This was a bigger mess than I thought

I used a dremel with a large abrasive cutting wheel to cut the bottom laminate. I removed about a 40" section, the whole 18" width of the seat. I wanted to make it smaller, but the core was wet everywhere I went. I'm not in the mood to replace the entire seat, so I'll do this big section under the traveler and a smaller section on the port side and call it done. Although wet, the core was NOT easy to remove at all!! I thought I was going to re-use the skin - NOT - it was totally destroyed in the removal because the core was stuck so well to it. The only reason I did this repair was because it was under the traveler and the seat flexed under foot. Even when wet, the Klegecell core holds up pretty good. Oh, and the garbage bag full full of wet core weighs a ton!



This is what it looks like when it comes out.

Cockpit Prep

Prior to removing the interior skin of the seat, I screwed a 2x4 to the top where the traveler goes so the to surface would retain its shape...nice and flat for the traveler.

Just a few more

Well, there were more there than I thought...but figure I better get them all now while I have time. This is about two thirds of them. There are just smaller ones left that will be easier to get done, now that I have the technique down. The tool of choice is a dremel tool with the small drum sanding bit. Takes them down in a hurry with coarse paper. :)

Some progress

Spent a few hours today grinding out some 40 more of the blisters. Sizes ranged from the size of a dime and 1mm deep to a couple inches across. Most are in the top couple layers of glass and the size of a quarter when cleaned up, but a couple were deep. None go through to the core that I have found and all can be ground dry. :) The hull construction is interesting. There appears to be no gelcoat, just a thick layer of baltiplate under some regular antifoul. There are at least three layers of ~6oz cloth over a light mat before you get near the core...and there might be another layer of cloth against the core, but I have not been in that deep to see. There is heavy cloth inside the hull, and I see no need to play with that. I'll get some more pictures posted soon. Other projects this winter will be repair of the seats under the traveler (recore) and strengthening the forward bulkhead tabbing.

A couple links

Here is where I plan to get new balsa core for the seats under the traveler (the klegecel has turned to soup):
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/product.jsp?process=checkout&part=33054

and a source for low temp epoxy:
http://www.epoxyproducts.com/1_marineresins.html

Blisterz!

Ow! Looks like we'll be removing some of these lumps....we'll start a few at a time and see how it goes.

Haul Out December 2005

Well, here she is out of the water. Need the time to do needed repairs.