CONTINUOUSWAVE

Q: how is the aft deck on a 1992 RAGE 14 over the battery and splash compartment removed after the screws are out?

I want to thoroughly clean that area out and redo venting and wiring in there without having to twist up like a contortionist snake to make my hands reach.

The aft deck is probably a separate molded component attached to the gunwales or inwales of the hull and liner assembly known as a Unibond Hull.

Such a component would never be retained with just a few self-tapping screws alone. The aft deck was most likely held in place with an adhesive sealant.

Typically in a production situation a fast-curing sealant adhesive would be used, so the bond should not be so extraordinary strong that the molded aft deck component could never be separated from the Unibond hull.

A close visual inspection at the joint lines should confirm the deck is a separate component. Of course, because the particular 1992 RAGE 14 boat you have appears to have been unwisely had its topsides repainted, the joint line is probably now concealed by the blue paint

Some of the seam line can be seen, and since the assembly is symmetrical, the painted-over portions should be easy enough to deduce. What would some good methods be to start lifting that section away from its adhesive without damaging it or the main hull? I don't want to just start prying away with a screwdriver of crow bar. Would application of heat from say a hair dryer be of any value here?

If there is a definite joint line, and there is a gap fit, perhaps you could use a length of very small diameter piano wire as a saw to cut through the sealant—but that is just a guess on my part.