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Internal Gelcoat and other grumbles, questions...

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DaveC25
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USA
152 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/18/2007 : 14:35:47

Okay...another thing I noticed while redoing her insides....

It appears that the Gelcoat is peeling off (sort of like old paint will curl up and peel off a wall) in the bilge and in the storage compartment under the V-berth. There was water in there alot, and I have tracked it down to the hull to deck joint I believe. It looks as if the water is running down UNDER the gelcoat from the joint, the bumper strip, or maybe the genoa track. and when I crack off a section of it it is moist underneath.

1: Is the inside of the hull gelcoated, or is this paint? It seems to be hard like plastic.

2: What should i do?? Should I let her dry out completely and the re-gel the hull (if there is gelcoat in there). The laminate seems hard and fine and I can see no blisters.

3. In the bildge, near where the keel bolts are, I can see the same thing. To repair this I would have to cut the floor out and then hopeully be able to repair it, then replace the floor (Maybe with a wooden one or something). Has anyone ever done this here?

Another thing: I bought some hardwood plywood since I could not find marine plywood in my area. I sealed it with 3-yr water sealer. Will this work for the bulkheads if the boat is relatively dry? The old ones were COMPLETELY rotten, so I'm sure anything is better than what they were.

As you can see, I like working on my boat during the sailing season rather than sailing it.

I'm sure I'll have her finished just in time for a nice CAT-4 hurricane to do her in.

-DaveC25

1979 Catalina 25 "Pretty Penny" #1166
Palm Bay, Florida

Edited by - DaveC25 on 06/18/2007 14:36:05

Dave Bristle
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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 06/18/2007 : 15:51:27

I assumed that what was inside my compartments was sprayed-on paint, not gelcoat, and I considered it purely cosmetic and optional. I wouldn't worry about it in places you can't see. I don't recall my bilge being painted--just naked fiberglass.

Generally, "marine plywood" is faced with fir, while the original bulkheads are made from teak-faced plywood that is not necessarily "marine grade". In fact, from what I saw, the internal layers were cheesy compared to marine ply. That shouldn't be an issue since it's not exposed to the elements (unless you have leaky chainplates). Be sure to re-seal around the upper chainplates by lifting the screwed-down frames around them--that's probably where the rot came from. I used silicone there for elasticity.

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Dave Bristle
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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2007 : 10:51:49

An afterthought... I don't think my v-berth compartments were painted or coated at all. I recall the boot stripe being translucent in there--almost transparent. Perhaps your P.O. used some house paint in those compartments...

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aeckhart
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USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2007 : 11:24:30

I agree with Dave B. On my 1988 TR the interior of the hull wasn't painted at all where it was not visible. All other surfaces were painted with a gloss white paint. I recently repainted everywhere I could reach with white topsides paint. It came out real nice. The interior should dry out while you repair the leaks. Clean any mildew that may have accumulated, then repaint. You can usually buy small containers of bio-side (?) to add to your paint. It helps to retard mildew. I know ACE carries it - probably most paint stores.

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Dave Bristle
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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2007 : 16:01:05

One small point: The interior "furniture" surfaces are gelcoat done in a mold, like the hull and deck. Thus, when drilling holes in them, you should chamfer the holes to prevent cracking.

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 06/19/2007 16:01:44

DaveC25
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USA
152 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2007 : 16:44:42

Thanks for all the help guys. I'll take some pictures and post them to let you guys see what I was talking about. It certainly isn't house paint unless it was very old and thick. But if it is just painted like your boats are, then I will be much relieved!

-DaveC25

Edited by - DaveC25 on 06/19/2007 16:45:15

Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2007 : 17:20:24

In my boat, it looks like the builders at Catalina just sprayed some gelcoat on the inside of the hull, just to spray it around. It only covers the areas you can see and if you look around a little, you can see where they didn't spray it. In some areas they sprayed it 1/4" thick. I think they were just getting the leftover stuff out of the guns so they sprayed it into a boat.

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Leon Sisson
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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2007 : 19:25:05

To 'finish' the inside of the lockers, I scrubbed them with detergent, then acetone. Using a disk sander with course paper, I knocked off the high spots without getting down into the roving. I then filled the weave with a putty of epoxy and filler/thickener. After sanding that smooth, I applied a couple coats of epoxy resin tinted white. The result looks very 'sanitary' and easy to keep clean, providing much less surface area for mold, mildew, etc. to take hold.

-- Leon S.

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Dave Bristle
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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2007 : 21:45:08

Man, even in the basement... When Leon moves up, I've got dibs on his boat!

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Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 06/20/2007 : 18:24:36

Really Dave, I agree,
Leon's got way way more ambition than I have.

I'm just painting mine. Good enough.

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 06/21/2007 : 07:47:21

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Happy D
 Really Dave, I agree,
Leon's got way way more ambition than I have.

I'm just painting mine. Good enough.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

You've got way more ambition than I have. The factory surface is good enough for me.

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