Swan Point 19 Sole Repair

3/4 plywood and glass patch for a soft spot in the sole
New patch of 3/4 marine plywood and glass is the right fix for a soft spot in the sole of a Swan Point 19 center console.

It’s not uncommon for a boat to develop soft spots in the sole  around the console.  Any unsealed penetration, like a console hold-down screw hole, will allow water intrusion.  This boat has a fiberglass-over-plywood sole.  So once the water gets to the plywood, it will eventually rot.

Evaluation hole cut and damage assessed
Evaluation hole cut in the sole and taped off area of damage.

The first step is to evaluate the extent of the damage.  I cut an inspection hole big enough to reach in and feel around the underside of the plywood.  Then I taped off the approximate area of damage.  I decided to cut a rectangular piece out and replace it with new material.

 

 

 

 

Rectangular hole left after cutting away the bad wood
Bad wood is cut out leaving a clean rectangular hole. Notice the cleats glued in to support the new patch.

Fortunately, the stringers weren’t damaged, so I could glue cleats to them to support the new piece of 3/4 fir marine plywood.  Once it was glued in and all gaps between it and the existing sole had been filled, I tapered the fiberglass away from the hole and placed 3 layers of glass over the plywood.

Note that the center strip between the hatch openings was replaced too.  I used 2 inch fiberglass tape around the hatch openings to seal this exposed edge from further water intrusion.

 

 

Screw holes were sealed to prevent the problem from recurring.
The console is back in place and all screw holes have been properly sealed.

Finally, screw holes for the console and the hatch covers were overdrilled and filled with thickened epoxy.  This provides a waterproof “puck” of epoxy to drill into so that if the screw sealant fails, the water still won’t get into the plywood.

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