I'm finally starting to think seriously about re-coring my foredeck.
Essentially the whole of the foredeck needs doing. I am also going to mount a
windlass at the same time. I am a bit concerned that the side decks ought to get done too, but I don't intend to do them this time, but to learn enough to do them at a later time if needed.
The
deck is 1/4" glass on top, 1/4" balsa
core, and 1/8" glass on the bottom.
Is it worth buildng up solid glass under the cleat, stanchions and where the
windlass is going? Since these are all concentrated in the foremost part of the
deck, perhaps make the whole front part of the deck solid glass?
What about the transition to the side decks ... on the assumption that I don't encounter properly dry balsa, would a small dam of solid glass/thickened
epoxy work to prevent moisture transfer between the old
core in the side deck and the new foredeck core until I get round to doing the side-decks in a year or two?
I know absolutely nothing about fibreglass
work, except for watching dozens of youtube videos ... but that doesn't compare to real experience. So I am quite nervous about such serious surgery on my
boat.
My plan is to cut the top glass about three inches inboard of the edge of the non-skid. This will give plenty of glass for a 12:1 bevel to re-bond the top surface to ... but will leave about 1.5" overlap over the edge of the core that will have to be extracted beneath. Is this a good idea?
The hawsepipe will have to be moved from the front to beside the windlass, but hopefully filling the old hole isn't the hardest part of the job.
Since I have a moulded
headliner, I can't tell how close the core goes to the
cabin trunk. How close will the deck core go to the steep side? or are the
cabin trunk sides also cored continuously that might also need replacement? I hope not.
I'm still not sure what to do about making a cosmetically nice finish to the non-skid and
gelcoat at the end. Probably
paint and kiwigrip, which won't hide the
repair at all, but should at least look clean and functional.
While I'm thinking about it ... there is currently just a
single large cleat in the middle of the deck ... but once the windlass is installed it won't have a fair lead to the bow chocks. Should I replace it with two
cleats one each side so that
mooring lines don't rub against the windlass?
I'm looking for all the
advice and reassurance I can get for this job, since
fiberglass is a whole new world for me.