| Author | Message | ||
     Mike Bergmann Unregistered guest Rating: N/A |
I actually installed Kingston dinghy davits back there for my annual cruise. The loads are VERY high. I used the WEST hardware bonding system, which worked fine at the lower brackets but failed at the upper brackets. My solution was to cut out the inner fiberglass skin and the balsa for an area about 4" square. I replaced the removed stuff with solid laminate and a prefabricated fiberglass load plate permanently laminated to the inside skin. This worked very well and I have absolutely no flex or cracking. One problem with using the WEST bonding on a vertical surface is that it is difficult to get the resin and filler to flow into the void around the bolt. I solved this by drilling a small hole above the main hole and injecting the resin with a hypodermic. You do have to be careful with this because voids are hard to find. PS - I still race most of the time, with the davits and brackets removed. I can install the whole system in about 15 minutes. It takes me a total of about an hour to convert from racing to cruising, including hoisting a roller furling jib, adding lazy jacks, changing to my old cruising main, and adding the davits. The boat is pretty versatile! | ||
| Jeff Roy New member Username: Jeffr Post Number: 74 Registered: 03-2001 Rating: N/A |
The transom is balsa cored everywhere escept for about 12" vertical band where the rudder gudgeons are bolted on. I have hole saw samples of just about everypart of my 9.1 from various projects. I save them, they come in handy. The transom is by far the strongest laminate on the boat. The glass is almost twice as thick as the hull. I think the balsa in the transom is 1/2" thick (not positive about the width) | ||
| Steven von Christierson New member Username: Teaser_ii Post Number: 4 Registered: 04-2003 Rating: N/A |
Shep, I installed such a ladder (West Marine) at least 5 years ago, probably more like 8. I did use some WEST EPOXY just to be on the safe side. I use it nearly every other week and have not noticed any problems. Love it. Steve TEASER II Galesville, MD | ||
| William Shirley New member Username: William_shirley Post Number: 12 Registered: 04-2002 Rating: N/A |
I am installing a stainless swim ladder to be thru bolted from the inside. I was holding off on this project until I figured out how I was going to seal off the core material as I most definetely did not to cause rot....Now I know that it is most likely not balsa, but maybe a solid or laminated mahagony...either way means over drilling the hole and then filling the "West Epoxy Way". Then it occurred to me it might just be good ole solid glass. Russ...anyone? What's back there and do we need to check for rot under the backstay chainplates? Shep Shirley "Lightning Rod" |
