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Delamination on bimini hard top
#380s2
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Hello everyone?
We have delamination issues as well as cracks on the hardtop bimini of our 380 S2 from 2008. They were there when we bought the boat 20 months ago and we didn¡¯t find the time to repair them yet... Of course the delamination got bigger.... There are 2 roundish spots of about 30 cm diameter, one at the corner of the acrylic sliding ¡°window¡± and one about 50 cm away in the middle of the bimini. The upper part of the structure (maybe ¡°just¡± the Gelcoat, but who knows?) is slightly ¡°bubbly¡± and can be pressed down. Between those two places (and on the edge to the acrylic window) there are a few cracks and holes (obviously the previous owner let the boom crash on the hard top). The damage obviously goes deeper as we had a leakage of rainwater into one of the lamps at the downside of the hardtop.... I thought about the recommended repair method of drilling small holes every 2 cm and injecting epoxy and then applying weight. BUT the epoxy would create a mess on the diamond structure of the gelcoat and would do nothing to the cracks or the leaks.? So, I am thinking about cutting the whole area out (about a square meter) until I reach ¡°healthy fibreglass¡±, then build this up again and paint it.? Any my ideas or comments on this approach? Other ideas/experiences? I don¡¯t have the material or skills to rebuild the diamond structure of the gelcoat and honestly this doesn¡¯t matter too much, as long as it¡¯s tight, white and non-slippery. The upper layer (paint, gelcoat) is what I am very uncertain about. I have heard about Kiwi Grip as a top layer. Not sure if I can get this here (we are in Colombia). Is there anything else that would do the job? Some 2 component paint that we can mix some sand in, for example?! Any thoughts or comments are welcome to solve this issue. Thanks in advance! Martin? L380 S2 (2008) PACHAMAMA? |
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I am guessing there is a foam core. That being said, sounds like the foam has water intrusion and the foam has broke down. Repair depends upon if the core is still wet or not. If it is, a couple of drain holes on the bottom will help drain. Some might use a vacuum to suck water out. But need to stop water intrusion, duct tape over cracks? Or some other tape that won't leave residue. Some duct tapes will. It may take awhile for foam to dry (weeks to a month). AFter the foam has dried you have two choices in my opinion. One is the foam injection that will use the moisture to cure the foam. I have not used the foam process but was chastised by an expert that foam was the only way to go even though he had never used it.
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The second is fill with epoxy. My preference is to use Git-Rot for the epoxy. I purchased on line for $50 per quart. I was able to fill my deck from underneath but in your case, you will drill 3/16" holes every 2-3 inches in the soft area on top. I used syringes from West Marine (20 for $20). Mix the Git Rot and pour into syringes to inject into holes. The syringes should be snug into hole to "pressurize" the holes. AS you inject, you will feel the pressure building inside, I like to inject the lowest hole until the epoxy comes out of the next higher hole. This will allow the Git Rot to fill all the voids inside. Each hole will take multiple injections.So, basically you will have syringes in all the holes in that area. It will look like your boat is getting acupuncture. It will get pretty warm to touch. After each hole is pressurized, quickly take the syringe out and put duct tape over hole and screw in a short wood ( 1/2" by #12 I think?) screw to keep pressure in side. Then take scuba weight belts and apply over soft area to allow the epoxy(Git Rot) to adhere to outer skin over night. The next day check for other soft areas. Take wood screws out and finish filling holes with epoxy. Sand smooth and cover with nonskid. I am not a big fan of cutting out simply because I don't have the finesse to make it look good on a curved surface. The cracks will need to be cleaned(ground out) and filled with epoxy. then faired before applying nonskid. Using this method, I was able to fill several voids in my balsa deck in two hours. About 20 minutes per void. Much faster than cutting out and redoing the outer skin. Another option is to call Dedicated Marine the most likely builder of the hard top and ask them what to do. This advise is worth exactly what you paid for it. There are many ways to do this project and I have had success with this method. I used this method from below the deck because the deck was recently painted and the painter forgot to repair the soft spots. It was very easy and clean. I watched a guy cut out from below and repair, A very messy job. My method was very clean. The Git Rot cleans with vinegar. And fast!! On September 11, 2019 at 12:26 PM "Martin Eckhardt via Groups.Io" <martin_eckhardt@...> wrote: ? |
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Rob Hepler
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On Sep 12, 2019, at 1:36 AM, Jim Booth via Groups.Io <jimbooth97@...> wrote:
-- -Rob H Pacific NW, USA No sailing vessel at the moment |
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Thanks so far everyone for your good suggestions!
I don¡¯t know if the core is foam or wood or pure fibreglass. Does anyone know? It¡¯s a L380 S2 Premium from 2008, hull no. 519. I¡¯d also rather like to leave the existing gelcoat on, drill holes and glue it back on and fill the crack with new gelcoat after opening them up a bit. We¡¯re in Colombia and there are neither a lot of experts, nor a big variety of material and the postal service does not exist anymore, so it¡¯s hard to get stuff shipped. But I saw the gorilla glue somewhere. Might drill holes, inject, plug the holes, put pressure and then fill the remainders with gelcoat. Could that work? Any other suggestions are very welcome. Thanks a lot! Best regards? Martin? |
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Hi Martin, Is your hardtop from the factory? I've only seen soft tops on L380s unless somebody built them. If it's been built aftermarket, which I think is likely, it's construction could be with a divicell foam or a honeycomb. The honeycomb approach is lighter but known for trapping water and causing delamination. Only way to know is exploratory with a drill or saw. Also, you mentioned it has nonskid on it? You can make a silicone form out of the existing nonskid and use it to repair the gelcoat where you worked on it. If it were me, I'd probably cut the underside open, replace core if necessary, and dry it all out. Then I would use epoxy to glue the piece(s) I removed back in, fiberglass tape over the seams and fair it out. I'd finish by painting the entire underside so it's all one color. This approach would leave the existing gelcoat and nonskid on the top untouched so getting a color match or nonskid pattern would be avoided. I've never heard of using gorilla glue but I suspect that it might make doing the repair over correctly later a pita. Also, if you have honeycomb core it may just fill that up. Let us know what you end up doing and how it comes out.? Richard Hake SV Mai Tai 1995 L37 TPI On Sep 17, 2019 7:14 AM, "Martin Eckhardt via Groups.Io" <martin_eckhardt@...> wrote: Thanks guys! I guess I?ll try the Gorilla approach first, if that doesn't work I might cut it all away (I?d rather not).? |
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýDedicated Marine has a hardtop for the 380 and 410 to bolt onto the existing frame. Excellent upgrade and worth the money. Located in Florida US. ? Steve in Solomons MD 410 S2 E ? From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of nigiil via Groups.Io ? Hi Martin, Is your hardtop from the factory? I've only seen soft tops on L380s unless somebody built them. If it's been built aftermarket, which I think is likely, it's construction could be with a divicell foam or a honeycomb. The honeycomb approach is lighter but known for trapping water and causing delamination. Only way to know is exploratory with a drill or saw. Also, you mentioned it has nonskid on it? You can make a silicone form out of the existing nonskid and use it to repair the gelcoat where you worked on it. If it were me, I'd probably cut the underside open, replace core if necessary, and dry it all out. Then I would use epoxy to glue the piece(s) I removed back in, fiberglass tape over the seams and fair it out. I'd finish by painting the entire underside so it's all one color. This approach would leave the existing gelcoat and nonskid on the top untouched so getting a color match or nonskid pattern would be avoided. I've never heard of using gorilla glue but I suspect that it might make doing the repair over correctly later a pita. Also, if you have honeycomb core it may just fill that up. Let us know what you end up doing and how it comes out.? ? Richard Hake SV Mai Tai 1995 L37 TPI ? ? ? ? On Sep 17, 2019 7:14 AM, "Martin Eckhardt via Groups.Io" <martin_eckhardt@...> wrote:
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FYI, my 2011 L380 had a factory installed hardtop. Part of the deal when I ordered the boat.
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Cheers, Rick Arkaydes On Tuesday, September 17, 2019, 10:25 pm, nigiil via Groups.Io <nigiil@...> wrote:
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Hi all?
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The factory started producing hard top bimini¡¯s in late 2008 as mine was ordered in 2007 and I picked it up at the factory in late 2008? Cheers Theo Cats Paw 380 S2 hull 540 On Wednesday, September 18, 2019, 8:27 am, rick dilger via Groups.Io <rickdilger@...> wrote:
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Theo Kuiters
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