1978 V20 CC Rebuild

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by Fldivebum

Redloon, I got the top cap off Sunday and sitting on saw horses. Waiting for weather to clear up to get some good pictures. I will post them later. Do you have the bench seats/storage on both sides of the bow or do you have the raised deck in bow area? I have the seats on each side of the bow. I have several spots on the floor that are soft as well. Most of the area behind the console is soft. Especially around the helm seat. After removing top cap and further inspection of the stringers and bulkheads, I found all of the bulkheads are rotted and very little wood in the stringers. Most of the floor is rotted too. Good luck with yours.

TIP: When you replace the underside of your deck, cut the marine plywood into irregular size pieces. (Kinda like a jigsaw puzzle) If you make long seams all in the same place you will create weak points. So by making some large and some small you will avoid that. Then, when you have it all glued in place (Liquid Nails Construction adhesive or it's equivalent) place a thin sheet of fiberglass over the wood so it's permanently sealed against moisture.

Additionally, when you replace the stringers do the same thing with the fiberglass. Water is the enemy of wood. By sealing the wood with fiberglass you avoid any problems in the future. If Wellcraft had done this simple and relatively inexpensive step many more V20's would still be alive instead of sitting in landfills.