re decking a hull that is too wide

[kjkavaney]

Hi All..One of my EC-12's was allowed to sail in this years Nats by my friend Tony Johnson, but the boat can not be used in any future races unless I can get my International Fiberglass
Hull to be within specs for the stations...this is consistently 6 or more mm too wide at all but a few stations.. The deck is a RMD fiberglass and the ballast is permanently glued in. QUESTION: if I rip off the deck, will the ballast still make it hard if not impossible to make the boat skinny enough to be legal ?? I have read about removing the ballast...mine appears to be painted over so I fear it is really in there.. I have a feeling the ballast has to come out for me to likely succeed in this process...appreciate any wisdom anyone might have on this. I'd hate to totally ruin the boat even for day sailing...it has a nice gel coat on the hull...
Kevin

[Rick West]

Kevin,
I would think not. I have not seen a ballast effect flexibility at the sheer. The process for setting the beam measurements for decking will not be impaired from my experience. In fact, I have never decked a boat with the ballast out of the hull, even set up as removable.

If there is no issue with your keel width, go for it and keep her in competition.

[Fred Maurer]

I have been giving some thought to a boat with a similar issue. Given that the width of the deck is only slightly too wide I have been considering using a Dremel grinding disk to cut a slot down the center line of the deck. Then compressing the shear until the gap closes and epoxying the new joint. Covering the joint with fiberglass cloth for strength if necessary and perhaps adding a very thin "King Plank" for esthetics. Failing that, ....remove and replace. Thoughts?

[Rick West]

That is innovative thinking, Fred. I like that approach; very clever.

Kevin indicates he is outside the tolerance by 6mm and as you have pointed out several times; the tolerance and not the specification. What bothers me in the shop when I have played with "wide" and "narrow" beams that getting close to a tolerance places me at the mercy of someone else measuring my boat. So, I went back to the specification and seeing no "micro-knot" difference stayed there. Then I have 6mm to play with if something slips, I screw up or the measurement crew screws up.

History reminds me: I built a new boat to bring east that went under the scrutiny of a measuring crew at the Lake Norman measuring crew for a NCR. My boat had been measured in Bill Cullen's 1-1/32" increment tank measuring tool. It was ballasted to a 42-1/2" waterline with the deck trim at 1/4 degree positive with all ballast in the boat. This was done in his garage on concrete with leveling screws on all four wheels. It took well over an hour to provide the confidence that it was correct and then documented. This measuring had to include proper Rule waterlines for each option of multiple ballast pieces. She was measured at 43-1/8" at the lake with a wooded cutdown tank by strings and underwater mirrors with all ballast in the boat. I passed by removing Little Foot from the multiple ballast. I will never forget this for pride and confidence and to how many people that happened.

I am also not in favor of tanking boats because a tank needs to be an instrument not a local tool. Australia went to weighing a boat and establishing an acceptable trim angle to the estetics of the boat. It is the physics of displacement. Naval architects have software to build a new ship to have a draft parameter. That and trim is a waterline.

Sorry to stray but a reminder to all of you that a specification is just that and when given a tolerance, however generous, it is still a tolerance and then at the mercy of one's skills and tools who measures her.

Re-deck her, Kevin, and enjoy her.

[Fred Maurer]

Rick, when I first started in this hobby and building boats, Dave Brawner gave me the best advise anyone could get. He said, "Fred, build your boat to the center of the specs. Then learn to sail her well." Seems to work for him. It is what I try to do.

[kjkavaney]

Thanks for all the great responses and the clever idea of cutting the deck in the center...I will give that some more thought as it might allow me to salvage the existing RMD fiberglass deck...
I really appreciate you guys helping out a newbie like me..
Kevin

[rs vernon]

Kevin,

I tore a foam glass sandwich Blue Crab deck off of the 1778 Robin hull, narrowed the hull at the deck and put that deck back down on the hull. The hard part as I remember it was getting it started at the bow. From memory, what I did was to cut across the deck with a very thin saw blade about 2 inches aft of the bow and then stuck something like a putty knife into the crack and wedged the deck up to start the tearing off process from bow to stern. You have to take it slow and careful, but it will come off with no damage; at least mine did. I think I trimmed away the front 2 inches at the flange and covered it fully side to side with 1/64th plywood and monokote detail sheet just near the bow. I might have even cut the front two inches out as a second step after the cross cut so I could get better leverage on the deck to tear it off.

Maybe I was just lucky. Or maybe this only works with a Blue Crab deck. Bob D does use very thin glass tissue on the underside of the deck. I hope I am not leading you astray.

My theory on what makes salvaging the deck possible is that we use epoxy to stick down the deck and we are working with a polyester resin glass hull. Epoxy makes a good bond but not a great bond with polyester.

Or I guess you can try the middle split idea.

[Chuck Luscomb]

Kevin,

If your wide by that much and 6mm beyond max that means your 12mm beyond center and 18 mm beyond min. I might try to salvage the deck by heating the epoxy at the bow with a proper heat gun and it will release. Peel the deck up with a super thin putty knife. Clean up the flanges and deck flange and pfull the stations at the center dimensions and see how far the deck fits over the flange. You should have some wiggle room and might be able to reuse the deck.

Good luck,

Chuck

[kjkavaney]

Hi All..after talking to Bob at RMD, figured I would just tear the deck off...using a heat gun and a wide xacto knife...it popped right off in like 5 minutes...no fumes...no mess...shockingly easy actually...I suspect I wrecked the deck which cracked several times in the process but the hull seems just fine..Bob showed me some pictures on how to pull the sides in with tiny holes in the lip and dental floss..will try that part next and decide whether to invest in a new deck or just trash the whole thing and start over with new hull and deck...
appreciate all the support and ideas from you guys..
kevin

[kjkavaney]

I have ordered a new deck from RMD and hope Bob can make me one. I know he has had some health issues and the weather in Florida has not been good for
doing gel coat...hope to get this done for Black Morgan in Canada this fall...
Thanks for all the support and ideas...
Kevin