cabin sole delamination

[copcardrvr]

Back in March, Mattlikesbikes posted about an issue with delamination of his cabin sole. I discovered the same problem, ripped out the old fiberglass and found the top of the solid cement ballast. I now know the delam was harmless but what's done is done and i would like the new glass to stick and not have the same issue all over again. Should I paint the cement and then glass it or just clean it as best as I can and re-glass over the bare cement?

[MacGyver]

Clean the cement, the coat with several coats of non thickened Epoxy, or thickened and troweld to make a smoother floor (level). After a few coats and a quick 80 grit sanding then cover with a few layers of glass.

Level that glass with thickened epoxy, and you would have a solid base for any floor of your choosing.

Mac

[skip1930]

" ... delamination of his cabin sole ... on a CP-19 ?

I have a rug, factory glued down, to the top cement of the keel.

Nothing to delaminate. [Hull #588]

skip.

[GretchenG]

My CP-16 had a similar issue:  not only was the fiberglass popped loose, but the cement keel was broken up on top.  I cut out the fiberglass and removed the loose stuff.  A tile-setter friend gave me some cement mix which I used to fill in the uneven top of the keel, then I prepped and painted it with cement floor paint.  Home Depot had a dark gray carpet runner with a rubber base which I fitted in between the bunks.  Looks pretty good!  I'll do my best to keep it dry, and the carpet piece can be picked up to shake out dirt or let the boat dry out if water does get in. 

[MacGyver]

If that concrete is dry, then you want to seal it up and recover with glass in my opinion to keep water out.

A keel ballast material can be dried out by using a dehumidifier to help dry it out.
It will only really get so dry, but at that time I would certainly glass and contain that ballast so that getting in and out of the boat wet will not penetrate the ballast area or the glass to concrete structure causing blistering of the glass from the inside out.

Mac

[Citroen/Dave]

I would gladly give up a couple of inches of concrete (should I ever have your problem) to gain a couple of inches of foot room in my C16.  The concrete ballast can be replaced with a little bit of lead. . .  The additional storage would be welcomed and the cabin seating would be much more comfortable.  A great compromise is replace some of the concrete with a lead battery, forward, and foot room aft.

My two cents worth.