Derby
Crew Member
The center flooring started to get spongy. so it is time to pull the panel and replace the rotten ply wood and re glass so more in.. Not sure if there is any other options to replacing it just marine ply wood ...thoughts?
Grady Gone Soft
- Thread starter Derby
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Rayvon
Well-Known Member
I did that same job (Fuel tank hatch cover) on a 2470 Pursuit I had last year.Mine was saturated balsa core that I stripped out completely. I chose to replace it with 3/4" ply that I cut into about 4" strips run across the hatch and bevelled at 45*and scored the bottom on my table saw.. I saturated the ply strips with resin all round and next day bedded them in a mat and thickened resin mix and weighted them down.I spaced them about 4" apart and glassed them in with mat/cloth/mat full length/width of hatch in pieces not 1 piece.I weighted the hatch down to a flat surface while curing to keep it flat/straight.I then drilled out the screw holes (Fastener holes) to about 1/2" (in the plywood only) and filled with epoxy.Next day drilled the screw holes out to fit new stainless screws about 3/16",gelcoated underside and done. You can simply cut a one piece of ply to fit,but I don't think it's as good because you can't be sure of how well it bonded, (air pockets).
seahorse
Crew Member
Your panels look like they were painted at one point on the underside, here’s what mine look like on my Seafarer
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Derby
Crew Member
It sealent on top of the glass to seal it I believe... this is what Grady did for 232 grady i believe
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Derby
Crew Member
You used a solid sheet... I will need to put a couple more cross bratches in this time... looks good what you did there..
Derby
Crew Member
Derby
Crew Member
interesting.. thank you
screaminreels
Active Member
Had that happen on my 228 repaired but added a large access and turned area underneath into a fish coffin with macerator pump
ship happens
Well-Known Member
Those epoxies now have alot better penetration into wood then your standard poly resin. Bit more money for the product but it's worth it, especially for small projects.
Rayvon
Well-Known Member
No ,I didn't use a solid sheet,the spaces between the plywood strips is just solid fiberglass made at least twice as thick by my overlapping glass. Doing it this way essentially builds up a fiberglass beam every 4"and your guaranteed adhesion to the hatch fiberglass.The plywood is fully encapsulated ,so it can't rot.The fastening holes is what caused this problem,so surrounding those holes with epoxy will keep it from happening again.You used a solid sheet... I will need to put a couple more cross bratches in this time... looks good what you did there..
brutus
Well-Known Member
They just cheap and use scraps left over, if done right one piece of ply (make sure it’s bone dry) drill a few small holes in it to let air pockets out when you laminate to the glass shell, then glass over done, last for a long time, how do I know ??? Don’t ask lol
Deryk, I would get my hands on some 3/4 foam core. Fibertek in Vancouver carries it. Just use regular poly resin. 1 layer of 1.5 oz mat directly to the inside of the hatch. Use some thickened resin to bond the core in while the mat is still wet. Do it on a flat concrete floor. Pile a bunch of lead on top of the core working from the center out. Once cured 2 layers of 1708 on top of the foam. Make sure you cut the core approx 2" smaller than the inside dims of the hatch edges. Make sure you cut a 45 on the edge of the foam so it's easy to lay glass over. Buy an aluminum roller to get the bubbles out of the glass.
Don't mess with plywood it's a waste of time. No matter how well you think you sealed it water will find a way.
Call me later in the week I'll fill you on further.
Don't mess with plywood it's a waste of time. No matter how well you think you sealed it water will find a way.
Call me later in the week I'll fill you on further.
Also fyi not saying plywood is terrible its just that foam which is a little more $$$ will produce a light stiff hatch and can only obsorb a small percentage of water if it ever gets in. I've done a bunch with wood and they have all held up great if you take the care like Rayvon did. Foam allows for a little more wiggle room in my opinion as long as you get it bedded in really well.
You can always drill a buch of holes in the foam to make sure the air has a place to escape when weighing it down.
You can always drill a buch of holes in the foam to make sure the air has a place to escape when weighing it down.
ship happens
Well-Known Member
Coosa board I pretty neat stuff. Really expensive though. I epoxied some together recently and that thing is not coming apart. So forgiving. However you pay for it. Was dealing with 1/2 inch and couldn't imagine what they want for the 3/4. Think the 1/2 inch was rated for a 14inch span without bracing. Glue that to fiberglass with a vertical brace and that would be super stiff. Wood will last another 20/30 years. Especially done with epoxy.
Not Coosa that's totally overkill, good for stringers, transoms and bulkheads. I'm talking core cell, divinicell or other pcv foam cores. 2-6# per cubic foot. Epoxy is great but it's well over 100$ a gallon right now. Put the $$$ into the foam. Might be like $250 for the core material and a couple gallons of poly resin.
Not sure if George at ultra lux plastics is around but he always had great deals on foam core. Right near the river rock casino.
If you are doing this yourself you are already saving so much $$$ you can afford to use better materials. Lots of ways to do this one all will last 15 years or more just depends on your preferences.
Not sure if George at ultra lux plastics is around but he always had great deals on foam core. Right near the river rock casino.
If you are doing this yourself you are already saving so much $$$ you can afford to use better materials. Lots of ways to do this one all will last 15 years or more just depends on your preferences.
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