San Juan 21 Class Association

So with the transom mostly rebuilt, I'm looking ahead to re-coring the deck. The previous owner had reinforced the deck with plywood and some 1X2 and 1X6 cross pieces, all of which was pretty rotten and falling in (see pics). The old core and inner skin had been removed at some point, and that all that stuff had been added to the top skin. I was worried that it might have just been added below the soft deck, but luckily not. Once I removed the rusted and frozen deck hardware, the plywood and supporting framework came right out. Lots of old glue to scrape and sand before I can lay in the new core, but that's pretty straightforward.

I seem to have an issue with getting more than one pic to attach. Here's another shot of the rotting deck structure.

Thanks for sharing. You have a lot of work ahead! At some point you may run out of capacity to post pics directly. I use imgbb.com to host my images and then cut/paste the code into posts.

I just finished a complete recore last summer. It is quite the job.

Fiberglassing a new inner skin was the worst part. My best tip is to not try to get giant pieces of cloth up and using 3m 77 to get the fabric to stick and then work the epoxy in with a foam brush (that will quickly fall off the brush handle)

Wow, yeah you definitely have some work to do. I can’t believe someone tried to support the deck that way. Man good luck. I use Faststone resizer to get my pics to size.

https://www.faststone.org/FSResizerDetail.htm

Good luck again my friend!

I also have re-cored the cabin top and the foredeck of my boat - Deuces Wild, #2 built in 1969. I would strongly recommend taking the keel out and turning the boat over so you are doing all the work with gravity as your friend. I rolled mine in rope loops about six feet apart - once the keel is out, the hull is quite manageable for 2-3 people. I built a small cradle to support the foredeck from the sheer and set both ends on 55 gal drums, which brought the companionway to waist level with standing headroom under the hull. Once I had all the dross cleaned off the outer skin, I epoxied new core down in a light mush with plastic over it and thin ply over that to distribute the weight of many concrete blocks to make sure I had complete adhesion. The inside skin is now quite easy to apply. As I re-call, I used a layer of 1208 biaxial and a 4 oz cloth laid in the same process, rolled out with a ridge roller and left a little resin rich for a smoother surface - easier to clean later. While I was at it, I added 2 deck beams of foam core with unidirectional and biaxial to the cabin top, one at the forward edge of the companionway and another halfway to the cabin top break - also one across the foredeck....minimal extra weight and much added extra stiffness. I can jump on the deck anywhere without worry. It may seem like a lot of work to get the keel out, but it will save much frustration and epoxy all over you and the inside of the boat, plus then you can do what keel work that needs to be done without working overhead under the boat. It really helps to have somebody to mix epoxy for you while you're doing the big lay-ups....also, pre-cut the fiberglass and note where each piece goes before getting anything wet.

Thanks all for the advice and encouragement! I am planning to turn the boat over. I did have a passing thought of leaving the keel in when I flipped it, but I have realized that would not be a good idea. Given the rough shape of the rest of the boat, it's probably a good idea to give the keel and trunk a thorough inspection anyway.

I did a partial deck re-core on hull #65. I would also advocate for flipping the boat to make the glass work much easier. I didn't remove the keel before flipping my boat. I built a gantry crane in my garage with a two winch set up that allowed me to flip the boat with keel myself. I made a time lapse video of the process which you can see here: https://youtu.be/_LGfA5BARvo. Unfortunately, I have had a couple surgeries get in the way of my restoration and the boat is still upside-down in my garage to this day... but I am making some slow progress and hope to have her in the water this year.

Good Luck!

Sculpin,
I have watched your video so often that my wife recognizes the music! Very inspiring. I'm still working on other projects (and playing with other hobbies), but hope to bring the boat in to flip it in the next couple of months.
By the way, I'm the guy who left the comment on your video eight months ago, and I'm still not there yet.... I also hope to be in the water this year!