New (used) Parker owner, deck cracks, wet foam, deck paint

[Drop top chicken box]

Picked up a "new to us" 2002 2120 last week, has a few condition issues i felt i could handle and just looking for advice on the repair.

We have two large cracks that i thought were just gelcoat deep but they go through the glass and have allowed water into the plywood below. The plywood is not terribly soft but is soft enough to pick apart with a sharp tool. I spent some time opening up the cracks this afternoon and now im planning the repair.

I have read everything i could possibly find about deck repair but in hours of searching not once did i see a repair even close to what im dealing with, everything i could find was related to full or large sections of deck replacement.

Ive built canoes from scratch so although rusty im not new to working with epoxy and fiberglass but there are lots of products out there to choose from, any advice/ experience with this type of repair would be greatly appreciated.

I plan on doing a full deck paint following the repair, product recommendations would be appreciated. My research is leaning me towards awlgrip as a deck paint.

Also i have the wet foam around the aluminum tank that im reading a lot about, has anyone drilled weep holes into the rear fiberglass bulkead to drain this area? Seems to me there should be some space between bulkhead and tank so if i do it carefully i wont pierce the tank.

Luckily this boat was not slipped and always trailered so although the foam is waterlogged im thinking the trapped water is not as corrosive, is this just wishful thinking?

Other than those issues the boat is very solid and just needs cosmetic TLC the owner really did not care about cleaning and gelcoat scratches.

 

[Brent]

Tough call.

M2cw is replace tank now , new deck and use gelcoat.

Do a Search using user name and enter Warthog5. Hvhas discussed all of your items





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[Brent]

Pull pie plate over fuel sender and look for tank data plate.

Contact RDS with it and HIN for tank drawing.

Order from them or other shop. Warthog explains how to install a better tank


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[Brent]

Any idea on how the cracks occurred? Diveboat?

I would be checking the stringers , too


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[GoodChance]

Those aren't minor cracks and I suspect that you'll find a significant amount of wood rot once you start pulling back the layers. Once you start dissecting the problem, the fix will become clearer.

For now, get a circular saw and start cutting small sections out of the floor until to reach dry and firm wood.

 

[warthog5]

What Good chance said.


You can replace small areas by cutting a section out......Then go around that hole with a router.....Remove 1/2 the thickness of the plywood to form a step........Then with a new piece of material cut to the large size of that step opening......Run the router on the bottom side of that piece......You will end up with a small shelf that the new piece sits on and the surfaces will be flush.

Put a layer of glass on the bottom of the new piece to seal it.....NOT JUST a resign coating.

Glue the new piece in with epoxy or Polyester resign mixed with some Cabisol. Use drywall screws to clamp the pieces.....Do not run the drywall screws all the way down.....Just clamping force. When the glue has turned to a Green state......Remove the screws and throw them away. Do not let it sit overnight and try and remove them. The glue is stronger than the wood.

Then finish the topside with glass and fairing.

 

[Drop top chicken box]

Any idea on how the cracks occurred? Diveboat?

I would be checking the stringers , too


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if it was a diveboat why would that matter?

Previous owner used it for clamming and hunting and transport to a small cabin on an island so no diving i believe.

he did not cover the boat for winters etc so i think this is the reason for the gelcoat cracking and thus the fiberglass cracks etc etc.

I would find it very hard to believe the wetness goes far beyond the visible crack area, i will dig deeper with a router this afternoon.

 

[Brent]

Just curious what caused the cracks. maybe dropping tanks on the deck?..


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[warthog5]

My boat was used in the same way as Drop Top Chicken Box's..... [sounds like a Hot Rod name ]

Up in Maine area they have radical tides....and thus I bet there was a lot of non comfortable loading and unloading thru out the years.....as in jumping off the dock or ladder into the cockpit.

 

[Drop top chicken box]

Well as often happens, things got a little more involved than originally intended. Cracks were more serious than i thought, someone stated that earlier.

The plywood was wet way beyond the area of the cracking and i just decided to do the right thing and get all the wet material out.
I figured id also be able to inspect the tank a little more while im at it.

The foam around the tank is very wet, ive chopped some out all the way to the hull, i see no corrosion at all on the one exposed side. I feel pretty confident the rest of the tank is in similar shape.

How easy do these tanks come out and is there any real need for the foam around them? I feel like air movement would be more beneficial than foam that can and is waterlogged, no?

What is the purpose/ thinking behind foaming the compartments in these boats? It seems to me that its not enough to make a floatation difference in a sinking situation and the material obvisouly absorbs and holds water. I am thinking of removing the foam from the middle bulkhead compartment to potentially use that space as a storage area and even thining of removing from any other accessible compartments to allow air movement which would seem more beneficail to me.


Is there a certain fiberglass material and epoxy that is best for decks? Or all they pretty much all the same?

Ive built a strip canoe so i have more than basic fiberglass experience but obviously this is a different craft.


Lots of questions, i really appreciate having this forum available to post my project and the time you all take to assist.

Thanks,

 

[Brent]

New tank can be epoxy coated. Foam is safety item, keeping tank from moving around when gas is moving in tank. The top of foam can be sealed to prevent water saturation. West Systems or US Composties. Both have high quality products and tech support.

search using epoxy, foam and tank.

Tank has data plate probably made by RDS. Contact them with it and HIN. They can coat it, too. Tank can be made with thicker metal.


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[warthog5]

On the foam......Think about this.....Have you every been thrown around in crappy seas?

If you rely on a few lag bolts....Which are needed to hold the tank in place when foaming one in, by the way.

That 100gal tank weighs more than 600lbs when full. You would not tie a auto engine down you were hauling in the back of your truck with 1/4in line would you?

The foam stops the tank from starting to move. The forces exerted on this stuff at sea....are TREMENDOUS!