Under the cabin side panels...Hudson Seawolf 44

[Wayfinder44]

Hello everyone! I am replacing the plywood panels (after fixing a few soft spots in the plywood cored sides as well as their causes)

There was extensive mold behind the panels and as shown in the pic, there is a lot of void space between the plywood veneer and the un fair inner fiberglass sides. I will be fully epoxy coating the plywood when it goes up.

My question is, do I need (should I) fill in those void spaces? If so, what are some suggestions? I can always use thickened epoxy, but that will get pricey...perhaps 5200? I was planning to use that for the adhesive anyway and can source it inexpensively.

Thanks all!


Dylan
Rebuilding and sailing the good ship "Fair Dinkum"
Hudson Seawolf 44

[ssanzone]

no, you dont need to fill in the space.

might make sense to fill with some foam insulation depending on where you are geographically located (drill a few fill holes, spray it in and let it expand). if you wanted insulation, it would be better to used closed cell or something but it would be worth the problem.

what are you doing about the mold which i assume is the result of the aforementioned repair work?

-steve

[Wayfinder44]

Thanks for the reply Steve. I'm not too worried about insulation as there is no condensation in the boat. The mold/rot are primarily on the plywood they is being removed and on the back of the teak trim. They used really low grade plywood when they built her. I am re mediating the mold with commercial mold killer, then sanding and coating the remaining wood with penetrating epoxy. This has worked well in the forward areas of the boat which were done 3 years ago with no return of mold. Sure will be nice to have a healthy and good smelling boat again!


Dylan
Rebuilding and sailing the good ship "Fair Dinkum"
Hudson Seawolf 44

[ssanzone]

then leave it unfilled and take advantage of the space for wiring system upgrades.

-steve

[Oceandeep]

Hi Dylan,

Good to meet you. I have a Hudson 50 that I am rebuilding as well.

With respect to your question, I think that a good cleaning of the mold is in order and a few coats of penetrating epoxy can't hurt. I would also suggest that you epoxy some strips of wood every 12-18" as a support for your new plywood. (I've used I/4" strips of 2x4 in the past with good results i.e. 1-1/2" X 1/4" in long strips. You can sandwich multiple strips together that bend easily to the contour of the hull to support your plywood. I would coat the strips with epoxy as well) You may want to leave some vents to keep the mold from happening again. We run a de-humidifier in the winter to keep things dried out .

Good luck
Dale

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Dylan.

[Wayfinder44]

Thanks for the replies! Dale, I would love to see some pics. I think you are referring to the inner hull sheathing which is on next years project list along with a small redesign of the v berth. I sure do love how the previous owner neglected and covered so many problems. It's the only thing that made the boat affordable. Plus it keeps me busy and out of trouble. We sail all summer and I rebuild in fall winter and spring under our boat cover. Last winter I removed the teak decks and fiberglassed them. This winter it's all about the cabin sides and top.

I've been trolling the site for years and really appreciate the knowledge and entertainment!


Dylan
Rebuilding and sailing the good ship "Fair Dinkum"
Hudson Seawolf 44

[Zach]

Anywhere you can make a straight run, cleat the plywood on the underside of the deck instead of vertically to the hull... Bonus points if you can ventilate from the deck ceilings to behind the hull... all the way down to the bilge and lockers. If the air can heat up on one side of the boat, and go through the bilge out to the other side, you'll have a boat that breathes and doesn't rot out.

Straight runs make for a much easier installation than trying to follow the contour of the hull with plywood. You can break most 8-10 foot runs into 3 1/2 to 4 foot lengths with a vertical plywood divider and a varnished strip on top. Button head screws make it easy to remove the panels... Get the bevel right front and back instead of having to scribe in a fore-shortening piece of a basketball..

Going straight runs also makes it pretty easy to set a router to cut a slot or two the length of the plywood going back, for ventilation so you don't get mold. It is a bit more difficult to do that if you've got vertical battens along the way. You might want a cleat the length under the slot, or glue a doubler behind the slot before you route it depending on your panel lengths.

Sealed areas on boats are bad news for rot and mold, and most all the foam in a can products are worse... they take on water, even though technically closed cell. Pull it out in 3 or 4 years and it is a nasty sponge.

Zach

[Wayfinder44]

Great info Zach, continued the demo work on the salon today...removed 8 buckets of wood. Never a good thing when the wood comes out in buckets. I cut the forward starboard cabin top beam out to scarf in a new section and began in earnest removing the inner cabin top. May end up popping the top, but trying to keep the outer fiberglass intact. Will know more this weekend.


Dylan
Rebuilding and sailing the good ship "Fair Dinkum"
Hudson Seawolf 44

[Wayfinder44]

Also, you are very correct. Most of the mold and rot are in air voids where untreated plywood was never sealed. That mistake (made by professionals) will not be duplicated. All plywood being used is aquatec marine ply fully saturated in epoxy


Dylan
Rebuilding and sailing the good ship "Fair Dinkum"
Hudson Seawolf 44

[SV Windrush II]

Hello, I just placed an offer on a 1981 Seawolf 44 ketch. Any information about these boats would be much appreciated. I have been doing some online searches but not much has come up. Evidently not very many of these yachts were built? The builder says Hudson, but I’m aware that he used several yards in Taiwan to build his boats. Thanks.