Weird Pile of stuff in bilge??

[karonoko]

Yesterday I was checking on Scotia, all hunkered down for this (whimpy) Lake Superior winter. I decided to peer beneath the sole for reasons only a Cd owner in witer can relate to ("why not?"!). I stuck my head and light into the bilge hatch and looked forward.
On the port side, about where the head is, I saw a huge pile of "stuff." I can only describe it as a black pile of sheep dung in looks! Scotia is a CD 27. I can only think of two things: Cape Dory put some sort of substance in there to shore up the sole beneath the head for stabiity or to prevent bounce, or, it was a pile of mold... or worse.

Does anyone have a clue about this mystery?

[Steve Laume]

Sheep dung is usually pellets so you can probably rule that out.

I have no idea what it might be except almost anything. When I cut some additional holes in my liner for increased stowage there was all sorts of construction debris in there. Nothing big but enough to give you the idea that they didn't vacuum before they closed things up. It could be an old rag or all the left over mishmash they liked to use.

It seems like you need to make up a hook just to solve the mystery, Steve.

[rollo_cd26]

So, you looked into the bilge beneath the head? What did you expect to find, a fine fresh brie on white linen? :wink:
In my CD26D I have to use an inspection mirror and flash light to look into a lot of places like that. When I had to clean out the mold, mung, and mildew from a flood in my boat I used a bug sprayer and a lot of bleach. There was all sorts of weird stuff that floated into the bilge. Sometime ago I was wondering what was underneath the step up from the cabin sole to the head in my boat. It looked like a good place to make a smugglers drawer. Keep us posted.

[S/V Necessity]

Our CD28 has a similar substance between the liner and the hull under each bulkhead. I think it was an attempt to have the downward forces of the mast be transmitted directly to the hull (instead of just the inner liner). On our boat it was clear that it oozed down the hull and didn't work as intended. It is the same substance used to join the engine bed to the hull and to bond the hull deck joint (and also used in multiple places to bed the inner hull liner!).

[karonoko]

Now that sounds plausible - to absorb pressure from the mast-laden bulkhead. Many thanks. Funny - it does appear more portward and under your explanatin I would imagine it more amidships. And, what is that crap anyway??!!

[Duncan]

You might want to check out Fred Bickum's S/V Fenix site.

This documents his total rebuild/makeover of a CD 28, and some of the construction details he encountered while doing it.

He is a very experienced boatbuilder and sailor. His username on this board is ""fenixrises".

[Stan W.]

Based on what I've seen on my own boat, Cape Dory used a sort of polyester concrete in the hull-to-deck joint, between the deck and the headliner and who knows where else. Sometimes it squeezed out and ended up in places where it was not readily visible. I'm pretty sure that is what you are seeing.

[Steve Laume]

Stan, I have heard that stuff called mishmash but I think concrete polyester is a much more accurate and descriptive name. Glue, filler, shim, material good for what ails ya. They must have mixed up tons of this stuff for use on our boats. There was lots of it gushed in around my stern tube and I have seen it in all sorts of other out of the way locations.

It would definitely stiffen up a bulk head, Steve.

[Cathy Monaghan]

Hi,

Is it directly beneath the mast? Your boat has a deck-stepped mast, which means that she should have a compression post which is probably disguised/hidden by one of the bulkheads for the head. The bottom of the post should be attached to the hull down in the bilge. Cape Dory used ALOT of epoxy to set the compression post in place -- usually in a big glob. So make another inspection of the area, it's probably just the epoxy around the base of the compression post. If not, then I have no idea what it could be.


Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay