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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Replacing Bow Eye help...

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Justincase
1st Mate

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Canada
49 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/21/2010 : 08:02:54

Wow, what a great forum thanks in advance for all of the advice!
T-minus 3 weeks to splash down.
I’ve searched on this topic, but cannot find a few specifics.
I ordered the full rebuild kit with plate and plastic block.
My wood block is rotten and the u bolt holes are enlarged enough that they leak.
How do you remove the old wood block and still leave a smooth surface? Chisel? Reciprocating saw? Tears?
There we no instructions with the kit but it did come with resin, thickener, and fiber glass.
Can I assume this means that I need to glass the block in place?
Or can I leave the block unglassed, or would this lead to movement and break the seals on the caulk causing it to leak again.
Do I need to roughen up the block or can I just glass directly to it? (This would be my first time using fiberglass and resin, so forgive the simple questions).

Any and all advice would be a huge help

Justincase
"Kiliki" 1981 SK/SR
#2724
Calgary Canada

Edited by - on

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2010 : 08:51:29

IMHO...

You can do it, but it is a job. I'd probably hire someone to do it and then watch him do the job. You can learn a lot watching someone do this kind of work if you have never done it.

Cutting out the "glass" ( and the old block ) takes some power and skill ( with a grinder or drill ) and then you can build up the space that remains. Redrill the holes and add your backing block.

You can rebed the block, and glass it in if you wish, but it is not required. Kinda depends, you can do it different ways. I've used hard wood for backing blocks and just painted them and they tighten up well, If you glass in the blocks and nuts they hold well but are hard to tighten later (they crack the resin).

I think most people just glass in the front side of the block to bed it and keep the back open, on this kind of backing block. I think it is just a process, they glass the opening and add the ubolt and backing block as it hardens up ( or just before it "kicks" ). It is pretty easy to do it this way.

You kinda hafta be comfortable with how fast your glass is kicking on a given batch and the tempature that day.

Otherwise you cut out the old, resin up the hole and lay your matt, wait for it all to (cure, kick, or harden up) and add another layer of resin over that, let it cure and drill your holes, and add another layer of resin, add you backing block and tighten everything down.

This keeps everything as strong as possible, but you can still re-tighten the bolts on the wood as it compresses over time.

Some people would glass it all out, drill it after it cures, caulk with polysulfide, and tighten it up some, let it cure out more, and
have a final re-tighten.

again just my opinion... I've done the work, but not for a living. The last one I did was easy, but the old backing block came out easy on a smaller boat, I don't know how much the backing blocks are glassed in on a Catalina 25.

Edited by - on

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2010 : 12:33:52

Justin,

I purchased (probably) the same plastic backing block - but not as part of a kit.

I consulted West System about installing this and they recommended their Six10 product. They also explained that scratching the surface with a wire brush will result in the most bonding strength. I don't get the need for fiberglass for this application - especially with the plastic block.

As for removing the old block - even though small angle grinder wheels (4 to 4.5") are not desgined with wood in mind - that might be the most effective tool.

Good luck!

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5906 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2010 : 12:43:18

My C25 was a 1981 (#2554). It had a teak wood backing block that was shaped to fit into the space, and a thin steel plate that covered it. They were held in place by the two nuts for the bow eye. When the wood backing block rotted away, I formed a new one out of raw teak, shaping it with a small grinder, and drilled two holes in it for the two legs of the bow eye, and then bolted it in place, using the same old thin steel plate. The original wood block was not glassed in place, and I didn't glass the new block into place either. Since my old one wasn't glassed in or cemented in place in any way, I was able to remove it easily with my fingers. There's no way of knowing whether the previous owner replaced the original wood block, and he might have glassed it in place, making this one difficult to remove. (That's not a bad argument against glassing this one into place.)

If the kit you bought has materials for glassing it in place, I'd suggest you ask the seller to provide instructions on how to install it. You shouldn't be expected to guess at it.

Edited by - Steve Milby on 04/21/2010 13:14:33

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2010 : 13:12:38

I could maybe understand the fiberglass kit if you were installing a wood block to protect it from moisture - but you still have the risk of water coming in from the outside - then the fiberglass only traps moisture. But for plastic? I think the seller was only boosting their revenue stream.

Edited by - on

Justincase
1st Mate

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Canada
49 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2010 : 19:59:39

Thanks for the tips, I think I will see how evenly I can get the block to sit in there, and then decide to glass it in if it does not seem sturdy. I'll post pics of the results.

The kit was from our friends at Catalina direct. Between when I ordered it and when it arrived, looks like they posted a brief description, but install instructions are in the video.

http://catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=1882

Edited by - on

Gloss
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1916 Posts

Response Posted - 04/22/2010 : 13:03:37

My 89 wing came with a loose eyebolt. I removed it, bought a stainless U Bolt with 3.8" thickness. I got the block from CD and first encased the block with two layers of glass/epoxy after I trimmed it to fit the vee. Drilled out the boat and block for the bolt, then coated the inside of the holes with epoxy. After the cure I added two or three layers of glass to the inside of the hull and cured it. If I remember correctly I then glassed in the block to the hull. I cut out a piece of stainless to act as a plate to distribute the loads on the block. Bedded everything in 4200.

As you can tell I didn't want it to ever come loose, rot, or pull out. I actually pulled my boat out with very little water under the trailer and pulled it up on the bunks. I'll bet I could suspend the boat on this eyebolt.

Yes, overkill. But that's how I do things.

Edited by - on

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 04/23/2010 : 04:48:39

I wouldn't call it overkill. That is one way to do it, and a very good way. Thanks for letting us hear how you did it.

Edited by - on

farrison
Navigator

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USA
166 Posts

Response Posted - 04/26/2010 : 08:53:35

Justincase; If you read the discription in the Catalina Direct kit discription in the link you attached, the fiberglass kit comes with epoxy and filler, which is to be used to build up the hull under the plastic block and bed the block uniformly, to evenly distribute the load from the block into the hull. I does not appear that it is to be used to encapsulate the plastic block itself. A call to one of the Catalina direct techs might help to clarify that.

Paul

Edited by - on

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2010 : 08:24:04

A brief update. In a related thread I explained how I cut an access hole through the liner so I could place the bow-eye backing block <i>directly</i> against the hull. When we pulled the boat this fall, the bow-eye didn't move at all - even after winching the boat forward +/- 3" into the V-block.

Edited by - on

Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 11/19/2010 : 19:18:52

Here is how I did mine. The nuts were extremely rusted on the U-bolt. I had to use the 1/2" impact wrench and it worked at it. Once I got the nuts off, it went real easy.
Tough working in that little hole.

[url="http://members.csinet.net/dhapp/bi/boweye.html"]U-bolt replacement[/url]

Edited by - on

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