330 Sundancer "Trunk" Problems

D

David M

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The "trunk" (rear storage) lid on Saint Max needs repair. I was tightening the screws on the piano hinge and noticed every screw on the trunk lid side spun. I am assuming this hinge support is wood covered in gelcoat.

Can anyone suggest a way to repair this? Sorry, no pix of the damage and the boat is an hour away.

I'm open to anything shy of Duck Tape.
 
Drill out the holes and fill them with marine-tex. then redrill and reinstall the original screws.
 
Bill: Yes I can through bolt it.

Paul: In that every screw spins, I am concerned all the the surrounding wood is rotting under the gelcoat.
 
I would through bolt it with a stainless backing plate but it is probably only a temporary fix if the wood is rotted.
Jim
 
David, you have several options. One is to remove the rotted wood by cutting the inside fiberglass and putting new wood in then reglassing the area.
The other is to remove the trunk lid drill out the holes; dry out the suspected area, then fill the area with West System epoxy and allow it to soak into the surrounding wood. Once sured, drill out the screw holes again and fill with marine tex.

I've done this type of repair before and would be glad to meet with you to help with the fix.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Shadowcruzr

David, you have several options. One is to remove the rotted wood by cutting the inside fiberglass and putting new wood in then reglassing the area.
The other is to remove the trunk lid drill out the holes; dry out the suspected area, then fill the area with West System epoxy and allow it to soak into the surrounding wood. Once sured, drill out the screw holes again and fill with marine tex.

I've done this type of repair before and would be glad to meet with you to help with the fix.

Click to expand...


Paul:

I'll take you up on that. I have guests coming in for Memorial Day W/E and am busy at work for a couple of weeks after that. I'll keep you posted as time progresses.

I have heard a lot of good things about the west system. I have never worked with it though.

How long did the drying out process take? I'm sure I shall have to dremel off the top layer of gelcoat (where the screws go into the trunk) to expedite the process.
 
Give me a shout when your ready.

I have used alcohol to displace the water which helps a bit. THe best thing is to open up the holes to allow moisture to evaporate and to put the item in a warm spot to help as well. I have had stuff dry out in a day or two some in hours and some in weeks. Depends on the extent of the wetness and the thickness of the coring. I suspect that your coring is only 1/2 inch thick and seeins how it is the inside of the trunk lid, i would suspect too much intrusion.

I wouldnt remove any fibreglass at this time. Lets try to dry it out and re-strengthen it first. if that dont work then cutting and pasting is in order.

How big is this lid?
 
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