Repair help

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nathanlee

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I've been putting this off for ages and now I'm not working I think it's about time I get off my backside and sort it out. The trouble is, I can't think how to do it. I don't have many power tools at all on board
either, just a jigsaw and drill.

Any suggestions would be more than welcome since I just don't know where to go with this... fabricating things is not my forte. :|


http://www.flickr.com/photos/36299237@N08/

Hopefully the above link works, it should take you to a flickr page where I've posted pictures of the problem.

Essentially, I lost my stern locker last year, and had a very temporary repair of a circle of plywood covering it. I started a fix by glassing in some 2x1 strips, with the intention of filling that and hinging a locker lid on it, but that's not going to work since I'd need to make some sort of lip around the edge of the hole to make it watertight.

I'm just stuck without a plan.
 
I will dive in with quick thoughts. No doubt you will get a variety of opinions.
The most simple way to go would be to build up a new lid out of glassfibre. You could use your circle of ply as the starting point, so long as the ply covers the lip of the aperature.
You need a bit of clearance between the lip and the new lid, so wrap a length of thick card round the outside of the lip. The card and top of the lid should be flush. Put two layers of cling film over the hole, lip and card with enough to go a few inches onto the deck. With the ply in place, start to build up with chopped strand mat and resin until you have a decent thickness.
When the epoxy has gone off you should be able to lift the new lid off the clingfilm to take ashore for fettling and a flocoat to match the deck.
 
As the previous post, simple layup in GRP would work well. Glass a smaller cicrle of 10mm ply in the middle to strengthen it up for walking on, bit of foam round the edge and you shoule be all set. If you nwant to get posh then you could mould a tread or similar in the top too.
 
alternatively, glue and srew together two discs of ply, one slightly larger than the hole (top) and one slightly smaller (bottom). Paint, and add a strip of neoprene or window draft strip to underside of resulting lip (on lid not deck) for sealing

of course none of these solutions allow a neat way of fixing the thing in place.

this could be done by making an arrangement where you have 2 3 or 4 bolts sticking up thread first round the outside of the lip (on deck). (E.g. bolt pieces of angle to deck-lip, drill hol in horizontal bit to suit say 8mm bolt...) make your upper circle of ply big enough to accomodate a series of hole which drop over the bolts, then simply put wing nuts on to hold it down. Did just this with hatch in my cockpit sole, with added fanciness of SS plates screwed to top with holes to suit the bolts, so wing nuts don't cut into wood.

edit - wish I could easily show you a sketch, it's simpler than it sounds when explained!
 
I agree, making a replacement circular lid shouldn't be too difficult. A way to keep it in place / stop it from going overboard is only a little more difficult. Simple solution: fibreglass a ring of some sort to the underside of the lid and tie a bit of shockcord between this and a fitting within the locker. More complex solution: build up the outside of one section of the lid until you have a straight edge; hinges onto the straight edge, catch on the opposite side of the lid (if you have difficulty in visualising this, think how a loo seat is hinged to cover a round(ish) hole.)
 
How about finding a circular washing up bowl, a plant pot stand or even a large plastic plant pot that can cut off and act as a mould. Then fibreglass a new cover (or get someone else to). Or borrow the hatch off another Coribee from which to make a mould.
 
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