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Deck

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 4:20 am
by Felix-A.

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 7:28 am
by astrorad
When you say deck, are you referring to the cabin top area and forward or to the cockpit floor?

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 10:06 am
by Papax3
Felix,

Whew! That sir is a heady topic, and you're in for a treat!
I bought my son a 1984 18' Hobie Catamaran, and delamination IS the conversation. It turns out that the top decks of the Catamaran are what give (a pontoons) structural rigidity. When they delaminate, then it is completely possible to snap off a pontoon on a breaking wave. What we have discovered in our effort to fix a 32 year old delaminating boat, are two things:

1. *GitRot - a very thin "wicking" epoxy.
2. Gorilla Glue.

GitRot's place in fixes, is that it's super thin, even using capillary attraction to wick into (as long as it's dry) rotted wood. *super-tech hint: you can use ethylene glycol (radiator fluid) to dry wet boggy wood very quickly, so that you can then use the GitRot. Findings: most people used TONS of the stuff to get the desired affect... more than they needed to, and that turns into a LOT of money $. Stuff ain't cheap.

2. Gorilla Glue definitely has a place in boat delamination fixes. !!there is a Youtube video about how to mix it with baking soda and water/or vinegar, to improve cure times!! Findings.... holy Toledo is this stuff thick. It is hard to get into your problem area, and when we tried to thin it with water, etc... it expanded so rapidly that it became unmanageable.

Here's the idea: 1st, outline your problem area with tape, fill in that area with painters tape... something like FROG TAPE works pretty well. Whole area is now tape covered. 2nd, pull out a marker, and make a grid pattern/ each spot about 2" apart on top of the tape. 3rd, pull out a drill, with a 1/4 in drill bit, and drill holes according to your grid pattern/ don't penetrate the bottom layer, or inner hull layer of fiberglass. 4th, inject Gorilla Glue.
{me personally, I would insert a step: get a stiff wire, and wreck the inner foam core, then vacuum the debris out if possible.}. 5th, do what you can to make sure the glue is "contiguous", so each area joins another area. 6th let set for 24 hours. 7th, come back with a chisel, and cut off the excess glue that foamed out of the holes, removing the tape as well.

End product... the top should be hard as hell again, with the caveat that you have a drilled pattern in the top deck {make your drill pattern as pretty as you can!}.

Given that we have a honeycomb of some kind, I'm not sure if this method is your exact answer. I personally pulled out the Urethane foam from my starboard interior cabin bench {boat was listing to starboard when I first put it in the water (waterlogged foam), and was stinky!}.... SO... I CAN tell you, that they put Urethane foam in these boats, and that it is undoubtedly delaminating, given the age of the boats.

The other fix is REALLY hard-core, where you cut out the top, replace the honeycomb, and fiberglass over to a perfect finish. This method done properly, is very nice, but becomes an enormous project.

Worries: if your deck is delaminating anywhere close to your mast-foot, you better proceed cautiously if you expect to sail this boat at all. It may be structurally unstable already...

These are just some of the things I discovered when trying to fix the Hobie Cat. I also tried to drill just ONE hole, and run the glue in with tubing, however... it is so incredibly thick I couldn't get Gorilla Glue to work.

Keep at it.... there's ALWAYS an answer!!!

Bill Williams

Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 4:57 am
by Felix-A.

Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 7:35 am
by Papax3
Felix,

Do NOT be discouraged, but measure what you really want out of your boat.

If you want it to be super-spiffy, then the long-haul route is the way to go {if you use the fiberglass method I described, keep in mind, that cutting the top out will damage the structural integrity of the boat... you must somehow account for that. Cutting a hole, and then just filling it back in, isn't going to do that. Research methods that will recreate a strong top worthy of the loads the wind WILL place on it}.

If you just want to have a little fun, then pull out the Gorilla glue, and go to town. Word to the wise, trailering these boats is DIFFICULT (please read that again). If you are going to slip the boat, that's best case scenario. If you are going to trailer it, then you've got your work cut out for you. I tell you this to expertly bust your bubble, if you have one, and/ or, to get you super-duper realistic: know what you want, and get real with it.

If I had a soft cabin top on my boat, the above are my two scenarios, and I would approach each with the seriousness they deserve. Going whole-hog is pretty cool, and gives you a finished boat for a LIFETIME: these are great boats. Going the quickie route, gets you some reasonable fun without the fancy, and then after a year or two, you banish the boat to the heap, after offering parts to everyone on this forum!

I worked hard on my boat. I'll say it again.... I worked HARD on my boat.
And now... I must say that having it slipped, and enjoying my hard work, has all been worth it. EFFORT=REWARD. But first you gotta know what you want out of the deal...

Come sailin' !
Bill