Cuddy Deck Repair

[baconaneggs]

Mccrum, That's very interesting what reel said. I was going to chime in and say just use one sheet, all those squares seem crazy! And I would have been so wrong! To add to what reel said, here is a post that I found while researching something else on the site.

#7
09-16-2009, 09:36 AM
nymack66
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Orlando Florida
Posts: 944



I am in agreement with the guys here, If you cannot locate any aluminium bars you can consider using a 3/4 plywood to fill in the entire area resin it to the inside skin and use longer bolts with washers, all the stress and weight is condense to this inside skin pressing outwards, it will not hurt to add the ply, If i remember correctly every 3/4 ply with mat and resin on it gives you 1500 lbs of support in a 3'x3' square ?

So it stands to reason that all those squares in the deck give the proper camber and pitch and at the same time are strong. You can probably cut some plywood jigs to clamp to the deck to give the contour you need and glass it back just the way it was. Good luck!

[reelapeelin]

This is pretty good shot of the fall we're talkin' about...I may have underestimated when I said earlier there was not as much fall as in more recent models..this drops off pretty good...



Seeing this, I think if you insure a straight line across where the windshield mounts will fix the fall in place for glassing...and support the outter edges...understand, I've never DONE this...

[mccrum187]

Thanks for the replies and the picture! I hadn't thought about the windshield not fitting correctly. I thought that the deck supports in the cockpit would take care of the windshields. I can re-attach the glass and check fitment before adding any ply. Any foreseen problems with just making sure the deck at the windshields stays flat as was suggested? I like that idea much more than putting the glass back on.
Looks like a lot of crown in the picture. A lot more than what mine had before I tore it all apart. There were puddles of water sitting on the deck (on the trailer).
Currently, I have cribbing supporting the deck at the rails with about a 2" max fall to the center with just the weight of itself. I think adding the windshields will cause the skin to deform in a fore and aft direction because of the weight. I imagine I could shim for that as well.
Wellcraft used slurry of chopped fibers and resin to attach plywood to deck. Any reason I couldn't use micro-balloons? I have access to balloons.
Thanks for looking.