[Public-List] foredeck compression, (and bedding deck hardware)

Thu Jan 20 12:05:00 PST 2011

Hi Mike - 

Sorry I glossed over that.

I found that when I removed the cast bronze fairing, there was nothing but a
raggedly cut hole beneath for the rudder shaft to come up through.  I made
the hole smooth and round, and sealed the edges of the otherwise exposed
plywood with epoxy.   It was clear that the beginning of the core problem
had been water getting past the casting and working its way into the balsa
core.

The casting was 'bedded' using rubber washers around each of the four bolt
holes... There was no protection for the core so I reckon it started going
bad many years ago.

Gord  #426 Surprise

On 20/01/11 2:43 PM, "Meinhold, Michael J." <MICHAEL.J.MEINHOLD at saic.com>
wrote:

> Gord -
>  I am unclear on what you did around the fairing at the head of the
> rudder stock.
> 
>   Did you dremel-cut a hole around the fairing, and lift the fairing off
> the sole and the rudder stock?
> 
> Mike
> Rinn Duin #272
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org
> [mailto:public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org] On Behalf Of Gordon Laco
> Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 2:25 PM
> To: fongemie at gmail.com; Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all
> Subject: Re: [Public-List] foredeck compression, (and bedding deck
> hardware)
> 
> OK - 
> 
> I'm in the US warehouse now and in front of a computer.
> 
> The cockpit floor job was completed last spring after years of being put
> off.  It was easy.
> 
> I cut the top of the cockpit sole off using a large dremmel-like tool,
> being
> careful to only go through the top laminates and not past the balsa.
> 
> With not too much trouble I was able to rip the intact top layer off...
> Where the balsa was reduced to mush it came off easily, not so easily
> elsewhere.
> 
> With a wide chisel and a scraper I removed all the balsa and mush, and
> excavated an inch or so under the undisturbed top layer.  I then sanded
> and
> vacuumed both the removed top layer and the upper surface of the bottom
> layer of glass.
> 
> That was the work of Saturday morning.
> 
> Saturday afternoon I 'painted' the excavated under edge areas with raw
> epoxy
> then with a spatula forced in a paste of thickened epoxy - it was about
> like
> peanut butter.  Then I painted the whole exposed top surface of the
> bottom
> glass layer ...   In the mean time I had prepared a piece of marine
> plywood
> cut to fit the removed balsa, complete with 1" diameter holes in a close
> spacing.    I smeared the bottom of the plywood with the thickened epoxy
> then pressed it into the sole cut-out.  I poured epoxy into the holes
> and
> around the edges until no more would go in... Then I went away and had
> supper.
> 
> While eating supper it occurred to me that the plywood might float up on
> the
> epoxy so I dropped my fork and rushed back to the boat with waxed paper
> and
> a few bricks.   I put the bricks on the waxed paper so they wouldn't
> stick
> to the plywood.  (it hadn't floated...)
> 
> Sunday morning I sanded the top surface of the plywood, vacuumed it then
> painted it with raw epoxy.  I prepared the old top laminate of the sole
> with
> thickened epoxy on its undersurface, then pressed it in and piled the
> bricks
> on them.  I then kept pouring raw epoxy in around the cut edge seam
> until no
> more would go in... Then covered that with masking tape to prevent epoxy
> from flowing out.
> 
> Monday after work I went back, sanded the tape off, masked out and
> painted
> off-white over the glue as a sort of finish... Put the tiller head and
> its
> fairing back on... Presto.
> 
> Gord #426
> 
> 
> 
> On 20/01/11 7:13 AM, "Jeffrey" <fongemie at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> Hey Gord,
>> 
>> Did you ever re-core your cockpit floor? If so how did it turn out?
>> 
>> -jeff
>> 
>> On Thu, Jan 20, 2011 at 4:31 AM, Kirk Little
> <kirkalittle at hotmail.com>wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>>> Roger, The technique I used was to put slightly modified (cut them
> with a
>>> grinder) allen keys into the drill and bore out only the  balsa core
> keeping
>>> the original holes in the fiberglass.  Then tape the bottom hole
> inside the
>>> boat, fill cavity with west epoxy via a plastic surenge, then redrill
> (make
>>> sure you drill straight).  I think Nigel Calder or one of the other
> boat
>>> maintenence how-to books gives a detailed description.  It really
> isn't that
>>> much work if you are re-bedding something anyway.   I might add that
> I had a
>>> small amount of rotted core especially around some of the old poorly
> bedded
>>> pieces, and by getting aggressive and using various sizes of Alen
> keys, and
>>> a few extra small holes in the deck, I was able to adequately stiffen
> the
>>> deck and eliminate the 'sponginess' by digging out rotten balsa and
>>> injecting epoxy without actually pulling up any of the deck.  Maybe
> not what
>>> some consider the proper or 'best' fix but for smaller areas it seems
> to get
>>> the job done
>>>  well enough with minimal time, effort, or skill.  I also agree with
> using
>>> the slow epoxy, slightly thickened.  Less bubbles and other issues
>>> especially when filling larger cavities. Oh, I also did this same job
> when
>>> re-bedding the chain plates, and although it takes work with drills,
> rasps,
>>> and files to re-form the holes, like everything else, they haven't
> leaked
>>> either, in years.
>>> 
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>> 
>> 
> 
> 
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