Water in Swimstep Core - R-27 Classic

[Smcavana]

Our 2011 R-27 Classic is in the yard for a new dinghy and updated Weaver davits to hold the dinghy higher on the swimstep--also for the installation of a St. Croix Little Crane for transferring a 6hp outboard between the dinghy and the stern rail where it will be mounted. In drilling holes in the swimstep for the new davits and the crane, the yard tells us they discovered water and "sponginess" in the wood core. Have others encountered this issue? I have a vague recollection of seeing some mention and discussion on Tugnuts, but can't find it. Anyway, the yard suggests that in dryer, warmer weather, such as in August, we haul the boat and have them cut out the rotten wood, then glass in new wood, carefully re-bedding all the rails, davits, etc. If others have had this problem, how did you handle it? Thanks.

 

[dclagett]

Sounds like the yards suggestion is correct to replace the core. However I would go further and use a core other than wood if possible that would not be susceptible to water intrusion. If you need to use wood make sure that any fasteners that go into the wood are completely encased in epoxy. On the C-brats web site, accessible from the Tugnuts home page, there are tutorials on how to accomplish this so no water intrusion into your new wood is likely.

Good luck

 

[Red Raven]

When I added an additional post to the swimstep rail to stabilize our dinghy motor mount I did get some water out of the holes I drilled for the bolts which surprised and worried me a bit. There was no wood that As far as I could determine in that location. Not sure where I heard this but I think that there is only wood in certain locations for rail and dinghy mounts etc. I just let it dry out a bit and added my new bolts with plenty of 5200 adhesive and have been keeping an eye out for any more signs of water or weakeness in the connections. No issues after several years though I have not opened it back up to check for any water since.

I’d be interested in what the factory has to say.

On a related note. I noticed water seepage from one of the swim step brackets where it is bolted to the hull. No water was evident inside the boat near these bolts. I pulled the bolts to see what was going on. I was concerned about water in the glass. It turns out the water was in the stainless tubing of the bracket and not in the hull. There is a small hole in the center of the round mounting plate at the end of the bracket. While the holes in the hull were sealed well the bracket was not completely sealed to the hull and water would get into the hollow bracket tubing and then slowly leach out when on the trailer. I let the bracket drain and filled the hole in the mounting plate with 5200 and sealed the whole assembly against the hull. I’ll have to wait till next fall to see if I fixed it.

 

[Smcavana]

Thanks Red Raven and Dream Chaser. We, too, would be interested in what the factory has to suggest. We've had some wood core issues on our sailboat from time to time that didn't amount to anything in the end, and hopefully that's true here as well. Penetrating epoxy?

 

[Andrew Custis]

The majority of all of the platforms we have produced over the years are cored with Nida Core and core mat material. The only place wood was typically placed was in areas where we needed compression strength such as swim platform supports, dinghy davit mounts and where the swim ladder mounts.

 

[Red Raven]

I’m not going to worry about it unless it presents problems with any of the mounted hardware. It can’t travel to the hull. Penetrating epoxy sounds like an excellent option if problems arise. It doesn’t sound like there is much wood in there.

 

[Smcavana]

Thanks, Andrew! Are there drawings available? The original Weaver davits (for a Portland Pudgy) have been moved a few inches laterally to accomodate a RIB inflatable, but are still on the aft edge of the swimstep, obviously. The base for the outboard lift crane is right next to the second vertical stanchion inboard from the port side, slightly forward about 45 degrees (and there is a support attached to the lateral piece of stainless directly above). It sounds like these base areas are the ones we should be concerned about with these new installations.

 

[BB marine]

Our 2011 R-27 Classic is in the yard for a new dinghy and updated Weaver davits to hold the dinghy higher on the swimstep--also for the installation of a St. Croix Little Crane for transferring a 6hp outboard between the dinghy and the stern rail where it will be mounted. In drilling holes in the swimstep for the new davits and the crane, the yard tells us they discovered water and "sponginess" in the wood core. Have others encountered this issue? I have a vague recollection of seeing some mention and discussion on Tugnuts, but can't find it. Anyway, the yard suggests that in dryer, warmer weather, such as in August, we haul the boat and have them cut out the rotten wood, then glass in new wood, carefully re-bedding all the rails, davits, etc. If others have had this problem, how did you handle it? Thanks.

When your install is complete could you post a few pictures of the St. Croix Little crane install? I would be interested copying your install. When I installed the weaver davits on the platform I found that the wood was wet ( no rot) when I drilled thru the platform. I drilled all 8 holes and left them open for a week and then finished the install. I was surprised to see wood and really surprised to see it wet. When I installed the davits I backed them up with stainless steel backing plates under the platform.

 

[Smcavana]

"When your install is complete could you post a few pictures of the St. Croix Little crane install? I would be interested copying your install."

Brian - I may be able to get some shots today when I check on the yard''s progress, but may have to wait until we're back in the water after the job has been completed. It looks like on our R-27 the crane will work perfectly, even allowing the outboard to swing inside the railing on the swimstep on its way to and from the dinghy, i.e between the railing and the transom where the outboard mount is. The thing we love most about the St. Croix is that it is easily disassembled when not needed. The swing arm slips off and the top section of the two-piece pole can just be lifted out, too. I believe the bottom pole section can be removed without tools also, but we'll probably leave it in place because it's not really in the way. Anyway, I'll send pics when I can (and when I've figured out how to add them to a post).