On Sun, 08 Jan 2006 12:17:34 GMT, "Jasper Windvane"
wrote:

Jim,,, I find Wentworth's numerous questions refreshing. Why don't you just
answer him.

He may have a lot on his mind, or he seems to be catching up but at least
his questions are relevant to the building/repairing of boats.




"Jim Conlin" wrote in message
...
Thomas, you're trolling us.
Please either buy some books and read them or go pester rec.golf.


"Thomas Wentworth" wrote in message
news:zGCvf.154$ID1.80@trndny01...
I was looking at an old boat that had a plywood cabin. The owner/builder
had covered the plywood with fiberglass cloth. Long time ago. He said
that
a surveyor who looked at the boat for insurance needs said that their was
too much water density in the plywood. The surveyor used some type of
device to test this. The surveyor recommended that the cabin roof be
replaced.

Question:: While I don't doubt that water got down under the fiberglass
cloth, I thought that if the fiberglass cloth was torn off and the
plywood
was exposed then wouldn't it just dry up and then he [ friend ] could
apply
epoxy and then new cloth but make sure that the epoxy has saturated the
ply
surface and that way the ply could not get wet.

So, what about this problem.





Tom,
Once the wood is damaged it is damaged, drying it out and appling
epoxy even if its penetrating epoxy will not cure the rotten wood
problem. I had the same situation on the Buddy Harris custom carolina
sportfisherman I am restoring, I tried the penetrating epoxy solution,
it repaired the soft wood on the surface but the inner veneers were
still soft. When water migrates into plywood and resides there for a
while I feel it is best to bite the bullet and replace it and reglass.
IMHO the key to the glass job lasting is a very good prime coat (high
build epoxy) , then several coats of a good linear polyurthane finish
coat.If you are glassing with epoxy the epoxy HAS to be protected from
UV .