[bassriverdoormatt]

Hey everyone, I finally got serious about working on getting this old girl seaworthy. With the time off available from the current situation, it lends to an agreeable solution between me and the wife. Convincing her that the boat would be a great way to socially distance ourselves wasn't too difficult. So I did the gas tank hatch repair last fall but just got around to posting the pictures. When I bought the boat, the previous owner told me the hatch needed work and used plywood and liquid nails for a somewhat temporary fix. I fully realized this when I was moving the hatch for the first time. The fiberglass was completely separated from the hatch core. I bought some 1708, balsa core, and West System epoxy to start the repair. I used a heat gun to remove the old glue and balsa. Once that was cleaned, I measured the balsa for a solid fit then I sanded the edges down to a less aggressive edge. I mixed some epoxy then laid the balsa core on it. I should have mixed a filler material in with that epoxy but hindsight is 20/20. I laid it down and added weight to ensure it set. After that, I laid the 1708 and epoxy. Other than the epoxy leaking out through the screw holes, it came out pretty good.

I'm going to be working on the wiring next with a new switch panel and fuse panel along with all new wiring. The transom is the next big project as I found some rotten wood starboard of the engine.