Wood Below Traveler

Arizonavol

New Member
Hello Sunfish Sailors,

The wooden block below the deck eyelets that hold the traveler on my Sunfish rotted and a screw came out of the wood. I dug into the foam through an inspection port and got all the old rotten wood out on that side. I can't sail until I get the traveler working again. I would appreciate help on what materials to get and what should be done to repair it. I know I will need a piece of wood, some type of glue (?), epoxy to seal, etc.

I would appreciate any and all help and suggestions.

Thank you,

arizonavol
 
Get a piece of pine make a backer block. Coat the pine with epoxy or varnish or waterproof glue before you install it. The get a friend or a stick to hold it in place while you drill pilot holes and install the screws. Put a drop of waterproof glue or varnish in the screw hole.
 
i prefer using a piece of plywood. 1/2 to 3/4" should be fine. itll be less prone to splitting than a solid block. sometimes ill paint it with epoxy before installing it and let that cure just to seal it. you can flip the boat over so you can just drop the blocks on vs holding it on the ceiling. i use saw horses. i like using west systems with some of the 406 silica thickener. but im sure there are less expensive ways. i just always have it on hand. you could get a weight on it too to hold it in place until it cures. let cure overnight. predrill with some pilot holes, bed with some life seal, run screws back in. make sure everything is fairly dry. they make the west in small containers too. if you don have a place to get it from, jamestown distribution is awesome.
 
Get a piece of pine make a backer block. Coat the pine with epoxy or varnish or waterproof glue before you install it. The get a friend or a stick to hold it in place while you drill pilot holes and install the screws. Put a drop of waterproof glue or varnish in the screw hole.
Thanks!
 
i prefer using a piece of plywood. 1/2 to 3/4" should be fine. itll be less prone to splitting than a solid block. sometimes ill paint it with epoxy before installing it and let that cure just to seal it. you can flip the boat over so you can just drop the blocks on vs holding it on the ceiling. i use saw horses. i like using west systems with some of the 406 silica thickener. but im sure there are less expensive ways. i just always have it on hand. you could get a weight on it too to hold it in place until it cures. let cure overnight. predrill with some pilot holes, bed with some life seal, run screws back in. make sure everything is fairly dry. they make the west in small containers too. if you don have a place to get it from, jamestown distribution is awesome.
Thanks! Both of these replies are very helpful.
 
If you use hardwood you'll definitely ned to drill pilot holes. We have found cypress to be very good. Some folks use metal or a piece of those plastic cutting boards, and I think a piece of PVC trim would work well.
 

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