About Painting My Soggy Deck Black

[SURV69]

1967 Bristol 29.

Nice boat, but I wonder if less than most skilled actually built Hull H15980(Hull 48).

Anyway, it's got a wet foredeck & side decks ahead of the cabin.

I hate non-color decks(Mauve, Beige ... etc), would rather have white or something more interesting.

To this end I am removing almost all of the existing paint and where there is a hollow sound, I'm taking it to fiberglass(plastic).

I'm thinking of waiting for a few nice sunny days to drill holes, then to frive some huge bamboo kabob scewers sideways to refusal, then pull them out to leave openings. I hope to intersect directions at each hole to help breathing/airing out.

My twist on this, is that I want to paint the deck with some black spray paint to help the deck heat up. I hope this might help the moisture to steam out.

After a few days of this, I'm hoping to fill with resin and then insert smaller diameter bamboo kabob scewers ... hoping to get a sort of lattice-work of scewers, which I hope, will help firm up the decks.

After everything cures, I'll resand everything and remove the black point.

Then prime everything and repaint the decking.

Anyone have any ideas about this as to if it is likely to work?

[hobopacket]

I highly doubt it. Really you need a proper repair. Cut out every section that is wet, take the wet core out and fiberglass over. Total rebuild of the soft areas.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by hobopacket

I highly doubt it. Really you need a proper repair. Cut out every section that is wet, take the wet core out and fiberglass over. Total rebuild of the soft areas.

I'm with hobopacket,here; however, what is the coring material? Taking out the wet core is good advice, but not just fiberglassing over. The core will need to be replaced. I replace wet damaged end grain balsa with more balsa tiles, but with these set slightly apart with resin between each one so there can be no travel of rot and water intrusion in the future.

My work with "soft spots" has been with the repair of approximately two or three square foot spaces at a time. Over the thirty-two years that I've owned my balsa cored boat I've replaced about eight of these "spots", but I've never had to do the same place again!

[hobopacket]

Exactly. Must recore. If a very small area you can get away with thickened epoxy. If larger, use what the original core was with gaps of thickened epoxy like Hudson mentioned.

Then then hard part, gel coating. Sounds like an old bait, so maybe painting is a better option.

[Hudson Force]

Although I've recored with end grain balsa tiles there is the option of using a more expensive composite coring like the Devinylcell which is used on the Island Packet decks. I do like the balsa if each tile is isolated.

The success with the cosmetic appearance of the deck surface largely depends upon what original finish you will be matching. If you have a specific regular pattern such as that common diamond crisscrossed pattern, then the match repair will be difficult. If your final covering non-skid is coarse quartz sand in the paint or something like Kiwi-grip then the good appearance of the finish is easy.

[Suijin]

Two reasons your plan will not work:

1) It would take a lot longer to dry out the deck than "a few days". It would be months at the very least and you'd need to keep additional moisture out and employ additional strategies for driving the existing moisture out.

2) The core is already rotted out. That's why it's soft. You could end up injecting it with gallons and gallons of epoxy and still not make it structurally sound.

If you're going to repaint in the end you might as well just open up the deck and replace the core. It's going to be faster than drying it out and yield a better result, but it will be more expensive.

[fatherchronica]

These guys are correct, but I like your outside the box thinking. It is the way I imagine a young Moitessier would have approached a repair on one of his Vietnamese junks if it had had a balsa cored deck. I am going to make myself a little matrix of bamboo skewers and whenever I don't have a use for extra mixed epoxy I will glue it up just to see how strong it would be.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by hobopacket

I highly doubt it. Really you need a proper repair. Cut out every section that is wet, take the wet core out and fiberglass over. Total rebuild of the soft areas.

Quick fixes never work. Do it right or not at all.

[SV Bacchus]

Funny thing, I have contemplated Surv69's approach before, just thinking things through, and in my heart of hearts, I knew it wasn't the best. The thought process of cutting corners now means more work later.

Do it right the first time, like Hudson Force says, and never do it again.

[SURV69]

My situation is that I'm 67, retired(disability), and even with my VA, SS & PERS, I'm probably on the lower end of a good boating budget.

The boat is solid everywhere ... except the few "problem" areas.

Abeam side decks solid ... rear deck solid
Foredeck from about 1' forward of the cabin to the bow is solid

The soft spots exist just forward of the cabin(right & left ... solid in middle), and inward third of the side deck about 6 inches toward the stern from the respective cabin corners.

I am hoping to complete a trip I have dreamed about for the past 8 years(east on Erie, East on Erie Canal, then points south.

I am going to consider the opening of the top of my deck by dremeling the 1/4 or so inch from the top and pry open the entirety of the problem areas ... IF I feel I have the available time ... now ... and some hot, dry weather. Actually, ripping the top open, seems to me, might be a quick(maybe quicker), method than what I had hoped to do.

The wet/soft locations, don't appear to be in proximity of stanchions or other deck hardware, which is why I had considered the drill & fill process.

Time is of essence and my health, for the past 10 years, has generally been better than a following year ... i.e..., I expect next year not to be better, although, possibly still doable

[thruska]

Originally Posted by SURV69

My situation is that I'm 67, retired(disability), and even with my VA, SS & PERS, I'm probably on the lower end of a good boating budget.

The boat is solid everywhere ... except the few "problem" areas.

Abeam side decks solid ... rear deck solid
Foredeck from about 1' forward of the cabin to the bow is solid

The soft spots exist just forward of the cabin(right & left ... solid in middle), and inward third of the side deck about 6 inches toward the stern from the respective cabin corners.

I am hoping to complete a trip I have dreamed about for the past 8 years(east on Erie, East on Erie Canal, then points south.

I am going to consider the opening of the top of my deck by dremeling the 1/4 or so inch from the top and pry open the entirety of the problem areas ... IF I feel I have the available time ... now ... and some hot, dry weather. Actually, ripping the top open, seems to me, might be a quick(maybe quicker), method than what I had hoped to do.

The wet/soft locations, don't appear to be in proximity of stanchions or other deck hardware, which is why I had considered the drill & fill process.

Time is of essence and my health, for the past 10 years, has generally been better than a following year ... i.e..., I expect next year not to be better, although, possibly still doable

No disrespect, but i would heed the advice given previous.
Because of your status, that advice makes evenmore sense.
There is much doubt you will gain anything by your proposed methods.
You most likely will gain nothing but perhaps create more work and expense for yourself. The proper fix proposed by others will be less time and money and is proven to work.
Good luck

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by Suijin

Two reasons your plan will not work:

1) It would take a lot longer to dry out the deck than "a few days". It would be months at the very least and you'd need to keep additional moisture out and employ additional strategies for driving the existing moisture out.

2) The core is already rotted out. That's why it's soft. You could end up injecting it with gallons and gallons of epoxy and still not make it structurally sound.

If you're going to repaint in the end you might as well just open up the deck and replace the core. It's going to be faster than drying it out and yield a better result, but it will be more expensive.

Yes, I am thinking a circular saw set at about 3/8" depth cut would open up these areas in short order. Harbor Freight also sells a toe cutter for a few bucks. Clean out the bad core, recore, glass and paint. Many times we make the job much bigger in our minds than it actually is.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

Yes, I am thinking a circular saw set at about 3/8" depth cut would open up these areas in short order. Harbor Freight also sells a toe cutter for a few bucks. Clean out the bad core, recore, glass and paint. Many times we make the job much bigger in our minds than it actually is.

I think this is good advice. And FWIW, in your position, I'd not be worrying about the cosmetics of the repair. If the non-skid doesn't match, or the colors don't match, or even if you leave it rough and unpainted, you will be able to do your proposed trip with a stronger and safer boat. To me, also an old fart with limited future years, worrying about eyewash is counter productive in a big way.

The folks who view their boats as potential entrants in some Concours de Elgance seldom make it very far as cruisers. Having a boat in perfect condition is good. Having a boat anchored in a distant cove with scabby decks is even better!

Jim

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

Yes, I am thinking a circular saw set at about 3/8" depth cut would open up these areas in short order. Harbor Freight also sells a toe cutter for a few bucks. Clean out the bad core, recore, glass and paint. Many times we make the job much bigger in our minds than it actually is.

You might want to consider taking a manageable "bite" at a time. I like to cut off the top deck plate for a section that I can reach across for my work. I also save the top plate and glass it back on top with a predetermined level for proper fit. Also, be sure to bevel out the seam so you glass in a large surface for best adhesion. You can't leave a new hard core adjacent to a soggy core for a length of time because the different flex coefficient will establish a crack.

[Baba Buoy]

You have the right idea. The core is not a significant structural part of the deck, its just a spacer to separate the fiberglass . No boat sank from a soggy deck. Use any means to dry out deck, replace core (with whatever) and seal up leaks should be OK. "Doing things right" is nonsense regarding this chore. Don't worry about "reinforcing deck with skewers". Once you have a solid core (by whatever means) the deck will be solid enough. I have used a 2 inch door knob corer to find really wet spots from inside cabin, dig it out and replace with pieces of balsa. Epoxy the original cored fiberglass disks back in and inject epoxy into space from above. Its a lot of work by whatever means you chose.
Hell, just injecting epoxy from above into the dried out parts of the rotten core should do. As the rot grows, just add more epoxy. You may add a few pounds of weight to the deck but so what, we're only cruisers.