Soft Deck

[Major]

I have yet another question for all of you.

The front deck and maybe the flybridge floor are making some noises when i walk on them and feel a little soft in certain areas. So apparently there is some kind of damage. We have had the flybridge off for years while the boat just sat on the trailer. Its been under cover for the most part but is somewhat exposed.

Whats the best way to reinforce that to make it solid again? above the V berth on the 28 is a hard thick layer of some type of material. Would you suggest cutting that out and attempting to add some glass under it? I know thats THE most fun and optimal position to lay it up but i dont know what choice i have. It would however give me a good opportunity to add some small led lights there. Also on the cabin roof i wanted to add some access hatches so that would be a good time to work on that.

CaptPatrick: What material did you use on the boat ceiling you just sarted the thread on? Was it just a foam backed vinyl? Does anyone make a attachment system that uses a clip type fastener where you pinch the fabric in place with a round rod that gets hidden in the seam/padding?

For those of you who have made the access hatches to the flybridge underside did you add a flange around it to keep any water that strayed up there away? Also would you screw and glass the flybridge in place to give a cleaner look?


For my normal random thought to add to a post..... Do any of you know if there is a standard or what the normal clearance is under a stoplight?

Thanks,

Major

[Rawleigh]

Major: In Virginia 13 feet 6 inches is normal load height.

[Joef]

i have no answers to any of your questions except road height. As i work for a semi-trailer leasing business, i can tell you the max allowable height is 13' 6", unless you are in texas, california, new Mexxico arizona oregon or washington, in which case you have 14' as the max clearance. You can put higher items on the road, but will require escorts, special permits etc. You should see the mess it makes when someone hits a steel bridge with a 14' high trailer.

I suspect a B31 with hardto/tower removed would easily be less than 13'6"

[Major]

Thanks for the info. I just wanted to be sure i had things squared away and didnt get any surprises whenever we moved the boat. I bet that does create a mess and only gets worse if they have a tailgater. Ive never seen an impact in person but we have a old railroad bridge here i would dare pull anything under. Its a narrow 4 lane that is in a pretty steep dip. Its a dip down right before it and then back up right afterwards. It may not even have a flat under it but the front is all broken up from impacts. Thankfully there is a easy way around it if you know the area.

[matt]

my deck had similar problems. the fiberglass "liner" seemed to be a separate piece that was bonded to the underside of the deck in the v berth and was bonded only in part as you can see. I removed it and reglassed with biax, added some high density dyvinicell for hardware fastening, and some pvc pipe for running wiring. All of the backing along the gunnels was wet and rotten and was also replaced. i have "recored" almost everything except the main balsa on the deck and liners. let me know if you need to see more pictures.-matt

http://gallery.me.com/matt242#100008



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[Marlin]

capt pat has a great post titled Hull repair b31 in Boatbuilding tips, a lot of work to do from the inside but doable I just replaced most of the plywood subdeck using coosa board following his tips, I think less work then redoig the exterior deck

[scot]

Ouch Matt! That was bunch of serious work.

[matt]

I added some photos to the gallery on my previous post. The boat is a '78 28fbc. Am going to convert to a sportfish model, low maintenance. Then shipping to Panama.

[Major]

Matt,

Your going to have a new boat after all this. Its looking great. Can you give us any details on how you removed the deck and floor liner while still keeping it intact? I assume you just cut the liner above the v berth out. Ive got to do a ton of work on ours so i may as well see whats involved in that since it would make some of my ideas go easier. I really like the rudder shelf too among other things.

On the engine boxes.....
- How easy is it to walk between them?
- Did you move the engines out any? I thought they would be too close to do a box arangement like a 31. I dont know if itsan issue on the 31's but while your working there you may want to make a drain the width of the door right before the door. That way if any water did somehow make it there it wouldnt get in the cabin. Then again that may be a nonissue since your working towards a sportfisherman.

[scot]

Very nice work Matt, and a BIG project! Basically from the ground up with improvenments. Hope you last as long as that boat.

Is that pultruded FRP plate I see on the aft cabin bulkheads?

[matt]

The only place i have used the pultruded frp is in the form of angle, which i used for brackets and flange around the motor boxes against the cabin bulkhead and sides. The boxes fit over the drip edge, or flange all the way around. The middle walkway is removeable. Thanks for the compliments.
Matt