Penetrating epoxy use??

[gofish103]

Well I have the dreaded soft spots on the top of my bow deck. seems to be concentrated around the hatch. the hatch area is molded and the only holes would be from the six screws. My guess is that the water may be coming in from around the windshields.

I bought some of the west marine penetrating epoxy to try, but I am scared to death to drill holes in the fiberglass!!! according to the directions they recommend holes every two inches!! top of my deck would look like swiss cheese!

does this stuff expand?? should I start at the highest point of the soft spot with a couple holes and hope it migrates do the lowest point? that why I dont have to drill all of the holes?

[prowlersfish]

No it wont expand , and it wont soak in to wet wood Unless the core is dry in may not help

[foofer b]

dont do it till you hear from the experts here on the forum.

[k9th]

Ditto that.

[g36]

as always there is more than one way to do everything and another way to consider. i wouldnt suggest this method if you have a large area to repair but if its just some bad spots it will work great. can you get to the area from below? yes it will be more messy and take more time. as long as you take your time and can get the epoxy in the area it wont matter how. it wont be any less quality of repair than from the top regardless of what is said.depending on temp and what version of epoxy (slow or fast hardner you can adjust the working time you have) i repaired an area on mine this way and would rather have had a mess rather than a buzillion holes on top where you can see them, then i would have to hide them by paint, which you know you wont be able to match to the other areas. i would listen to all suggestions with a grain of salt (even mine, i am not proclaiming to be an expert but i do have first hand knowledge of a similair repair)many might be self proclaimed experts but in the end its your boat. there are websites that show repairs such as this. good luck and let the mud (i mean)epoxy slinging begin.

[jon_e_quest]

Gofish,

As G says, there's more than one way to do anything. I repaired my deck from below (both complete weather decks and most of the foredeck) for the same reason you're hestitant to make your repair from above. Once I got into the repair, though, I discovered my deck core wasn't merely 'soft', but had rotted into non-existance! Just plain was't there anymore, leaving 1/2" empty cavities in areas where solid balsa core had been before. What remained was waterlogged mush. You don't mention the size of the affected area, but unless the area of damage is extremely small, you really need to consider more radical surgery and replace the affected core, as West epoxy won't displace water.

I suggest you enjoy the rest of the boating season and make plans for a proper repair in the off-season. Search this forum for threads on the topic (I've written one or two). Google is another great source. I'm on my boat this week on vacation, but can forward pics and advice on technique next week if you'd like. I'm sure others would be willing to help, as well.

[ready123]

I agree with Prowlerfish... the wet balsa needs to be removed or dried by treating it with gitrot or the like.
Problem is the balsa turns to a soup and in fact leaks away as a brown stain when it really gets wet leaving behind a void.
Because of the construction this void does not become obvious untill it is quite large. I found a 2 sq foot void when I opened my bridge floor which had only exhibited a soft spot which I thought was wet balsa not absent balsa. I drilled test holes to map these conditions.... on the bridge it was easy to select spots that were behind surface additions.... not suitable for bow deck.

Deck construction is heavy underside glass membrane (cabin ceiling behind headliner) then a layer of 3/4" cross cut balsa with another layer of glass then a final layer of 3/4" balsa then final glass and gel cover for deck.

I would use a moisture meter and plastic hammer to sound the deck to see where the wet spots are.... do you have any delamination spots on the deck? The hammer sound should be a ping, dull thump means wet core, click means delamination which suggests problems underneath the glass top.
From the design described above it can be difficult to find wet balsa in the lower level.... I did that by drilling test holes 1 1/4" deep and looking at the material that came out.... dry balsa is obvious... wet looks dark, nothing means void.

What kind of fix do you want? Cure? Patch job? etc:
I let a pro do my decks as my water intrusion was severe.....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trojanf32/ ... 792002787/

The bridge floor I did myself by cutting out large access holes in the deck say 1 1/2' square and used rods with bent ends to remove the wet balsa. I did find a spot where the lower level of balsa was wet and not the top layer

I then filled spaces with 3/4" thick marine ply blocks 2x2 and smaller wetted in epoxy pushing them into the voids then replaced the removed cap with epoxy.... I gelled the seam but it did not look that good so I plan to paint the bridge floor this fall (Imron).

Personally I would not go your route as I believe the wet balsa must be dealt with..... I am also very much against drilling from below... gravity will be against you too much.

[gofish103]

this seems like such a task!!! my biggest problem is the boat is 90 miles from my home and trying to do it during the off season my be my best shot. I keeep it stored outside shrunk wrapped during the winter, so I may seek an indoor storage that will allow me to work on it during the winter.

I see the pros and cons of attacking this mess from either the top and or bottom. hate drilling holes on top, and my interior is in perfect condition and hate takin the headliner and such down, because it may never look the same! Patients is virtue!!

Ready123, the work you had done definitely was extensive! may I ask in a ball park what that cost u?

[aweimer]

Duplicate post sry.

[aweimer]

I was faced with a very similar repair this off season. I had soft decking between my hatch and anchor mounts. I went with inside storage for the winter in order to keep her dry and allow for the repair. Here is what I did.

I removed the hatch and anchor mount. Under the anchor mount I drilled a 1" hole and from the hatch area I took a 26" drill bit and drilled holes through the core of the deck. I found just what was explained, a mess of flakes and wet balsa. I cleaned out what I could from the many holes I put in the core and through the 1" hole. I then left it set for a few weeks to air dry.

I then purchased some of the west system refillable caulking tubes and a length of clear hose. I pumped about a gallon and a half into the holes and through the 1" access hole. After this the deck was solid like a rock. I was able to avoid tearing up my cabin and drilling my deck into Swiss cheese.

The key is it needs to be dry. Good luck and it's really a winter project. It took me a total of 4, weekends to repair. I too am a long way from the dock.