Soft Roof Question/ problem

[DOUG142]

On our newly aquired CP 19, Sweet Dreams, we finally got the gin polle thing made and figured out to raise the mast.  While doing so I stepped on the roff in several places and IT MOVED!  Not the hatch cover, that is solid.  Tonight I was up checking it out and it is soft, i.e. moves when walked on, only from the front of the handles, draw a line across the roof, to the mast step.

Why?  Can I fix this? Pretty good with fiberglass, and a woodworker also.

Anyone else have or had this problem?  What did you do?

Any and all help much needed and appreciated.
Thanks,
Doug and Linda

[Billy]

I had some fiberglass work done right at the mast step. It wasn't soft, but there were alot of cracks. they cut it out and the wood core was rotten. They replaced the wood and reglassed the step. They also used a touch of yellow so it would match the faded color.

I bet you have a rotten core. Don't ask me how to fix it though. 

[DOUG142]

Billy,
Yes, I do believe it might be rotten.  The previous owner said he had done some mast step repair.  The damage was probably already done to the cabin top.
Searching the internet for ways to fix it.  I also emailed Gerry H. at Com-pac.
Our 16 was/is solid.  Com-pac's are GREAT boats.  I think neglect by previous owner caused problem.
Thanks,
Doug

[Billy]

It was Com-Pac who did the repairs. They did a GREAT job!. I'm not sure what year your boat is but mine is almost 30 years old. It's not a new boat anymore. But whenever you try to sell one, people expect them to be in new condition. Fiberglass is a great material for boats but over time they just show their age.

[Salty19]

Maybe the compression post has moved down a little?? Creating some give where the post used to hold it up? That has occured on other boats. 

Sure do hope this is repairable...

[Billy]

Salty,
I forgot about that. They did reset the compression post and I had to loosen my standing rigging. Almost 2 inches!

[brackish]

Why?  Can I fix this? Pretty good with fiberglass, and a woodworker also.

Why?  Probably core rot.

Can I fix this?  Yes.

Pretty good with fiberglass, and a woodworker also.  Me too and I've fixed a lot of it on other boats. 

[DOUG142]

Okay Capt B,
Let us in on how to fix this.
Thanks,
Doug

[brackish]

Steps I would (or did) take:

Call Hutchins and ask for the layup schedule for that area (I didn't do this, my manufacturer was out of business when I did the repairs).  In other words from the inside out (or outside in)what's there by layer.  Core materials may have varied depending on hull number.  Manufacturers core with various materials such as plywood, balsa, polymer honeycomb material, various rigid foams.  for instance on the 23, the only wood used is the structural bridge between the two cabin bulkheads that support the mast.  When you take it out, you need to know what to put back.  The two wooden materials should be the only ones that would be subject to water intrusion rot although I've heard that rigid foams can break down.  

Generally the heavier structural glass is on the inside (bottom), so I would repair from the top and leave the bottom intact.  Start cutting the top layer of glass off with a grinder from what seems to be the center of the soft section.  work your way out until you are out of the rot area and have good material adjacent. Dig out the core material.  square it up so you can easily cut the replacement core .  Taper the adjacent glass area with the grinder a minimum of 45 degrees, more is better on the glass layer so that you have a bevel joint between the new and the old.

Let it dry well.  

Use epoxy resin for the repair, not polyester resin.  The seam will be compatible and not crack.

Brush in plenty of epoxy resin into the repair area.  Lay in the new core material  that has a mating bevel that matches the repair cut.  Make sure it is able to seat in the repair spot and not sit high.  brush out any squeeze out epoxy so that the next layer can go on without having to grind off the excess.

Bring it out a layer at a time.  wet out the last layer.  lay in the glass.  wet it out, and let it dry.  grind/sand any high spots that will transfer to the next layer.  Helpful to have a glass roller for this operation to make sure the glass is fully saturated and you have no voids in the buildup.

After the last structural glass layer, an epoxy putty or fairing compound to finish it out.  Simple body work

When I did it I painted the whole topside with catalyzed polyurethane (Imron)when I finished.  Pretty hard to color/gloss match the existing gel coat.  The age of your boat, it is probably due anyway.  Also, if you get into the nonskid, it is very hard to match it, so I would create a new pattern that omits that spot from the nonskid.  There are materials that you can use to make a mold of the existing nonskid, but I've never used them.

The usual disclaimers and in your case, I don't know how the compression post is mounted or attached.  Need to talk to Hutchins or someone who has done this repair.

I think there are tutorials online for making this type of repair.

I did the repairs on this boat, about eight total square feet in various places, and this is post repair. I didn't do any close ups, but one repair area was on the cabin trunk along the side that you see.  At this point the topside was primed but not finish coated, the hull has the Imron coat on it.  You can see the gloss difference.

[DOUG142]

Hi all,
Gerry from Com-pac answered my email and we have come to the conclusion that the cabin headliner delaminated from the roof.  It adds, according to Gerry ALOT of stiffnes to the roof.  Solution:  inject epoxy into the roof between the roof and headliner.  There is no wood core except right where the mast step is.
Good weekend project.
We are working on a photobucket folder with all the "Sweet Dreams" pictures.
Let you know when that is up and running.  Soon.
Thanks for all the input on the soft cabin roof.
Doug

[DOUG142]

Ahoy com-pac sailers all,

It works!  If you have flexing in your cabin roof by the mast step back towards the sliding hatch cover, it might just could be that the liner inside has separated from the roof.  They are suppose to be bonded together.  It adds ALOT of strength.  
Solution, at least in my case, was/is to drilll small holes through the roof and just the roof, NOT the headlinner also, and mix up some epoxy and inject it into the roof.  I did mine with holes, 8 of them, spaced about 8 inches apart down both sides of the center line of the roof.  It did take a bit of epoxy, but IT WORKED!
Now we can take our "new" com-pac 19, Sweet Dreams out sailing.
Doug and Linda
Com-pac 19, Sweet Dreams
p.s.  If you click on the icon, WORLD under my name it will take you to our photos of Sweet Dreams

[Bob Condon]

I have injected Epoxy on my Cape Dory and it was pretty easy. I used syringes from West Marine and
happen to use RAKA (from FLorida) Epoxy. I used slow cure on the reactant. I drilled several holes and then filled many
with a single fill of the syringe.

I happen to do the work on a Skeg holding the propeller shaft which was loose internally. It firmed that up overnight
and has not been a problem for 5 years...

Have fun with the project!

Bob Condon

PS the holes were small (1/8"). When you do drill into the layer, make sure youdo not drill through everything. You could also
drill under the mast step and see if the wood core is soft also!