On Jul 8, 10:23 pm, Gordon wrote:
30 foot sailboat, deck glassed to hull.
Toerail leaked allowing water to balsa core of deck causing no more core.
I've removed the toerail (teak) so I have access to the moist stuff
that remains.
I've dug and blew that out and let things dry and now I'm ready to
backfill.
I need to shoot whatever I use up to six inches in. Epoxy would be
the best but how do you mix and get it in to something to inject it?
One of the sikaflex products would probably work if I knew which to
use. I'm thinking it can't be anything compressable as things need to
bottled thru it!
I'm now open for ideas!
Gordon

I had the same exact project on my boat. I removed the toerails and
dug out the balsa through the bolt holes and let it dry. Or at least
I thought I did. I cut off a section of deck skin through six bolt
holes and discovered that the rot was more extensive than I thought.
I ended up using a 4 1/2 inch angle grinder with a cut off wheel and
just cut right down the length on either side of the bolt holes , bow
to stern. Essentially cutting out a 1" wide 35 foot long section of
deck skin. I then scraped and out the remaining balsa that remained
in the channel.

For a filler, because of the better access, and no need to inject
filler into small holes, I mixed up epoxy resin with fiberglass cloth
strands and troweled it in. The fiberglass cloth strands were from
cut up matte and cloth on a paper cutter. Strands were about 1/2 inch
long or so. I have found this to be a much stronger filler material
than most commerially available "powder" fillers.

I sanded it level, faired it, painted it, redrilled the toerail
holes, and reattached the toe rails

It came out well and I can't think of any other way I could have done
it better in retrospect.