Fixing a very soft deck on a Hobie Cat

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Joyrider TV is one of the best channels on KZbin for catamaran sailing tutorials, maintenance, Q+As and great small cat sailing content.
Whether you sail a Hobie, Nacra, Aclass, acat, Prindle, Hurricane, Dart, Windrush, Tornado, Unicorn, F18, F16, Supercat, Thundercat, Dragoon or even a Minicat, you'll find something here to help you. ☞ SUPPORT JOYRIDER TV
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⛵️Instagram / totaljoyrider This deck had really gone, if left, someone would have probably put their foot through it!
I'm new to any fibreglass repairs but having looked on KZbin for how to do this kind of repair, I couldn't find anything so I though it was worth documenting my experience.
The repair was made using epoxy resin, polyester resin and then disguised with paint!
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[@JoyriderTV]

I've just painted the other side, some tuning and finishing to do then the first speed run video coming up!!!!🤩🌶🏅

[@arvidbjorkstrom6554]

What paint did you use?

[@johnwalker8957]

I LOVE that you try anything that might be worth a video for us fans!!!

[@JoyriderTV]

thanks!

[@N.California]

I'm happy to watch a beginner repairman with this endeavor b/c I'll be in the same position.

[@JoyriderTV]

Good luck. It worked pretty well.

[@ssccscot]

Use a moisture metre to check if the foam is wet. Don't have to guess then. Can dry it out if you put a small fan blowing into the holes for a few days. I use a bent nail in a L shaped to move around in each hole to push the foam away and allow more epoxy in. Really need to get the epoxy to join up between the holes. Also need to check if the skin below the foam has come away too. Again a nail or drill bit would test that out. It's amazing how much epoxy it will take if the internal skin is sagging down too. If it is then a screw through the bottom skin in a few places will pull it back into place and hold while the epoxy sets. My H14 decks have been rock solid for 5 yrs now after the repair.

[@JoyriderTV]

Thanks for the tips, i'll pay more attention to wet foam next time. Cheers

[@robincdyer]

Yay! It feels soo good to see a soft deck repair done with soo much online talk of people scrapping out hulls. Great job, looks beautiful :-)

[@JoyriderTV]

Yes! Thank you!

[@marc-andrec5404]

Keep your vid on everything including maintenance and repair! You're doing great, even if you're not expert. At least you say it at the very beginning! Love your channel

[@marc-andrec5404]

And I forgot, all your vidéos are BIG value! Gotta register to your patreon

[@JoyriderTV]

Thanks 👍

[@DialedN_07]

Good work Joe. You can't become an expert until you actually do it. Thanks for the video.

[@JoyriderTV]

Thanks 👍 Loving the rubber gloves!

[@vgfire629]

Keep these coming too!!

[@JoyriderTV]

For sure

[@RL1911]

Joe, You are a Legend! If you make a video I'll watch it ! I just sailed for the first time ever today on a 1975 Hobie 16 I bought last fall. I owe all the success I had to watching your videos. Keep it up man!

[@JoyriderTV]

Thanks! More videos on the way!

[@johnfox2300]

Use a length of plastic tubing over the drill, shorten tubing the thickness of the top fibreglass. Tubing acts as a depth gauge.

[@JoyriderTV]

Thanks for the tip. Very helpful for the next one.

[@ericknutsen1958]

Appreciate watching your challenges and adventures; sailing and other.

[@JoyriderTV]

Thanks very much.

[@RichieMoore]

Keep up the videos on everything you do! Yes 👍🏻

[@JoyriderTV]

Thanks! Will do.

[@davidlappen8727]

Thanks for doing this video. I just bought a used Hobie Cat 16 with this issue. I’m going to give this a try.

[@JoyriderTV]

Good luck!

[@johnschmidt5330]

I love the fix-it videos. Only way I can get on a Hobie is to buy a project boat.

[@JoyriderTV]

There are so many boats out there that could be great again!

[@samiamgreeneggsandham7587]

Thanks for posting this. I’m selfishly glad the injection method didn’t work so I could see how you handled having to open it up and build it up from an open hole. I think I’m going to end up having to do the same.

[@JoyriderTV]

You're welcome!

[@crest2471]

Great video! looks like it turned out pretty good for your first try

[@JoyriderTV]

Thank you!

[@stephenmoran4163]

Nice one Joe....I will keep it in my memory bank for future repair work. I have an old Hobie 16. There is always some repair work that needs attending to. Thanks a load!

[@JoyriderTV]

Great, i'm glad it was useful.

[@pkspidermonkey]

@@JoyriderTV Incredibly useful just coming into this situation myself

[@popeyez7]

~~ Wrap a piece of tape (blue or black) just above the tip of the drill bit ~~

[@JoyriderTV]

To stop it going in too deep - good tip - thanks!

[@frankspagnuolo4785]

How deep should you go into the hull? Hope many mm deep should you go?

[@bryancotton7279]

@frank spagnuolo only as deep as the bottom of the foam - not through the inside glass layer. I used a drill stop and did the last bit through the foam by spinning a drill bit with my fingers.

[@85LARGE]

Tip for the poor guys with old Hobies like me here: always keep your boat in the shade, away from the sun :D

[@JoyriderTV]

If you can, you should, the sun kills everything (not organic)

[@85LARGE]

@@JoyriderTV especially Hobies before 86 (not red line).

[@alainlamothe6934]

perfect timing. Just got my supply this morning and starting tonight or tomorrow!

[@JoyriderTV]

Perfect! Good luck with it - one thing i'd suggest - don't leave masking tape on too long - that took a couple of hours to take off once the epoxy had set.

[@alainlamothe6934]

@@JoyriderTV I'll keep that in mind. These guys (www.thebeachcats.com/forums/viewtopic/topic/13495) suggest adding screws. I might try that. How man CC's of epoxy did you use roughly?

[@alainlamothe6934]

Here's the right link: www.thebeachcats.com/news/400/Soft-Deck-Repair/

[@feedingravens]

Thanks for the Tornado-Clip with me!

[@JoyriderTV]

The whole video will be coming soon!

[@fernandobargueno]

Nice video, great work. Good to see some ideas as we all need to do some repair one day.

[@JoyriderTV]

Thanks 👍

[@arlenmcdonald9373]

Very good ep! I hope I never have to watch it again though 🤣

[@JoyriderTV]

Ha! Me too.

[@kayrethmeier2143]

Great video Joe! I'm glad to see your success!

[@JoyriderTV]

Yeah, the finished result at least looks ok!

[@stephenmynott5173]

Great video yet again Joe.

[@JoyriderTV]

Thanks

[@nickperiat9427]

Thanks!

[@JoyriderTV]

Thanks, I'm glad it was helpful

[@martinmalcheski939]

Looks reasonable Joe. Nothing like expeience,,, followed by use. Time on the water will test it.

[@JoyriderTV]

Thanks again for your help. I'm quite happy with the finished look - for my first big job.

[@robertosgood961]

Always go for it!

[@JoyriderTV]

Thanks!

[@chrislrl5736]

Great video Joe, it will be very useful 👍… Thx a lot ! (i would be interesting to see some trampoline repairs...Thx )

[@JoyriderTV]

The tramp repairs i would send to a sail maker. Thanks

[@martinsachs3837]

For epoxy to stick well one needs: 1. solid surfaces, nothing loose, no dust 2. prep surface by sanding + cleaning 3. bone dry surface. you have none of these inside that sandwich, which is why no professional dockyard will do this. the only propper way is removing the outer skin + foam + rebuildt. yes, its a huge undertaking. yes, most times its better to get a new boat. and yes, I am a professional boat builder. btw some might consider drying out delamed spots by applying vakuum o.k. One might then infuse epoxy using vakuum infusion. unfortunately thus requires serious skills and a 100% ait thight inner skin. not what the backyard boatbuilder usually got at hand.

[@JoyriderTV]

Thanks very much for that, very helpful. That will explain why one section did eventually fail.

[@kenshores9900]

Friends that have made these types of repairs, they have used poly urethane foam. (the stuff used for insulating homes.) Comes in rattle cans. You certainly can use epoxy. But as you are finding it is not easy to control it. It was good that you put the masking tape down. What causes that is hull is delaminating due to much moisture inside of the hull. No one can criticize you for what you are doing. Good luck. US Hobie Cat

[@85LARGE]

You need more holes for the foam. It cannot spread as easy. If you syringe the epoxy with a high enough pressure it will spread on a larger area and you wont need to drill as much holes. The only thing Joseph didnt do here, is put enough pressure on the deck with his hand to make the cracking noises stop. When cracking stops it means that the deck is completely limp (dead) and there is only empty space inside - no obstructions for the epoxy to spread.

[@JoyriderTV]

That's a great tip - thanks very much.

[@kenshores9900]

@@85LARGE I seen it done with Urethane if the same grid pattern as shown. I didn’t say I like it. I just mention it as another alternative.

[@85LARGE]

@@kenshores9900 exactly. I only put 3 holes on a cross section when i do it with epoxy. If you want to use the foam you need to make it on Swiss wees cheese like on this video.

[@paulhales8369]

Nice repair, would be interesting to see some repairs to rudder dings.

[@JoyriderTV]

I'll wait until I get a bit better at them.

[@TheETOWNE]

The day I sent you speed stick vid, we broke my port side, starboard had been broke for 6 months. So I figured time to fix both. I tried the hole/inject deal you did, didn’t do it. I had to cut the top layer back like you did. Pain in the rear.

[@JoyriderTV]

Yes, i was very much hoping that the injection would do the job. End result is good though.

[@TheETOWNE]

@@JoyriderTV that’s exactly what went through my mind...lol. I even tried thinnning down a lot. One thing I seen after I cut into hull was the guy that chucked up an Allen wrench and spun under glass to get foam out. For me, it was too late.

[@feedingravens]

What you could try next time, bend a wire 90° so that you can go inside the holes and scratch out the foam remains in the area a few mm around the hole, so that both surfaces are blank. The all-deciding criterion is wetted surface, the more, the better. About the holes in the lower layer: I am thinking about a string bound to a semi-stiff plastic disc, that you can wrap together so tightly that it fits into the hole. You stuff it in, and on the inside the disc unfolds itself again and with the string you can pull it up against the hole, closing it from the inside.

[@JoyriderTV]

Thanks for the good tips. I'll try that next time.

[@85LARGE]

I do this every spring :D my whole boat is covered with dots :D

[@JoyriderTV]

The grey pain hides everything!

[@scottpwenger]

Great vid. The game as old as time...lol

[@JoyriderTV]

I'm glad that someone acknowledged that one!

[@joealesi9610]

🚩 The epoxy resin will and may have actually contributed in the meeting of the foam‼️

[@JoyriderTV]

In my experience and after testing, the epoxy is good with the foam whereas polyester will melt the foam.

[@skyeleake9943]

2 questions, any idea on how that damage happened? Tips for identification of a repair like this on an older boat (i.e. someone hid it, i suspect if it is done well enough that you can't see it then it is plenty strong... But still)

[@85LARGE]

The sun kills the foam inside. It becomes dust. That foam is the only thing that keeps these boats together. There are no ribs inside the hulls of these cats. There is an inner hull and an outer hull. The space between the two is filled with special foam making the hulls hard. Once the foam is gone - hull breaks.

[@feedingravens]

This foam is simply not made for eternity, especially not when you have point-stresses like leaning on it with the trapeze hook. Even when the surface did not break, the foam is locally crushed, and on that spot the two fiberglass layers have room to move relative to each other. And the foam in between is unelastic, the tiny movement systematically work the foam up, it rip off one hundredth mm after another, and once loose, is slowly pulverized. Well, not so tiny movements, why is it the deck that is bad? Because you constantly sit on it and crush the foam there. In other areas, where there is no such stress, the foam can last almost forever. For gliders or RC model airplanes that is usually no problem, the plane "lives" in the air and no one is constantly crawling around on it.

[@bryancotton7279]

I suspect a lot of this damage is from people stepping on the hulls. It's fine at first but over time the glass flexes, the foam crushes, and the bond is compromised.

[@85LARGE]

@@bryancotton7279 for 5 years i had the boat i never stepped on a hull. It also did not flex after a sailing season. It goes bad after staying in a yard for the winter. That untill i figured out i have to cover it from the sun.

[@JoyriderTV]

⛵️

[@waytall9213]

Thanks for the video. How did your repairs hold up five months on?

[@JoyriderTV]

That's a good question. Largely good except for the area immediately next to the piece that i had to cut out - resulted in cutting another 15cm circle out and building it up as with before.

[@samdecoussemaeker5797]

I have a big soft spot on my hobie 16… I was thinking about fixing it but maybe it’s just easier to get a good second hand set of hulls and pop them on instead. What do you think?the spot is about 30cmX30cm just in front of the frame.

[@JoyriderTV]

It's worth a try fixing it, or maybe getting a boat builder involved.

[@Beerescuemaui]

I may have to do this to my prindle hull

[@JoyriderTV]

Good luck. It's not as painful as it looks.

[@Beerescuemaui]

It went Really well! Your video was a slight inspiration and the hull stiffened right up. Thanks for all you do @joyridertv

[@sailaway3930]

Does it expand I need to do it you inspire me LOL

[@JoyriderTV]

🤩

[@lewisalexander8362]

Drill fewer holes and use great stuff window insulation foam in a can .But drill All the way through the old foam on that real bad situation . And you will have less work .

[@JoyriderTV]

Thanks for the tip, I'll try that.

[@nathanbenton2051]

doing the same thing to my rig rn. rookie at best so this kinda stuff is great and really appreciated. cheers:D

[@JoyriderTV]

You're very welcome

[@Nils_Hammarsten]

Flex the hull to spread epoxi.?

[@JoyriderTV]

That could work.

[@jakeoddmonic2956]

My 77 h16 is soft

[@JoyriderTV]

Good luck - this procedure is scary at first but the result was very good.

[@bryancotton7279]

Here is my repair documentation (so far) on the beachcats forums: www.thebeachcats.com/forums/viewtopic/topic/18538

[@JoyriderTV]

👌

[@chrisbeauchamp5563]

So the big question is, did you get into trouble with the wife for using the kitchen scales

[@JoyriderTV]

🤩

[@joshypriora1424]

Who’s joe

[@JoyriderTV]

That's me!

[@joshypriora1424]

@@JoyriderTV it’s a joke

[@danielhc1493]

Sorry but i have top say, that this repairmethod is not the "best". I Had the Same Problem on my hobie 14. The only "clear" way ist to Sand the top layers of Glass until the Sandwich Core is free. In the Most Case the Core is wet and only fill IT Up with epoxy won't Help long... The Core must be dry an then Laminate 3 layers of Glass (2x2 Body / 163g/m²) with epoxy and on the top gelcoat. It ist more Work but this ist the only way to be Safe that the Core is everywhere conected to the Glass and dry!!! Because if it's wet the bonding wont Last Long.

[@JoyriderTV]

Thanks, this is exactly the advice that i need.

[@pestypester7510]

and nobody likes a soft deck......

[@JoyriderTV]

For real!