[Public-List] Advice for A Newbie

[George Dinwiddie]

Bob,

On 6/1/14, 8:40 PM, bobbohmer at gmail.com wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I recently joined the ranks of A30 owners. I am aware of what most
> would call a big issue with the boat. The majority of the  cockpit
> floor is “soft”, so it needs to be repaired. I have experience with
> the same sort of issue as I just finished replacing all of the core
> material in the bottom of a fiberglass Jeep body. I realize that to
> do this on a boat is going to be much more difficult, but I was
> hoping that someone had dealt with the same problem and could offer
> pointers that will make it easier. My biggest concern to this point
> is the tiller post area. As I said most of the floor is soft, so I
> envision removal of the whole “top” skin and removal and replacement
> of all of the core. This would be followed by “tabbing” the removed
> top skin back in place. Finally, gelcoat and some sort of all-grip. I
> welcome any comments / pointers from the group.

The cockpit sole is the first major glasswork I did on Calypso. Calypso 
is a later model, so the cockpit was balsa cored. I imagine that yours 
has a masonite core.

On Calypso, I cut out the upper skin and dug out the remaining core. 
Then I put in new Klegecel foam coring on a bed of slightly thickened 
resin and laid up new fiberglass on top. Finally I faired the top 
surface, sanded it flat, and painted it with Brightsides containing 
nonskid beads.

That's the short version, leaving out the misadventures and the steps I 
repeated two or three times. And the fact that it currently needs 
repainting.

On the older boats, there's a fiberglass tube around the rudder shaft 
that comes up to the cockpit sole. This tube is important, as it's what 
keeps the water out of the boat.

I've never thought much of the idea of removing the top skin and then 
gluing it back in place. What gives cored fiberglass rigidity is the 
"stress skin" effect of having two skins firmly bonded to the core and 
each other. I doubt you'll achieve the same bonding with old glass.

It's hard to work on the cockpit sole. There's no good place to be, and 
you're constantly reaching down. It's a very inconvenient place to work.

Another possibility is to work from the bottom. This will have it's own 
challenges, such as working space and gravity trying to pull your new 
work back off, but it can be done. I would particularly recommend this 
if you want to salvage the existing non-skid.

>
> On another note, I have been informed that the boat ( Hull # 76 ) was
> named “Kittiwake” up until at least 2002. I don’t have a problem with
> the name, but as it doesn’t have a visible name ( painted over at
> some point ), I would like some feedback on the subject of renaming a
> boat. Is it bad karma ( I’m not superstitious ), but I don’t want to
> anger the gods of the seas.

I don't have experience with renaming. We kept the name Calypso from the 
previous owner.

  - George

-- 
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   When I remember bygone days                         George Dinwiddie
   I think how evening follows morn;            gdinwiddie at alberg30.org
   So many I loved were not yet dead,           http://www.Alberg30.org
   So many I love were not yet born.                          also see:
                'The Middle' by Ogden Nash     http://idiacomputing.com
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