Cabin Sole-how best to remove old sole [Master Thread]

[Christian Williams]

I think Ericson flirted with glued soles in the 32-3 and others which had a TAFG molded to receive minimal thickness (3/8ths?) Teak and Holly ply. The sole lies neatly in the mold, requiring no edge treatment.

My 381, built about the same time as the 32-3s, has plywood almost 7/8th thick with dress battens at the perimeter. Both floor sections and battens are screwed down independently--and the battens are plugged.

Neither of those two floorboard systems were designed to be easily removed, which 30+ years later looks like a mistake, but was no doubt not a mistake in a boat show environment where gleaming perfection caused checks to be written.

My floorboards are original and have stood up well, but when the water tanks are all full they squeak when driving to windward through steep seas. I expect that one of the issues of sole design was squeaking, and the close tolerances of quality joinery probably make it worse.

 

[Filkee]

Nothing earth shattering here but I figure the more personal accounts the better.

When I bought Aylwin four years ago, there was a large delaminated area of cabin sole around the mast which helped immensely on the final price but has kept me up at night ever since.

First line of defense was flooding the area with epoxy to stabilize which was ugly but kept people from putting a foot through but this is the winter where I finally do something.




It’s amazing how everything below the varnish was just damp crumbs but I completed step 1a today (government employee appreciating Veterans Day).



my first move was to attempt a template with paper translated to corrugated cardboard in case a total crumble occurred.


then I went for it...



My sole is in three sections and glued so I enjoyed all the fun that goes with that nut I did manage to keep the 95” section that I removed in one sinewy piece.

The missing bit in the middle was more epoxy than wood but the remaining piece should be sufficient to use as a template with some references to the cardboard attempt.



forgot to bring the shop vac so more cleanup to do. Also found a lot of bilge nastiness that needs to be removed.

I plan to make new plywood inserts (as I said, one of them was just crumbs). They were screwed and sealed and I think I will try to make them more like Christian's sections with the plywood inserts free and attached to the teak.

Next step is to practice on a cheap piece of plywood to see if I can make a decent cut and if it works, that will be my template for cutting the good stuff.

building confidence...slowly.

 

[Christian Williams]

You'll be pleased with the outcome.

Here are a few more pictures of my replacement 32-3 sole. When I bought the boat they were nicely cut and shaped and installed--as raw plywood. Huh? Turns out that former owner balked at the price halfway through and the carpenter quit. I took them home for two coats of CPES and seven of Interlux Schooner varnish.

The carpenter used the wrong plywood for reinforcing over the TAFG gaps. His reinforcements later delaminated (upper left of first photo). I made new ones of marine ply. Pretty easy job, although the edges of the reinforcement do need to be shaped to fit the molded TAFG.

It's a real plus to be able to take a sole home every few years for refinishing.

......

 

[Filkee]

So did you glue or screw (or both) the marine ply to the teak/ holly?

 

[1911tex]

I am about to tackle the sole of my boat next month....sheesh!

Andante in post #20 above mentioned his 35-3 was held by stainless screws only....I sure hope mine as well!! Going to use 3/4" Holly/Teak.​

 

[Brad Johnson]

I took a sole up on a 25+ up and it was adhered with contact cement , so heat should help if that's the adheasive

 

[clayton]

Mine was glued down with something tenacious

 

[clayton]

(Sorry, phone fingers..) Likely 5200 as they used it for so many things. Was screwed down to the grid as well, then plugged. I was lucky enough to get the pieces out without too much damage. A long skinny pry bar with a chisel tip end and a hammer were very helpful.

 

[Loren Beach]

FWIW, while the Olson had the sole pieces screwed down with teak plugs, EVERYthing on deck was bedded in 5200. I believe that EY (in the 80's) was buying 5200 cartridges by the gross!

From recent experience, heat will soften it.

 

[Christian Williams]

did you glue or screw (or both) the marine ply to the teak/ holly?

I attached the reinforcements to the veneer ply with epoxy. I recall some head scratching about how to position them exactly.

I laid the reinforcements in place in the TAFG, topped with two small dabs of construction adhesive, and laid the floorboard on top. When the adhesive cured enough to hold them in place, removed the floorboards, outlined position in pencil, and broke the bond. Then roughed up the surfaces, applied epoxy and clamped.

 

[Tom Metzger]

When I replaced my cabin sole I used the old pieces as a template. It worked well, HOWEVER, I wish I had cut the large piece in half so it would be easier to handle. I have taken it up a few times since then and I would have been a lot happier.

The same goes for the aft cabin mattress foam. That would have done more good than the sole, actually. Pacific Seacraft split the cushions on their E boats.

 

[Filkee]

Yes, I may split the long one into two.

 

[Loren Beach]

The same goes for the aft cabin mattress foam. That would have done more good than the sole, actually. Pacific Seacraft split the cushions on their E boats.

Good Idea. I had the humongous aft cabin cushion split into two parts soon after we bought our boat.

 

[Kenneth K]

The same goes for the aft cabin mattress foam.... Pacific Seacraft split the cushions on their E boats.

Love it....

 

[Filkee]

Mission creep continues. I was going to do just the forward delaminated section around the mast but decided to go all the way because the teak/holly pattern wasn’t going to match.



This proved incorrect when the first sheet arrived today (maybe this is the second time around for this task in my old boat) so I have been demoing and then spending a few days recovering from the hammering while squatting effect.

It’s all glue and once I started seeing what lies beneath, I feel good about the decision.


I made a pretty decent template of the forward section starting with paper, then cardboard and then 1/4” plywood which miraculously fits.



Definitely room for refinement, but encouraging just the same. Practicing with my new router on scraps to try to be less of a threat to nice wood.

More work in progress:



So two questions for this next chunk of work:

1) Penetrating epoxy recommendations? I only have West 105 right now. Can I thin it?
2) How the heck do I get the black menace out of the bilge in a yard with no water when it's 30 degrees outside?

 

[Christian Williams]

As far as I know, you can thicken 105 but not thin it. In the usual ratio it goes on fine with a roller.

I prefer CPES for this application. It's very thin and gets entirely absorbed. Dunno what the price comparison is.

(I can't remember if I used it on the veneer side of the T&H plywood. Maybe not. Suggest a test with a scrap of veneer)

Either product has to be finished with varnish or paint after the cure.

As for the mess:

 

[Filkee]

The price of what’s already in the basement versus buying another jug of something. Now that my sole will be removable, I can clean the bilge any old time.

 

[clayton]

While you have the sole removed would be a great time to clean and paint with bilge-kote, you know just to add to mission creep...

 

[Tom Metzger]

Mission creep continues. I was going to do just the forward delaminated section around the mast but decided to go all the way because the teak/holly pattern wasn’t going to match.

Yup, should have bought that grill cover which came with the relatively new cabin sole.

 

[CSMcKillip]

ours was screwed down like Loren above, about 30 plugged screws. When we replaced our floor,..... Every new Ericson owners post..