inside panel of my C-dory has separate about 2"

R

russoboat

New member
I have a small problem with my 16 Angler 2005 C-dory (CD016477J405).
The inside panel of my C-dory has separate about 2", see pictures, how do I bend it back.

I live in the Northeast and too far from my purchase location which was Maryland.
Can you help with this problem, what I can do to resolve this.

John Russo
 
For one thing John, don't store drinks in there!! :mrgreen: You're not helping the situation. I think with some sort of good adhesive (liquid nails :roll: ) or something like that, you should be able to "glue" that panel back to the foam behind it. Can you push it back flush with your hands?

I'm sure it will take some bracing once the glue is in place until it sets.

Charlie
 
Here's a link to the best photo showing the problem:

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _photo.php

It looks like there is foam flotation behind the fiberglass panel, right?

Was the panel just glued to the foam, or was the lower panel fiberglassed or otherwise bonded to the upper one?

Gluing something like fiberglass or anything to styrofoam is hard for two reasons: 1. The vehicles (thinners) in the adhesives often "melt" or soften the styrofoam on contact and make bonding impossible, and 2. the foam itself is structurally weak and any bond you do get can be easily broken with moderate forces.

I'd try to bond the two fiberglass panels together on their backsides using fiberglass tape, say 4" or 6" wide, and wouldn't worry about the bond to the styrofoam, since it will be weak anyway.

I'd sand the backsides first for "tooth", the apply the resin and tape. Clamping pressure would be definitely required. It might be necessary to bond the upper part of the tape in place with some resin on the upper edges first, to lock it in place so it wouldn't slide down during the final bonding.

It would be nice to hear Thataway Bob's ideas on this!

Good Luck!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
The panel is not structural, but simply a cover for the foam flotation behind it.

When pushed in place, it should be behind tha deck lip. It looks like there was an adhesive used to "glue" it to the foam. One solution would be to use a small amount of the spray foam from the hardware store. It would stick to the foam block, and the glass panel. Just be sure to block the panel in place afetr spraying the foam, as the the expansion would want to push the panel back out.

Or, you might try an adhesive where the glass panel slips under the deck lip.

Any competent boat repair facility should eb able to fix this if you don't feel up to the task. Again, it isn't structural, just cosmetic.
 
To hold the piece in position until the adhesive dries you can use a long 2x4 and a small bottle jack. Jack it up into position from the bottom for a test before applying adhesive. Or those long metal furniture clamps with the squeeze grip. They have nice rubber covers on the clamp ends.

Looks like it will need supported both up and pushed together at the seems of the two panels. You might try one of those expanding clothes racks for pickup trucks. Put a 2x4 along the seem and then apply pressure with the rack from the other side of the cockpit until adhesive dries.
 
He sent me an e-mail and said:


"I can not push this panel back in, its to rigid, is there anything else that would soften it to push back in place"

Hard to believe. Maybe he's not trying hard enough...


Charlie
 
the pannel is not glued, the bottom of the pannel should be scewed to the deck and the top should fit under the lip of the other piece of fiberglass. Just unscrew the bottom pannel, then took in the top portion into the other piece of fiberbglass, and screw the bottom pannel back in, Ill take some pictures of mine so you have a refrence
 
An alternative to C-Weed's suggestion: "To hold the piece in position until the adhesive dries you can use a long 2x4 and a small bottle jack. Jack it up into position from the bottom for a test before applying adhesive. Or those long metal furniture clamps with the squeeze grip. They have nice rubber covers on the clamp ends. "

I've always found that a telescoping boat hook works wonders in these situations where you need constant pressure on something to hold it in place until it bonds. Just stretch it across from one gunwale to the other and lock in place. If you have a couple, even better. Might want to have a 2x4 against the piece being glued to distribute the load.
 
If you're looking for alternatives to use to hold the panel under pressure or any similar situation, the truckers have pole-jacks (my term, not theirs) that they use to hold loads in place inside cargo trucks. they expand outward, with a locking mechanism that can be set to hold the set length. I've seen them at truck stop stores, and are inexpensive as I remember.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
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