Rotted Wood Combing

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Bean an ole woodworker it's hard to imagine a toolkit without the Fuller taper drill bit and counterbores and a set of plug cutters.  There are NO substitutes.  And Fuller is a family run business - which are disappearing like rare ducks these days - so we should be supportring them anyway.

Fuller kits at //www.ehartwicks.com (just for example, have not studied their prices, but they do have helpful intros to the Fuller 'system') start at $80.  That puts you in business for drilling traditional screw holes.
 
You need to check the size of the counterbores - different screw sizes share the same size plug hole maker.  You will most likely need 1/4, 3/8, 1/2" - TAPER plug makers.  
You will then find you have to have size 14 for 1/4" screws.  Not sure of the plug cutter you need these days for that size. 5/8"?... but that's a good size to have for burying carriage bolts, say. Or erasing a bad hole scar.

They may seem esoteric at this point - and you will never need them all the time.  But when you need them, you can't do it right without them.

{There are probably size 8 and 10 screws used mostly in the A/C.  And those two might share the same plug cutter - so you could get started with 3 pieces and expand as you require.  It would seem that some intelligent merchandiser would put a basic kit together, like in a nice wood box, that would INCLUDE the plug cutters that go with the taper/counterbores.  At a decent price - but that is asking too much.}

[ebb]

In no way do I recommend these tools as I have never used them.  They are innovative as they are used in the hex push/pull chuck that has become  popular with cordless drivers.  The Pro chuck can be used in any drill.  IE you can chuck the Pro chuck into a keyed chuck in a normal drill (puts the bit a bit far from the drill) - Or chuck any of the pieces into a keyed chuck.  So, you don't NEED to get the Pro Chuck.

Thus: you can have your bits and plug cutters too for what looks like a pretty reasonable price. (But not in a nice little box.)  ehartville (above) has them.
2 pc Insty plug cutter set = $21
3 pc Insty taper drill set = $25 (screw sizes #6, #8, #10)
Insty Pro chuck = $10

Can't see making plugs with a hand drill, but you never know!
{How many wood bits would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck would chuck bits?}

[ebb]

The counterbore on a tapered drill bit is held in place with one or two small set screws.  You move the counterbore to match the length screw you're driving.  Decades ago when I got my first set of Fuller's I had trouble with the counterbore moving  when counter sinking.  No matter how tight the set screw it would still move back up the bit.

So I called Fuller and the guy said,"Cut a few dowels, drill a hole in the center, put one or two between the top of the counterbore and the drill chuck."  Remember thinking afterwards how dumb my question was, and how patient and pleasant the guy was. You know, because I'm sure in my stupidity I was intimating that there was something wrong with the tool.

Fuller has short and long taperdrills.  If you are drilling many same holes you should custom together a bit and bore.  The counterbore 'rides' on the drill bit.  The bit gets too skinny to hold the counterbore properly when using a long bit for short screws.  Short bit for short screws.  You also need a dental pick handy to clear the counterbore teeth because wood crumbs get compacted, and in soft woods you can actually make the countersink holes larger by forcing it clogged into the work.

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Instead of a nice little box for the different size taper bits, the different counterbores, the stop collars, extra set screws, mini allen wrenches, plug cutters, dental pick, and dowel spacers. and extra plugs.....you can, now that you have entered your nautical period, sew up a nice little canvas bag with a side zipper to fill with your Fuller System.

[mbd]

Remember thinking afterwards how dumb my question was, and how patient and pleasant the guy was.

I have this same feeling all the time in regards to this forum...  

[mbd]

Just to update this thread, here are the results of my coaming saga.

This first picture shows the rotted section from a previous post. I did Mike G's "chemo" treatment (from above) then, because the rotted section was so punky, I drilled holes throughout so I could make sure the epoxy penetrated everywhere.

Next, rather than thin the epoxy, I heated the resin with my heat gun before mixing to thin it. I left the coaming on the driveway in the afternoon sunlight to heat it up, then injected and saturated the rotted area with the epoxy. I did this routine twice and still had lots of holes that still needed filling. I reasoned that the epoxy had saturated all the exposed wood by now, so I thickened up a batch with silica thickener and filled the remaining holes and low areas.

Then, just to make sure the area was "sealed", I bought a small batch of West's clear hardener (205) and covered the area. ...and while I was at it, coated the winch pad as well, especially since I stuffed some epoxy in the gaps on the pad. Here it is after a couple of clear coats.  It ain't pretty, but it also ain't showing either.

The other coaming, which I had cracked when removing, got epoxied and clamped to fix the crack, then the same clear coat treatment on the winch pad.

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And after a couple of coats of varnish...

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The varnishing "rack" (gallows?) in action....
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It worked OK as far as varnishing the pieces, but was perfect for getting them out of the way when drying and allowing me to use the work bench for other things. I even hung my tiller from one of the bolts suspending a coaming to varnish and dry it. All in all, it worked pretty good - I'll keep this same setup for future varnishing.

[SkipperJer]

I've just finished pulling, sanding/varnishing, and replacing the coamings on my Commander.  There wasn't any caulk at all behind them so one felt like you were sailing a board-boat on a "sporty" day.  Every wave that hit the coamings sluiced water down on to the seats.  Rather than load the gap with something like Life Caulk I tried Interlux Bedding Compound:
http://www.yachtpaint.com/usa//product_guide/fillers/US_boatyard_bedding_compound.asp?ComponentID=9799&SourcePageID=6685#1

I liked the idea that Interlux claims their bedding compound dries to a paint-able skin when exposed to the air but remains flexible within the joint.  The product was thicker than the usual "peanut butter" standard the epoxy folks like to refer to.  It was rather stiff but workable with a putty knife.  The word "stout" came to mind.  Once I got used to it I decided that the heavy nature of it allowed for a narrower strip of it where the coaming met the edge of the deck.  They recommend thinning with boiled linseed oil if needed which I did not do.  I found clean-up with mineral spirits easy.

The coamings tended to pull up tight to the cockpit wall at each screw but gap away a little in between more making for a somewhat uneven fit.  I learned to do a press fit or two to adjust the thickness of the stuff along the length.  It looked messier than it was and in the end seemed to work quite well.

I'll keep the board posted on how it works on the water (if I ever get back there) and over time.

[CupOTea]

Mine were on with silicone, like lots of other things on the boat.  I think I am going to use LifeCaulk but there are threads here suggesting Dophinite - which I am looking into before I proceed.

Completely restored my coamings - filled in a little rot and then dyed that part and coated with 8 coats of Epiphanes.  One thing I am trying on another piece of brightwork (a traveller base I had made) is Epiphanes on top of penetrating epoxy from the Rot Doctor.  We'll see how it holds up.

Good luck.