Replace the rear bilge pump wood

[vocz]

It is time to cut out and replace the piece of wood under the bilge mounts. Has anyone done this before? Any tips?

 

[seasick]

I would use a rotary grinder like a Dremel to grind away some of the glass on top where the holes are to see what shape the coring is in. The black mold may be superficial or the core may be mush. If you see mush then you would try to cut the top as close as you can get to the edge and did out the coring. In other words, I would try to leave the shape of the base as intact as possible and use it as a sort of mold for new glass.
If you don't see mush, start to grind away at the holes and cracks to see if you can get to clean material. Depending on how much you need to grind, you may get away with using a filler of epoxy with something like Cabosil.

 

[SkunkBoat]

glue down a piece of pvc trim board and be done

 

[Fishtales]

Use a device that limits the depth of the cut. I'd be inclined to use a battery powered adjustable depth circ saw and cut a bunch of lines in both directions and then chisel out the pieces. As stated, glue down a piece of PVC board for the new pump.

 

[vocz]

All great advices. Will post pictures when it done. Thank you!

 

[DennisG01]

I love rotary tools for their ability to cut quickly... hate them for the dust. A nice compromise is an oscillating tool - a lot like what the doc used to cut your cast off your broken arm. Easy to control, doesn't sling dust everywhere, cuts nicely (not as fast as a rotary, of course). If you do happen to bump against it, it most likely will NOT cut you (or it will very slight).

Once you get it out, which is really pretty easy, and prep the area, then you can decide if you want to glass a new piece of wood in place or whatever. PVC, as stated, would be simple.

 

[blindmullet]

I would use a oscillating multitool and remove the pad. Sand/grind the area for the new pad. You can use layers of glass in a mold or any composite material that will accept the laminating material. I usually make a mold for pads and lay down layers as I usually have some left over material from other projects. Make sure whatever you use is cut on a 45 so you can lay the glass without creating a void.

 

[vocz]

I would use a oscillating multitool and remove the pad. Sand/grind the area for the new pad. You can use layers of glass in a mold or any composite material that will accept the laminating material. I usually make a mold for pads and lay down layers as I usually have some left over material from other projects. Make sure whatever you use is cut on a 45 so you can lay the glass without creating a void.

I want get away from wood. Do you know if PCV base board would work with glass? Thanks!

 

[DennisG01]

I want get away from wood. Do you know if PCV base board would work with glass? Thanks!

Epoxy resin will stick just fine to PVC. But you don't even need to go that far. Just glue it down with something like LifeCaulk or 3M4200. If you want to make the PVC board thicker (for example, maybe you can only fine 1/2" thick boards), glue two pieces together. You could also use regular old PVC cement to glue them together.

 

[blindmullet]

I want get away from wood. Do you know if PCV base board would work with glass? Thanks!

If it was properly prepared then you can use epoxy and it will stick just fine. If you use that cellular PVC board from the home store make sure you scuff it up really good before adding the glass. I would use a biax and several good layers to give something for your screws to grab. It's not the most fun working down there and that's a perfect area to add a little extra to avoid another trip. If you have a little sanding dust or dust from a chop saw you can use that to make some epoxy glue to anchor your pad down before glassing over the top. Make sure the pad is cut to a 45 around the edges for easy glassing.

The last one I made was for a transducer. I took a cheapo ziplock container and waxed it. Just layed in the amount of glass needed for the thickness I wanted. I had a bunch of scraps to eat up. I popped it out of the container and then cut/sand before gluing it in.