If you found the repair video of last post helpful, here is the final half of West System Fiberglass Repair video. The West System steps outlined here are a proven successful repair method, one of many possible approaches. In any repair, proper preparation of the repair area takes the most time and is critical to repair strength. If you have never done this before, do some research beforehand, but fear not, it's easy when done properly.
In all fairness, this repair could be done more cheaply using polyester resins instead of epoxy. (See Epoxies, Vinylesters and Polyesters Explained) We selected epoxy because we are familiar with it, like the working characteristics of epoxy, better strength to weight ratio of epoxy and it isn't as stinky when the stuff kicks. Any polyester gelcoat finish will stick just fine to properly cleaned epoxy (soap and water scrub to remove amines). This was a great boat made of polyester, and it will be just as good should you choose to use poly resins in the rebuild. Whichever your tool of choice, just make sure you follow the proper preparation and mixing procedures. The West System Fiberglass Boat Repair and Maintenance Manual is a great resource for exactly this type of project. Now, on with the story...
With the old deck removed, we peer into black box. What lurks below decks is cruddy foam galore. Mako filled mostly all the void areas with 2 Part Flotation Foam. This closed cell foam serves many purposes. Foremost, it adds needed buoyancy should you wish to invert the boat and make it a life raft. ;) Additionally, the foam has structural purpose. Some boat designs seat the deck directly atop the stringers (fore aft longitudinal supports). The Mako deck instead is suspended. Smaller longitudinal supports are bonded to the underside of the deck, and the whole thing seated on a bed of foam. The foam cushion deadens shock when pounding through waves.
It almost looks fluffy and edible in the above pictures - some salty fluffernutter sandwich. But here's the rub- all this foam is soaking wet. Closed cell foam normally does not hold water. But even this most synthetic of foam degrades with age and exposure to elements, in this case good old H2O with a dash of fuel and twist of mildew. Dead flotation foam born again into a giant sponge. Cool! Remember those eerie groans and pops the winch cable made as she was guided home on the trailer. That's one heavy boat! If you suspect this may be a case in your boat, check the waterline. The yellow tell-tale waterline on this old girl grew higher and higher. Tall tale perhaps (sorry, couldn't refrain from the bad pun), but I suspect there was a time or two she was floated up from the bottom of some bay. There's alot of water in here.
So bring on the unsavory nasty task. We have to pull and rip all this foam out.
First we tried to lever chunks out with pry bars. It worked a bit, sort of like shoveling snow with a teaspoon. The foam clings to the hull, so is takes some elbow grease. Occasionally we'd celebrate a particularly big chunk that would pop free. Maybe even show it off boastfully til a bigger one came along.
But mostly, the big prybars made wet, mushy pulp freed up between the stringers. (and yes, that is a big ol crack in the stringer pictured above. "Dem bones weren't made to carry all that water Cap'n")
We need to change tacks to make any decent progress.
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