Filling unused deck holes on the Bristol 26 sailboat
A lot of the deck hardware was leaky and covered in old silicone. So, I removed relocated, and resealed a lot of the deck hardware using butyl rubber. While I had the hardware off, I also took the opportunity to seal up the balsa core around each hole. I was surprised that most of the holes in the deck weren’t sealed with epoxy and were just open to the balsa core–even the ones that were probably drilled at the factory. Luckily, I didn’t find too many spots where the core was damp.
I removed this anchor roller that was mounted at an odd angle and interfered with the mooring lines on the port side. I also replaced the low-profile aluminum 8-inch cleat with a 10-inch stainless cleat that has a much bigger space for the mooring pendants to pass through.
For the first few holes, I used an Allen wrench mounted in a drill to remove the balsa core around the holes. This worked ok. I had used the method before when cleaning out balsa core. However, it started jamming and bending on a few holes that had some hardened spots where the wrench kept catching as it was whirling around in-between the fiberglass panels. I did some research and read about people using a Dremel #115 bit. It worked great for removing balsa core from around mounting holes. It is much easier to use than the spinning Allen wrench in a drill. It was also good in areas near the deck cleat on this boat, because it was built with a plywood core there for extra strength. It has become my go-to bit for any other core removal projects. and I’ll probably use it for the rest of the deck holes.
MAS Epoxy’s “Gluzilla” is a two-part thickened epoxy in a tube that fits in a standard caulking gun. It comes with nozzles that mix the epoxy as you need it, so you can just cap the tube and put a new mixing tip on it when you want to use it again. It’s more expensive than standard epoxy, but the convenience and cleanliness are well worth the extra cost.
I was able to reuse the aft holes, but had to drill new forward holes. Here they are ready to be filled with epoxy, then re-drilled.
Someone installed this solar vent without sealing any of the balsa core. Luckily, almost all of the edges were dry. I removed the core past the mounting screws so that they would be seated in epoxy, too. I also filled those VHF cable holes (not sure why there were two).
Lifeline stanchion bases ready to be reinstalled in to re-drilled, epoxy sealed holes. All of this epoxy and resealing work should make the boat much drier, and prevent new damage or stop any further damage to the wood core.