affixing storage racks to hull, need help

[nimbex1970]

I am new to boat ownership, so please be kind to a few simple questions. I am trying to determine the best way to hang a spice rack and a rack for utensils in the galley.

We have stripped down all the old carpet on the wall and we are installing insulation, then a headliner fabric to the walls. I know I obviously can't screw in these racks without fear of going through the hull.

Is epoxy like the 5200 what people use? I have watched many youtube videos and some say place the racks directly to the hull with this, not placing the headliner on for a better seal. Others have said use the 5200 for a 2x2 wood backing to the hull, then screw on the shelves or such.

Nothing I want to hang will have great weight, but I am trying not to have to redo the process from uninformed choices. Will the epoxy placed over a thin insulation pull it off the hull wall, hence do I need to cut out insulation slots for where I plan to hang these two racks? The insulation is that thermozite from sailrite with the 3M spray on adhesive.

Can anyone help clarify for me please!

[teddythetwig]

What I do in a situation like that is to epoxy
a piece of wood to the hull that is thick enough to screw into.

[steve77]

Originally Posted by nimbex1970

Is epoxy like the 5200 what people use? I have watched many youtube videos and some say place the racks directly to the hull with this, not placing the headliner on for a better seal. Others have said use the 5200 for a 2x2 wood backing to the hull, then screw on the shelves or such.

Can anyone help clarify for me please!

5200 is an adhesive, not an epoxy. It is slow curing and will require some bracing to hold it in place for a day or so. If you use a marine epoxy, just follow the instructions for application and cleaning. For a vertical installation I would thicken the epoxy to help keep it in place rather than flowing down the hull.

I have used expanding foam like Great Stuff to affix a strip of wood to fiberglass to give me something to screw to.

Cheers!

Steve

[nimbex1970]

Originally Posted by teddythetwig

What I do in a situation like that is to epoxy
a piece of wood to the hull that is thick enough to screw into.

Ty, so I should cut out the insulation around the wood I used 5200 on, then cut the insulation around that, then screw in the shelves. I know it sounds basic, but this is where I am right now, lol. Thanks so much. My head is swimming in projects.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by nimbex1970

Ty, so I should cut out the insulation around the wood I used 5200 on, then cut the insulation around that, then screw in the shelves. I know it sounds basic, but this is where I am right now, lol. Thanks so much. My head is swimming in projects.

Yes, you should remove the insulation and then adhere a piece of plywood or similar directly to the cleaned and prepped hull.

I personally wouldn’t use 5200 (a polyurethane btw, not an epoxy) for this. It takes an age to cure, and until it does you’ll need to support the piece.

Depending on the strength required, I’d use something like west systems 5 minute adhesive epoxy (an actual 2 part epoxy).

[nimbex1970]

Originally Posted by steve77

5200 is an adhesive, not an epoxy. It is slow curing and will require some bracing to hold it in place for a day or so. If you use a marine epoxy, just follow the instructions for application and cleaning. For a vertical installation I would thicken the epoxy to help keep it in place rather than flowing down the hull.

I have used expanding foam like Great Stuff to affix a strip of wood to fiberglass to give me something to screw to.

Cheers!

Steve

I had forgotten gravity and the need to hold as I will indeed need vertical. Thank you for your time.

[nimbex1970]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Yes, you should remove the insulation and then adhere a piece of plywood or similar directly to the cleaned and prepped hull.

I personally wouldn’t use 5200 (a polyurethane btw, not an epoxy) for this. It takes an age to cure, and until it does you’ll need to support the piece.

Depending on the strength required, I’d use something like west systems 5 minute adhesive epoxy (an actual 2 part epoxy).

suggestions to support the wood? I know this is basic but I really don't know.

[Sailmonkey]

Duct tape works to hold everything in place.

Or if you use the 5 minute epoxy, just hold it steady by hand.

[svMarite]

Ditto on 5min west epoxy. You could use any two-tube epoxy mix from hardware store , but the 5min is good stuff.

Just mix, paste a little on the acetone cleaned fiberglass wall, let it set until tacky, then affix your piece of wood that's also tacky with epoxy. Tape in place with blue painters tape (leaves no residue as long as you pull it off with 12hrs). Duck tape will work fine as it's a 10 minute job. Let dry a good 30 minutes. I wouldn't put weight on it for a bit until it's really good and set.

I've done that all over the place on a boat where would want to secure something to a wood backing.

[Franziska]

Actually even with epoxy you ought to abrade the surface you are glueing to. Simply whiping with Acetone is not enough to get a proper glue joint. Very best practice is to even take all paint of the surfaces to be joint.

At least lightly sand both surfaces, dedust, than wipe with Acetone.

Once Acetone has evaporated brush well mixed epoxy/hardener mix onto both surfaces.

If the surface to join is rough, add some thixothropic agent to some epoxy and apply the resulting filler to one of the faces before mating.

If one of the surfaces is metal, it is good practice to sand it with some catalysed resin before joining.

Be aware, with epoxy its critical to get the mixing ratio absolutely correct.

Never use glass fiber mat with epoxy. Only woven or stitched fabrics are suitable.

[keyway]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Actually even with epoxy you ought to abrade the surface you are glueing to. Simply whiping with Acetone is not enough to get a proper glue joint. Very best practice is to even take all paint of the surfaces to be joint.

At least lightly sand both surfaces, dedust, than wipe with Acetone.

Once Acetone has evaporated brush well mixed epoxy/hardener mix onto both surfaces.

If the surface to join is rough, add some thixothropic agent to some epoxy and apply the resulting filler to one of the faces before mating.

If one of the surfaces is metal, it is good practice to sand it with some catalysed resin before joining.

Be aware, with epoxy its critical to get the mixing ratio absolutely correct.

Never use glass fiber mat with epoxy. Only woven or stitched fabrics are suitable.

Yes all are good points. I have used hot glue to hold the pieces together until the epoxy cures. Just a spot on the ends were there is no epoxy. I use a cordless glue gun that gets really hot. The hotter the better

[Franziska]

Absolutely. I do this too. Works fabulous.

Originally Posted by keyway

Yes all are good points. I have used hot glue to hold the pieces together until the epoxy cures. Just a spot on the ends were there is no epoxy. I use a cordless glue gun that gets really hot. The hotter the better

[alansmith]

Never use Liquid Nails. I have used Loctite tubes and it works quite well. I have 12”X12” porcelain tile hung vertically. They are heavy. If I can hang something that heavy I think you can hang spatulas from a wood strip that you place hooks in.

It is a fraction of the cost of West Epoxy and requires no mixing techniques. You will have to cut pieces of wood to support your strip that is being glued. If it is an overhead horizontal strip just cut some 1”x1” wood to a little longer than height from countertop. Then just wedge them in against your overhead piece. Duct tape works well also. Let the loctite cure overnight. Good to go.

[cabo_sailor]

As a small aside and imho there are two items I NEVER have or use onboard. 5200 and silicone. If I need 5200, I needed better construction. It’s a mess to use and danged near impossible to remove. Marine debond formula (only the internet formula) works best. No luck with marine silicone either. Just deteriorated.
Can you put in oversized bungs and then use smaller screws?

[Franziska]

Ban silicone from any onboard use. It will eventually get somewhere where you want to paint or glue something and will prevent that successfully.
There is only ONE exception, a small (!) tube of high temperature resistant silicone for emergency gaskets on engines.
Similar no non stainless steel screws, nuts or bolts on board.