MPARSONS Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 A few weeks ago during rescue practice the front of my coaming separated from the deck. I tried putting a coating of epoxy in the joint and clamping it down for a day, but the next time I used it, it popped free again very easily. What should I do? I thought maybe a layer of fiberglass would give it extra support, but since the epoxy didn't bond very well at all, I'm afraid the fiberglass won't either. Is there some trick to reattaching a coaming? It looks like the coaming itself might be plastic, so does that change anything? Any ideas would be appreciated. Now that the weather is nicer, I'll be using the boat more and its no fun having an injection of water in the cockpit with every wave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Allen Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Marc- I had a similar problem on my currituck. I reinforced the deck and coaming with maybe 2 layers of glass & epoxy (done one after the other); filled the remaining cracks and small hole with epoxy and then added a layer of gel coat to clean it all up. Most difficult part was working the gel coat on the curve; I had lots of sanding to do when done. Hasn't leaked or broken again. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 A few weeks ago during rescue practice the front of my coaming separated from the deck. I tried putting a coating of epoxy in the joint and clamping it down for a day, but the next time I used it, it popped free again very easily. What should I do? I thought maybe a layer of fiberglass would give it extra support, but since the epoxy didn't bond very well at all, I'm afraid the fiberglass won't either. Is there some trick to reattaching a coaming? It looks like the coaming itself might be plastic, so does that change anything? Any ideas would be appreciated. Now that the weather is nicer, I'll be using the boat more and its no fun having an injection of water in the cockpit with every wave. I too have had to reglass my coaming. The coaming is not plastic but fiberglass and needs to be sanded as epoxy will stick to smooth a surface. -Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPARSONS Posted July 6, 2009 Author Share Posted July 6, 2009 Thanks, that is some great information. Phil, did you put the additional fiberglass on the inside of the coaming or the outside? Jason, same question as Phil: inside or outside? Also, when you sanded the coaming to help it stick, did you remove the whole coaming to get easier access to the area you needed to sand? I'll have to jam the sandpaper up in the joint that has separated, so that will likely make the separation expand, potentially such that the whole thing pops off. That might not be a big deal if I can be sure to get it back on with a good bond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_Crouse Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 I too have some coaming issues, odd that we all have Shadows.... but mine is an old Foster-Rowe Shadow. Mine is coming "unglued" but is also a bit misshapen. I can't decide if I should reattach it or if I should try to make a new coaming. I think the thigh braces on my Shadow are different than the new ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Allen Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Thanks, that is some great information. Phil, did you put the additional fiberglass on the inside of the coaming or the outside? Jason, same question as Phil: inside or outside? Also, when you sanded the coaming to help it stick, did you remove the whole coaming to get easier access to the area you needed to sand? I'll have to jam the sandpaper up in the joint that has separated, so that will likely make the separation expand, potentially such that the whole thing pops off. That might not be a big deal if I can be sure to get it back on with a good bond. Marc- My crack was in the water well at the base of the coaming where it joined the deck, and had spread to ~10-18 inches around before I got to repairing it. I reinforced from the inside with probably 2"-3" strips of glass. So I sanded inside the cockpit a bit to get things to stick. Also, I drilled small holes at the end of the existing crack to try and prevent it from spreading more before repairing both the crack and the holes with epoxy. Epoxy alone was not sufficient to close the leak and prevent further cracking, though I no problems with epoxy sticking in the crack. I presume the flexing of the deck was greater than the flexibility of the epoxy. Adding the strips of glass and resin seemed to stiffen the deck enough that things have been holding tight for the last year. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Thanks, that is some great information. Phil, did you put the additional fiberglass on the inside of the coaming or the outside? Jason, same question as Phil: inside or outside? Also, when you sanded the coaming to help it stick, did you remove the whole coaming to get easier access to the area you needed to sand? I'll have to jam the sandpaper up in the joint that has separated, so that will likely make the separation expand, potentially such that the whole thing pops off. That might not be a big deal if I can be sure to get it back on with a good bond. I put a few (4) layers of glass on the inside. I didn't remove anything in this case. -Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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