Hi,
Whilst replacing some ropes/ fittings on my new (old) ply mosquito, I noticed that the attachments on the inside front of the hulls for the bridle both feel a little loose. At a guess it appears as if it is a plate which is bolted? to a beam/bulkhead inside the hull, though without looking I can't be sure. I may have to put some hatch holes nearby so that I can have a look, but think maybe the bolts could be starting to come undone? They aren't super loose and still feel pretty strong, though I would think that these should be tighter.

Has anyone got any comments on how these were mounted on your boats , or run into similar problems?

Cheers,
Andrew
Assassin 1363

the holes in the timber could be getting bigger over time,they wont be loose just started to rip through the bulk head, get a hole saw and drill 2 holes next to each other abd keep the pieces, un do the chain plate and reinforce the area the put it back to place, and glue in the pieces you cut out, fair it and paint it!

I basically agree with matt but recommend cutting either an oval or rectangle with a jig saw. If you make it 2" longer than it is wide you can then laminate a bonding flange on what will be the inside surface, let it cure, cover it with glue push into hull, rotate and hold in place. Let it cure then fair and paint. This will give you a much better repair.

Thanks guys, I think I can do this

So what I am thinking is that I cut the hole in the deck over the top of the bulkhead so that I have access to both sides of the bulkhead, so I can I unmount the chainplate, strengthen the bulkhead and remount the chainplate. If cut this in a rectangle or oval, I can laminate a second peice of ply to the underside of the peice I removed which will be glued to the underside of the hull around the cutout. By ' flairing' , I am guessing this means sanding the surrounding area around the repair so that I can blend in the paint?

Does the deck rest on the bulkhead and will they be glued together? Have I interpreted this correctly, or do you suggest I cutout the hull where the chainplate exits the hill?

Excuse my ignorance, this is all new to me!

Thanks again,
Andrew

fairing means "Bog" but in resign and Q-cel mixed and makes a putty,just to fill all the low spots so the surface is even.

cut in the middle of the deck on both sides but not to sure about the bulkhead being glued, i assume it is.
I havent done this kind of repair over a bulk head but i have seen it done in bits and pieces

Matt

Andrew, if your nervous about cutting holes in your boat I don't live far from you (assumption based on the fact you're sailing at sugerloaf. If you bring you boat up to my place in the Kalorama I'd be happy to help out.

Hey guys,

Thanks heaps for the advise, Chris - I appreciate the offer but I can't ask you to do that for me! Very nervous about cutting holes in my new toy but I've gotta learn sometime - I was warned about buying an older ply boat!

It looks like I will have a weekend free in a couple of weeks, I think I'll try and do the repair then. Chris, would you don't mind me giving you a quick call when I go to buy the epoxies etc to make sure I grab the right stuff?

Thanks again,
Andrew

Easiest Place in melbourne for what you're after will be www.marinetimbers.com.au they should have everything you need and be able to advise you on how to proceed. Having said that, for this job you could almost get everything at Bunnings.

Always available for a chat if you're after advice. Follow the link below and you'll soon find my phone number.

Cheers,

Will give those guys a go. Thanks again guys, will hopefully have this boat on the water soon, I'm itching to take it out!

Morning ,

Word of advice tho' .... the deck will be glued to the bulkhead frame in your boat, standard practice for plyboats.

Enjoy the experience

David
Salpicon de Resplandor, 1744