[Rhodes22-list] Old Rhodes 22 owner - fiberglass repair question

[Lou Rosenberg]

Mike,
I own an '81 and am in the process of a two year restoration.   I 
have a good cockpit floor on mine, and have not had to do anything 
as you are explaining.  If indeed your cockpit floor is completely 
delaminated and your foam is compromised with any water intrusion, I 
would first fix that water intrusion issue.
After that, I would sand down the cracked area right down to the 
glass , removing the gelcoat and patch with new glass.  You could 
still go back and add new gelcoat on top of that patch after fairing 
it smooth, but I would look into new materials to cover the floor. 
Research the new non skid materials available to all of us.  I have a 
decent cockpit floor which will need repainting but after my first 
year I may opt to put down a new non skid surface.  feel free to 
email me off the list as I haven't the link to those new non skid 
companies but they do advertise in Good Old Boat and have been 
reviewed by Practical Sailor magazine.

  I use Don Casey's Sailboat Deck and Hull repair book as well  as 
West System Manuals on  epoxy techniques.  There are other epoxies 
out there as well with similar soft cover manuals for little cost.


Lou Rosenberg
project boat " Miracles "
Gateway Marina , Brooklyn

lsr3 at nyu.edu

>Hi to all of you - I never even knew there was a Rhodes owner's 
>website.  I was looking around for some parts and repair assistance 
>and google linked me to both the Rhodes22.com and org sites!  Wow - 
>there are a lot of other Rhodes owners!
>
>I have an oldie ('81) Rhodes 22 that I have attempted to keep in 
>good operating condition.  Over the years, I have made many parts 
>and hunted down others.
>
>I am now attempting to repair the cockpit floor.  There is a bit of 
>"oil-canning" near the entrance to the cabin where the floor has 
>de-laminated from the structural fiberglass below.  Unfortunately, 2 
>small tears in the top layer of glass have appeared.  In addition, 
>some of the foam below has been damaged by water intrusion so I am 
>adding some marine ply to spread the weight over a larger area and 
>resupport the cockpit floor while restoring the foam surfaces.
>
>Has anyone successfully repaired the cockpit floor?  I think that if 
>I slide some fiberglass fabric into the torn areas and squirt in 
>some resin and weight down the floor, I should be able to restore 
>the integrity of the glass. The problem is the gel finish, of 
>course.  Any ideas?
>
>Are there any other Rhodes 22s in the group that were built in the 
>early 80s?  Are any of them on Long Island (NY)?
>
>Mike and Sheryl Weisner
>Shanghai'd Summer
>__________________________________________________
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