[Rhodes22-list] hull deck joint reseal questions

[Graham Stewart]

Mike:

Did you find that the screws were all removed when the rub rail was removed?
If so, then I suspect that there are still some rivets. As I recall the
rivets were about 4 feet apart in places and placed strategically to, I
assume, hold the boat together while the sealant cured.  They are not easy
to spot under the old sealant. If you have any doubts, try getting down on
the cockpit floor and looking up behind the seats. You will have a clear and
unobstructed view of a stretch of over 6 feet. If there are any rivets they
should be visible. (You might also check for nuts on the genoa track and
winches while you are there.) The other place where rivets show is across
the transom in the lazarette. Of course, if there are any rivets anywhere
you will find them when you try to remove the sealant.

You should also find a few bolts. There should be one at the centre of the
transom and at least one and probably three at the outer shroud. The lower
bolt for the aft chainplates might also go through the joint. I can't
remember if I found any others.

I found that the "best" tool to get the sealant out from between the hull
and deck was a hacksaw blade but I didn't find anything that made the job a
pleasure and there will be places where you can't get into the joint at all.
The blade  will cut through the sealant and then by twisting the blade it
will scrape the insides surfaces. It tends to tear the sealant making it
crumbly rather than cut it cleanly so to clean up it is worth trying to cut
the surfaces clean with a razor knife. In the end, you will no doubt find
what works best for you in different places. The cleaner the surfaces the
better the new sealant will hold.

I would not want to separate the entire deck and hull joint at one time. I
would be inclined to do a section of about 8' at a time. If you do find
rivets I would not want to remove too many at a time. 

After cutting the seal, you can tap wooden wedges into the joint to widen
the gap. This will help in the removal of the old sealant and provide more
space to get the new sealant in. When the wedges are removed the sealant
will be compressed and, hopefully, spread out in the join area to cover the
surfaces. Unless I have a helper and can insert the bolts right away I think
I will use screws before the sealant sets to quickly close the joint snug.
Later I will  go back, remove the screws, and put bolts in. Even with my
joint glassed a professional builder told me that I should put in bolts
every 4'. I plan to put in more than that especially near the centre near
the chain plates. 

Have fun,

Graham 

-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Mike C
Sent: April-29-13 6:41 PM
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] hull deck joint reseal questions

Got the rub rail off and, yes indeed, Muireann has no rivets! 

<http://rhodes-22.1065344.n5.nabble.com/file/n45516/IMG_20130429_181425_925.
jpg> 

And she does indeed need the hull deck joint resealed!

<http://rhodes-22.1065344.n5.nabble.com/file/n45516/IMG_20130429_181501_205.
jpg> 

For those who have done this job, what sort of tool did you use to scrape
out the old sealant?

Thanks!



-----
Mike Cheung
s/v Muireann
--
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