delaminating deck! tackling the project myself S.O.S

[smooth250]

I own a1976 30' flybridge the boat is in really good shape except for the deck above the v-berth. some people say its a messy project but not that difficult and others say not to touch it with a ten foot pole. any help from someone who has done this project would be a life saver.

THANKS!!!
matt anderson

[Wingit48]

I know this will be sacrilage to many but I had a similar problem with a 1972 42' sea voyager where the deck was delaminating, coming apart from the gunwales, and leaking into the ceiling of the forward cabin. Appalled at the cost of replacing the deck, I made sure any delaminated areas were nailed or glued down, then covered the deck with ice and water shield running about an inch up the gunwales, and then covered the whole deck with indoor/outdoor wall to wall carpeting. Now my feet no longer burn on a hot summer day, there are no leaks whatsoever into the V birth, and it looks surprisingly good. This was done three years ago and it is as leakproof and durable as the day it was done...and all for very little money.

[JuiceClark]

Hey smooth,

It's not that bad...no need to carpet the deck!

Having not seen the problem, don't take my word as gospel. But when my flybridge was all delaminated with water in the balsa underneath, I fixed it myself.

I'd say take a hole saw and drill a 2 inch hole just through the glass skin on the area you think is worst. Then, see if the balsa underneath is all wet and rotten like it was on my bridge. If not, just inject West System under the glass skin all over to re-attached it to the core.

If it's all wet and rotten, I'd take a circular saw and set the blade so it just cuts through the top glass layer and cut a 12" x 12" opening. Start digging out the rotten crap the old fashioned way and replace it with new, closed cell core. Then epoxy the glass skin back on top. Keep doing this, in small sections, until it's all fixed.

Then, I'd cover the area with that non-skid stuff that comes in rolls...or roll-on some non-skid paint to cover your cuts.

Get goin' and nip it in the bud!

They have a step by step instruction page somewhere in here:

http://www.westsystem.com/webpages/prod ... /index.htm

[Buckknekkid]

I removed the headliner, routered out the skin and then dug out the balsa. then you make a doorskin template, lay up core and matt on it , get some adjustable drywall jacks at Homey D and wet out the deck, new core and sandwich the sucker up there. Any voids are then filled by injecting epoxy through small bore holes. It is the strongest part of my deck now.