Any wood in a 81 c16

[Jason]

Hi everyone!

Is there any wood/plywood in the deck or transom of a 81 C16?

Thanks!

Jason

[MacGyver]

I believe there is some in the transom. Prolly a 3/4 sheet thickness.
The deck.....well that depends on where exactly. Forward where the headsail is located probably has some....1/2 inch core.

Hope that helps some. Someone else will know where there is other wood of any.....
OH, mast step has a piece as well.

MacGyver

[kickingbug1]

 i have an 81 cp16 and the only wood i have seen was on the bunks. i think there is wood in the transom but it is completely glassed in. my boat has shown no signs of wood rot but has been garaged most of its life.

[skip1930]

According to the Handbook of Trailer Sailing the only wood would be the plywood hardpoints that screws or bolts are driven into and fastened. The wood is glassed in during the mold process. These typically would be glassed in using 20 ounce or better woven glass cloth impregnated with resign. No chop gun application which is weaker. No cored decks either. Solid resign and cloth. No rot.

skip.

I'll be darn! A core? How 'bout that. Is it a core that rots? If it doesn't rot it doesn't matter.
Or are we talking about the hardpoints? Those will be 'cored with wood or something for extra thickness to sink a screw into.

[Salty19]

Yep, all the areas where hardware would attach should be wood cored.  You'll notice the bumpiness in the interior fiberglass as it molds around the wood.

The decks are in fact cored, but with a micro-balloon slurry as opposed to wood.  It's rot proof and doesn't absorb water, but it's not immune to issues.  If water gets into this slurry core and freezes, the expanding ice may cause separation/delamination issues.

Transom?  Yes indeed it's wood cored so you definitely need to seal holes with epoxy before installing hardware.

Rich, I'm surprised the vent hole is cored, but then again it's a hard point.   Looks solid, which is a good thing!

[sailen69]

Jason,
I have an 83' CP16.  This spring I cut two holes in the foredeck of my boat.  One was to enlarge the vent hole for a new vent.  The second was to add a deck pipe.  I found a core 1/8th in. thick sandwiched between fiberglass on top and bottom.  This is an edge photo of the plug I took out for the deck pipe.  I removed some of the core with a Dremel tool and sealed the open core with some Marine-tex before installing my new hardware bedded in 3M 4200.  I also found a core in the transom while working on the motor mount, gudgeon, boarding ladder / step.  It looks like wood but does not have a grain.  A closer look and it seems to be what Salty 19 described.
Good Sailing,
Rich

[Jason]

Thanks everyone as always for the feedback.  I forgot if I saw wood when I drilled the holes for my transom mounted swim ladder, and I am thinking of going back am epoxying those holes.  -Jason