Retired from newspapers and television, currently sailing Thelonious II, a 1984 Ericson 381.
In a classic example of little things that go wrong big, a tiny leak under the head sink caused the delamination of the cabin sole near the head. One of those gray Qest hose fittings had split, invisibly, probably as the result of being overtightened with a wrench. I suppose it had been leaking for a long time, years perhaps--but only when the water system was pressurized, and always in a hidden zone behind the drawer of the sink cabinet.
The cabin sole of the E381, 1984 era, is screwed down with #12 screws. To hide the screw heads, the entire perimeter is lined with trim battens with each head plugged. This lust for salesroom perfection is admirable until you consider replacing the entire sole. Yikes.
But most of it was still in good shape, and a test of a bilge cover suggested that the old laminate would take new varnish nicely. So let's try to save the sections near the head, and keep all the floorboards matching.
Believe it or not, the entire forward sole section in these boats is one piece, cut as a V-shaped unit. It was installed before the vertical trim on nearby bulkheads, and the privacy and head doors. To get it out, I cut it in two at a narrow place. Removal took hours. The plugged screws were set very deep in the 3/4-inch boards. I drilled out the plugs with a Forstner bit. But big screws in fiberglass can be very hard to remove, and buried deep in the board they proved impossible to turn. To pry up the old boards intact, I needed a tool that was long and flat. A machete, no longer needed at home since the kids have grown up, proved right for the job. I wound up pulling the boards up over the screws, leaving holes in the wood. (The remaining screws were hard to get out of the TAFG later, even with vice-grips and PB blaster.)
Underneath was a mess of rot and delamination, with ancient fresh water pooled in the TAFG divisions. I'm certain this was not rainwater from the mast; that drains elsewhere. It was from a circuitous, non-obvious path traced by slow drips running down a hidden hose, falling into a hidden crevice, entering the floorboards under the shower trim, and seeping horizontally nearly five feet. I doubt the previous owner ever noticed the source. I probably wouldn't have, either, without removing the floorboards.
The delaminated wood looked terrible, soaked to the core and smelling of rot. But the all-important veneer was intact. It's only 1/16th inch thick (don't sand much!) and was still clinging well to the plywood beneath.
After a week or so drying to a fan and heater, I started the re-lamination process shown in the video above.
The literature for "Layout and Laminating Epoxy Resin", which I ordered from The Rot Doctor in Seattle, recommends coating the parts in CPES (Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealant) before gluing. But Steve Smith said to start with the resin, and coat with CPES afterwards.
The job makes a mess. But the pot life of the product is long, and there's no rush. Any resin on the teak and holly laminate can be removed with an alcohol wipe before making the final compression sandwich.
I found it remarkable to be able to turn badly rotted and delaminated plywood into a solid, slightly flexible version of its former self. It's a far easier project than an entirely new teak and holly sole.
