Date: 6/7/2009
Name: Ben Maclay
email: benmaclay@gmail.com
subject:Re-coring questions
I finally bit the bullet and started my re-core. I've got most of the rotten balsa ripped out and have a few questions for those more knowledgeable than myself in boat construction and fiberglass work. The rot was particularly bad along the outside edges of the cabin top. It seems that any water that infiltrated (mostly from the grab rails) went downhill to the edge of the deck over the windows and sat there doing its business, unable to escape.My main concern is keeping the boat structurally sound, or making it stronger. I noticed that the cabin headliner is only about 1/8" thick except as one approaches the area adjacent to the chain plate. There it is at least twice as thick, perhaps slightly more than 1/4". I was only planning on doing one layer of fiberglass over the balsa core. Ah finally, the questions: What should my approach be for the cabin top near the chainplates, should I put several layers of glass down? Should they be progressively smaller or all the same size?
Also, as I have removed the balsa to the edge of the deck, what Is my best bet for keeping this connection secure? Do I need to wrap the fiberglass down the wall a ways? Not sure what the balsa was butted into, it looks like a white, chalky epoxy mixture. I would post pics if I could figure out how. Anyway, thanks in advance for any help, I'm really excited to put my boat back together again - it's been nice and breezy ever since I started this project.
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