Damaged Balsa Deck Core

[tedadder]

Hi All
We are looking for advise, in respect to repairing a section of cockpit sole which is soft and spongy.
Clearly there has been a ingress of moisture into the balsa core in this area , causing the wood to rot away. What is the best way to repair the effected area, and give a good and lasting fix to the problem.
Ted

 

[dje67]

Some Useful Sites

I've found these 2 threads good:-

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60212

and

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/42625-balsa-core-repair.html

 

[tedadder]

Failed Balsa Core

Hi dje67
My thanks for the leads, certainly makes interesting reading, at least the problem is not insurmountable.
My thoughts lead towards "do it once right" but will check the whole deck area,to ensure the problem is contained in the one local area of the cockpit sole.which can be approached from below.
However thanks again for the direction
Ted

 

[Koeketiene]

Hi All
We are looking for advise, in respect to repairing a section of cockpit sole which is soft and spongy.
Clearly there has been a ingress of moisture into the balsa core in this area , causing the wood to rot away. What is the best way to repair the effected area, and give a good and lasting fix to the problem.
Ted

 

[Poignard]

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/fiberglass-deck-repair-part-1-replacing-damaged-balsa-core/

 

[Rigger Mortice]

[]

Ahhhh! The gymnastics of boat maintenance.

 

[30boat]

My advice based on the experience gained by doing the whole decks of my previous boat,a 30 footer,is to do it from above.First locate the problem area and cut the top laminate off.Support the underneath with props to keep the shape.Then with the aid of a heat gun and a Tungsten carbide scraper (which I prefer to grinding)clean off all old or discouloured fiberglass.Once everything is squeaky clean and nicely roughened up apply a mix of epoxy and microfibers over the area and stick your choice of foam( dry softwood will do very well) over it and weight it down until the mix hardens.Then sand everything level and laminate to level with the old laminate and finish off by sanding ,filling and painting.The edges of the surrounding laminate must be ground to a shallow angle to take the new laminate.Doing it from below is possible and retains the original outer surface but is an absolutely horrible experience that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

 

[saltylegs]

Hi Ted
I replaced soggy ply and some balsa around the chain plates and mast step on my Sigma last year, I did it from the top and some photos are on photobucket.
http://s1143.photobucket.com/albums/n630/saltylegs/
I hope they are of use.

 

[nigelm]

We did the the coach roof and fore deck on our countess 28 , foredeck was done from outside - angle grind deck off , removed rotten balsa , left to dry for couple of weeks , epoxied around void , epoxy new ply section in place , epoxy filler over the top , sand off imperfections , paint with deck paint - job done and can't be seen
Coach roof was done from inside by removing grp roof , remove rotten balsa and leave to dry , epoxy underside of deck to seal any leaks , epoxy new core in place and finish off with a few new glass layers , I also stuck battens to attach headlining to rather than screw to nice new roof
While I was at it I did away with the deck plugs and replaced with one s/s swan neck for all mast wires .
A cockpit floor should be a easier job if done from outside , use marine ply for new core and glass it in well , nice drop of deck paint - sorted