Hatch covers

Dukke

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Gm , on my gulfstream, my fish well hatch cover and baitwell hatch cover , are chipped looking to redo , moister reading on the worse or the two is 23 only at the bad chipped area , the other chipped spots are around 10 -12 %
The other cover is around 12 at the worse chip. Would that be suitable to resurface without cutting out and recoreing, looking for an opinion . Thanks
 

Fishtales

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There are a few threads on this problem. My understanding is as follows:
- GW uses fairing compound; basically bondo on the edges of their hatches and also believe or not on the transom.
- The fairing compound forms well and fits into the edges of the Resin Transfer Mold (RTM) process. I have to admit, it does produce a nice finish when new.
- The problem is the underside flat edge wicks water and in freezing climates to basically freezes and pieces break off.
- The edges can also be chipped easily in use. So even if you are in a non-freeze area, be careful around the edges.

There was one boat that was used very roughly and not cared for (in Maine I believe) that someone bought inexpensively and was restoring. The water intrusion was so extensive that it went into the lid coring material on all hatches and the freeze and unfreeze cycles were literally separating the lids apart. The coring material was pieced together wood versus one piece. They looked absolutely horrible and any GW owner that saw those pics had to have their stomach turn - I know mine did. Was the boat abused, yes. But it clearly exposed what I believe to be less than optimal coring material and manufacturing practices (IMHO). We have all seen the large hatch covers with the pieced together wood coring that regularly separate from the fiberglass top over the years. It almost looks like wood scraps that were laying around are used for coring. I am not sure why this coring technique is used (maybe there is some advantage) but it gives the impression of cost cutting. I've seen boats like Onslow Bay that one piece coring is cut and used as much as possible. Is this being lazy or is there an advantage - I don't know and would like to hear more.

If you keep the boat in an area where it will be exposed to freezing temperatures, I would advise that it be well covered during layup; either shrink wrapped or boat cover to keep the water out.
Personally, I see this as a manufacturer defect - material selection for intended use. It isn't a good way to build the covers and that stuff should not be used anywhere on a boat. If it must be used, it should be painted or sealed to keep water out.

As for the transom, I think there is a lot of improvement needed. Removing wood was a good start. I would explore a new design or spend the time and money to properly glass and seal the transom versus using screwed trim pieces to cover areas that are just poorly designed and constructed. The ivory plastic pieces on the edge of the motor well and bang plate are specifically called out. The motor well drain holes should be done better, and for that matter all thru holes where any coring material is located should all be oversize drilled, filled and re-drilled smaller so by design, there is no way for water to come in contact with any coring material. Fixes in these areas would add build time and extra work and likely a decision was made to retain the legacy practices.

You can fix, either re-bondo or glass. Obviously the former is easier, but more cosmetic.
 

Dukke

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Thank you , but I was trying to find out about what percentage of moisture is adequate for reglassing without recoreing .
 

SkunkBoat

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It almost looks like wood scraps that were laying around are used for coring. I am not sure why this coring technique is used (maybe there is some advantage) but it gives the impression of cost cutting. I've seen boats like Onslow Bay that one piece coring is cut and used as much as possible. Is this being lazy or is there an advantage - I don't know and would like to hear more.

They are definitely not scraps of wood. The 'little squares" technique is standard practice in boat building. They start with an upside-down mold and fill from the outer layer to the inner. So you have gelcoat, resin filler, glass & resin, plywood core, and more glass & resin. If you use a large single piece of plywood it will not lay flat. You may get air gaps or worse, it will warp the finished piece.

Remember, it is the fiberglass/resin that is main structural component. It is not like taking a plywood sheet and covering it with glass.


Regarding the chips in the hatches- I would grind them clean and use WEST epoxy with Low Density filler to fill most of the hole and then use white MarineTex or similar for the finished surface.
Unless the core is delaminating from the glass or the core is exposed, I wouldn't worry about the moisture reading.
I recored a deck lid and added a hatch recently. There is a photo in my post 265 Mods.
 
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Fishtales

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Thanks Skunk. It still looks sketchy to me, but I'll defer to your knowledge.
 

JRT

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There are a few threads on this problem. My understanding is as follows:
- GW uses fairing compound; basically bondo on the edges of their hatches and also believe or not on the transom.
- The fairing compound forms well and fits into the edges of the Resin Transfer Mold (RTM) process. I have to admit, it does produce a nice finish when new.
- The problem is the underside flat edge wicks water and in freezing climates to basically freezes and pieces break off.
- The edges can also be chipped easily in use. So even if you are in a non-freeze area, be careful around the edges.

There was one boat that was used very roughly and not cared for (in Maine I believe) that someone bought inexpensively and was restoring. The water intrusion was so extensive that it went into the lid coring material on all hatches and the freeze and unfreeze cycles were literally separating the lids apart. The coring material was pieced together wood versus one piece. They looked absolutely horrible and any GW owner that saw those pics had to have their stomach turn - I know mine did. Was the boat abused, yes. But it clearly exposed what I believe to be less than optimal coring material and manufacturing practices (IMHO). We have all seen the large hatch covers with the pieced together wood coring that regularly separate from the fiberglass top over the years. It almost looks like wood scraps that were laying around are used for coring. I am not sure why this coring technique is used (maybe there is some advantage) but it gives the impression of cost cutting. I've seen boats like Onslow Bay that one piece coring is cut and used as much as possible. Is this being lazy or is there an advantage - I don't know and would like to hear more.

If you keep the boat in an area where it will be exposed to freezing temperatures, I would advise that it be well covered during layup; either shrink wrapped or boat cover to keep the water out.
Personally, I see this as a manufacturer defect - material selection for intended use. It isn't a good way to build the covers and that stuff should not be used anywhere on a boat. If it must be used, it should be painted or sealed to keep water out.

As for the transom, I think there is a lot of improvement needed. Removing wood was a good start. I would explore a new design or spend the time and money to properly glass and seal the transom versus using screwed trim pieces to cover areas that are just poorly designed and constructed. The ivory plastic pieces on the edge of the motor well and bang plate are specifically called out. The motor well drain holes should be done better, and for that matter all thru holes where any coring material is located should all be oversize drilled, filled and re-drilled smaller so by design, there is no way for water to come in contact with any coring material. Fixes in these areas would add build time and extra work and likely a decision was made to retain the legacy practices.

You can fix, either re-bondo or glass. Obviously the former is easier, but more cosmetic.

Couldn't have said it better myself. The steps you mentioned, especially in the transom, should have been taken from GW from day one. I know some owners who have done all those steps, just for piece of mind. If you have a GW and you want to keep it for awhile, I recommend doing this. You will have transom issues. Not a matter of if, just when. I have 4 GW boats (guiding) and have seen my fair share of issues with transoms.
 

Harpoon

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I had the gulfstream and did the same repairs. I brought the hatches indoors over the winter and let them dry out. Using a 4" grinder I removed anything loose and then some.
I mixed glass fibers and resin to fill the deep spots and roughly shape it. From there sanding to shape, fairing compound, then gel coat. I rolled it for sort of a bumpy non skid finish.

The bow pulpit is another problem area....