Rotted Wood Combing

[ebb]

For routine removal of coamings bed in Dolfinite.
Easy on.  Easy off.   Easy cleanup.
No mess.  No fuss.  Cheap.
One can might be enough.

Ambient temperature putty knife required.

[mbd]

Oh by the way, if you heat your putty knife with a propane torch it will cut right through the caulk when it's time to remove.

Well, that would have been some helpful advice had I asked BEFORE I split my coaming! It's not too bad really, in fact it looks as though I just made a previous crack a bit bigger.  I'm thinking I'll just soak it with epoxy and clamp it together after I remove all the old varnish and before I apply the new. Is there a better way?

BTW, thanks for the replies guys. I'll look into the non-torch Dolfinite application. Gracias.

[bill@ariel231]

The smaller fractures in A-231's coamings were glued with Epoxy. The larger ones required a "Dutchman" glued in place of the splintered lower edge.

[Mike Goodwin]

A lot of folks ignore this great product which has been around for decades and go for the "super goo's" which is a mistake in 90% of the work I have had to come behind and repair.
It is a pure 'bedding compound' with no real adhesive properties , perfect for coamings on glass where the screws take the load . That is why it is still around. We used a 55 gal drum of it on the 122' schooner I helped build .
Most folks don't think of taking things apart when they are putting them together !

[SkipperJer]

Mike,
From what I've heard about Dolfinite it sounds like the right thing for re-bedding coamings.  How does it do in sunlight?  The joint where the coaming meets the deck will be exposed.  Any deterioration issues to watch for?

[ebb]

The exposed Dolfinite between the coaming and the deck will oxidize.  That's good because you can then paint over it or as  Bill a few years ago wrote that he put a bead of polysulfide in those seams.

Perhaps one could really clean out the seam when the coamings are newly mounted by using paint thinner and fingers in a rag - wiping  the squeeze out out of the seam to leave a clean smooth depression about a 1/4" deep.  Then, after it is dry, blue tape it off and press in (with the same finger) a tidy line of white rubber.  This would make the appearance of the join better.  

I believe in a 3 year  old thread here we also surmised that the coamings should have the same number of varnish coats over every surface, especially where they are screwed to the cockpit.

Dolfinite's neutral color makes it a natural for bedding interior fiddles, trim and other work as well.  This stuff is made to be used above and under  water as a waterproofing seam compound.  So it is not less of a product than a synthetic rubber.  It isn't a glue or adhesive - it's a friendly compound when you are attaching wood trim to frp and you don't need to bond.  Any wood should be sealed with CPES befor bedding. This can help the compound last longer as the oils won't soak into the wood.

Can anybody think of a reason NOT to use Dolfinite under the winches?  Under the mast pad?  Maybe even under chocks and cleats and chafing plates.  
Stanchion bases? Thar be a good place for p.sulfide.

{There's a good aguement for not using Dolfinite if your fit and holes are sloppy.  Because you can thickly apply p.sulfide and wait to tighten up a fitting until partially set in order to get a thicker flexible gasket.  When you cinch up you can get a very mechanically watertight connection.
 
You will squeeze out most of the Dolfinite under most fittings.  Imco Dolfinite does its job when very thin which I don't believe rubber will.  
Dolfinite is definitely correct for bedding wood to itself or fiberglass.  And correct for pieces you intend to take off later for varnishing.  Dolfinite is also less likely to leave gaps or spaces that rubber.  If you slather D. on both sides of the work you can get a pretty good voidless mating  of the surfaces and therefor no leaks.
As for those who say D. dries out, I would point out that the tighter the mating, the better the fit, the fresher the compound will be when you take it apart.  Dolfinite is not really a good gap filler.  And Dolfinite filled gaps will dry out.
In boat building a FAYED seam is where two pieces of wood are closely joined.  Like keel structures.  That is where Dolfinite or white lead would be put, to keep any water from seeping in.  That tight!}

[Mike Goodwin]

I have a strong feeling that Dolfinite is no more than clay thickened paint with the Japan dryer left out and extra linseed oil added to it. It has been around longer than I have and I have used it for over 40 years .

I have varnished it and painted it and just left it the hell alone . It worked all the same . I have taken joints apart that were 25 years old and the Dolfinite still smelled fresh and was plyable .

Try it on a cracker with a hunk of Jarlsburg and a black olive , bet it will stick to your ribs .

[ebb]

Mike,
It's boatyard vasoline, right?
Petroleum jelly with a little filler.

Somebody on the woodenboat site
compared it to old fashioned peanut butter
- gets hard in the can with a layer of oil
over it - after you've forgotten it for a year -
and the lid not hammered in tight enuf.

It's like the tube rubbers, once you've
opened the can it'll never be that soft and
smooth again.

[commanderpete]

Next time I pull those boards I'm gonna devise a way to varnish both sides at once

[ebb]

Easy.  Turn a couple screweyes in the screwholes already there and hang em from the rafters in the garage.  Do most of the painting on the bench and do tetchup on the wires.  You'll get all the runs and drips that way too.


(dang, can't resist) Could screw cup hooks into the bottom edge nobody sees
to get them to hang properly.  Upside down like that the top rounded edge would tend to get more varnish, which is always needed there!!!

[Al Lorman]

I used Dolphinite when I rebedded the bow pulpit on my Commander.  A friend had welded it all together for me so that it would be more rigid and stronger.  Only problem was trying to figure out how to get it back in place without having about 20 hands.  I had visions of caulking all over the place.  I decided to use Dolphinite because it would make the least mess when the deck fittings inevitably moved around before I got a bolt into each.  That part worked fine.  What didn't work real well was the Dolphinite.  Within a year, I had a spongy foredeck.  Sorry, but I'd never risk using the stuff again.

[Mike Goodwin]

Al , that is not what it is for . Can't blame it on tha dolfinite, user error.
That where the miracle goos are good.

[commanderpete]

Ebb, how about eye bolts through the holes and eye nuts. Fancy

Some kind of tube through the hole would work too

[ebb]

Mornin C'pete,
From what you say, it comes to mind that something as simple as  some stiff insulated electric wire would work well. #12 that could take a shape as you bent it to move it away from the surfaces.  Given the bend in the pieces, they aren't going to hang nicely, (338s old coamings have kept most of their curve) it might just be simpler to put temporary eyes in the bottom edge to get it to hang better.

Taking the coamings on and off has a problem too, doesn't it?  The holes will start showing activity, chips breaking out maybe or the hole oversizing, a ding from the driver slipping.  I guess some have gone with those stamped donut washers to dress it up.  But the holes in the boat will start loosening up, and upsizing screws could get expensive or even problematic.  Don't know what the answer is here.  Be nice if hanger bolts were in the holes and as you reinstalled the coamings you just pressed them in place over the threaded portion and turned on the nuts.  Corse you'd have these annoying nubs in yer butt.  Just another annoying idea!

Might get back to barrel nuts on this!

[bill@ariel231]

CommanderPete & Ebb

"Next time I pull those boards I'm gonna devise a way to varnish both sides at once - Commander Pete"


I got away with clamping the coamings in a "workmate" using the bronze bolt that projects below the winch base.

cheers,

Bill