posted 04-15-2004 12:50 PM ET (US)        

--possibly water seeping in and freezing and thawing to expand and de-laminating these two surfaces. The source of any water could be from the anchor locker drain, which until last week was not lined with a tube, but just a drilled hole from the locker to the interior of the boat.

--possibly as a small non-bonding defect between the interior hull and foam that simply worsened over time. This boat has a dark blue mooring cover, and lots of heat can build up on hot summer days, that could make a small problem bigger.

I was considering leaving it alone, but Tom Clark suggested not letting it go. As always, you get the right advice here on the CW forum. In any event, I placed some duct tape, and I drilled a 1/8-inch diameter hole about 2-inches from the anchor locker through the interior floor. When I did, there was a puff of very strong resin aroma. Perhaps this air pocket just never really bonded properly. After that hole was drilled, the flexing became much easier. This leads me to conclude that this area had been air tight, and drilling broke the airtight seal. Which raises the question: If it was air tight, did water ever get in?

In addition, I drilled a second hole at the other further end of the damaged area. I put a Wet-Vac to the hole, and never detected any water whatsoever. With enough suction, the floor would quickly depress and lay firmly against the foam below. I taped in place some clear plastic film over the two holes, and after two days, there was no moisture condensing on the plastic. This too, leads me to believe that this was not a water intrusion case.

The fix:

I increased the furthest aft hole diameter just so a chalking gun cartridge tip would fit snugly in that hole. The hole toward the bow remained at 1/8-inch. Both holes had been drilled through duct tape. This is when a couple of extra hands really pay off. My buddy Phil mixed the West System, with slow hardener 206, and placed it in an empty chalking gun cartridge. I placed the tip in the larger hole and pumped it in. Each cartridge holds approximately 10-ounces. I continued to pump in West System epoxy until it began to ooze out of the front hole. A total of five cartridges or 50-ounces. I gently put some pressure on the area, let the epoxy ooze out (that is where the duct tape protects the non-skid floor) wiped up any excess, and placed a screw in each hole. It did heat up a bit while curing, but nothing harmful.

The next day I removed the screws, and used "Rockland Tan" gel coat from Mini-craft in the screw holes. The result: the floor area is solid as a rock, with no deformity and no flexing. The gel coat covered the screw holes nicely. West System Tech Department assured me that the epoxy would have no ill effect on the foam.

I am very pleased with the way this came out. Glad I didnt put it off. I then could install the mahogany interior that was restored over the winter. Stripped and nine coats of Z-spar Flagship. Once the bottom is paintedIll be sending pictures!!