CONTINUOUSWAVE

If you must install something in an area that lacks embedded wood reinforcements, there are two techniques for augmenting the strength of the area:

One remedy often suggested:

--drill a small hole in the laminate and into the foam beneath it to a depth of about 0.5-inch

--fashion a custom L-shaped auger bit from a piece of steel or a small Allen wrench, insert this bit into a drill

--carefully insert the L-shaped auger into the hole and use it to bore a relief under the laminate in the foam

--vacuum out the foam particles

--fill the void created below the laminate with a mixture of resin and filler to create a small "puck" of material. Epoxy is often used as the resin with a high-density powder filler. Be careful not to fill the void with a mass of resin that is so large that it generates too much heat during curing and begins to melt into the foam

--when the resin has cured you can obtain good holding in it with a screw. Some drill and tap the hole for best results.

An alternative technique that requires much more modification and probably not often used:

--using a cutting tool like a Dremel tool, cut a small portion, say 3-inch by 5-inch, of the deck

--lift out the cut portion of the deck, carefully prying it out of the foam

--carefully carve out an area in the foam in the hull into which you will place reinforcement wood

--undercut the foam under the un-cut deck by at least 0.5-inch

--cut and shape three or four pieces of wood so that they fit into the area created by removing the foam

--using resin and filler as an adhesive, glue the reinforcement wood into the hull interior

--replace the cut out portion of the deck and glue in place with more resin and filler

--fill the cut lines with resin

--top coat the cut lines with gel coat resin to match the original color

Thanks for a great write-up. Very helpful. Going to look for images to help visualize, but your details were very clear.