Do Top Hats have timber core decks?

[Shaun]

Hi,
While repairing a leak in my fore hatch, the hatch is located on the fore deck....found a timber core in the deck.

Hatch located on fore deck.

P1000479a.jpg (141.89 KiB) Viewed 3502 times

There is no headliner in the front cabin, but there is two skins of fibreglass (the deck, & then another layer under it,) between them seems to be a sheet of plywood, about 3mm.
Was there any sort of ply/timber installed in the decks, at the factory?

I will try to scoop out the rotten, soggy ply(around the hatch cut-out) with a coat hanger or something, then inject in epoxy resin, how does that sound?

Also there is a very slight soft spot in the side deck, near one of the chainplates (not being used), can I drill a hole here then inject epoxy resin in that too?

Any replies apprieciated
cheers
shaun

[storm petrel]

News to me Shaun. I though they all had f/glass decks.

Cheers,
Mark

[bearmcnally]

Hello Shaun

Thinking about stays eh want to look like a real Top Hat how about a head sail
Egret II has plywood glassed in the deck area where the U bolts for the upper and lower stays etc Are you sure it's not balsa core that was common back then .Knew a bloke with a hood 23 with a spongy deck . He self tapped grease nipples into deck and used a grease gun filled with west system epoxy which pushed the glue through the deck.seemed to work !!

I would ,if you can ? cut and glue timber blocks back in and add some talcum powder to the glue and seal around the hatch hole. It sounds like the hatch needs sealing to the deck again. Having a guess I'd say it's letting water in between the skins and causing the rot bloody fresh water.same for U bolts on the deck

A lot of production yachts prior to kevlar and foam used balsa core construction for decks and hulls. We constructed Jilpangers deck that way .And when done properly this method is very strong and light Plywood was glassed into deck areas for fitting deck hardware and hatches

cheers Bear

PS Having a look at the happy snap I would say if it's plywood ? I guess it was done to give the deck some strenght and body between the hatch and the anchor locker

[Phillip]

Shaun,

Why don't you ask the guy that built BLUE MOON?

I'm sure he is still alive up at Port.

What most of you will not realize is that Shauns' mast goes right through to the keel (the only Top Hat so built) and there is no midship bulkhead, so the builder may have done the deck differently to compensate. He was an engineer I believe.

Phillip.

PS I will be passing B Hills at around 10am Tuesday will call in.

[Shaun]

Indeed, it was Balsa Bear, It wasnt as rotten as I first thought & only scooped out rotten balsa around the hatch opening about the size of a credit card in total, mixed up some epoxy with the industrial talcum powder & pushed that into the gaps as suggested , & yes the sealant between timber hatch packers & deck had broken down & caused the rot in them, so I made new timber hatch packers contoured to the deck from 20mm Merbau decking, epoxy sealed them, then sikaflexed down the whole show, it was quite a tricky repair as I was conscious of having to make it 100% waterproof & took a few hours longer than I thought.
Ive got a feeling the original owner, removed the headliner then added the balsa & extra GRP inside, under the foredeck for the reason Bear mentioned to strengthen the deck because of the hatch close to anchor locker, Phil yes I should ask Harold.
I like that idea of self tapping in grease nipples, will look at that for the other repair.
cheers
shaun
ps, nah, not looking to add stays...., they are handy to hold onto while going forward I suppose, i'll save the $$$$k's towards something else

[karl010203]

Hey Shaun - I know ours has cored fordeck and I would hazard a guess to say it is balsa.

Sounds like you have a real project going on, you will have to post photos

[Phillip]

Hi All,

Could those claiming a core foredeck please post their launch date [if known] and Mark please.

Do it as a PM to me and I will try and check it out with the last Top Hat salesman.

Phillip