Engine Cover Chaparral

[bklake]

I was flushing the engine tonight, rested my hand on the engine cover and the whole thing broke away from the hinge. This cover is too heavy for me to lift alone. It is also the wrap around seat in the rear of the cockpit. Thankfully, it didn't touch the engine.

Basically, the hinge mount was a block of wood chopper gunned to the bottom edge of the hatch. I could see that broken away clean.

I walked away too mad to do anything and it is almost dark. It is being held on by the now bent lift struts. It is too heavy for me to lift back into place alone.

Pictures in the morning. Any and all advice will be appreciated once I can post pictures.

[pee wee]

Well that sucks, sorry that happened.

[fallguy1000]

Probably remove the hinges and see if you can make it fit back where it was. Epoxy bond the board back together and see if you can add some tabbing of 1708 to the board.

[bklake]

My neighbor helped me lift the hatch back into place. Now all I need is a factory jig to lift it off, fix it, and reposition it.

It looks like the wood hinge block separated from the hatch cleanly. I'll have to fashion a curved wood block, bed it in epoxy, probably a layer or 5 of biax for insurance. Maybe through bolt it this time. The bottom edge of the hatch chipped up and the flame arrester got a dent. Could have been a lot worse because the engine was running when it happened.

I'll search for the answer but epoxy on polyester? Epoxy on gel coat? Pretty sure the answer to that one is sand off the gel coat.

[fallguy1000]

Epoxy will bond to esters.

[bklake]

Now that I've had time to think on it, I'm pretty sure there is not a lot of weight or stress on the hinge. The lift struts take a good portion of the weight.

The block the hinge was mounted to was solid wood cleat sealed with gel coat. The gel coat didn't seal the wood very well. It is a 7 foot wide seat/engine cover. I was using one corner to balance myself, not much pressure on it I thought. Long lever arm on an 8 inch wide hinge secured in home depot's finest pressure treated wood, and POP.

The hatch is close to 200 lbs. Trying to figure out a way to hoist it up and out of the way. Added problem, the boat is on a lift. Thinking if I can sling it up with a beam across the lift, lower the boat, do the work and raise the boat when done. I would rather not work under something that heavy.

At any rate, I need some epoxy, down to about 4 oz left in a gallon jug. I only have 1208 tape on hand. Time to order supplies. Either that or eat my words from another thread and get some West System epoxy at West Marine and soldier on.

[fallguy1000]

1208 tape is fine; just use plenty

[bklake]

Got the cover lifted. As suspected, the block was sprayed in place with the chopper gun. Not even Elmer's glue on wood block against the hatch to hold it in place. No ripped out screws, no cracked fiberglass.

This has me thinking. It held for 18 years like this. Maybe there is not much stress on the hinge and it doesn't need to be that strongly attached. It is pretty much balance by the gas struts. I'm going to seal coat the wood then bed the block back in with thickened epoxy. I will probably add a couple of screws to hold it down while the epoxy cures. No real access to clamp it unless I close myself into the engine bay for 12 hours while the epoxy cures. Once the block is glued on, I can put a couple of strips of 1708 tape on the top and bottom and be done with it.

[fallguy1000]

Got the cover lifted. As suspected, the block was sprayed in place with the chopper gun. Not even Elmer's glue on wood block against the hatch to hold it in place. No ripped out screws, no cracked fiberglass.

This has me thinking. It held for 18 years like this. Maybe there is not much stress on the hinge and it doesn't need to be that strongly attached. It is pretty much balance by the gas struts. I'm going to seal coat the wood then bed the block back in with thickened epoxy. I will probably add a couple of screws to hold it down while the epoxy cures. No real access to clamp it unless I close myself into the engine bay for 12 hours while the epoxy cures. Once the block is glued on, I can put a couple of strips of 1708 tape on the top and bottom and be done with it.

Yup. You can use 1208 x 3 if you have it, too.

[bklake]

I took the wood block off the hinge. That was easy because the screws were never sealed and were not holding well. The wood was never sealed either. The screws used were sheet metal screws and clearly not pre drilled. Anyway, I seal coated the wood. Waiting for that to cure. I can reglue the block easily to the cover now. How I'm going to hold the hatch in place while I install it is a bridge to cross tomorrow. There is no obvious way to tab the block in, too many curves and pockets. Right now I'm working upside down and by Braille. Once reinstalled, I'll see if I can get to it to tab the block. The surface area of the wood, epoxied in, is far more than it had before.