repair as it does not deface the deck. Use US Composites 635 thin resin and microballoons. Their prices are better than most and the 635 resin has about a 6-hour working time. I only use West or the other guy's stuff if I am in a hurry on cure time.

Member Galleries - Cruisers & Sailing Photo Gallery


Fiberglass , Epoxy , Composites, Carbon Fiber - U.S. Composites, Inc. My go-to source for all FRP supplies. They also have other useful materials and a lot of how-to videos.

PM to me if you need more explanation on how to do this method or where to get stuff.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by smj

Your absolutely wrong. I worked for a custom catamaran builder that would NEVER use polyester for a secondary bond. The only reason someone would use polyester is a lack of dollars and or sense.


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So you're another one of those who believe every polyester boat is built in a day, with no secondary bonding?

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

Please refer to my deck repair photos on this site. I recommend this repair as it does not deface the deck. Use US Composites 635 thin resin and microballoons. Their prices are better than most and the 635 resin has about a 6-hour working time. I only use West or the other guy's stuff if I am in a hurry on cure time.

Member Galleries - Cruisers & Sailing Photo Gallery


Fiberglass , Epoxy , Composites, Carbon Fiber - U.S. Composites, Inc. My go-to source for all FRP supplies. They also have other useful materials and a lot of how-to videos.

PM to me if you need more explanation on how to do this method or where to get stuff.

If he uses this method on this job, he will be stuck doing a bunch of overhead repairs on a smooth Gelcoat overhead, instead of doing one repair in non skid with no blend required.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by minaret

If he uses this method on this job, he will be stuck doing a bunch of overhead repairs on a smooth Gelcoat overhead, instead of doing one repair in non skid with no blend required.

His photo shows screwed on headliner. Remove the headliner and attack the issue from inside. I have done this over many square feet of our boat and have never had to touch the deck. The headliner is re-attached at the job end and the deck is whole. Also, use the moisture meter from inside. Non-skid will give you a false reading of wet deck because of fillers ant it may tend to hold water in the surface.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

His photo shows screwed on headliner. Remove the headliner and attack the issue from inside. I have done this over many square feet of our boat and have never had to touch the deck. The headliner is re-attached at the job end and the deck is whole. Also, use the moisture meter from inside. Non-skid will give you a false reading of wet deck because of fillers ant it may tend to hold water in the surface.

I had a hard time discerning the interior from the photo too... I thought it was molded and textured instead of "removable" ...

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by minaret

If he found it by hammer sounding as stated, odds are its good and rotten. Did you see the Gelcoat finish on the headliner? Exploratory drilling from underneath will result in the need for interior overhead glass repairs. That means masking off the entire interior. And wet sanding overhead, which sucks.

Actually I thought the stippled finish on the headliner was a perfect opportunity to fill each hole and have it virtually unoticeable!

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Actually I thought the stippled finish on the headliner was a perfect opportunity to fill each hole and have it virtually unoticeable!

He's recommending decoring through a series of hole saw holes in the headliner there. How you gonna fill those and have them disappear, stipple or no?


Pic looked like molded headliner to me too. Perhaps the OP can clarify?

[redpointist]

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

I had a hard time discerning the interior from the photo too... I thought it was molded and textured instead of "removable" ...

The headliner is molded in, not removable, and has a definate pattern, not just textured. The screws you see are not holding on a removable headliner. Those screws fasten the forward handrail to the cabin top from the inside (I'm considering through bolting them at some point).

[smj]

Originally Posted by minaret

So you're another one of those who believe every polyester boat is built in a day, with no secondary bonding?

No. Secondary bonding with polyester is fine as long as the polyester it's bonding to is still green, if not green the adhesion strength of polyester goes way down. That's when I believe epoxy should be used. I've seen way to many polyester secondary bonds fail to feel comfortable with it.


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