Gunnel/Gunwale repair question
 

I am beginning to think about repairs on my Topaz after I get the engine rigged and up and running.
I have noticed that the top of the gunwales/gunnels are soft and it appears that the wood encapsulated in fiberglass has become rotten. How do I replace rotten wood in the gunnel tops? Should I cut in from the top, remove all traces of wood, leaving bottom fiberglass core intact and replace with new wood soaked in resin and then fiberglass on top? or somehow go in from the underside?

Also any pictures or links showing this repair would be very helpful!!
Thanks in advance!

-Fred

Fred,
If you can get to the underside to cut through the bottom laminate, that's going to be your best approach. It will be a PITA to get the bottom laminate and core out, but much easier to put it back together. The work involved in cutting out the bottom laminate and core pales in comparison to the work of fairing and refinishing the top.
Dave

Sage advice.

Make some peanut butter up.

Hummmm......do I work the peanut butter laying on my back or standing up?? Hey Fred, not sure about you, but this will take a bit of painful thinking!!

Make a plan, lock it in your mind, close your eys and DO IT! Du you have a friend with a toolmaster or whatever they are called. The occilating things? Might help.

Soaking or painting wood with polyester resin does very little to water proof it. Epoxy is much better if you are planning on trying to coat/soak your wood coring.

strick

Hmmmm, I donno. Would I rather spend time laying upside down, working in a very tight space, with gussets, hullsides, etc. Or, would I like to be on top of the work, do a little xtra fairing. Hmmmmmmm.
Guess it comes down to what are the plans when you finish, are you going to retain the original non-skid or do you care and just plan on painting and non-skiding the deck.

Thanks all for the good advice..
I plan on redoing the nonskid..it is in pretty rough shape!!
So go from top then?
-Fred

I'm backed in a corner on my gunnels, I really have to do it this year....especially the port side. I'm guessing one of the previous owners never heard of 5200, I mean why drill a giant hole to mount a fricking drink holder and not seal it?? I'm 90% sure I'm going through the top. I plan on using Kiwigrip so I don't think the fairing has to be dead perfect like I tried to accomplish when I did the transom.

Hey Don...that makes sense..guess I will go from top as well...more I think about it...my a@@ is too big to sit on or lay on for extended periods of time!

Some advice from a former newbie...
 

I purchased my Seafari about 11 months ago... since then I've learned a lot about boat repairs, but I'm sure that my level of knowledge greatly pales in comparison to a lot of guys on this board. Here are a few pieces of advice from my experiences...(more experienced members feel free to correct me):

1) Epoxy seals wood by adhering to it and forming a waterproof barrier. "Soaking" the wood with thinned epoxy will not help to prevent it from rotting. Depending on how long you want your repair to last, you can choose to use coring material ranging from everyday plywood to composite materials that will never rot. http://www.seqair.com/skunkworks/Glu.../Thinning.html

2) Before you start the repair I would strongly suggest reading the West Systems how-to guide several times. http://www.westsystem.com/ss/use-guides/

3) When you cut out sections of old fiberglass, try not to cut any sharp angles. Meaning, the shape of your cut-out should look like a blob(if you follow the rotten wood) or a circle/oval. Corners will leave a weak point in your repair.

4) Buy 50% more mat and resin than you think you will need(or 2x as much even). I would highly recommend US Composites. Their prices are reasonable and I have been extremely happy with their products. Buy lots of plastic cups and brushes. You can re-use the cups if you can get all the cured epoxy out, but in my experience cups will eventually crack/break/whatever. In addition, if you are unsure exactly what to order call them and ask to speak to a tech guy, they will tell you what you need and how to do the repair.

5) You will spend 2x as much money and it will probably take 3x as long as you think it will.

6) I don't know you, your boat, or your situation... But ask yourself if your soft gunnels affect your use of the boat? Would the time and money be better spent on other endeavors? I spent about 10 months and $10k partially restoring my boat instead of using it... Some repairs I'm glad I made, others I sometimes question whether they were worth it.


Time spent fixing = Time not spent fishing(or whatever)

I would also prioritize your repairs in order of what really affects your use of the boat. E.g. before you start fixing your soft gunnels, ask yourself - what does your wiring look like? Do you have good bilge pumps and switches? Is your motor solid?

I'm not trying to discourage you from fixing up your boat, and I'm not trying to act like a know-it-all - but from reading your one post you sound almost exactly like I did 10 months ago.

Good luck and if you need any advice on simple stuff feel free to PM me

sealing something down and using 3 m 5200,isn't the best approach to assure the gunnel's sealed - water will enter the core from below,as well...
the hole needs to be coated in epoxy,this will seal the wood against water migration...

another thing that i've ran into on various client's boats,is the fact people can't grasp the concept,of installing rod holders in the gunnels -these holes need to be drilled at the correct angle - seems alot of people just drill a large hole and butcher it to make the rod holder fit - lost count of this method of installation i've seen...


going the "top" route to recore gunnels:

not much "skin" on the underside of the gunnels - it's much easier to go from below,versus above -using a composite material is definatley the way to go...

but...if your weight,body weight and size,is making that a problem,perhaps putting the fork down,and getting a little exercize,for a few months before beginning this repair would help ?

refinishing the gunnels after recoring : best method is rolling awlgrip...

"if your weight,body weight and size,is making that a problem,perhaps putting the fork down,and getting a little exercize,for a few months before beginning this repair would help ?"

That's crazy talk!!!! :) :) If you had added "and quit drinking beer", that would have been stupid crazy talk!!!

:D...so I need to do some training prior to the repair...darn it.... It is just hard for me to bend and contort my body in precarious positions
..my son keeps me busy though...

:p
guess I'll see what Don Herman is up to...he is spry and limber!!!!

Don I agree with you ...just plain crazy talk