(Sudden, extreme) Forepeak deck separation

[RaleighRancher]

Over the weekend I peeled open the forepeak deck of my 1982 DS2 like a sardine can. I'll spare myself the embarrassment of how, but the result is that I need to re-bond the hull-deck joint in the forward ~2 ft of the bow and re-bed the stemhead backing plate.

A lot of the basic principles of this repair have been covered already in this 53-post, 23-year old thread https://forum.daysailer.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=183&hilit=Joint+separation, but I'd like to get opinions on my contemplated repair:
1. Grind out the ragged cracks on each side
2. Prop the sardine can lid open
3. Clean out loose adhesive/epoxy in hull-deck joint and at least some of the dry goop (thickened epoxy?) around the tang. Leave/rebuild sufficient filler (thickened epoxy? Wadded up glass mat? Pourable foam?) forward of tang to fill gap in forepeak
4. Re-attach stem head backing plate to deck
5. Glue the joint (with 3M 5200 or thickened epoxy?) and clamp it down
6. From inside, fiberglass over tang of stemhead backing plate
7. Consider adding fiberglass tape (over a fillet of thickened epoxy) along hull-deck joint
8. Repair ground-out cracks in deck to functional, not pretty, standard.
9. Go sailing!

[GreenLake]

My inclination would be to use epoxy for the repair; especially since you are planning on taping the joint on the inside. That would make the repair all of one piece. I would deviate from that plan if for some reason if there's something about the fit of the pieces that makes working with epoxy not feasible.

You might be able to find epoxy compatible chopped strand mat. That works great for mushing into gaps. Esp. after you work it a bit. Alternatively, make your own strands by chopping up a bit of cloth or roving into 1" lengths and mix into a paste w/ thickened epoxy.

Thoughts on how you will weigh down/clamp your repair to make sure the glue is pushed into all voids and the gap is minimized?

[RaleighRancher]

Thanks GreenLake - not just for this reply, but for your extensive replies on the hull-deck joint separation thread. I learned a lot there.

As for the clamping, I thought it would be pretty simple - just to use a lot of small clamps along the downturned edge of the joint. Probably have to cut up a bunch of half-round moulding to fit into the underside of the joint. I understand from the older thread that I should take care not to squeeze the joint too tightly if I use thickened epoxy. But your question has me wondering if I'm overlooking something that makes the clamping more difficult?

Also, one variation I will add to this repair, based on something in the older thread, is to drill a hole or two into the tang of the stemhead backing plate and insert a brass screw or two in order to really tie into the new fiberglass both fore and aft of the tang.

[RaleighRancher]

W/r to the clamping, I can now see that there may be a need to clamp with a few temporary screws and blocks of wood in strategic places.

[GreenLake]

yes, secure the tang with extreme prejudice!

Also, while you are working in that area, check out the backing plate if you have a cleat on the middle of the foredeck.

Clamping: I mainly wanted to make sure you have a plan.

For epoxy, if your joint has mating surfaces, you don't want to squeeze out all the glue like you might be used for wood glue. But if the surfaces are uneven, I think it's OK if the a few of the "high points" meet. You don't want to needlessly add height to the joint. You can add further strength by taping the joint from the inside, if you can access it. A PO did that on my boat, even though there was no indication of any damage. Just proactive I guess.

[RaleighRancher]

Excellent. I think it was your contributions to the earlier thread that taught me not to over-compress the joint. I was planning to fillet and tape from the inside too. Hopefully I'll make it stringer than the original.

I don't have a center clear but two about 10" back from the prow. Backing plates look solid on both.

I guess I'm lucky that the bow eye backing block was rotten when I bought this boat. I just finished replacing that before this incident, meaning I had already cut a handy 10" square hole in the bulkhead to do the inside work.

[GreenLake]

There you go.

I mentioned the backing plates for the foredeck cleat(s), because those are something that you might try to rely on in some situation and it's bade juju when they fail