Subject: Advice (deck core rot at stanchion)
Date: Fri, 01 Apr 2005

Help doctor!
I have a 1987 Catalina 34 sailboat. It has plywood core in the decks. I am re-bedding some stanchions where bolts penetrate the core. In some cases the wood is dry, on others it is damp. I have been told to dig away about half an inch of wood around the holes (between the upper and lower fiberglass layers) dry it with acetone and then fill with epoxy and re-drill. Where the wood is dry I've been told to treat the wood with get-rot or something called CDPE which is a thin epoxy that will soak into the wood and make it water-resistant at the end grains. Then I will just re-bed with 3M 101. But then I was told to go to your site. I did and it is a bit overwhelming. Too much information. What do you recommend?

Thanks,
Jerry R., NYC.

Jerry,

Yes, the site is a bit overwhelming, largely because we sell into so many markets. We are coming up with a tab system on the website in the near future so that should help.

Anyway, your instincts are right on treating those bolt holes. The product you want is the CPES (Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer). This is a very thin liquid that readily penetrates wood, and especially plywood. When the core wood in the hole is reasonably dry, it should be saturated with the CPES. The CPES will harden any soft wood, and it will eliminate the fungi/bacteria problem. Let the wood absorb all the CPES that it will...the farther it goes the more wood it protects. Wood treated with CPES is very rot-resistant.

I think digging away wood and replacing with epoxy is okay IF the wood is deteriorated. In this instance, we would recommend digging away the wood, saturating with the CPES, and then re-filling with our Fill-It Epoxy Filler.

Feel free to come back if you have additional questions. If you wish to order you can do so via phone or our secure on-line order form. We have warehouses on both coasts so shipping time is 3 days or less to most points in the US.

Doc