[Rhodes22-list] Bruce's Rotten Bottom continued ...

[bgreenwald at optonline.net]

Dave,
I am still waiting for the can of debond that I ordered to arrive before any further efort in removing the base.

You are correct - the problem is with the table base - I don't know if it was rust but it has completely disintegrated - of course, that may welll have led to some rotted foam but I choose not to think about that) I started using a circular rubber sink drain cover to lay over the hole with a weight o top of it.  I am not really sure how good a seal it forms and, once I am able to install the new base I plan to explore further.  This can't be that complicated to solve (my list of "uncomplicated things to solve" that have no solution yet has grown mightily since I became a boat owner.

Bruce

----- Original Message -----
From: DCLewis1 at aol.com
Date: Sunday, May 27, 2007 4:42 pm
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Bruce's Rotten Bottom continued ...
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org

> 
> Bruce,
> 
> Any progress re your rotten bottom?
> 
> You refer to the bottom being rotted out, but from your 
> description I think 
> you’re focused on the well in the table base - which on our boat 
> would rust 
> out, not rot out. Is the issue rust in the table base well or 
> rot in or under 
> the cockpit flooring?
> 
> I’ve been concerned about water pooling in the table base well 
> for some time 
> now - I can see how that could rust out over time. I haven’t 
> found a 
> commercial waterproof cap that could stop pooling in that well 
> yet. Todd has given 
> me a link and I’ll follow up, a suitable cap may exist.
> 
> FWIW, last season, lacking a suitable commercial product, I 
> tried a couple 
> of different things to cap off or plug up the table base well 
> to keep water 
> out; what worked best was a somewhat flimsy aluminum pie pan 
> (flimsy is good, 
> because when the thing is finished you want to make the aluminum 
> conform to 
> the entire base) trimmed down to slightly more than cover the 
> entire table 
> base. I found I had to epoxy a suitable number of washers and a 
> bolt to the 
> center of the cover so that the whole thing wouldn't blow off. 
> I center the 
> washer and bolt in the well hole and press it all down to cover 
> the entire 
> table base when we leave the boat. After several iterations 
> (mostly adding 
> weight to the cover so it wouldn't blow off) it works well in 
> terms of keeping 
> water out of the table base well. The bad news is that because 
> the aluminum is 
> relatively flimsy the cover get’s bent dinged, etc easily; it 
> doesn’t look “
> professional” and it only looks worse over time - but it works 
> well. If 
> your problem is a rusted out table base well, this type of cap 
> might get you 
> through until you you get a chance to really take on the repair.
> 
> Dave
> 
> 
> 
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Bruce Greenwald
S/V Ruach II