Side Deck Delamination

[Jason K]

A gentleman that crewed with us around the cans last night owns a Columbia 40 that is suffering from delaminated sidedecks. Because the breeze decided not to join the party we had plenty of time to talk about old boats and core problems as we floated down the course at 2-3 kts. The large sidedecks have delaminated, though he is insistent that its not because of water intrusion. He insists that it is simply the balsa core material. I proposed that a balsa core, if kept dry, should last a very long time and that he may have some intrusion issues. He wants to pull up the panels and replace the core. I said that, if the core is indeed dry and in decent shape, he would be better off injecting an epoxy mixture.

Because I don't have enough to do at work and on my boat, I offered to help him.

So,
1) Anybody know if delamination is a big issue on the Columbia 40's? If so, is the layup commonly at fault or is it more likely to be water intrusion?
2) If the core is decent, is the area prohibitively large for injection? The C40 does have big side decks.


Please answer with gusto. This forum has been quiet as of late. I know you snowbirds are busy getting in your three weeks of sailing, but I need something to do at the office and reading this forum strikes me as the height of productivity.

[grampianman]

Hello Jason,

I'll start by saying I know very little about the Columbia 40, beyond what can be found on the Internet. However, with a combination of my experience from working on my boat and an article in Professional Boatbuilder, I will lay out my thoughts on the sidedecks.

Yes, it is possible the sidedecks have simply come loose due to delamination, but the why must be answered. On my boat, my sidedecks were shot because of water intrusion. The balsa was saturated and in various stages of breakdown. The cabin top, however turned out to be an area of delamination. I was only able to ascertain this when I had the top skin off. At that point, I just replaced all the core. I found all the core to have some water in it. This means over time the balsa would probably rot and would have to be replaced eventually.

The sidedecks are the lowest part of the deck. I would think I would want to know what the core looked like. Is there any possibility of taking core samples discreetly (cosmetically?) to view the condition of the balsa?

You are right about the balsa; if dry it will last a very long time. If wet, though, and with the moisture and heat, fungi loooove the environment and so, goodbye balsa, goodbye strength.

I hope this is of some help,

Cheers,
Ian

[Figment]

Hey, at least your RC bothered to run the race! We were delayed and then cancelled for lack of breeze. It sucks to have to de-rig the boat when you never even hoisted a sail for the night.

YEAH, those are some big side decks. No experience with the boat, though, so I dunno if it's a chronic problem or not.

Why is he so insistent that water intrusion is not the culprit?

Anyway, my own personal schpiel on the epoxy injection thing is this:
It's a band-aid. It may be a very good band-aid, but it's still not really a cure. If there is a water intrusion issue (more than likely, I think), then the rot and delamination will only continue to spread as years pass, and eventually a true recore will be required, probably within ten years.

All those little nuggets of injected epoxy will be the source of much cussing and spitting when it's time to do the real recore. So the question to the owner is "Do you think you'll still own this boat ten years from now?"
If the answer is yes, then he might as well bite the bullet and do the real recore now.

Oh, and yeah he should probably fix the leak while he's at it. ;)

[Jason K]

Is there any possibility of taking core samples discreetly (cosmetically?) to view the condition of the balsa?

I did advise that he drill a few samples to know exactly what he's dealing with. He seemed willing enough - we'll have to wait and see on that.

Why is he so insistent that water intrusion is not the culprit?

Because water intrusion is a pain and if you wish hard enough maybe it won't be the source.

Mike, I tend to agree with you that the culprit is likely intrusion and that "drilling and filling" is an imperfect solution.

Hey, at least your RC bothered to run the race! We were delayed and then cancelled for lack of breeze. It sucks to have to de-rig the boat when you never even hoisted a sail for the night.

Our RC is different than most I've seen. It is definitely a party boat. Last night most of the RC was in the water by race end and barely sober enough to float. Our sail number was called out at least ten times.

[heartofgold]

Because water intrusion is a pain and if you wish hard enough maybe it won't be the source.

Does that trick work for other boat problems? I'll have to give that a try.
I wish I had a bigger boat, I wish I had a bigger boat, I wish....

[The Good Goose]

I would be very suprised if there is not water and rotten core in there some where. I suppose it is possible that there wasn't enough resin to bond the skin to the core but I doubt it. I have seen and heard about alot of recores and I have yet to hear any one say " you wouldn't believe it we cut the skin off and the core was fine. Just delaminated. Squirted in some epoxy and she was good to go." Drill some holes and I will bet 25 dollars you find rotten gushy core.

Brock Richardson

[Jason K]

I wish I had a bigger boat, I wish I had a bigger boat, I wish....

Nope, that requires a different trick. You go to the very tip of the bow -in front of the headstay- and gaze forward a la Viking. You have your crew bring you food and beverage and you forget that the boat behind is the monster that you've poured blood, tears, and money into and is, instead, that big Swan you keep staring at on the internet. Once the crew brings you enough beverage, you may just start to believe it.

[heartofgold]

As soon as I get a break in the weather and actually get back on the water, I will definately have to give that one a try. Thanks for the tip.

(I wish I had a bigger boat, I wish I had a bigger boat, I wish I had....)