Cabin roof rot repair

Well it feels good to finally get started.  I've been puttering with cleaning and planning since September and trying to get Blackheart dry so I can begin repairs.

The cabin top rot is just aft of the mast, mainly on the port side, caused, I believe, by leaks in around the stand up blocks mounted on the cabin roof.

The roof is constructed from a layer of 1/4" balsa plywood (I think) to the inside followed by two layers of 1/4" plywood.

As you can see I have removed the mast collar since the rot extends under it.  The collar was glued to the deck with a very tough adhesive (perhaps GM 5200) which is near impossible to break free.  So, I used a heat gun to warm the collar, probably to a few hundred degees, and used a pry bar with a very wide flat base to apply some upward force.  It took close to an hour of continuously moving the heat gun around to collar to break it free.

I've used a sharp chisel to remove the rotten material on each of the three layers.  I've left at least 1 1/2" so subsquent layers of patch material overlap the layer below.  I'll leave this area open for a week with a heat lamp under to make sure it is thoroughly dry before fitting the new plywood.

Here's the patch in place.  It's 2 layers of 1/4" plywood on top of the 1/4" mahogany.  It's all held together with screws and West System epoxy.  The epoxy was thickened with fiberglas to fill gaps.

Here's the patch in place.  It's 2 layers of 1/4" plywood on top of the 1/4" mahogany.  It's all held together with screws and West System epoxy.  The epoxy was thickened with fiberglas to fill gaps.

I've finished the hole repair at the base of the mast by course sanding the plywood to about 1/32" below the finished cabin roof.  I mixed up a batch of West System Epoxy and added some micro balloon filler and troweled it over the patch.  It's now ready for the final sanding which I will do when the weather is warmer and I can tackle refinishing the entire cabin roof.



Blackheart - Peterson 35 Salilboat Project

Hello,

I hope to document my progress on the repairs and upgrades I plan to undertake on Blackheart, my 1978 Cooper Yachts - Peterson 35 (Ganbare one tonner design).

This is my first attempt at Blogging, so I hope you will provide feedback on how I can improve it as I go along.

I purchased Blackheart in September of 2010 and she was biginning to show her age as the previous owner was not able to keep up with the maintenance.

Besides needing a thorough scrubbing inside, she has a few major issues;

• 
  

  foresail foil is outdated and held together with duct tape - New Harkin Mark IV on order
• 
  

  sails are pretty rough - repairs will see us through a season or two, but new sails are on the wish list, replace #4 luff tape with #6 for new furler
• 
  

  replace halyards and sheets
• 
  

  replace mast base stand up blocks with base collar and new teardrop blocks
• 
  

  repair/replace foredeck hatch
• deck leaks - all through deck mounted hardware will be resealed - apply fresh coating of Cetol
• deck rot - two small sections of teak deck will need replacing
• cockpit rot - two small section of the cockpit side walls are rotten this boat was built for serious racing and has no lazerette seating which I intend add
• cabin top rot - small area of rot near mast
• replace cushions throughout
• replace teak sole boards
• remodel V-berth
• remodel head
• repair/replace engine guages

Well that's about it for tonight