I am a new owner of a 1986 27. Upon inspection of the bilge I noticed there is some delaminatio of the bilge pan. I started removing it and noticed that the plywood under the fiberglass pan is rotted and spongy.I am now involved in ripping as much of it as I can reach.
Specifically in the forward area of the bilge. I plan to dry it out and then rebuild the pan liner with fiberglass and resin. My question is.... is there a product that I can lay down on the top part of the keel below the bilge that may not be completely dry to seal it up.
My Marina manager can't wait to get a moisture reader on the boat. He has mentioned it several times even while we are talking completely different topics. I called Richard at Compac and explained my situation to him and he replied laughing; yeh just rip out the bilge pan as it doesn't need to even be there.. .. Anyway . Anyone had a similar problem?.. Getting soda blasting done on the bottom Friday...... Should I drill a couple of holes somewhere on the keel
Thanks JD
I am guessing the part that covers the concrete?? Id pull that off then stick a dehumidifier in the boat for a few days sighting how the dehumidifier dries it out.
Then go about repairing it when dry. Those things do a fantastic job drying things out.
Mac
Hi JD - are you sure about the soda blasting? Here's what Don Casey, who has written extensively on sailboat repairs for over 30 years, has to say about it (from his book "This Old Boat"):
"Never, ever let a boatyard staff convince you to sandblast, sodablast, or shotblast with any medium to remove paint from your hull - unless the hull is steel. Sandblasting a fiberglass boat ALWAYS damages the gelcoat, compromising its impermeability and almost certainly leading to hull blisters. Even if you are planning on sealing the gelcoat after stripping, sandblasting is still a bad idea. Any operator incompetence or inattention will cause damage to the underlying laminate. Yards like sandblasting because it is fast, not because it is smart."
I had to make this same decision when my 1988 CP 27 arrived at the boatyard. I took his advice, had the yard use a pressure washer to blow off as much old paint as possible, then I did the rest of the job with a 5" random orbit sander and 120 grit paper.
Wes
I haven't been around for a long time, since I sold my boat. But I did the repair you are describing and have some insight.
Here is how mine looked after demolition:
(http://bmiller1959.smugmug.com/Sailingandboating/Com-Pac/i-W74b5Wh/0/XL/IMG_2139-XL.jpg)
I set a heater on low and ran it for several days to get it very dry:
(http://bmiller1959.smugmug.com/Sailingandboating/Com-Pac/i-VmJkxKP/0/XL/IMG_2140-XL.jpg)
Then used epoxy west system with some filler to seal up where the hull meets the ballast, no photo of that. I don't recall the proper name but I used some rolled glass material in the corners and more glass in the bottom. End result is it looked like this:
(http://bmiller1959.smugmug.com/Sailingandboating/Com-Pac/i-dGH5N5q/0/XL/IMG_2272-XL.jpg)
It's an easy repair just take enough time to get it good and dry.
Nice to hear from you, Bill. Any boats in your life these days?
Bob23
Thanks so much for your information and pictures . I am just about finished removing all of the rotted wood that was used to direct the pouring of the cement into the keel. I was going to put a dehumidifier in when I am down at the marina. Perhaps while working on other areas I will try an electric heater. I had to put a half inch hole directly in the bottom aft part of the keel. It was dripping a drop every 30'seconds . After two days it is slowing up to,about a drop every few minutes. I plan to wait until spring to fill it in and
Barrier coat and top it off with anti fouling paint. I will post pics as it progresses. I do need to remove and replace some teak veneer
Panels as I have two ports that had rotted seals and leak marks on the wood. Any suggestions where to get the panels? Film at 11 thanks much
jD
Hi Bob. The only boat I own right now is a Grumman canoe that is nearly as old as me. Maintenance is considerably less then my 27 was. Last I heard my old boat Pooka was sailing north in the Chesapeake. I do have my eye on a C&C27 though. Not near as comfy as a ComPac 27 but they sail great.
JD, sounds like you are doing all the right things. You own a very nice boat and it will provide years of pleasure and take care of you when it gets snotty. I'm anxious to see some photos.
Bill
Hi JD:
A very common problem with this boat. I've had to fix mine twice. If you do a search you will most likely find other threads about it. I do believe it's caused by water in the keel that over the winter freezes and it expands upward and cracks the floor in the bottom of the bilge. My boat has a brass flange on the side face of the keel with a brass plug in it. I make it a point to unscrew the plug every winter storage and leave it out until spring launch. Be advised when you take out the plug to drain it for winter storage RUN. It is the nastiest most foul smelling water I had ever drained out of anything, the stench is awful. I have seen those drain plates in west marine, they are mounted with three screws and have a pipe plug in the center. You do have to drill a drain hole in the keel itself in the center of the flange. It is best to mount it as low on the keel as possible to get out as much water as you can. Good luck with it. Perhaps you could use a non wood material for the floor of the bilge so it would not be affected by the water. I do believe you can fiberglass over it.
Bruce
Allure
Swansea, MA
Bruce,
Like the pictures above I ripped out the bilge all the way back to the aft area. all wood is out. 5 buckets of it. Pictures will follow.
Anyway where is your water coming from in the fall when you unscrew the plug? I just had mine soda blasted. The guy did a wonderful job leaving just a hint of the old paint left on . More pics to follow.i need to ask if the gentleman who added his pics to his new bilge if he just layed down west epoxy and mat on top of the keel cement.. I can tell you myself and first mate are aware of that black yucky stinky smell . When I purchased the boat I knew there was a smell .i thought it was just the head needing a good cleaning. I did see a bit of water in the bilge but the owner said it did geta bit in on heavy rains.. It appeared to be bout a half gallon when I got her to the upper chesapeake from Ct ..over the road. So. The bottom has no blisters at all and is in good condition as I see it. .
I am just researching a product that will bond to the cement top of the keel. I have to build up aprox 3 inches before starting to lay in a new bilge. I did drill one half inch hole in the back lowest part of he keel. It did drip a drop about every thirty seconds for awhile. Now it has slowed up considerably. Sure stinks under the boat. We really did get a lot of the smell out of the bilge though.
I may try a moisture meter around the top of the keel . No bumps on the keel or stress cracks ... Any advisement from here?
Thanks much... Wanna get over this bilge crap and begin working on the fun stuff...
JD, you're doing everything right so far. The first thing I did after demo and drying was to fill between the hull and ballast. I used west epoxy and one of the fillers to make a putty. That went into where the ballast met the keel. Then laid mat and the 2 inch tape in the corners. A couple coats of bilge paint and that's it.
Thanks Captain B for your kind information. When you pit the west system between the hull and keel did it seep down at all . I st wonder if there would be any void down there as the moisture did drip out a bit out of the hole I put in thenbottom of the keel.
Maybe I am over playing this project.mthe dark boat made it through 26 years sailing.... Oh well. Thanks everyone for the help.
Now I need to know where to look for the teak plywood nnear delaware to redo a couple of pieces where the ports leaked from rotted gaskets.
Have a great week end.
JD
Yes it seeped, quite a bit until I got the mix right and made it thick enough. I write back and forth with the new owner and will ask how it has held up the last few years.
You still owe photos you know!
Cool , Thanks much.... Could b a void down there somewhere.
JD
Looks like an ice and beverage holder to me. ;D
skip.