coamings

[commanderpete]

No bolts, only wood screws. The coamings will only be difficult to get off if some tenacious sealant was used on the backside.

Unfortunately, I've been getting some experience doing this job.

Last year, I removed the boards and refinished them with Bristol Finish. Turned out to be a disaster. After about three months the Bristol Finish began to fail. Imagine my dispair.

This year I took the boards off again. I stripped off the Bristol Finish and I'm going back to varnish.  Epifanes is beautiful stuff.

When re-mounting the boards, you don't have to butter the back with sealant. You can just run a bead at the edge where it meets the deck.

However, I think some sealant on the back is a good idea to hold the boards on. I don't want the stress to be concentrated at the screw holes, possibly causing the wood to split.

I don't usually use silicone, but I might for this job because the grip is not too strong. The boards will pop off easier if I have to do this job again, hopefully not for a long time.

[John]

That sounds like good news.  My coamings are due for  some serious work, and I didn't want to damage either the coamings or the boat.  I will take a nice slim spreader,however.

It went from 80 deg to 32 deg in 24 hrs here but I hear reports that spring may come one day this year.

[commanderpete]

I read about one trick to break the grip of the sealant. Get a guitar string  and push it behind the coaming. Work the string up and down as you move along to break the seal.

I believe one of our Triton friends, Nathan or Tim, came up with this idea.

Using the paint scraper/putty knife was slow going. Bring several to act as wedges.

[John]

What a great idea.  I think I may go looking for some thin wire at the hardware store.  My guitar is long gone.

There is a small chance that the coamings are bedded with dolphinite.  I am thinking I  will use as it as it stays soft.

Are your coamings through bolted or screwed to a backing strip, as suggested earlier?

[dasein668]

That was Tim's idea... but I supplied him with the guitar string!

I nearly destroyed my coamings getting them off... They were installed just with screws and silicone and for something that's not supposed to stick very well, it sure held on tight! But I was planning to replace them anyway, so I wasn't too worried.

My new ones will just have some polysulfide at the screw holes, I think. Having installed them once already, I'm confident that the screws alone will hold them A-OK.

Nathan
dasein668.com

[John]

Most of the polysulphides are "low strength" adhesives, I think. I just want to bed it, not glue it on.

Ice must be out of the river up thayar in Gorum, I'd think.

[dasein668]

That's true. Something like 3M 101 is somewhat adhesive, but it's a pretty good sealant for screw holes, and I'm literally talking about a little dollup at each screw hole just to keep water out, not bedding the whole coaming. But one could certainly use something else for that purpose, as preferred. And if you are planning to bed the whole thing, definately use something else!

Yup. Ice is out. But we're still having that lovely "wait a minute" new england weather. Tuesday was 84 degrees, and I slept with the windows open. This morning I found my seedlings frozen solid and its about 35 or 40 with a stiff breeze blowing.... lovely. :rolleyes:

[John]

I have used Dolphinite, and both 3M and BoatLife seem to have good polysulphide products, so I'll find something.  My fear is that water can collect on the outside seam and I have had problems keeping varnish along that outside seam.  That's why I think a bead will be better than a dollop at the screw holes.

Being from away and all, I don't get all the local news from family.  I was in Saco about 10 days agao and thought I read that the state has purchased additional land in the Pool at Biddeford.  What'r they doin up ta Augusta?  That's not going to turn into a bird place is it???

The weather is not much better here on Cape Ann.  I might as well go to Madawaska and check the snow there.:rolleyes:

[Theis]

A note here might be helpful.  I used 101 polysulfide along the entire coaming.  First, when there is spray and water on the deck, it keeps water from dripping from the deck on to the seat - a comfort issue, particularly if you are on the high side..

It also protects against water and ice becoming sandwiched between the fiberglass and the wood, and rotting the wood.  It keeps that connection dry, in other words.

Lastly, this year I am refinishing my coamings (Epifanes again).  With the polysulfide, I can remove the screws and the coaming stays in place while I refinish it.  That is a real convenience.

[dasein668]

Theis: Good points about the water incursion. But, in my case, I'd rather remove the coamings and refinish them inside when necessary, so I don't want the coamings to stay in place without the screws! Just a matter of preference though. So I guess that might bring us back to just running a bead of silicone at the top edge. On the other hand, 10 to 12 coats of spar varnish probably will be sufficient to protect against rot for the minor amount of water that might get caught in there. Freezing over the winter would be more of a concern, I'm guessing. Hmmm. As usual, many issues to balance!

John: With the non-stop war coverage up here, I haven't heard much about the Biddeford Pool purchase--or anything else, for that matter! As far as Augusta goes, its tough to tell in advance what will really happen with any given administration. My grandfather is a long-time family friend of the new Gov, and has a very positive view.... time will tell!

Cheers all,

[Mike Goodwin]

Why not use the material designed for the application , bedding compound ? I'm pretty sure you can still buy Dolphinite bedding compound at a 'real' marine supply store. It comes in qt. or gallon cans and is a paste designed to do just what you are talking about and nothing more .

[Bill]

We've used a polysulfide bedding compound to create a bead along the edge where the boards and deck meet.  Done it twice in the past 20 years.  First time in 1978 we were replacing  Dolfinite.  The R&R in 1998 was easy and the boards came away with just a little help from a putty knife.

[John]

Well....Tomorrow the WX is supposed to be in the Mid-50's and sunny here on the Beautiful North Shore (of Boston).  I will have more to report on tomorrow night,  after the bunny work is done.  Heh heh:D

It does help to spell correctly.  Dolfinite, a product from Woolsey, is still available in pints and quarts.  Interlux has a similar product, called Boatyard Bedding Compound, as well.  Dolphinite is a bottom paint and wax company, in my back yard (Ipswich).

Dasein668:  Hmmmm, my great-Uncle was president of the Maine Senate for a number or years.  He didn't  seem like a politician though. and he did have some interesting times.  Are we linked by politics as well as sailboats??

John
Valhalla
Commander No 287

[John]

Saturday is almost over and the cover is off Valhalla!  The coamings are still in place.  I seem to have some recalcitrant No 16 x 3 in screws.  The smaller one holding the winch stands and 3 holding the coamings do not want to move.  I plan to attack with the largest screwdriver I have and also an old hand drill with a screwdriver bit.  I have already twisted the head off one of the screws on the winch stand.

John
Valhalla
Commander No 287

[Hull376]

Try heating up the screws .  Several quick passes over the head with a propane torch at lowest flame possible (and a fire extinguisher handy!) will soften the gunk and make it start to turn. I did this to remove both the coaming boards and the old winch pads. DO THIS CAREFULLY AND SAFELY.  The big bronze bolt in the winch pad which goes through the deck was really stuck, but the heat made it move without messing up the slot.  Replaced the wooden winch stands with the Spartan marine bronze castings from Defender that Tim suggested earlier in the post.