Deck cracks along gunwale area. How to fix?

[hightide]

I am wondering what's involved or how I might repair a cracked through deck all along the gunwale area of the foredeck.

I will try to attach a photo and perhaps more if needed. I've sailed this boat (15' 9" LOA -- an Ospray) with the deck this way by avoiding stepping onto the foredeck.



Would something like this be costly to have some marine fiberglass place do? The boat is very sweet and handles nicely, but it needs the foredeck edges repaired and the foredeck/cuddy reinforced. From reading a while back, the structural design was a poor one as this isn't unusual for the Osprays.

Thanks.
PS I haven't been on the forum for a long while, so guess I'll have to go read up on how to attached or embed that photo. If it doesnt work, it's in my gallery.

Hmm. Just looked at linked image. This was as large as I was allowed; sorry.

[GreenLake]

Now about the repair.

My take is, that there are two parts to this. One is to get the surface repaired, the other is to get the strength back.

Deck/Hull joint: Given where the crack is, you need to reinforce the deck/hull joint in that area. Except for the contortions you need to do to access this area, this shouldn't be all that difficult.

1) sand the area (rough, remove any inside paint)
2) fill the joint (more below)
3) glass in (more below)

Filling: The main goal is to create a smooth path from the underside of the deck to the inside of the hull. (Even, large radius). Depending on the volume, you can use filleting compounds (epoxy based), or foam, or even wood (epoxy covered and epoxied in place. Or a combination.

Glass in: Once you have filled the seam so it presents a smooth path, apply glass mat and glass fabric (or rovings), using laminating epoxy. See the guides on the West System or System Three websites for more guidance. I think that three layers are probably all you need, and I would make each layer narrower, so that the edges form a gentle stair-step. (This is important to avoid stress concentrations).

Working overhead: Because you are working overhead, it might be best to wet out a piece of mat/fabric on a sheet of wax paper, and then use the paper to transfer and apply it. Use soft foam (sponges) to hold it all in place until the epoxy starts to harden. At that point, remove the wax paper and do the next layer.

Divide the work: Your crack is long. If you find it tricky to work with long strips of wet glass, use shorter strips. You can but them, as long as you overlap the gaps in the different layers of laminate. Work with a small batch of epoxy at a time, mix a new batch often.

If this is a usual problem, treat both sides of the deck to the same reinforcement.

Topside: Now that you have a strong bond that will handle the structural loads, you can work on a surface repair. Grind out the crack in a V shape. The fill most of the crack and finally apply a gel coat layer. If your boat will be painted, don't bother with the gelcoat layer, just use an epoxy-based filler. (Perhaps short strands of glass mixed in with laminating epoxy, or a filleting preparation). If you do want/need gelcoat, then you need to use a polyester-based filling, so you don't have issues with the gel-coat bonding.

This assumes that the crack doesn't open/close very much when load is put on the deck, after you've reinforced if from the bottom. If it does, you may need to apply glass from the top, which involves more grinding to make room for it.

The hardest part is getting the surface to look nice on the top. The rest is not very difficult to do, even for a beginner. If you are a beginner, get some extra glass and resin and laminate one or two test pieces. Follow all instructions about mixing the epoxy to the letter, because the worst outcome is uncured epoxy that will remain sticky forever. (All other mistakes can be ground/sanded off as needed).

Other reinforcements: Finally, if you need to reinforce other areas of the deck, the way to do that is to create a hollow shape (half a paper towel or gift wrap tube) and after coating it in epoxy, and rounding the edges where it meets the deck with fillet, glassing it underneath the area in the deck that needs strength. Similar techniques apply.

Good luck.

[hightide]

Thank you, Greenlake.

My PC crashed and I had to read your message on a phone display. I have to leave town for the weekend, but when I return, hope I can understand the directions better.

The cracks are at the edge, but not the true seam of the hull and deck (that might be easier?).

Do I have to work on the cracks from inside the cuddy?

I really love this boat, but I have a couple of others and think I may sell the O'Day Ospray and work on the DSI to keep that. I hate to cut the DSI mast, but would need it tabernacled (or swap for one that is) in order to trailer sail.

Have a great weekend!

[GreenLake]

Read the instructions on a PC when you can, perhaps at a library, if yours is down. They'll make more sense.

The cracks are so close to the edge that trying to just fix the deck is more work/less certain than the repair I suggested to you.

With a bit of planning, the repair from underneath should be quite doable, and something you can do in a weekend.

If the boat is in good shape otherwise, doing the repair might pay for itself in a higher asking price.

Your photo doesn't show whether there's any damage to the side of the hull below it. I'm thinking, an impact that was able to crack the deck might have done other damage.

About your DS1: there's no need to cut its mast for trailering. Mine is uncut, and I've been trailering it for many years that way. I did rig a little gizmo to make that easier, based on something that the previous owner had done. That, by itself, or with my addition, allows a single person to step an uncut mast.