damage

[james mill]

So, on my good old 1973 CD-25, I removed the rails on the top of the cabin (don't know their proper name) and discovered that the gelcoat to which they are affixed is badly cracked and whole chunks have fallen out. more than likely, this is due to the fact that she was left uncovered for a few Maine winters by an abusive previous owner. Nonetheless, the problem is all mine now, so two questions. 1) is there a wood core below that into which the screws go, and what should I use to replace the whole chunks of gelcoat that have fallen away? Gelcoat, hull/deck putty, epoxy? Thanks.



jtmceach@aol.com

[JimL]

That condition is common to mine, also. The original holes weren't big enough, in the thick gelcoat, and it cracked out when the screws were put in (at manufacture, I'll bet). I filled mine with some Marine Tex, shaped in place with small pieces of wax paper (leave it on until cure), then redrilled the holes.

There is no wood under that area, there are some areas of bonding putty throughout, but not really consistent. Not a problem.



leinfam@earthlink.net