Re: Rotten centerboard housing

hlg@pacbell.net
Tue, 14 Sep 1999 21:50:09 -0700


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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Hey Eric, you have a sistership of my Manatee, #234.

My centerboard trunk is still in tact, so far as I've noticed, but is a bit
of an eyesore, so I need to work on it.

I have replaced the bulkhead at the front of the trunk a couple of times
because of rot, and I also replaced the bunk deck forward from there. The
rot in my boat was generally caused by rainwater standing in the cabin.

I'm not knowlegeable enough about fiberglass and wood repair to give you
any sound advice about the trunk repair. It may be worth while to take it
to a boatyard that does that kind of thing. You might try removing as much
of the rotten wood as possible, then make up a batch of epoxy resin
thickened with fiberglass fibers. The idea then would be to fill in the dug
out areas with the epoxy. You could cover the repaired area with fiberglass
cloth or another layer of thin plywood or veneer for appearance and
increased strength. But that is a very unqualified and offhand suggestion
on my part and may not be practical or effective.

If you have a West Marine store in your area, check in the section where
they sell fiberglass materials and look for West System books by the
Gougeon Brothers. I have three: "Technical Manual - West System,"
"Fiberglass Boat Repair & Maintenance," and "Wooden Boat Restoration &
Repair." They are published by the company that makes West System epoxy
products, and the books were either free or inexpensive, as I recall.
They've been recommended by several people and are considered
authoritative. You can probably find the advice you need in one or the
other of those books.

My trunk seems to be Zolatone-painted plywood with fiberglass sheet lining
the inside of the slot. I'm puzzled by your description of "the plywood
between the fiberglass housing of the lazarette and the fiberglass housing
of the centerboard." Your boat may be constructed differently from mine or
has been modified, but mine doesn't have any wooden structure between the
lazarette and the trunk, at least not visible in the cockpit. Also my
centerboard doesn't have a fiberglass housing, just the fiberglass lining
inside the slot.

Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA

>Hi all, I'm one of the lurkers here, and have a question. I have a WWP 14,
>hull #226 with gunter rig. when I bought the boat a year ago, I noticed that
>the housing around the centerboard was a little soft in one area. Being the
>novice I am, I thought no big deal, it can't be that bad.
> Au contraire, last week I decided to take the paint off and see what was
>underneath. I found dry rot in the plywood between the fiberglass housing of
>the lazarette and the fiberglass housing of the centerboard. I scraped out as
>much of the dry rot as I could and am now wondering if that was such a great
>idea. I envisioned dumping a bunch of marine tex down the hole little by
>little and then feathering out farther up the housing. Would the marine tex
>bind to the rough edges in there (where I'm sure there's still some dry rot),
>or should I put in some of that epoxy resin that's sold to stiffen up areas
>of dry rot? If anyone can help me out, I'd sure appreciate it. I prefer to
>spend more time on the water than on the trailer. Thanks.
>P.S. By the way, when my boat is in the water, I keep it on Arrowhead Point,
>just south of Kenmore. If all of you who live in Bothell decide to moor in
>Kenmore Air Harbor, when and if I get the boat in the water, I'd sure like to
>go on a group sail.
> I'm also an avid rower, and stoppped by the marina and looked at that
>Potter 15 this morning. I think it's sailed fairly frequently, as I've seen
>it out on the lake periodically, and the owner hasn't taken off the rudder.
>Eric McAlister
>WWP 14 #226
>Kenmore, WA