After having spent the whole of last summer and part of the fall painting the deck, I want to touch on a really important subject: delamination. First, to my understanding, if delamination isn’t due to a manufacturing fault then the culprit is probably the owner. Most likely, it’s from water ingress through hardware that has not been properly fitted. (In my case, the previous owner hadn’t insulated the chain pipe after installing an anchor windlass and the deck core was exposed to both rain water and salt water. The same was true of the deck organisers.) Quite simply, you can't just drill the deck and forget it. Fixing delamination will be the subject of another story and, anyway, since prevention is the best cure, let’s see what we can all do to prevent it. When fitting new hardware such as deck cleats, jammers, clutches, padeyes, etc., it is essential to prevent the chance of water getting to the core. Insulating it with Sikaflex isn’t enough. An epoxy plug is a far better idea. It’s quite simple. First, drill oversized holes (for example, if the bolts are 10mm, drill a 12mm or 14mm hole). Second, with an old allen key or metal spike that's bent 90 degrees remove some of the core around the holes so that the diameter of the holes in the core is larger than the ones on the upper and lower skins of fiberglass. Third, with a drink straw, blow away any debris (if your deck has some delamination thereâll be plenty of rotted core particles) and tape the holes from the underside with very good quality tape. Then, mix some epoxy resin and pour it in the hole. Wipe any overflow immediately and let it cure, usually for 24 hours. You may also want to keep an eye on the underside to make sure no resin is leaking through the tape. Cured epoxy is extremely hard--which adds to the solidity of the mounted hardware--but is almost impossible to remove. Finally, drill through the cured epoxy with the right size drill bit and install your hardware making sure to apply some Sikaflex or other sealant on the hardware and/or bolts. In the attachment you'll find a simple drawing of a typical deck. I hope it's clear enough. | |
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