Good morning to all,
I purchased a 1981 V20 with a 175 Evinrude in January with the intentions of refurbishing it and possibly selling it or selling my 21 foot Proline and keeping the Wellcraft. This is my second V20. My first being a 1977 with a 165 Mercruiser. I am a mechanic by trade so I have always done my own engine maintenance. One of my goals in refurbishing the V20 was to learn to do fiberglass repairs. When I bought the V20 I knew the deck had a soft area and the fuel tank cover was soft. I thought this would make a good learning experience repairing these areas.
With great anticipation of my new project and experience with other boating forums I discovered and joined this fine forum. I have been lurking around enjoying the posts and pictures.
Armed with my West Systems books, DVD, and a couple hundred dollars worth of West Systems startup supplies I removed the fuel tank cover, removed rotted plywood squares core, and proceeded to install a new core. Reveling in my newfound fiberglass experience I decided to get an accurate idea exactly how much of the deck I would need to repair. Tapping the entire deck with my trusty ballpeen I found the area of the deck that produced a thud was a little larger than I had anticipated. I don't think this will be a problem. From the deck I went to the cuddy. What I found has me a little apprehensive now. Most of the core in the top of the cuddy is very rotten. The the wood in the vertical partitions on the left and right side that seperate the cuddy from the outside are about two-thirds rotten.
This leads to my plight. After several hours of sitting on a 5-gallon bucket in my new project, consuming adult beverages, I have determined what I think is a viable repair procedure for this area. It would be helpful if one of this boards "V20 experts" could let me know if this repair is feasable or possibly suggest an alternative repair method.
I am thinking if I cut the cuddy cap in front of the windshields in an area that would be relatively easy to rebond I could remove the cap, invert it in my garage, and replace the rotted core with new material. Once the cap is repaired I could reinstall it on the boat and repair the cut. I have attempted to attach a picture of where I propose to cut the cuddy cap.
Thanks in advance for the advise
,
Sea Turtle