Re: 1975 - 23' Tsunami --- Cork decks ?
Hmm. I was hoping it was cork ( even though I've never heard of a cork floor ). Cork seems water proof enough.
End grain balsa rivals a sponge when it is exposed to good 'ole H2O. And it rots like... enough analogies, you get the idea. Too bad. Balsa is great as a sandwich material ( light and strong ) as long as it doesn't get wet; then one block will leach wet onto the next and the next - and 'oila - mush.
I think my deck is pretty solid though. There are a few spots I will keep my eye on and then I would go the WEST SYSTEM route ( drill holes, excavate, dry and fill w/ epoxy ). First things first; find and fix ANY place where water might get in.
One thing that's annoying w/ many boat builders is the shortsightedness ( is that a word ? ) when assembling cored areas; i.e. something as simple as a fuel tank hatch - you know if 'they' just used solid fiberglass on the undersides of the hatch-cover where the screws screw through, instead of using plywood or balsa in these areas, these areas would never need to be re-done. I moan because I have to do this job !
I also have a perfectly good hatch that covers my forward storage area. I've already removed it and am going to hole-saw, w/out the arbor/bit, all the screw-holes in the sanwiched plywood core - w/ a 1" saw. Remove the 1" of ply and fill the hole w/ epoxy. A little preventive maintenance never hurt anyone...
By the way - You guys know anyone who has actually done the 'ole (2) i/o's to (1) i/o conversion themselves ? It would be great if you did, I have a ton of questions. If not, wait a few months and you'll know someone then...
Thx,
Alan
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