Plastic boat tabbing ...

I have just acquired a Starwind 19 that fits my needs in almost every way. However, the tabbing that joins the interior pan to the hull is falling off, and the bow oilcans when beating into a chop. My supposition is that the support that is supposed to be offered by the interior pan (and the foam underneath it) isnt very supportive and that the hull has too much unsupported flat(ish) forefoot.

I've got thoughts of ripping the deck off, glassing (with epoxy not the polyester used by the mfg) some stringers and reattaching the pan and deck. This seems a bit drastic to me. Any thoughts?

Chad

BTW. I know this isn't really a design question but I lurk here and wanted some advice.

 

Removing the deck cap can be daunting. It's a sizable, though not especially heavy thing. It's also likely bedded in some sort of goo. Which is a guess, based on age manufacture, etc. Butyl rubber was a common material as has been polyurethane. Once all the screws are removed I usually wedge it up and employ a "hot knife" which cuts the sealant easily and quickly.

If I remember these boats, the foam was an attempt at cored construction, that wasn't well applied. You could remove the deck, make a some stringers and other reinforcements, then rebond the liner and deck cap. This isn't a task to take lightly, you'll be stripping the boat of pretty much everything to get at the hull shell. Just getting a "purchase" on the deck cap to pull it off the boat can be challenging.

If you're a good "problem solver" then have a go at it.

 

Thanks, The question is, how brave am I?

Your point about "problem solver" is really good. This is a big can of worms with surprises around every corner. I am confident about solving problems, I am not confident about being able to strap myself down enough every evening and every weekend to solve THESE problems when I spend every working day solving problems.

I am probably going to do it. There are so many little problems to fix (wiring, thru-hulls, foam, stringers, bilge pumps, ...) that were obviously installed before the liner was put in or before the deck was put on, I am looking forward to solving them all in one go. Happily the deck coring is in great shape so I don't have to do that kinda stuff.

Thanks,

Chad