Repairing the top of the storage compartment

thepaulson

New Member
Hello Folks, I'm restoring a '73 Sunfish with multiple holes in the hull. One of the holes was inside the storage compartment. I cut a 4" hole through the deck so I could access the repair, which was successful. I accidentally cut through about 1/4" of the cored rib under the deck. Now, I'm trying to get the 4" plug glassed back in. You can see in this picture of the storage compart that there is some kind of cloth covering the underside of the deck. You'll see the fiberglass cloth on the round plug (partially obscured by the board I cut to hold there) is different than the surrounding material. I have a few questions about how to approach this.
  1. What is that cloth inside the storage compartment? Can I glass over it, or should I remove it first?
  2. What's the best thing to do with the cored rib? Should I put some thickened epoxy in there?
  3. Do I need to strenghten this patch? I shaped the board you see here to conform to the inside of the deck. Option A is to glass it in with maybe 5 squares of cloth. Option B is to attach that plank where it is with thickened epoxy, and then glass over it. This might provide a little strength, given that I accidentally cut through the foam cored rib, which I assume is there to provide some rigidity.
Once I get this plug back in, I'll sort out the gelcoat on the deck. So long as the plug is flush, the gelcoat should be straight forward.
 

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I've been chatting with Kent B (huge thanks for the help). I think I figured it out. I'll post some pictures when it's done. I'd delete the thread, but don't see a button for that.
 
I've been chatting with Kent B (huge thanks for the help). I think I figured it out. I'll post some pictures when it's done. I'd delete the thread, but don't see a button for that.
I, for one, have never investigated that area. (And I've got five Sunfish!) :confused:
Is this "for sure" a genuine Sunfish? :oops:

I'd be very interested in the "cored rib" and the different fiberglass materials. For the "investment" of fiberglass materials, any strengthening of the Sunfish hull or deck is "to the good".
 

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