Interior Forward Bow Section

[Paul]

Here is the 16/3 forward bow section of "Little Wing."


Over the Memorial Weekend, I spent some time "sniffing around."  She's always been a bit moldy.  That's calmed down a lot since I've had her drying out under the carport for just over a year now.

Long story short, all things are connected!!  I began a simple project last year of removing the bottom coat and found blisters.  Scary, yes.  But, it turns out only cosmetic, no structural problems.  So, I figure "What the Heck."  I'll see what I can do to fair and paint the boat.  After all, my girls are still a bit young to over night on her.  I'll give myself a year.  Let her dry out.  And do the job proper-like.  Be a good experience.  You know what they say about intentions.....

So, that leads me to the interior.  All thing being connected, the interior must be dry as well to ensure proper blister repair.  Here's where my investigation led me.

Dismantling the interior.






Finding the culprit.



You're looking at the foam flotation and a soaked piece of plywood separated by a small amount of water.

Total removal.



Don't know if that foam could really do it's job, as soaked as it was.

The bulkhead remaining will come out, soon.  It's so soft, the compression post bolt holes are elongated. 

I can't imagine how long she's held water like this.  She's always been a little heavy to me.  Just ask my lower back.  (Long story about lifting the trailer tongue.)

Has anyone else found water like this in the forward section.  I have seen posted photos of water under the bunks.  That might be next.

[B.Hart]

Great pictures, and a lesson that water can be hideing anywhere that seems to be sealed. I love the wood in the cabin, Mine is only the original painted interior. Keep up the good work!

[Tim Gardner]

I used CPES from Smiths & Co. to seal the plywood bulkhead and floors before re-installing them when I replaced them in my 19.  Works great for waterproofing wood.

TG

[Paul]

Yes, Epoxy is certainly in my future. 

How did you like working with the CPES?

[Tim Gardner]

CPES is easy to work with.  About the consistency of kerosene.  You have to have a good fitting respirator, and a fan if you are going to use it below deck.  Otherwise, liver damage is the result.  A few good whiffs will make you think you're drinking too much!  Cleanup is Acetone - more of the same.

tg

[Paul]

Well,  Good news!!  I've inspected the underside of each bunk and no evidence of water intrusion.  Whew!!  Once the bulkhead was removed, I had a clear view of nether regions under the bunks.  Foam is in good condition, too.

Once the fiberglass arrives, reconstruction can begin!!  Yea!

[Paul]

Here's an update on the interior for your viewing pleasure. 

I saved the original bulkhead and made a template with it.  Same for the rest of the wood removed.  Conveniently, the tabbing remained on the hull.  I did grind it down, but just enough to facilitate replacement.  That required use of the same thickness plywood.  I thought I might beef it up with a thicker plywood, but I found it unnecessary and inconvenient.

I coated the plywood with two coats of unthickened epoxy after I tested each piece in a dry fit.  I chose to use West System.  Coated the end grain as well.  Each bulkhead was fixed in place using thickened epoxy per the West instructions with fillets.  Then two layers of biaxial fiberglass cloth were placed; 4" followed by 6".  This was performed on either side of each bulkhead.


The boards running fore and aft divide up the volume into three airtight compartments and allow access to the compression post.


Soon, the floors will be glued and tabbing in using the same methods as noted.  Then, I will clean up and paint the interior.  I have kept all the veneer to use as templates, but I am also considering using less wood and more paint.  We'll see.

[multimedia_smith]

Really nice work.  Do you plan on replacing the foam?  The way it looked in the "before" shots, I'm surprised you found the wet lurking underneath.... good thing though.
Nicely illustrated also... Makes me want to look a little deeper on mine...
Looking forward to seeing more.
Dale

[Paul]

Thanks.  It must be a labor of love.   

No, I decided not to replace the foam.  I think it was Skip who stated the foam in our boats serves two purposes; add stiffness and add flotation.  IMHO, a proper bulkhead adds the stiffness, in this case.  Once the floor is tabbed in, stiffness will increase further.  There will now be three airtight compartments; one forward in the bow and one on either side of the compression post access area.  Those provide some flotation.  How much, I'm not sure.  I have read a cubic foot of air provides something like 64 lbs of flotation.  Not enough to completely float the boat in worse case conditions, but maybe enough, in addition to the other flotation to keep it from sinking terribly fast.  Who knows.

I'd, at least, recommend that folks check out the compression post area for water.  A sponge and a bucket will adequately remove it.  If you have a 16-III, you'll need to unscrew the veneer, just to get your hand in there.  I've seen photos on this forum of earlier versions that do not have the veneer and some that even don't have the foam.

I hope my adventure in refurbishment will help other considering such a task.

Paul