20' Garvey

[clamdigger]

Just wanted to say what a great wealth of information this forum is, i finally had to join so i can get in on all of it.
I Just started tearing and grinding the glass off of my glass over cedar Garvey, surprisingly the cedar is in excellent shape. when i get below the waterline though, there is some type of black coating on the wood under about 3 layers of fiberglass. When you grind it, it makes a horrible stink, taking your breath away instantly. the boat was built in the 70's so who knows what kind of toxic substance it may be. i was thinking some kind of tar maybe but im sure fiberglass wouldn't stick to it very well. Any idea what this might be?

Thanks in advance

[duluthboats]

..rot??? Is the glass set in epoxy or poly? Is the smell chemical or more like manure?

[TollyWally]

Me thinks if it was rot it would scrape away easily. My .02

[clamdigger]

Definitely not rot. it was glassed in the mid to late 70's so i'm guessing it is set in polyester resin. its like a chemical smell, not petroleum like or manure like, reminds me of when you burn treated wood in a fire pit. just a foul chemical that overcomes you very quickly. I guess I'll just don my respirator and grind it off, was curious what it would be though.

[clamdigger]

Talked to the original owner today, he said that years ago he put more than a generous amount of Cuprinol in the bilge, I guess its possible it soaked through the planks and that is my mystery substance. Any advice on dealing with this? will glass adhere to wood treated with this or will i have to skin the boat with plywood and glass over that?

thanks

[gonzo]

It seems it adhered to it for many years. There shouldn't be any problem now. Cuprinol is copper arsenate. It doesn't smell much but leaves a metallic taste if y.ou grind it without a respirator