I bought a used Natty dodger for my boat and am faced with the same task for
the 30+ holes to install the Lift-the-Dot® fasteners that it requires to fasten
the canvass to the deck.
I did try to counter sink holes in the gelcoat and screw into the top
fiberglass layer underneath, but that turned out to be a disaster.
I have done lots of through bolting for various things over the years without
difficulty, but this was my first experience trying to use self tapping
fasteners (look like wood screws) in the deck and it was not a positive
experience. The gelcoat is very thick in places, and in spite of my attempts to
counter sink the gelcoat, often as not the screw chips out a huge flake.
Removing the canvas female fastener from the deck mounted pins can take some
force, and the screws pull out of the thin top layer of fiber glass. So I
concluded after several failures that I need to stop what I was doing and use
the drill and fill procedure. Then came winter.
In all of these discussions about drilling and filling over the years, everyone
defaults to using West System epoxy resin to fill the areas needing
reinforcement.
What is it about this product that makes it so superior?
Why not use a polyester resin? - at least gelcoat will stick to it.
Like most of us older guys I had experience with automotive body fillers in my
younger years.
They are all polyester. What is wrong with using that?
Some of the Lift-the-Dot® fasteners are difficult to release and I don't know
how to fix them. I have been thinking about changing over to the flat, 1/4 turn
fasteners that are commonly used now. Is it a practical solution? Has anyone
tried this?
Spring project.
Steve Thomas
C&C27 MKIII
----- Original Message -----
From: Josh Muckley via CnC-List
To: kelly petew ; C&C List
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2015 12:11
Subject: Re: Stus-List Need Recommendation for Tool to remove balsa core from
drilled hole
I just did this for my new stainless steel handrails. I didn't have real
good luck with a bent nail so I tried various sizes of allen wrench. I found
that a 3/16th or 1/8th inch drill bit through 3/8th holes at various angles
worked best. I shop-vaced the chips out. After that you'll have better luck
finishing up the hole with anballen wrench.
If these are new holes, you might try to avoid drilling through the bottom
skin. Otherwise you'll have to tape or plug the bottom hole when you go to
fill with epoxy. I wet out the hole with clear penitrating epoxy and then fill
in stages with thickend epoxy. If you drill through the bottom layer you can
use masking tape to plug it, then a drop or two of 10 minute epoxy in the void
to seal it. That way none of the CPE or thickened epoxy leaks out.
I was filling the holes in 40-50°F weather so I used the fast hardening
agent. In a large flat area this would have been fine but since some of my
voids were close to 3 or 4 Tbsp (or 45-60ml) this caused a thermal run away in
some of the holes.
Josh Muckley
S/V Sea Hawk
1989 C&C 37+
Solomons, MD
On Feb 26, 2015 11:44 AM, "kelly petew via CnC-List" <cnc-list@cnc-list.com>
wrote:
I want to remove balsa core from some drilled holes and replace it with
epoxy. I've heard that a bent nail inserted into an electric drill works. But
I wonder if there is a tool designed specifically to do this job.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Pete W.
Siren Song
C&C 30-2
Deltaville, VA
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