1983 foam core sailboat repair

[Dimitris]

Hello everybody,

I recently bought a 23 feet sailboat. The problem is that there is a delamination of the foam in the area around the bulkhead where the starboard chainplate is mounted and a crack in one of the tapes that bond the bulkhead to the inner skin.

I plan to do the repair myself and here is what I am thinking.

1. Remove everything from the inside

2. Cut the tapes that bond the two bulkheads and grind the tapes on the bulkheads down to reveal clean wood. Also, I will need to cut the tapes that bond the berth frames. All this is polyester now.

3. Cut the inner skin around the affected area. I estimate that I will remove a square area 6 feet by 2 feet.

4. Remove all foam material and verify that the surrounding area is sound.

5. Sand the outer skin to remove all traces of foam.

6. Glue new foam (AIREX) . I plan to use thin strips (about 2in) in a strip planking like fashion. I will use epoxy with silica and microfibers to glue the foam strips to the outer skin. I will wet the foam first and press the strips on the skin with foam wedges that I will insert between the bulkhead and the strip.

7. After everything hardens I will lay 3 layers of woven 17 oz cloth on top of the foam that overlay the previous lamination by 8 inches (actually I thik 4, 6 and the 8 inches for each layer). I think this lamination is stronger than the original, but I will verify after I cut off the inner skin.

8. Then fillet and tape the bulkheads.


The outer skin looks sound from the outside, without stress cracks.

What do you think of my plan? Do you think that I should use some mat somewhere (I think the glass-to-foam layer). Is it a good idea to forget about the foam completely and build a solid glass lamination in the affected area? I do not care about weight at all.

Thanks