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My Venture 25 oilcans around the base of the mast.

I'd like to firm the cabin ceiling but have no idea how to reinforce the ceiling with dripping fiberglass & epoxy.

ANY IDEAS?

Why not make up panels (outside the boat) to fit the ceiling... then as a final step resin them in place, using strips of wood inbetween the layers to provide box-sections?

Maybe I could put some release on the top, then fiberglass the top, let it dry, remove those panels & then epoxy the panels in?

Seal from up top rather than trying to patch from below.

Love the 'oilcan' verbiage btw

Am I right to think that the cabint top on the Venture 25's were made weak to begin with?

I have drilled into the cabin top(for standup pulleys), and see that there's no core and about 1/8" or so of fiberglass.

IT just doesn't look substantial enough in any case.

NOW, granted, I removed the ceiling in the boat(mice and such), but I find it hard to believe that the ceiling was intended to support the cabin top.

Is the existence of a soft(or oil-canning), cabin top normal to the old ventures?

I mean . . . seriously, the fiberglass is very lacking around the mast and compression post . . . there's just not much there.

My V-24 has a compression post under the mast . The top of the cabin has a sandwiched wood core b/w fiberglass for the most part but the mast area is just fiberglass with th post running to the bottom of the boat

I would've thought that there would've been a wood core, but my oilcanning takes place in an area about 1-2 feet around the mast. SO, the soft area IS AROUND the mast, but 1-2 feet away is quite a bit of area.

If there ever was wood sandwiched in, it couldn't have been more than 1/16" or so. Upon drilling, I see nothing but fiberglass and not much at that.

So I'm left wondering how to stiffen the cabin top . . . reinforce it from below or fiberglass it from above?

I wonder if anyone can chime in about the makeup of the cabin-top around and within 1-2 feet of the mast.

If this is normal for an old Venture 24-4 or 25, then I suppose I might as well replace the false ceiling that used to be there and to use that to stiffen up the cabin top. If I do, I'll probably wind up spraying expando foam into the cavity.

Lay up strips of glass and apply them as you would paper mache. Use thin 1-2 oz glass in strips criss crossing them in a pattern as to cover the area evenly . Only apply enough resin on the strip to satuarate it then lift and apply to ceiling. Unstep mast and remove all hardware and check for water infiltration under step. Dry area and fill all holes with epoxy resin. When set redrill and apply step sealing holes with 4200. Build up the area as much as you like . You could even lay in a suppport strip of some kind if you like but I think a ¼ inch lay up would be plenty strong. Fininsh area off with Marglass short srtrand body filler Sand smooth and paint

The strips idea would work OK, though be prepared for lots of drips, on yourself and the boat (wear eye protection, please).

However, whenever laying up 'glass I *strongly* suggest folks get a proper fiberglas mat roller to get out the bubbles - this will be particularly important with overhead work. They really help a lot, and leave you with a clean, solid mat/resin structure. Trapped bubbles are the root source of many a stress crack.

It's a filler used to thicken epoxy or Polyester resin. West System has it along with others. get a 3/8 x 3 inch nap roller (doesn't drip) and apply epoxy without micro ballon to the area than add woven roven or cloth than go over it with the epoxy mixed with the micro, use a 6 inch trowel or what ever width that can fit the area.
Dave

DaveB mentioned a thickener...buying this can be a bit expensive...I use ordinary unscented talcum powder...When mixed so that the mixture [ resin/hardener/thickener] is of a consistency that you can trowel it thoroughly into the fibreglass woven cloth or hairy mat, the thickener helps it hang there. Puggsy

puggsy wrote:DaveB mentioned a thickener...buying this can be a bit expensive...I use ordinary unscented talcum powder...When mixed so that the mixture [ resin/hardener/thickener] is of a consistency that you can trowel it thoroughly into the fibreglass woven cloth or hairy mat, the thickener helps it hang there. Puggsy

I've done that as well... and in a pinch it works. But too much and your resin won't be strong enough, so it's OK when you only need a little thickening.

I haven't responded before now because I'm not familiar with this boat, but I have an idea now that the problem is simply a void between outer deck and inner liner in the mast area.

If this is the case, I would cut out the top deck for an area of two to three feet around the mast base, as appropriate. Lift out and save this pieice. the open space now accessible i would fill it with a proper core of glass mat or plywood and glass resin, whatever you think best up to the level of the underside of the removed peice. then wet down the core with wet resin, replace the deck material previously cut out and saved. When cured, fill in the saw kerf line with gelcoat. That should be plenty strong enough for anything and you only fave a few thin lines to show the repair done.

First off why "Night Sailor"? Hopefully it's because you have sailed in the dark . . . which sounds rather exciting.

ANYWAY . . . upon drilling the cabin roof for hardware, I became aware that the entire thickness is only about 1/8" or so, which is rather shocking to me.

Originally, there was a wood ceiling in the boat, which I removed because of mice. I can only imagine that this extra ceiling(which was attached to the cabin roof ), gave support to the cabin roof, cause it was after the removal that I had this problem. This is also why I determined that new, reinforcing fiberglass needed(?), to be added from inside.

Removal of a prtion of the cabin roof would mean repairing an actual hole, which I think would be beyond my glassing capabilities.

FG is amazing stuff, and 1/8 inch is quite strong. When I was drilling my deck for my Nicrovent, I was amazed to find out how little FG by larda** was walking on.....

I doubt that wood ceiling was structural SURV....