Cockpit Coaming: Remove/Repair

I'm planning in removing the coaming boards on my 32-2 to refinish them. Does anyone know how the screws are fastened to the fiberglass? Directly screwed in, or does each screw fit into some sort of anchor? I've looked through the archives, but can't find the answer to this question. Thanks.

On my boat, there were nine screws through to acorn nuts behind the fibreglass.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, they had all seized, and grinding off the nuts involved squeezing into some unnatural postures.

Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972

I pulled the boards of Jazz a 1970 E32 spring 2007. The screws were no problem as they were all wood/sheet metal screws. The problem begins with the adhesive. I worked slowly and used thin pieces of wood as shims and a putty knife to cut the adhesive and got them of in one piece.

Good luck.

John

Thanks for the replies. I have nine screws on each side, and I two have nuts that are accessable in the coaming boxes. So I am assuming the other seven are either wood screws or have some sort of anchor.

I've decided to varnish all exterior teak, and I'm not sure if I will try to do the work in place or remove it--the latter method would probably enable me to do a better job, but will add many more hours to the project. We shall see...

ChrisS said:

the latter method would probably enable me to do a better job, but will add many more hours to the project. We shall see...

Click to expand...

Having refinished my coamings three times over the years, I can say that the hardest areas to do well in place are the outboard surfaces. On the other hand, removing and reinstalling the coamings involves a fair amount of work; so if time is an issue, refinishing the coamings in place becomes a more attractive option.

A slight digression:

After having tried many types of varnish I finally bit the bullet and used Cetol on the current finish. After one year there's virtually NO deterioration - something I can't say for ANY varnish tried before.

However, I took a chance on the new Cetol 'Natural Teak' finish that comes dangerously close to looking like traditional varnish. So far, in our PacNorwest environment, Natural Teak hasn't morphed into that ubiquitous orange cast the regular stuff is known for.

The stuff is easy to work with, and relative to traditional varnish, takes less time to apply. Once the base surface is completed, all that's required is an annual application of the gloss topcoat after a wipe-down with clean rag and solvent.

Something to think about, so I tossed it in for what it's worth.

Capt Dan G>E35II "Kunu"

Of course, there is NOTHING quite like the expanse of a large surface of fine wood varnished to a sparkle in a classic boat. In my case literally, NOTHING: my coaming boards were a fair amount of work to keep up, and they were in pretty bad shape having somehow split and been repaired towards the stern, and had been sanded so many times that the plugs over the screws had been reduced to micron thickness. Some had abandoned ship.

Three years ago I removed the boards and made new ones out of 3/4" Starboard. I realize this wouldn't be everyone's cup of teak but I've been thrilled with the result--and no maintenance. It was a decent project with a table saw, router, hole saw, and plug cutter.

I also made Starboard hatchboards.

Still use Cetol on the hatchboard frame.

Comber Repair

I have a 1979 Ericson 35 which I dearly love. Not sure how to describe this. In the cockpit on port and starboard side are what I believe are called Combers. The teak backrests. Behind them is a cubby with a plywood base. They are rotting and was curious if anyone has done a repair like this. Thanks for your reply

I am sanding mine now

How rotted are they? Mine are teak, and I just pulled them and am sanding them in the garage now. One area is decayed, and I am going to fill with an epoxy filler. Some people have opted to replace them with starboard.

I also pulled the backrests (combers?) and in the cubby themselves was plywood which is really rotted. Is that what you pulled? What is starboard?
Andy

coamings

those teak things are called coamings. good luck with the rot

Cubby Repair

We also removed our coamings. Looks like they have never been removed and the adhesive non existent. Our concerns is the plywood in the cubby. After removal did you replace with wood again or something else. I did not see any drainage and would think they would just rot out again. Has anyone just left it bare and is the existing hull underneath strong enough?

Thanks
Andy

Coamings The right word

Thanks I did a search and found the thread "Coaming boards removal" and will continue from there

Andy

The wood "shelf" on the inside of one of the coaming "cubbies" is pretty rotten; the other is fine. I removed some rotted wood, and roughed up what was left. I have been soaking it with penetrating epoxy, and I am going to fill the void with epoxy, and then put several coats of paint over it. It's probably not the ideal fix, but it's the least invasive.

The fact that water can get in, but not out, is the big problem. I'm waiting on another bid from a local canvas shop to make coaming covers that would seal off the cubbies from rainstorms, and keep the UV off the varnish when the boat is in the slip.

Covers would help

We were thinking of taking all the wood out, replacing with treated wood and then pouring some kind of epoxy to fill holes and and joints and then painting again.
Andy

Hull Number?

Just a quick question off topic. How do tell which number is the Hull number. Here is ours - ERY35552M78L

I hope that Chris and Andy do not mind having their very similar threads slightly re-titled and combined.
As to the subject, is there any consensus as to whether the plastic material known as "starboard" is rigid enough to replace these long teak planks? No reinforcing in it, being a pure resin product.

Those coamings get a lot of strain, even including adults standing sideways on their tops when the boat broaches.

Regards,
Loren

Hull Number

Andy,

I believe you read the hull id (HIN) to mean:

ERY 35 552 M78 L

Manufacturer: Ericson Yachts Inc
Model:35
Hull Number: 552
manufactured in July 1978. (A = Aug, B = Sep, . . ., L= July).

--Steve

What a great site

Thank you. Was not sure how that worked

I can confirm:
3/4" Starboard is sufficiently strong to use as a replacement for the coaming boards. We just completed our third (I think) season with them. They look exactly the same as they did when I put them in, with zero maintenance. Not so much as one plug covering a fastener has popped out. That said, nothing in my installation relies on the Starboard for strength. All the screws go through the fiberglass behind the Starboard--as was the case for the original teak boards. (Woodscrews, not through-bolts). I also think there are a lot more than 9 screws holding each board on. If I recall correctly, there were 17? Is that possible? I know it felt like an eternity making the plugs and drilling and countersinking all the holes with the drill press. Yes, I believe I had to make 34 holes. Pilot hole, correct size hole, countersink hole with a Forstner bit, plus the plug (the making of which requires extra work with Starboard).

Gareth expects, and perhaps hopes for, people like me to spend eternity in flames for swapping out wood for Starboard. In my defense I can only say that I've had my boat since 1991 and had several opportunities to strip, sand, and revarnish the coaming boards...and the hatchboards, too. It was not a difficult decision to choose a low-maintenance material when it came time to replace them. The wood looked great, right after a varnish job, but it was all downhill from there. The Starboard looks OK, and never worse.

Rotted plywood in the undrained coaming boxes is a problem, no doubt about it. The coaming boxes are not only missing little drain holes, but they have an outboard cant to them so the water pools and CANNOT drain as modern coaming boxes do. You have to prevent water from getting in there in the first place. My fix involved (1) scraping out the old, bad plies and pouring in increasingly viscous tinted epoxy, and finally painting, and (2) fabricating Starboard coaming box covers that rest on top of the coaming boards and are held in place with bungee cord around the nearby sheet cleats. This has proven to be 100% dry, and also keeps out spiders and nesting birds. I think I used 1/2" Starboard; they were an easy afternoon project with a table saw and a drill press.