CD-27 Cockpit Coamings Question

[Scott Ritchey]

I discovered some dry rot in the froward end of my CD-27 cockpit coaming (a soft spot about an inch in diameter). While grinding out the soft and wet wood, I discovered that there is a hole, abouy 5/16 in diameter drilled up from the bottom of the board (a couple inches aft of the doghouse) and centered on the width of the board. This hole led to the soft spot ... verified by ice-pick probing. The coaming on the other side has the same hole, so it must be there for a reason. Also, the hole seemed like the possible source of the dry rot because I could not see any other way for the wood to be getting wet.

Question: Does anyone know the purpose of this hole? I thought I had better ask before I just started filling it in.

Thanks for any help.



RitcheyVS@aol.com

[Andy Denmark]

Question: Does anyone know the purpose of this hole? I thought I had better ask before I just started filling it in.

Hi Scott,

This hole is for a dowel that is epoxied in place (when the boat was built) to keep the coaming board from splitting where it makes a break at the edge of the cockpit molding, There is a notch there that serves as a place for a split to occur. The dowel tends to keep the split from ever starting because when it does start there is no stopping it.

I replaced the coamings on Rhiannon with 5/4 teak several years ago to give then a bit more strength and noticed this situation. Thinking the heavier teak would be more resistant to splitting, I didn't replicate the dowel arrangement. Bad mistake -- one side is now splitting and I'm sure that using the original Cape Dory manufactured system would have prevented the splitting.

Live and learn -- it is a long slide down the razor blade of life!

When you put it back together be sure to use the dowel arrangement.

Andy Denmark
Cape DOry 27 "Rhiannon"
Oriental, NC



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