Materials Required
- 1 sheet of 3/8" balsa wood assuming 8x4 piece
- 2 - Inidividual sections are roughly 81" x 23"
- 4 pieces roughly 81"x23" 1.5oz Fiberglass Mat
- 2 pieces roughly 81"x23" 1.8oz Woven rove
From the Pearson Current Newsletter
Q: have a small yacht maintenance business in Gulfport, MS and have the privilege of taking care of three P424s. I believe all three owners are members of your Association. One of the owners wants us to beef up the v-berth to prevent oil canning. I’ve read several articles in The Current on this problem, but I am not sure if I should lay some thicker glass on the inside of the hull or seek another solution. I know the shelves and v-berth need reinforcing where they come in contact with the hull. It seems to me that the hull is very thin under the shelf down to the v-berth. Any ideas that you might have would be most helpful.
— Brian WelchA: I would recommend the following between the underside of the shelf and the top ginof the V-berth:
- Sand the inside of the hull to remove any wax, glue, etc.
- Apply one layer of 1.5 oz. mat in this area. Catalyze the resin for a slow cure to keep it cool to prevent print through.
- Before the mat cures, wet the panel of 3/8" thick balsa with resin that will go against the hull and apply pressure to the balsa for a good bond. Note that you should taper all 4 edges of the balsa over a width of 2".)
- After this lay up has cured, apply one layer of 1.5 oz. mat and over this one layer of 1.8 oz. woven roving. This should stiffen the area considerably.
-- Bill Shaw