Hobie 18 redline deck around ports only 1 layer? :: Catamaran Sailboats at TheBeachcats.com

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Hobie 18 redline deck around ports only 1 layer?

car_guy

Rank: Mate

Registered: Sep 25, 2010

Last visit: Oct 12, 2023

Posts: 180
Posted: Aug 11, 2015 - 03:28 PM

Replacing ports on my 84' redline yesterday and saw its only a single layer of glass around ports, is this normal? Having port installed strengthens considerably but still seems pretty weak...
onekiwi

Rank: Mate

Registered: Oct 24, 2013

Last visit: Jul 22, 2024

Posts: 251
Posted: Aug 11, 2015 - 06:37 PM

Must have a look at mine.. seems like a good idea, no way for water intrusion into the foam core

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Carl

Dart 18x2
Nacra 5.8
Acat
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Dogboy

Rank: Mate

Registered: Mar 19, 2004

Last visit: Nov 21, 2024

Posts: 964
Posted: Aug 11, 2015 - 09:45 PM

It's not actually a single layer of glass, but it is a solid laminate (i.e., no foam core). The glass thickness is only about 1/16" thick, so it is quite flexible. If your boat has the original pop-in deck ports (these were standard on H18s in the mid-1980's) they will flex the deck and cause stress cracks. Even with screw-in ports, the decks will eventually start to crack around the ports because the glass is quite thin.

On my 1985 H18 (also a red line), I reinforced the area around the ports by disassembling the hulls and flipping them upside down on cinder blocks. Then I built up the inside of the hulls around the ports using two or three plys of 1-1/2 oz fiberglass mat and epoxy. Not the easiest job since you're working upside down through the access port, but doing this about doubled the overall thickness of the laminate and made the decks considerably stiffer around the ports, so worth it IMO.

sm
car_guy

Rank: Mate

Registered: Sep 25, 2010

Last visit: Oct 12, 2023

Posts: 180
Posted: Aug 14, 2015 - 07:13 AM

DogboyIt's not actually a single layer of glass, but it is a solid laminate (i.e., no foam core). The glass thickness is only about 1/16" thick, so it is quite flexible. If your boat has the original pop-in deck ports (these were standard on H18s in the mid-1980's) they will flex the deck and cause stress cracks. Even with screw-in ports, the decks will eventually start to crack around the ports because the glass is quite thin.

On my 1985 H18 (also a red line), I reinforced the area around the ports by disassembling the hulls and flipping them upside down on cinder blocks. Then I built up the inside of the hulls around the ports using two or three plys of 1-1/2 oz fiberglass mat and epoxy. Not the easiest job since you're working upside down through the access port, but doing this about doubled the overall thickness of the laminate and made the decks considerably stiffer around the ports, so worth it IMO.

sm

Thanks, my old 80' 18 had a lot of cracking around the ports, this explains why.... This one has virtually none, I'll add stiffing deck to the winter project list