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While out on an offshore fishing trip, Pete noticed the floor giving under his feet. When he got home, he pulled the fuel tank hatch off and the wood core was wet and rotten. So now the real fun begins. This cover is 9 1/2 feet long and 3 feet wide.
Method for hatch removal
Remove the console. Put a 3ft piece of 4x4 on each gunwale. Put a 4x4 across the boat on top of the 2 pieces you've got. Hook a come-along to the long 4x4 and put a steel bar under the tank lid to hook the other end of the come-along to. You may have to cut a hole for this. Make it simple so you can put an inspection plate in it or glass it shut later. Slowly crank away while running your utility knife in the seam.
Wherever the wood was still solid, it was tough to remove. A super heavy duty pressure washer proved to be the best tool for blasting the wood out. Care must be taken to not blast through the fiberglass.
Plans call for rebuilding this thing with marine plywood, 3:1 epoxy resin, and 1808 DB w/mat fiberglass.
5/8 fir, mat/biaxial, and 3:1 epoxy
Finished, better pics coming soon.
