Cockpit cracks

[Jay Knoll]

Chris

Are those pieces in the triangular area loose? It almost looks like the PO wanted to get at the drain and was too lazy to try to get underneath the sole thru the aft cabin. Try to see if there is any backing material underneath that cut out area. Yeah, I'd replace the drains, and you CAN get underneath the cockpit sole thru the aft cabin but you're going to twist and turn to get there (I put one arm thru turned my head sideways, slide in until my chin cleared, then brought my other arm up and thru the opening.)

If those pieces are loose I'd fix them just like you'd repair a hole in a wall -- only with epoxy. First replace the drains. Then cut a backing board out of exterior ply, coat it with epoxy (WEST system) and let it kick. While its setting up, clean off the underside of the sole down to the gel coat/glass. Wipe down with acetone. Wet it out with WEST system, then wet out the board with west, screw it to the underside of the cabin sole. When that part of the repair kicks, then wet out the whole inside of the hole and the underside of the triangular piece, put that in, maybe a few screws, or cover it with wax paper and weigh it down. When that has kicked, use some fairing compound to fill in any more gaps, sand smooth and paint. Good luck!

[JT48348]

Gentlemen: Such a "drain" is called a scupper when you're on a boat.


When you guys replaced your scuppers, did you size up, or stay the same size? Did anyone add scuppers foward where the cockpit meets the fwd cabin?

I have two aft by the aft cabin, and two aft of the engine compartment. I'm thinking of adding two more by the fwd cabin. Thinking of going slightly larger since these are mighty tiny. Not that you would get much water overboard, but you never know.

I also thouht of replacing all my plastic thru-hulls since I have access now. Seems like the time to do it. But I think the current fittings are Marelon just aged. Why do you think they are nylon or something else? Who would build a boat in 1986 and not use Marelon?

[tego]

JT, Mine were definitely nylon, so I guess the answer to your question is a CHEAP person. I replaced all of mine above the waterline. My cockpit drains were already 1 1/2" when I got my boat. If they'd been any smaller, I'd have upsized. Ben

[Sprig1]

Hi thanks for the suggestions. I will see if the pieces are loose or go all the way thru. I was covered in mud that day so I didn't look underneath. The weather hasn't cooperated much for work. The thought is 1 1/2 inch for the scuppers. I will stop with the questions and get to work on the boat and let everyone know how it turns out. A funny story about the fresh water pump I talked to the Leham expert and he said if I could find one buy it. The motor is a4d61 short story now I have 2 oh well better then none. Thanks again for the help chris

[Sprig1]

Hi finaly got to the boat for a few minutes. The main triangle crack is loose dosent go all the way through. There are cracks all the way around the cockpit sides looks like to much gell coat was put on. It is under cover and the roof leaks the boat fills with water so it must be pretty bad. I talked to the man that takes care of the yard and he says he is always pumping it out. I guess the plan is to cut out the cockpit sole around the edges rip it up take out the coring leave the bottom fiberglass and rebuild it back up. Any good thoughts. Thanks in advance

[JT48348]

Sprig: If it was me I would consider the following approach. I used this previsouly on my 30ft sailboat and its a common deck repair method.

1) Assess if the cracks have any structural bearing. Does the deck flex, or water come through the cracks below, indicating a structural issue. Remove the scuppers. You can tell if there's an issue by having someone heavy stand on or near the spot where theres cracks. Look below and see if you see any flexing or water seeping. On top, when the person moves about does water squish out of the cracks anywhere? If so you have wet core. You have to dry the core first before you can do fiberglass repair. Cover the area, keep it dry. Apply heat over time until there is no moisture and immediately repair. You may be able to apply area heat via a space heater, or heat gun on low.

2) If you have structural issues, you may need to get access to the deck core and most likely remove any rot to the core. There may be other imaginative ways to remove water from coring chemically. Unless your core is badly damaged or you have serious structural issues, I don't know that I'd remove an entire deck skin and do a repair. If you don't have serious flexing, ignore it, dry it, and repair the cracks. In my experience, if even if water saturated, the skins will be very firmly attached in places and hard to remove. It may be easier to drill holes, dry water, and penetrate deck with epoxy as a replair.

See step 4

3) If you have no structural issues, just cracking gelcoat etc, then you need to dry the area throroughly, remove the failed gelcoat, and either re-glass or re gelcoat. Personally if i had spider cracks with no delamination or core failure--and my core was not wood in that area--I would just grind out the gracks, fill with filler, and paint over it.

4) Take a dremel and grind along the cracks to get to the core. Alternately you can remove the top fiberglass "skin" clean out the core, and replace. Remove all the loose material. If the core is damaged you will need to replace that with something (either plywood, masonite, or foam). If the core isn't damaged, and you only have a cosmetic issue due to cracked gelcoat via water saturation, or a layup void, you might consider making an epoxy paste, the approximately thickness of between applesauce and peanut butter. Butter the paste into the grooves you made with the dremel and fill and fair it in. Sand it smooth and you can cover it by painting the deck. If you are careful and plan ahead, you may be able to make the repair in an area that could be considered "non-skid"; it might be easy to cover cosmetically.

[Sprig1]

Thanks for the reply JT. That sure gives me something to think about. I think all of your suggestions will have to be used. The bad cracks will have to be removed since they are raised up. The weather has not been cooperating but spring is close stay warm

[Jay Knoll]

Hi everyone

I'm getting ready to paint my cockpit sole and I was looking at the scuppers and the crap that seems to constantly accumulate around the edge. I thought about caulking the crack, but I have never seen caulk say in place in a v shaped groove for too long so I filled it with HalfTime

http://www.amazon.com/24-Filler-Glazing ... B0082LF8AG this is great stuff for a quick fill/fair job, I wouldn't depend on it for anything structural but for what it is it works great.

sanded it down after it kicked (about a 10 min wait) and now I've got a great flush drain.

Jay

[Sprig1]

Did you v out all the cracks? And what size scuppers do you have? Thanks Chris

[Jay Knoll]

Hi Chris

The scuppers are 1 1/2" I didn't have any cracks to repair. I re-bedded the scuppers last year but the way the fitting sat in the cockpit sole there was a gap between the fitting and the edge of the area where the fitting is installed. Perhaps this "before" picture will help, it certainly shows how they accumulated crap! The half time filled in the gap and leveled the area between the cockpit sole and the scupper.

Rainy day yesterday and today, I went down to the boat to check on another project and noticed that the drains were clean and there wasn't any accumulation around the scupper.

Hope this helps

Jay

[Sprig1]

Sometime I hope mine look that good. I decided to bring my boat home and work on it. Was going to work on the boat where it sat thought it was dry. But they said the shed leaked so bad and the boat leaked so bad I might as well take it to the marina and shrink rap it and really get it dry. 10 minutes away instead of 1 hour. About 85 miles by water. Have to get motor running and clean fuel. Has anyone tried an RCI centrifical fuel filter saw them at the annapolis boat show. It continuously polishes the fuel. A little pricey but it might be worth it. Thanks Chris

[Sprig1]

Finaly got the boat to my marina yesterday. Can finaly start working on it. I have my Alberg 30 sailboat sold and have the capital to do a lot of repairs let the questions begin.

[smacksman]

Good news for you. So much easier to have the boat close by.
Thank goodness I don't have cockpit problems like you.
My scuppers are still tiny but drain the rain and so as I'm not planning to go to sea and get pooped I'll go along with 'if it aint broke - don't fix it'. I've plenty of other things to do!

[Sprig1]

Started working on it today the cracks or only in the top skin the choring is rotted 16 inches forward from the scuppers bummer. Have to cut the floor out sole. Any suggestion . The scuppers are only 3/4 inch and epoxied in what a mess if I put larger ones in they will interfere with the drawers i guess cut the drawers down. Will have to smooth up underneith and make backing plates want be much left of the drawers. Leaking around the threshold so all that needs to be taken out to. Stress cracks in gel coat along all the edges of the cockpit floor but don't look like they are leaking I guess grind them out. Looks like to much gell coat was used. Have to rebed all the hardware any suggestions on what bedding material thinking buteltape open to all ideas. Swim platform is leaking to can see stains running down transom so I guess that comes off to the back bilge is filled with water. The rudder protector looked like water was leaking out there from the bilge just put on with silicon it had all failed tried to unscrew the screws they just spun must be bolted through to the bilge have to vaccume out bilges to see bottom. Four feet of the hull deck joint is destroyed on the port side needs rebuilding. Any ideas on a stronger better rub rail what they put on from the factory isn't much. The hull deck joint seems to be epoxied together can't really find a seam took out the pop rivets but it wouldn't come apart but something is leaking because the board that holds up the liner is rotted on most of the boat. Thanks one and all for the help don't fell you have to ansewer it all it is sorta over welling. Thanks again Chris it has been good for me to go back and read all the posts for the ideas

[Sprig1]

JT I think I will use most of your suggestion thanks