Painting the deck head in the cabin of a 10m Adams Mottle

[Oldsaltydog0007]

Hi to all reading this and a very happy and safe sailing this New Years.
I have recently bought the above mentioned boat and I have had new seat cushions made throughout and would now like to paint the fibreglass deck head.
There are some leaks up forward (through the toe rail fastenings I think)which the previous owner has tried to fix with dabbing silicone around but I think the bolts will have to come out and I guess filled with silicone and put back. Someone has mentioned that I should fill with resin and re drill? Is that necessary you think? As the deck head looks grungy with black bits mainly around where the deck bolts come through I want to paint the deck head bow
To stern. What sort of paint can I use does anyone know ? Some kind of gel coat that can be applied with a roller is what I was thinking but as I am new to all this I really don't want to do it and find out later I should have done something else.
Anyone with some thoughts on the matter and any ideas on the subject would be very much appreciated
Thanks

[robert sailor]

Don't use silicone as a bedding material. Not exactly sure of your situation but if you are drilling holes through the deck its a good idea to drill a larger hole through the top only and put a bent nail in your drill and scoop out the balsa core (if it is balsa) then fill the hole and space with epoxy. Drill your smaller hole through the epoxy and bed the bolt with something like Sikaflex and you'll be good to go. If you ever get a leak there the deck has been sealed so water can not get to the core.

[Oldsaltydog0007]

Thanks I was afraid this might be the case!
If its the toe rail bolts that are leaking then to fill the holes full of resin the whole toe rail would have to come off would it not? I really did not want a major refit just before the start of our summer so was wondering could I fill the hole from underneath using the same technique( though I don't understand how you can scoop out the core with a bent nail in the drill chuck? then drill from the top and put sickaflex in the hole before I put the bolt through?
What about paint? U reckon a gel coat over the top of what there is on there which is a fibreglass liner or would ordinary paint work on the deck head?

[robert sailor]

If its an existing bolt from the original manufacturer then simply pull the boat clean up the area, make sure its dry or dry it and put a ring of Sekaflex on the bolt below the head and replace it and your good to go. Make sure someone is holding the bolt head with a wrench while you tighten up the nut below as you don't want it to turn when your bedding it.

[robert sailor]

I'm not sure what needs paint, if your just rebedding a few bolts in the toe rail you shouldn't need paint. By the way just tighten the bolts snug to begin with and then after a week or so you can tighten them right up. This will allow the bedding to not be all squeezed out and will act like a gasket...if this makes sense.

[boatman61]

West System epoxy with the dye colour of your choice..
Oh.. the slow cure..

[Oldsaltydog0007]

That sounds like a much better option. I am not totally clear so my apologies but just want to be clear with what I have to do.
I remove the bolt clean it up and when I replace it I do not put any sickaflex on the head of the bolt at all only on the underneath where it comes through the deck on inside yea? Let it cure and tighten. If that does the job I will be very happy.
The painting part is when I finish getting her water tight and then I want to paint the deck head of the v berth forward and in the cabin.
Thank you for you help!

[Oldsaltydog0007]

The west system epoxy do you add the colour yourself or can you buy it with the colour added. Just roll it on? Any prep work? Rough up the surface or anything?

[Oldsaltydog0007]

Look on re reading I think what you are saying is that the sickaflex goes on the top underneath the head of the bolt and not on the nut underneath. Right?

[robert sailor]

Thats right you don't need to add any to the nut side be reasonably generous when applying it to the bolt and its not a bad idea to tape off the area around the bolt head because some will squeeze through and sometimes its a bitch to clean up easily

[Oldsaltydog0007]

Thanks very much for your advice. I Feel so much more
Confident about sorting these leaks out now.
Nothing worse I don't reckon than a damp leaking boat!
Nick

[Mike Vogdes]

Here is a PDF on West epoxy that will walk you through repairing wet core, bolt holes and such.
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/assets/...aintenance.pdf
If this leak is persistent and someone attempted to stop the leak with silicone, they used the wrong material and now contaminated the area. The core may or may not be damaged, in any event it is imperative that you remove all traces of silicone by sanding or grinding it away before using epoxy. Nothing sticks to silicone except silicone and any surface contaminated with silicone needs to be properly prepared before moving forward or you are just wasting time and money.

[robert sailor]

As Mike suggested make sure that its just a bolt hole that is leaking (not uncommon) non of my recommendations are for dealing with a wet core they are only for rebedding a bolt that is leaking. If the bolt is near the edge of the deck or part of the toe rail then the deck core should not be a problem as it will be solid glass so just the bolt needs to be rebedded. If the bolt is several inches away from the edge of the deck and is not part of the toe rail then you may want to check (hammer test) the area around the leak to make sure it hasn't got into the core. Again, if its a bolt from the toe rail then rebedding is all you'll need if the leak is at the bolt only.

[boatpoker]

Mike has it right. Nothing is going to work unless you remove all traces of silicone and that is not as easy as it sounds.

[Oldsaltydog0007]

Well noted gentlemen and thanks again.