Fuel Locker Foul!

[Eagleye]

As I was preparing the Eclipse for storage I emptied everything out of the cabin that might invite little critters in to nest in or chew on.  It was also a good time to look in every crevice and storage space for lost or forgotten items left from a seasons worth of sailing.   When I crawled under the cockpit on the starboard quarter berth what I saw left me with a really sick feeling in my gut.   ROTTEN WOOD!!!!!    On the inside of the fuel locker the fiberglass just peeled off leaving a big chunk of exposed rotten plywood.   It became apparent very quickly as to how that could have happened.











The PO ran an electrical wire from the motor alternator to the battery routing it through the fuel locker.  I was never very comfortable with it and had only tried to use it once and it seemed to drain the battery when the motor wasn't being used.  I disconnected it and never used it since.  The fuel locker is designed so there is no gutter to keep water out unlike the storage locker on the port side. Is this typical on other boats?   I'm guessing it is so that it provides more ventilation and allows any "spillage" to be washed out of the drain?  Well, it also makes for a great nesting area for mildew.

The obvious problem though was the tiny hole that the PO drilled in the top of the locked wall.  He never sealed it!  As the rain water or wash water ran into the locker it entered the hole and soaked in between the layers of glass. I blame my own lack of experience with boats for not seeing the hole as a problem.  I'm sure the mildew didn't help either and I wonder if there may be leaks in the bottom of the locker also.  Has anyone else experienced this or is this unique to Eclipses?











Ok, this whole fiberglass epoxy thing is sort of new to me so I will appreciate any help.  The Madame is in storage now and it has been below freezing for a couple of weeks now so this will be yet another spring project.

There is a lot of good info out there and I have been reading as much as I can on the subject.  I'm sure that I will initially have to get in there and remove all the damaged wood and fiberglass and clean it down to good material.  From there I am open to any suggestions about which products, procedures and materials would be best to use.  Also does anyone have suggestions about cleaning out the mildew from the inside of the locker and keeping it out?   Is there a paint I could refinish the inside with or maybe just use a couple of coats of epoxy?


Thanks for any suggestions.

Allen

[capt_nemo]

A couple coats of epoxy will certainly do the trick quite well in "sealing" a properly repaired surface. If epoxy is exposed to sunlight it needs to be "protected", that is, coated with varnish or paint, whichever is most appropriate for the structure. Since it is the inside of a normally closed fuel locker you could probably just leave it uncoated. I've left several epoxy coated surfaces which are not exposed to sunlight uncoated and have not experienced any problems after three years. If you do decide to coat over make sure the coating is compatible with epoxy and follow instructions for surface prep.

Kill mold with a fairly strong cleaning solution with clorox, and rinse thoroughly with clean fresh water. Let dry thoroughly. If coating with epoxy, rub surface down first with liberal amount of fast evaporating ACETONE to further clean and prep the surface for coating.

capt_nemo

[Glenn Basore]

Allen,

My first thoughts are, at least this is not a hull related problem, its inside so I'm thinking the repairs wont be too bad.

I'm the second owner of my boat and one of the first thing I notice was the fuel locker area looked to have been modified as evidence of some fiberglass being cut away around the edges where the lid closes and rest on. I think he did this to make more room for something.

I will take a look at it Sunday, and take a few pictures. Your fuel locker appears to me to have been worked on in much the same way as mine was.

As to the fiberglass repair work, I have done some fiberglass work on my boat and have played with fiberglass in different hobbies of mine in the past, its not that difficult. I consider my self as a novices in fiberglassing.

I think what I would do is to start to cut away at the lowest point of the damage using a delta blade cutting tool, you know, one of those tools that vibrates at a very high speed and you switch out different types of blades !, any how, I would cut out all the bad wood so that I'm left with a nice clean straight edge to work with. i would also try and make it so I have iliminated any unessary jogs or angles, just nice square edges.

I would them buy some marine ply to size and begin to re box the area to match my cut out area. you might have to brace it from the underside with some vertical strips fiberglass in place for reinforcement.

Once the wood is in place I would by some fiberglass cloth (medium weight ? oz) and do a lay up of cloth and marine resin making sure the wood is covered.

Once the fiberglass /resin have cured I would sand, primer and paint. I used Kyon Paint as it was the closest to matching my color (tan) in your case any grey would do.

I'm sure there are others that could give you a more professional advise but I'm sure you can do this repair your self.

Glenn B.

[MacGyver]

Allen,

Dont fret too much, that wood might be just fine.
Here is how I test before I do major rework repairs, since most times marine plywood is used to build this stuff, it is pretty sturdy.

Here is what I would do:
Start by removing that wire since we know that is a issue.
Next clean out that outer locker really well, that way the gelcoat finish can be inspected decently for cracks, etc.
We want to find and Identify all the points of entry.

After that is done, I recommend using a damp rid product (found in RV section of Walmart, 1 gallon Ice cream style pail) or a dehumidifier.
Typically no access to power is a issue, so a few pails of that damp rid will really help out.

Get that area dried out.
When it is dry, then check for integrity. We use a pocket knife, and depending on entry depth of the tip, tells you the integrity of the wood.
If it is fine, then I would widdle away the wire hole, or use a forstner bit to drill the wood only away so It can be filled with a epoxy and modifier (West Systems 404) and redrilled, which will eliminate that issue.

Any other damages found in the initial sweep would need to be attack individually.

Then reglass that wood only when it is actually dry.

I tell you in all my years of repair work, I have been surprised how many times the wood was good, just wet enough to freak a owner out, and once dry, still maintained its strength.

IF the wood is bad: meaning it is rotted as it comes out. No worries, just extra work ahead.

I would probably cut into the wood some with a air grinder (small disc style, mounts on a die grinder) or use the DREMEL MULTI MAX (which to be honest has become one of my favorite tools, and cheap at 100 bucks, you will use it for a ton of projects!!) Glenn also talked about this type of tool
Cutting at a specified place, and only deep enough to get the wood out, then replacing the wood, sanding the areas to apply new glass, and then completing it out.

not quite necessary to re use marine grade plywood. If a repair is done right, it isnt a problem, but plywood is used, not OSB, or similar.

West Systems Biaxial glass in a package is a great glass option. A glass similar to that is what I recommend as you dont have to specifically buy the west system stuff.

IF YOU HAVE TO GO THAT ROUTE: Send me a email, with that same picture (or let me know and I will see maybe I can copy paste it to my computer) and I will go into paint program and line out where I would cut.

Let me know,

Mac

[Tim Gardner]

Allen,

If you are going to erase mold with a fairly strong cleaning solution with Clorox, wear a respirator. No one needs chemical Pneumonia.

Note I said erase mold not Kill it.  Clorox does not kill the mold, it just bleaches the flowering part out.  The real mold is what you can't see.  It's the Hyphae (roots, if you will) of the plant in the food; i.e. the wood, or on dirt in cracks on the surface.

Killing mold Hyphae takes about 8 hours, but it is easy to do. You need to mix two things, A 3.5% Quaternary Ammonium Chloride solution and a 9% Hydrogen Peroxide solution.  

Here's what I use: A 50-50 mix of 9% concentration hydrogen peroxide (available as Shock at 27% concentration at any pool supply store, and 3.5% solution Algae-gon (quaternary algaecide available at 50% concentration at the same pool supply store). You have to dilute them yourself with water to get the right solution concentration, mix them together, and using a hand garden sprayer set on the finest spray possible and wearing a M95 breathing mask & safety goggles, wet all the moldy surfaces - & let it stand wet til dry.  The solution is ineffective after it's 8 hour active time, so mix up only what you are going to use (although it's still a pretty good cleaner).  A pint is plenty! This kills all the mold, spores , hyphae, bacteria & viruses that may be on the surfaces. It completely neutralizes any odors. It is safe for the cushions as well. This is essentially the same material the Armed Forces uses to detox for anthrax - effective stuff. You can buy this material commercially, but it costs $85.00 a gallon. Applied 2 times per year, you will never have mildew or mold again in your boat. Note: do not immediately clean the surfaces of any stains - allow the mold 8 hours to transmit this material down to the Hyphae to kill it.

To create one pint of the final solution:

1/3 cup 27% hydrogen peroxide shock - mixed with 2/3 cup water (results in 1 cup
of approx 9% concentration)

.56 oz 50% quaternary algaecide (approx 3.5 teaspoons) mixed with 7.44 oz water
(start with 1 cup, remove 3.5 teaspoons add in the algecide) (results in 1 cup of approx 3.5%
concentration)

This will kill the mold.  Cleaning up stains from the mold is another matter, but remember, do it AFTER you kill the mold.

TG

P.S.  My company uses this solution commercially for mold remediation projects.  We charge a lot!!!!

[Eagleye]

WOW.... Thanks for all the great advice, guys!   The repairs will have to wait until spring but I'm going to grab a couple of tubs of damp rid and put them in the boat for the winter.

Also, I'll mix up a batch of  "Captain TG's Famous Agent Orange Anti -Fungal Juice" and dose up any suspected areas on the Madame.  Thanks for the recipe and the mold education, Tim!

Your suggestions are all appreciated,

Allen

[beradthefish]

I second that - Thanks Tim.  I will likely purchase these to have on hand and to do some preemptive strikes, especially in the stern area where it's dark and potentially damp.

[Bob23]

Tim:
   Has your company been up in NJ doing any work?
bob23

[Tim Gardner]

No Bob, I used to do that type of work, but I just don't have it in me to do disaster work anymore.  After the dust settles, there are always those that didn't get the proper treatment - that's when we go to work.

TG