[bigshrimpin]

Good work Cheakepeake!! You'll really appreciate the Navman and the new wiring/extra battery. You're doing this the right way. Those old electric fuel senders aren't very accurate and you never know exactly how much fuel you have left. Also the Navman will pay for itself, b/c you'll find the most efficent RPM range to operate in . . . instead of guessing.


Here's a little information that might help when redoing your hatch.

Mj recommend starboard which is a great material by itself . . . but HDPE/starboard won't bond well with polyester or epoxy, so it NOT good as a core material for fiberglass layups (i.e. the fuel hatch will delaminate as soon as you step on it).

If you are replacing the core and plan on reusing the old fuel hatch skin, Nida Core or Marine ply sections pieces are the way to go.

The problem with using one large piece of core material like one sheet of marine ply is that it's almost impossible not to trap air bubbles under the section (even if you use 500lbs of weight). Air Pockets will eventually lead to delamination (it's also possible to break through the skin if you apply localized pressure on the trap air pocket). If you use marine ply cut the core up into smaller pieces and glue them down to the hatch skin using epoxy and cabosil. Then use cabosil to fill in cracks. Then put on a few layers of glass.

If you chose Nida-core it has open honeycomb shaped cells and a veil on the top. With this type of material you can really squish the core down into the resin without trapping air pockets. the skin will be evenly supported and the core will make a strong uniform bond across the entire core.

After the core is in place you lay the final 3 layers of glass over the top and you'll have a super strong hatch that'll last forever.


If the whole hatch isn't rotted then you might be able to get away with only replacing small sections.

Before you jump into this project . . . you might want to read up a little. Your local library might have the following books.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elements of boat strength: Dave Gerr
chapters: 2, 3, 6
- Fiberglass construction materials and methods
- Fiberglass design considerations, Modern Laminates.
- FIberglass sandwich or cored construction

Fiberglass Boat Repair Manual: Allan H. Vaitses
- Chapters 1,3,4,5
- Material and Construction
- Art of fiberglassing
- Fractures, holes, delamination
- Dealing with core problems

Fiberglass Boat Building For Amateurs: Ken Hankinson

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's not nesscessary to read everything, but you'll get a much better understanding of the proper way to make a super strong laminate.