Sail Life - Down the rabbit hole (toe rail removal) & failed vacuum bag - DIY sailboat refit

[@patrickmaloney6440]

Haha! As a beekeeper I recognised your magic scraper straight away!! Good choice :-)

[@NWRefund]

Materials Engineer here. I know I'm almost a year late, and I'm not sure if you even still read these comments, but the peel ply is intended to be a sacrificial sheet that gets bonded to the composite. After cure, the peel ply is removed and it leaves a fantastic bonding surface for whatever else is being bonded to it. They have perforated release films that are typically used to act as a barrier between your breather cloth and the resin. THAT SAID, it's perfectly fine to use the peel ply as a perforated release film. It should do the job just fine. :) You're doing fine. Keep up the good work. Your videos are awesome. And don't let anyone give you grief for your pronunciation of Insulation - it sounds fine.

[@firstmkb]

I don’t know if you see all comments, but a mix of success and failure overcome is much more inspiring than 100% success. - If I fail when I’ve only seen success, what does that tell me? - if I fail, and I’ve seen it overcome, that is an entirely different message.

[@mattyb201]

Finally you got a Richards bar! That will be your most useful tool you've ever bought 👍

[@SailLife]

Loved the bar right up until a few hours ago when one corner sheared off. I must have been too rough with it :)

[@jamesbostick3936]

One fell swoop. Your Danish is better than my English. Love the vids. Keep up the great work!

[@boatworkstoday]

Great video Mads ;-) I suspect you're going to be much further ahead abandoning the pump approach. Given that time is not on your side, over the course of the entire deck you'll probably end up spending days of prep trying to get the vacuum to work. Rocks or sandbags may not be as sexy, but will likely be a more efficient use of your time :-). Either way will be fun to see what you decide!

[@niloccoady]

I have the same YS rail on my Super Seal 26. It was in Sh1t. So I filled the scores and marks in with alloy by means of a Tig welder and we polished them. Sanded the rails with 120, 220, 300, all the way up to 600 grit and then used a fine grit polish on a mop polisher to achieve a finish similar to polished stainless. I did a test patch 12mts ago and left the piece out in the Irish weather to see if the piece would oxidise. It worked out fine, little or no oxidation. I'm really enjoying the videos so thank you very much indeed. Oh one more thing, my original plan was to have the toe rails striped and re anodised, it's super cheap, but no one in Ireland at least can accommodate the length. In my case my rails are 2.4m long.

[@peterlosangelos4108]

Colin Coady weather tested with salt water?

[@niloccoady]

Peter Los Angelos Good point, fresh water only.........

[@brucekratky7993]

I'd stick with the gravel. No electricity required, no accidental loss of pressure in the event you do successfully pull a vacuum and then walk away, clean up is no big deal. And, they are reusable;) By committing to that process you are off to the races and will save lots of time. I wish I could be there to help you. Your attitude is great and you are an excellent teacher. Athena is going to be once sweet ride when you are done.

[@ceesklumper]

To pull a vacuum you would need to cover and seal off all of the foam with plastic, not just the part you are installing. You can leave that in place for the next section so that, in the end, the entire deck would be covered with sealed plastic. Means you can not fill in the seams with thickened epoxy on each new section until all of it is done, then do it all at once. I would just re-use the old toerail, you can have it refinished at a specialist metal refinisher.

[@JustMe-bu8pu]

Came down to say basically the same thing. Plastic is cheap. Your time is not.

[@Rottingboards]

Drape the plastic 3 inches over the side and tape it. That will give a great seal on two sides.

[@peterengel7885]

Covering all the foam with plastic sound like a good idea or use tape rather than epoxy so seal the foam. Either solution should work and be quick..

[@CheersWarren]

covering foam with plastic won't work as it won't provide the seal needed, unless you covered it all the way to the bow and assume no leaks from holes under foam. see my advise above for better solution. cheers warren

[@mftest100]

Cees Klumper omm

[@SenatorPerry]

Thanks for posting the video. Great for a break from work on a Sunday morning East Coast of the US. I suspect, with the limited time, that your rock/gravel solution is probably the best way forward. I think you should also take a shot at doing a very large section of the deck at one time to try to provide additional buffer time for rework before leaving the shed. Excited to see the hatch work.

[@gregm2074]

Hi Mads... as mentioned prevoiusly - cover the entire new foam section from the bow, leave it covered till you have redone entire deck then go back to beginning to fill gaps, smooth, shape and then glass over entire deck 👍

[@michaelstern864]

Mads, you are the bomb! I watched you this weekend, and I was inspired to tackle a project on my boat that I just not into. A deck leak on my Oday 23 has been a minor annoyance for years (I just can't seem to find the culprit), but it finally caused some damage. Water had been pooling under the "shelf" that holds the head, slowly rotting it away. It needed to be replaced. I took the rotten shelf home to use it as a template, but it just sat on my workbench as I vegetated; until I saw last week's Sail Life, got inspired, and jumped to it! Now, I'm just waiting for the last coat of varnish to dry before installing it. Thanks Mads.

[@peternearhos]

Wow. As a retired media professional now in a full time job fixing my boat, what a refreshing change to see a professionally produced youtube video. Very well explained and most entertaining. Thank you. Good luck with the refurbishment. Hope you get to go sailing soon. I'll keep watching!

[@Steffenator]

That is a seriously daunting task, but I have faith that you'll get it done. If I was on that side of the pond, I'd offer you some help. Thanks for the video. Keep up the good work. 😃👍🏻

[@jcf6597]

Hi Mads, another great video. I would reuse the Toe rail, have it sand or soda blasted to remove the corrosion and leave raw or have it anodised. Sourcing and installing new Toe rail will probably be as you mentioned, very expensive and difficult to install.

[@jamesf5150]

+1 on media blasting and re-anodising the toe rail.

[@michaelbottai9983]

Great video. Initiative and determination solve problems. Well done. There is another method to uniformly weigh down the deck sections. Get a couple of bags of sand and put about 4 pounds in a gallon size ziplock bag. Easy to pick up reduces the overall weight on the existing fiberglass in the remaining deck. Bags can be reused and store easily. Inexpensive solution to conforming to any shape. Sand or soda blast existing toe rail. Save the money and realize this is a weather wear area. New rails will only look new for a short time. Fair winds and calm seas.

[@TVCanT]

I'm so glad you decided to remove the toe rail in the end.

[@lifeislikesailing]

Hey Mads, I don't have any ideas for the vacuum, but if you can't get a vacuum fr the rest of the deck then maybe you could use some of your anchor chain for weight instead of having to pick up the rocks every time. :)

[@mb97355]

Tis sounds promising.

[@sundownerbuild6708]

Hi Mads. If the gravel on plastic kept the curve of the deck while the epoxy went off, I'd keep doing that. As you say, time moves on and it is quick, cheap and low tech. With all the holes for the toerail already in place, I'm with the refurbish if possible group! Great work so far.

[@tronicit]

Hi Mads, fan of your project and channel. I have a suggestion that might help clamping the new sections of foam. Earlier you mentioned you had a few holes through to deck for various hardware. You could utilise these holes to insert either stud, bolt or threaded rod and a piece of flat timber on both sides to gently clamp the foam to the existing glass. A thin piece of ply or plastic with a few strategically placed fasteners might work well as a makeshift clamp. Keep up the good work. Mark. Melbourne Australia.

[@LifeatSixKnots]

We just replaced our mast step. Never thought about putting the thickened epoxy in a bag for easier usage. Great idea!

[@WVOneTime]

Mads instead of a vacuum or using the gravel have you thought of using water weight bags. You could get them in the industrial size or in a size used for other uses such as pool water tubes or 5 gallon flexible bags (Which could be used for water storage later). The nice thing about the bags is that they would conform to the deck and are easy moving if you drain them. Just an idea. Great vids. Thanks, Dave

[@thatdutchguy2882]

WVOneTime Doesn't sound half bad, might actually work.

[@WVOneTime]

@ThatDutchguy Thank you.

[@fortfuncolorado3896]

I'm not sure this will work. Water flows down hill. The water will flow to the lower side of the bag. There will be more water at the toe rail than in the center of the deck. The bag area at the center of the deck wouldn't have any water, meaning no weight to press down on the foam, and the edges would have all the weight.

[@WVOneTime]

Fort Fun Colorado I thought this too at first. Then I looked into several of the water weight bags that are industrial size. They are large enough to where you still have water at the middle of the boat although there would be heavier weight of water pooled towards the toe rail. But the bags are large enough to where it would cover the entire area and in applying enough weight over the entire surface.

[@Gottenhimfella]

Another option is anchor chain. Less fiddly to move, and more dense than rockery

[@shanescrimshire8395]

Great project Mads. My boat has limber holes through the deck joint, under the toerail, to prevent standing water. I also 2nd (3rd, 5th or whatever) the suggestion of media blasting and anodizing

[@andrewballantine]

Mads, if you are taking off the toe rail, why not take to deck out to the edge of the hull and have a much cleaner edge to the deck. Then get a refinisher to tidy up the existing toe rail, deepen some of the drain holes and refit to the deck.

[@SailLife]

19:23 :) I haven't been able to find a good way of doing that :)

[@bobcartwright2837]

Just want to say thank you for your videos, we look forward to these every week,

[@stevegem4155]

hey mads I've done a little bit of vacuum bagging and it can be difficult to get a good seal. you will need to seal up the edges of the core that's already in place be it foam or plywood, Air will draw right through the veneers of that plywood also when you wet out the deck and fill any obvious holes you need to allow that to cure before you proceed to the vacuum stages. when you do succeed at it it's a beautiful thing when you do 6 eat at it it's a beautiful thing and you'll never go back to any other method. good luck to you. looking forward to your next attempt

[@OutsideAndStuff]

Oh man, watching you stuff yourself into that forward locker/cabin was giving me feelings of claustrophobia. Also, as much more work as it is, it was good to see you remove the toe rail and get rid of that extra rotten wood. I am sure it will pay in spades down the line. Keep up the great work Mads!

[@Bacoprah]

AWesome episode Mads. Too bad the vacuum didn't work this time, but as you said, next time. Hope your summer is going well. Cheers from PEI Canada, Bryan

[@chill214]

Hi Mads, I would try to get the old toe rail refurbished. If pitting is bad in an area, you can have it welded, or weld it yourself and grind back to original surface and then blast rails and have anodized. Good luck and as always, love the videos.

[@nssdesigns]

Thumbs up again from me as you must be the most patient person I've ever met... does nothing tick you off? I'd have pulled all my hair out by now and possibly a few teeth. Should be a lesson to us all, to keep going no matter what.

[@tiborkiss9186]

Hi! Great video again I would not call the vacuum pump a failure, rather one step in the process towards a nice new deck!:) I am also not professional, but here is some advice: 1. the toe rail could be nicely polished if it is not deformed, it would be a waste to get rid of them, in my opinion. 2. Maybe you could isolate the bordering foam with electric isolating tape or other tape in a way that you stick it to the side of the bordering foam, and remove it later. Best regards for your great refit!

[@prqrsqtful]

You should seriously consider reusing the toe rail and have it soda blasted. Then maybe have some extra holes drilled through it at an appropriate height for the water to drain? BTW, your tenacity is truly inspiring!

[@BobMuk08]

Hi Mads, some interesting ideas in the comments! I thought the anchor chain was a great idea. Quick & efficient & super cheap. you could try sellotape on the exposed laid foam with a fold over onto the laid top to carry the sealing tape . alternatively use a piece of L section upvc to slot between the sections which would be removed after curing & then epoxy filled. love3d this very interesting Episode. Blessings!

[@glassman51]

Hi Mads,I can't tell you how much I admire your humility/humor/passion for engineering correctness. Were I in your shoes I would be on Serious antidepressants by now:-). Just a thought that falls under the "in for a penny, in for a pound"School of thought, at this point with the toe rail removed, how difficult would it be to rebolt the hull/deck joint, then epoxy and glass in a 4 or 5 inch bulwork.??? I realize it is still more work, yet a much safer perimeter for offshore , much stronger for bolting stantions to, and a cleaner gutter(with scuppers of course). It might well be less expensive than a new aluminum toe rail also. For a real engineering feat you could even install 5/16 or 3/8 inch stainless steel lag/machine thread studs into the bulwark on the same spacing as the existing holes, bend and bolt it into a bed of thickened epoxy, and then glass the whole thing in place. I'm thinking 2" x 4" clear vertical grain fur. You asked for thoughts, so there's one :-). My best to you

[@kenpfaff5451]

Another great video. You went past your normal 20 minute window, but to be honest I wish it was longer.

[@normanboyes4983]

Great work Madz. I think the foam section ahead of the area you are working has to be covered and sealed with plastic. You really are up against the deadline of October with the amount of work - you could really do with some assistants at least to help with the 'go for' tasks. It takes very much longer to do everything alone. I would get a quote from a metal finisher - those rails will clean up perfectly. Good video as always.👍

[@gregmirr]

I hope my next boat was rebuilt by you .. your attention to detail is impressive ,

[@patrickboley332]

I would like to say thank you for the videos. I am working on the 5 year plan as well, and you have provided me the courage to attempt the same process. Keep the videos coming and as always good luck.

[@rohangibbins2818]

Hi Mads another great video. Here's my advice for your vacuuming I would try and fill any holes and let cure before you bond your core. I like the gap method between your foam sections as this will be quicker than removing the scrim and trying to seal the foam. We usually try and fill all the slots in the contour foam as part of the glue up as well . When vacuuming down core we would cover the entire area with peel ply and perforated plastic then mesh or shade cloth this will help with finding your leaks as the air will make more noise when travelling over this and give a better vacuum than just having the bag on top. Then we would have the spiral tube down each side of the section with mesh over it as well. Not sure if you saw my comment on your last video ad out applying the sealant tape directly onto the vacuum bag as this will make your folds/pleats easier and you can still stick one side of your bag down beforehand. Depending on your budget and what's available over there you can get mesh from a gardening shops over here New Zealand. If you do try and use mesh make sure you have some perf or peelply between otherwise any ooze will glue it to the core. You can add some qcell to your aerosil mix at about 70/30 ratio to make it a bit lighter and easier to sand because depending on your foam density the glue is much stronger than the foam and when bonding onto laminate the foam is the weakest link. Hope this is of some help any other queries find me on Fb

[@mylespowers3965]

Nice to see how pleasant you can stay when having to deal with this stuff... Myles s/v Veritas

[@gregmonaghan]

Failure is ALWAYS an option! Great stuff Mads.

[@ahappyandjoyfulbeing]

Much respect for your attitude and approach. It's very inspirational. I am so much more cautious and lacking in confidence, even working on my little Wayfarer!

[@paulrist508]

Hi Mads, ..."wir haben andere Methoden"... Sehr lustig 😅 Very funny... Love your channel 👍

[@buffettfanman]

Toe Tail Removal, you can use a Dremel with cut off wheels. I have the same issues removing my cleats on my project boat. The cutting wheels are small so I used two at the time on each shaft. Now they make cordless models as well as the corded ones. If you buy the cordless model I suggest at least two to three extra batteries and three extra chargers. I plugged mine into a power strip with a timer. So when I left they could charge then shut off automatically safely! I bought one corded and two cordless, two batteries and chargers. As the batteries get deeply discharged it will take longer for recharge. I also have a Air grinder that works with my air Compressor! I used to teach shop class in a high school on a Naval base in the Philippines.

[@aorakiboydog]

Ditch the vacuum too time consuming also I would use end grain balsa rather than foam. Interesting videos. Good move removing the toe rail a good time to check the bond between hull and deck. All the best John boatbuilder from NZ.

[@WaterFaucet24]

Thanks for another great episode. Looking forward to the remaining deck work (sanding and fairing.....yeeeaay!).

[@tomharrell1954]

MADs first fantastic vid love it. You are really a great videographer. Second I would go ahead and include the portion of the deck that was under the toe rail with the foam and glass it over the side of the boat. It would get rid of that little gully that fills with water. It would make more flat deck space. It would make the deck stronger. It would improve the look of the deck. It would be quicker in the long run. Laying the glass top skin would be easier with the side of the boat as the end. Easier to wrap your suction bags over the edge to the side of the boat. Just seal the hull and bottom deck layer with 5200. It makes a permeant seal that lasts forever. I have used it it's great. Then a layer of foam core. Then you fiberglass top Right to the edge. Fair it and gelcoat it and bingo beautiful deck.

[@cesarmaraver]

You are a very pleasant man to hear and to learn from. I am looking for a small project boat here iin Puerto Rico... Ill be learning from you. Thank you. My name is Cesar... if you ever make it to the caribbean to PR let me know.

[@rickrountree1420]

I just replaced lots of toerail on my Beneteau by purchasing new stuff from Beneteau -- for my boat, it came in 6-meter sections and while not cheap, it wasn't as expensive as I would have thought, especially considering it came from France to me in the USA. Because its going to be such a visible part of your boat, investing in new toerail seems approppriate!

[@svdoinitright7519]

Fantastic information, as always! I have complete faith that you will figure out the vacuum part and let us all know. I was going to suggest starting at the bow wit plastic and just keep extending it as you go, but somebody else already raised that one. Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide.

[@RandomNickyDee2]

Great video Mads, a few thoughts; 1) Try cleaning the old toe-rail with a high pressure water hose. If a new rail is impractically expensive then painting the old one with a rust remover might be the next best option. 2) I think you are wasting precious vacuum time on the deck when you know the gravel stone solution works... you need the vacuum going as much you can manage on the hull and October 1st is going to be here very soon. 3) It's realistically very difficult to see the boat being in a position to go back outside in just 8 weeks time and it might be best to start planning to have it moved to another boat-shed where you can winter it while you continue your hot-vac/deck fixes.

[@kegoangoango]

"quick little refit" - love it! Also, you still need to get some ear plugs or muffs! You'll be happy you did in a few years.

[@makhoe1]

I think removing the toe rail and lip is a good idea. The deck is going to be less of a Frankenstein from here on. Your work with vacuum is interesting. You'll have fewer voids and that's a good thing. Give vacuum bagging another go pls. And, infuse the top layer when you get to it. Best of luck. Great show.

[@beachbum333]

Great video. ( getting fancy with the walking bolts on deck ) Stay safe and have fun. Peace

[@bayanicustodio3998]

Ever thought about leaving a small strip around an area foam free where you can place the bag on to and which you can fill in with foam later on?

[@MrSmithToday]

You surprise me on how well and fast you do stuff.

[@mickmccrohon]

Epoxy a barrier between the last section done and the section you are doing next. It can be made using thin ply shaped to fit and epoxied in place. Make it as high as the foam core, it will sand down when it comes to finishing.

[@rexvaughn986]

An electric carving knife (used to cut meat) does an excellent job cutting foam. Terrific video and content.

[@visszahang]

I'm glad you decided you remove the toe rail so the deck can be entirely replaced. Regarding the gutter, if you are leaning in the direction of a new toe rail, would it not be better to get one that is designed not require a gutter edge on the deck like the last one?

[@austin_8154]

Great video it's always nice to see how your project is coming and the different experiments that you try. I would reuse the toe rail justs needs some cleaning and re-fitting it back to the hull! Good Luck! I can't wait for next weeks video

[@TheEphemeris]

My favorite part of every Sunday!!

[@tomharrell1954]

To seal the area for vacuum drape the plastic over each side of the boat. Seal the smooth boat side and the plastic all the way down to the piece of metal on the bow. Seal across the top of hard smooth metal piece on the bow. Seal across the top back towards the stern as you did. Now you have a triangle shape under plastic. There is extra sure but it should hold vacuum.

[@williamcathey4804]

Great job. I like your tenacity.

[@murraycampbell4881]

What ever you decide to do with the toe rail; I would suggest every meter or so open up one of the current holes to make it flush with the deck and able to drain rather than pooling. It should be quite an easy job but time consuming I'm sure.

[@ismzaxxon]

Murray Campbell This is a good idea.

[@Felix-ok2mx]

Dude! You have a new working Shirt, that was the first commend of my Girl while we checked out your new vid! Awesome. Greetings from Germany.

[@hommie789]

Hay Mads, doing some experiments with a CAD program and looking at the deck of the boat, extending the deck over to the edge then putting the toe rail over that would make the structure more rigid and move the flex point to rear corners where the transom meet the deck. In short do NOT extend the top deck to under the toe rail, your naval architect was correct. Looking at the wood and the foam there is a lot of places where the air can escape and it is almost going to be impossible. Going with weight is your best option with time quickly running out.

[@SteelDoesMyWill]

Mads, forget trying to epoxy seal the foam, just a waste of expensive resin. Put at least a single layer of fiberglass cloth on the forward section you have completed. What weight cloth are you using and what is layup schedule like? With the top layer on, say just the width of the roll (just shy of 1 meter), you'll be able to pull the vacuum on the next meter without losing vac through the exposed foam. When you have completed the deck re-core you can fill all the gaps, do some light fairing, and then finish the lay-up of glass fabric/matt layers and pull a vac on much larger areas.

[@billheckel3891]

You may also be pulling a small amount of air through the bottom fiberglass. Possibly use a sheet of plastic and vacuum tape to seal the bottom under where you vacuum. That and as previously said, also seal the area ahead of the section you are working to eliminate leakage there.

[@daleyurk4369]

Why not leave a small gap, big enough for the tape to stick to the fiberglass skin? That would eliminate the need to try and seal the leading edge of the foam. Then you can go back and fill the gap with foam using weight. The small gap would not deform the fiberglass. Hope I'm clear. And I'm just guessing at a solution. Good luck and the video's are great!

[@chargeracing]

Hi Mads, Only thing I can suggest is to apply a thin layer of epoxy to the deck and joints and then let this thin layer cure first. You mentioned that you did this to the joint, but did you do this to the deck? This would seal the fiberglass below the foam as well as the joint to the previous layer of foam. After it has hardened, start with the vacuum seal job again. Not quite sure how you dealt with the middle section of wood, perhaps lightly coat the wood for a covering seal or just vacuum seal the deck in two parts. And loose the rocks. How do you know that the rocks won't puncture the plastic? Water bags or sand bags are probably best. Good Luck!

[@navyguywandell]

If you need to keep the old to rail, get ahold of a local sandblasting shop. Generally it's extremely inexpensive 5¢ per foot in new York. Once sand blasted it will be almost like new. Also depending on the coarseness of the sand they use it could come out extremely smooth

[@xmodriver]

My Boss 30 Plus years ago said " MORE SH#T MORE LEARN " ,, I got into lots and lots , but sure learned a ton too! ,, you did not fail you learned , apply that knowledge and DRIVE ON . Best regards J

[@CheersWarren]

Re vacuum. You could try staying off the already applied foam and leave a say 2"/50mm gap and fill later with small pieces of foam and weights. I would also suggest giving up the epoxy and go with the cheaper polyester resin, much quicker to work with , mixing etc and you can use extra to be sure to fill all the voids at once. Cheers Warren

[@CheersWarren]

Oh, you could use masking tape or similar to test your vacuum first and find out if you have any obvious leaks. Also if you take a piece or tube and put it to you ear like a stythscope and use the other end to listen for the leaks. Just be glad you have a quite shop! Try it in a typical noisy fiberglass shop! Aaagh! Also I think I would go with a layer of CSM glass under the foam with poly resin especially if you can get the vac working as your inner deck laminate is rather thin and could do with some help!........ Cheers Warren

[@jessicakirchoff2536]

I used that same foam for stiffeners in my Dyer to prevent oil canning. When I did, I used it cut side down to conform with the inside of my hull. I filled the cracks with thickened peanutbutter consistency epoxy. I was wondering if you should be using yours cut side up to open and flex with your curve of the deck? Then fill in cracks with a spatula like you did when you previously spread out the thickened epoxy? Bye the way, I look forward to your videos each Sunday. Cheers!

[@mamameme1281]

Jessica Kirchoff whats the Tradename of this Form?!

[@swashfrogsailor]

Consider incorporating foam earplugs to plug fastener holes for eventual re-use. Of course the earplugs won't work by themselves when vacuum bagging, and they're not always the best solution for all circumstances. An additional piece of duct tape under the deck will cope with the needs of the vacuum. A stethoscope will assist with the determination of individual leaks. You can seal adjacent foam core with local duct tape below deck and a piece of regular old clear plastic sheeting on the deck exterior (to perimeter). Just use butyl tape and duct tape liberally, and then leave this in place for the next vacuum bag progression, aft.

[@jakeyaboi6824]

"What could possibly go wrong?" He actually said the words, the absolute madman.

[@franktartan6808]

Mads, you want to put that foam the other side up and fill the gaps between the blocks with epoxy. The way it is is that there are gaps between the individual blocks of foam which limits the strength.

[@billmadden7407]

You might try putting a small bead of thickened epoxy at the base of both sides of the wood running down the center of the deck. putting a bag over all the foam you have laid would probably help. Or you could put one layer of thin glass on the aft edge of the foam & bag to that. You should be able to make a practice bag with plastic sheet and some kind of non porous tape like aluminium speed tape, plastic tape ( like wide electrical tape), or duct tape might work. Make a practice bag on a table top to try your materials. When you put tape over holes, run over it with a small squeegee to make sure it is down tight.

[@txslapntickle]

I'd suggest you brace the ceiling on the inside if/where necessary...down the middle as best you can...remove the toe rail...lay a section in...cover with plastic...then use several lengths of webbed cargo straps...4 inch wide...and place them across the deck from port to starboard...and hang equal weight from each side sufficient enough to hold the foam down yet still give you that even profile you're looking for.

[@pd1jdw630]

Well On the topic of that toe rail. You could try and find a company that might be able to acid wash it. And then maybe anodize it ore polish it. Further I personally would drill a weeping hole every other open section to make it able to drain. But your current plan on welding a new one is also an option. Though I would try to reuse as much as possible to keep costs relatively down.

[@bjviking112]

Mads, Why not epoxy a thin strip of plywood where the foam ends. You can use that strip to seal against instead of trying to seal the foam with epoxy. As for the old toe rail, you should be able to get that dressed nicely by sand blasting. I would imagine that a new custom made toe rail is going to be expensive. Enjoyable video as always.

[@allynonderdonk7577]

Never spill or get the acetone on the foam. Acetone will generally eat most foam down to nothing within seconds! You should cut a few drain holes in the old tow rail unless you actually replace it! Just drill a few small holes at the bottom!

[@tomharrell1954]

I would save the toe rail and use it again. Aluminum polishes up nice. You can polish it up to look like polished stainless steel if you want it is not that hard to do.

[@dugclrk]

I knew Mads couldn't leave the Toe Rail alone and would rip it off. He can't help himself, it looked in too bad a shape. He keeps coming up with better ways of doing things than the boat yard did.

[@walteramory7010]

PB Blaster and old bolts go well together :)

[@andershhansen]

You should refurbish the old toe rail which means you can reuse the old bolt holes. That would save you a lot of time as a new rail would require patching the old holes and drilling new which essentially weakens the edge. The new lip could be made in a less angled way. That would give you a chance to fade out the foam and let the fiberglass continue all the way to the edge of the deck without a sharp rounded corner. Long time no Jökull by the way?

[@theladyjaiproject576]

Hey Mads. I am delighted to see you decided to remove the toe rail. I bit my tongue when you said you weren't going to. now you can lay your glass all the way over to the edge of the hull thereby making it a lot stronger then just tieing into to last couple of inches. or centimeters. Much better. I do have a question for you tho. i thought you were suppose to lay that core material with the cuts facing up, so you could fill the crevices with thickened epoxy. I'm curious as to your source of information....

[@ArcticSeaCamel]

In startup-scene it is said that failure is just another step toward success! :) Keep up the good work. You're still making the best DIY-videos on entire KZbin. BTW, in my latest video I tell you how to pronouce that "Mirka" :D

[@fsymo]

I got nothin'. Keep up the good work Mads!

[@SmallTraditionalSailingBoats]

Bloody brilliant! Just drinking my tea and noticed that it ISN'T in a SAIL LIFE mug..huh hum..how do I get me one of them there mugs?

[@ahbushnell1]

if you can't find the toe rail go to a shop that makes extrusions. You might have to pay for a tool but it's a plate with a hole in it the shape of what you want. Good luck!!!

[@janhanchenmichelsen2627]

Nice vid as always. If vacuum is impossible and a light pressure is enough, what about water? Like water bags or even a cheap, inflatable garden pool for children? This could cover a large area and apply an even pressure. With a siphon to empty without spilling water all over the place. Just an idea.

[@GoofieNewfie69]

Even if the toe rail is bigger or smaller, you can always feather it to match the other. It is the bow area so being bigger or smaller wouldnt look too out of place.

[@jackneff179]

Good one Mads....Jack

[@stotas2]

Did you have a air leak on the wood in the saw cuts. Thanks for the video

[@MaCroCosmHD]

Good decision to remove the toerail, Mads. A heck of a lot of work, but what else is a boat for?

[@corral988]

great videos keep them coming I have learned so much from watching you

[@melee401]

I would try using butyle caulk on the leading edge of the next foam section being put down to insure a vacuum seal between sections, butyl is good for 50 years when exposed to the weather, I do not think it will impair the strength of the foam joinery. I would apply the vacuum while the butyle is still pliable. They make butyle tape you can use too but be cautious of which brand you buy as there are some which are simply not worth buying. Try to find some butyl tape with the proper sticktion and a derometer that will prevent it from being sucked too far into the new foam vacuum channels.

[@bernardmobe6631]

Hello Mads, your vidéos are allways a pleasure to see. I was wondering as Jessica did below why not using yours cut side up to open and flex with your curve of the deck? Then, maybe you could fill in with a epoxy all the cuts and side gaps, then there would be no more holes and the vaccum should work? Is there a technical reason to put the foam with the cuts up or down ? Hope that you find the sollution on next sunday. Bernard

[@gregm2074]

I would reuse old toe rail. i like the idea of powder coating it. i would also consider enlarging every third or four hole so that the hole is flush with bottom part letting water escape. easy to do with a "pineapple" type rotary cutting tool from an engineering supplier.

[@queenofyeay]

I agree on enlarging every third or fourth hole, but I had a thought, he wouldn't need to enlarge the entire hole, necessarily and in any case a carbide bit in a router might do the trick for those holes.