Hatch core repair
 

Well this one is in regards to the plywood thread. The fuel tank hatch cover was cut in half by a previous owner when replacing the tank. So I had another cover that wasn't cut that needed re-coring. I am by no means a fiberglass guy, and I personally HATE fiberglass work. SO I hope I get it done half way right.

Heres the cover after cutting it apart, even HYDRA-SPORTS used the wood squares.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...RA-SPORTS8.jpg

Here it is after taking a putty knife to it and scraping the old squares out.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...RA-SPORTS9.jpg

All cleaned up with a grinder, and washed it up to remove any residue from the old wood glue.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...A-SPORTS10.jpg

The piece of wood I got from HOME DEPOT, hope it lasts:zip:.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...A-SPORTS11.jpg

And here it is after a layer of mat, lots of resin(man that old glass was like a sponge), and being tucked in for the night to cure.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...A-SPORTS12.jpg

looks good ferm it looks like its gonna hold up fine

Well I went out today and put my 2 layers of cloth over the wood and lettin it set up. Tommorrow I'll go and cut the access holes and put some resin on the exposed wood, and then 5200 my access plates in.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...A-SPORTS13.jpg

Looks like a pro did it :clap: The rest is easy!!

I hope she holds up for awhile. I know it is pretty sturdy. I flipped it over and bounced on it and it didn't move ANY. I learned more about fiberglass work than I EVER wanted to know.

Excellent work for a novice
 

Wondering if you turn pro what you can do? Maybe a TV show? Hey you never know :) !!

It will last for as long as you will ever need!! The big problem with most boats Wellcraft included is the scrap wood they used in squares to make the covers. The 1 Solid will last a long time!

Looks really good. The only thing that you could have done differently was to put a 45 cut along the edge of the plywood. This makes the transition from the wood to the decking easier when working the fiberglass.

I didn't put a 45 on it, but I did bevel it down quite a bit. It just doesn't look it because of how thick i made the glass in that area since the wood doesn't go all the way out.

NICE JOB LOOKS GREAT:clap:

Way to go!

I use to think the same thing but they use those little squares throughout the entire boat except for the transom. Not sure why and no one has every been able to tell me why. If it was scrap wood its seem that the time to place each piece and then cut them to fit would take more time then the money they saved.

They did that so we would have to buy another boat 10 - 20 years later. They didn't think we'd be smart enough to fix it!

I know a few members here have shown pictures of there transom's cut apart and the little squares in there.

Wood Squares create a fiberglass grid between the blocks that improves adhesion of the skins and slows water intrusion as well as maximizes your core material. Overall Squares provide a stiffer laminate without sacrificing any strength . . . that's why you see them on every hatch made.

Willy, Franco and I toured the Pursuit plant last year w/Franco's brother who DOES know what he's talkin' about, he said Pursuit uses the squares to conform to a curve in the design...which the top of the cuddy is; curved and made of squares...also the transom is curved...the gas-tank hatch lid isn't curved, but hey...they were on a roll by then...

I'd post some pics of it, but Franco's brother is well connected and "asked" us not to post any of our pics to the web:bat:

Good job Ferm!:sun:

Wellcraft did that by design, it's not scrap wood. My brother worked for Wellcraft when they were making the V20's, he told me that the deck has a slight curve to it and the squares were able to take that shape better than 1 solid piece of plywood. When me, Willy and Oz went to the pursuit factory we saw a lot of the balsa core material was blocks on a backing type material.

You can talk to Don Herman www.hermco.net
His first job out of high school was to cut big sheets of plywood into 5" squares for seavee.

Seacraft hatches are the same and so are almost every other manufacturer . . . big sheets of core material are hard to lay into a mold and will almost always trap air . . . little squares don't bend and distort like large sheets of plywood and that resin grid makes one stiff laminate.