Sailboat Lazarette lid cracked and separating

[sail LN23]

I have a 23 foot Lockley Newport that i recently bought. One of the Lazarette lids has a crack on the underside running from one side to the other side. It appears the internal material? some kind of ply is separating from the top layers causing the bottom layer to crack outward when someone sits or steps on the lid.

I want to reinforce/repair the lid. what is the best way to go about this? I have a full set of west system epoxy and filler types that i recently bought to some work installing a new transducer.

Is it possible to just epoxy the two layers back together? maybe ground down the crack itself and then glass it over? will this be strong enough to last or should I cut out the core material and do a much larger repair with a new core material?

any thoughts?

Thank you,

Sail LN23 (Trailer Sailor)

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Sail.

[Afrakes]

Do the quick fix. Clean out any loose material. Inject thickened West epoxy. Clamp with the appropriate amount of pressure to preserve the original design dimensions. After the epoxy cures grind down the area and apply a layer of glass reinforcement. As this appears to be the hinge side of the cover try to keep the thickness of any repair as close to original as possible. This is assuming that there is no damage to the top side of the cover. Get it fixed and go sailing.

[captainjay]

Tap it with a hammer all the way around and determine how big an area is de-laminated. Cut the skin off of the de-laminated area to reveal the coring material. If the core is good then grind the backside of the removed skin and the core. Mix up some thickened epoxy and glue and clamp on the removed skin. Once that has cured grind the perimeter of the cut out and lay a couple layers of glass over the cut. You can do this with polyester if you want to gelcoat or epoxy if you don't mind painting the underside of the hatch afterward.

[DeepFrz]

I vote for cutting out the core and checking/replacing it. Do a proper job. See Gord May's post.

[barnakiel]

Yep. One could cut away the inner face, glue in a new core, glue on the old cutaway piece, fill any voids, then laminate/overlap over the cutaway edges. High density foam / epoxy job. A weekend project. Laminating over the cut must be done VERY well - it will be a mechanical bond only.

One could possibly get the same results using quality plywood and avoid the sandwich construction. Except the lid will be way heavier now.

b.

[Stu Jackson]

While you're rebuilding it consider adding small gussets to the inside curve for additional strength. Good luck.

[Deltasailor]

Although it will need a non return valve try vacuum bagging it. Plenty of you tube video on the subject. This will ensure a good bond. You can use polyester instead of epoxy, much cheaper. A domestic vac will do the job.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Afrakes

Do the quick fix. Clean out any loose material. Inject thickened West epoxy. Clamp with the appropriate amount of pressure to preserve the original design dimensions. After the epoxy cures grind down the area and apply a layer of glass reinforcement. As this appears to be the hinge side of the cover try to keep the thickness of any repair as close to original as possible. This is assuming that there is no damage to the top side of the cover. Get it fixed and go sailing.

that saved me the typing.

[zeehag]

"Quote:
Originally Posted by Afrakes View Post
Do the quick fix. Clean out any loose material. Inject thickened West epoxy. Clamp with the appropriate amount of pressure to preserve the original design dimensions. After the epoxy cures grind down the area and apply a layer of glass reinforcement. As this appears to be the hinge side of the cover try to keep the thickness of any repair as close to original as possible. This is assuming that there is no damage to the top side of the cover. Get it fixed and go sailing."

" that saved me the typing."


yup

[jmccraw]

Great little pocket cruiser. I had a Gloucester 23, same boat different name and loved it. Finally moved on up to a 28 footer with more head room. Email me if you want to discuss your sailboat; Hope you get the lid fixed.
mgman@ipa.net
Jim