Fiberglass Hull Deck Joint

[hilbert]

I am in need of advice on how to fiberglass over the exterior hull to deck joint.

• What radius of a curve is best for the flow of the cloth?
• What is the best tool for grinding the edge?
• How to grind consistently and to an even depth?

Anyone’s experience would be greatly appreciated.

[Russell]

I think Fred did this for his CD28 before his circumnavigation, might be worth checking out his site for how he did it. Sure would be nice to get rid of hull/deck joint leaks, but seems a huge project. I never understood why builders didnt just glass them together in the first place rather then using 5200 or mish mash.

[Steve Laume]

I know a few people have done this. There was a Typhoon in our mooring field that had a glassed over joint. They left it without the toe and rub rails. While it was still a very attractive boat, it lost some of it's classic appeal. I think Fred did this to Fenix before his circumnavigation and there might be some info on his blog or some of his old posts.

My first question would be why do you want to do this? The second would be weather you intend to put the rub and toe rails back on.

It sounds like a fairly ambitious project, Steve.

Sorry, that I didn't see Russel's post before putting this one up but we are saying much the same thing.

[Oswego John]

I'm wondering why you would want to round off the hull/deck joint? A rounded corner would leave a void between the toe and rub rails where they meet.

And then maybe the plan is to not use the toe/rub rails, leave them off.

All of my boats have/had boxed corners and wooden rails. I can't remember ever glass taping the joints.

O J

[David van den Burgh]

Fred's site: http://www.sbastro.com/FeNIX/Projects/P ... riorFS.htm

And another: http://bubbathepirate.com/2011/09/glassing-the-gunwale/

[Jerry Hammernik]

Here is another excellent example of glassing over the hull deck joint. Serious work.

http://farreachvoyages.com/dailylog.html

[hilbert]

The hull deck joint is leaking, especially around the chain plates. From The Fiberglass Boat Repair Manual by Allan Vaitses:

The ideal joint consists of a heavy fiberglass lay-up over the outside of the joint, well faired into the both the deck and topsides.

At the same time, I will strengthen the stanchions and replace the toe/rub rail with a bulwark (similar to the design that Fred used on Fenix).

This is probably too ambitious a project for my time, skill and resources. However, I never considered doing any of the projects that I have undertaken when I first took possession of the boat, so I'll give this a try also.

Jonathan

[John Stone]

As Jerry H mentioned, I glassed over the hull deck joint on my CD 36 Far Reach. It is not a small project but it is doable. I chose not to reinstall the toerail and have opted to install a raised bulwark in its place. You could reinstall a toerail if you wanted and it would still be a 100x better than the original design. My boat had all kind of leaks along the hull-deck joint. I don't think it will ever leak there again.

Here is the link that describes how I tackled it. Send me a pm if you want to further discuss off line.
http://www.farreachvoyages.com/project ... joint.html

[hilbert]

When glassing over the joint, should all the gel coat be ground off for better adhesion? In the Far Reach Restoration, a four inch wide strip was ground off from both the deck and hull. However, from the pictures it appears that Fred did not make any special effort to take off the gel coat.

The work has begun:

[John Stone]

I ground the gel coat off to get to the laminate for the strongest possible bond. You have to radius the edge to get the tape to bend around the joint. The bigger the radius, the better. If I had to do it again, after I removed all the fasteners, I would run a power planer down both sides of the joint to remove the gel coat to an even depth. I am thinking a max of 1/16" but maybe even a little less. It will destroy the blades sure, but they coat about $15. I would set the power planer for the minimal depth. I believe using the planer would make it easier to get a smooth even cut to the gelcoat and in the end require less fairing.

Good luck.

[hilbert]

John,

Your restoration of the Far Reach is exemplary. Thank you for the documenting it in detail on your extraordinary web site. It is a great resource.

I am rounding the edge to a ~1" radius and I am following your example in grinding off the gel coat. My work is not nearly as systematic or precise, but I can tolerate a less than professional finish.

Jonathan

[John Stone]

Jonathan,
I am glad the info is helpful. Keep hammering away and it will be behind you before you know it.

JOhn