deck strength

[pjk170]

Hi....We have our boat docked at a slip with the bow facing the dock. To get on the boat we step on the deck and then move back to the cockpit. The boat is about a foot lower than the dock so I'm curious as to whether us stepping down onto the boat could in any way damage the deck. It seems that the fiberglass is pretty thin above the cuddy in the bow area of the boat.

Thanks again, sorry for all the questions, i'm just trying to find out as much about this boat as I can and this forum (along with Roger's awesome book) has been an invaluable resource.

[navahoIII]

What do you have, a I, II or III? Ours is a circa 1962 DSI and it has a wooden plank (about an inch thick) attached to the underside of the cuddy roof, from near the bow to the stowage bulkhead. It adds stiffness to the foredeck.

The thinness of the glass does make one wonder...The age of the glass makes one wonder even more. If it continues to hold up as well as it has in our boat's 47 years then I'd say fiberglass is here to stay!

[pjk170]

We have a DS II that I believe is from 1980.

i'm just worried that the force of us hopping onto the deck could break something.

[navahoIII]

It's probably a good idea not to "hop" onto any boat. if it's only a foot below the dock it may be possible to step down without hopping, or, sit on the dock and move onto the deck.

[GreenLake]

PK: In your case, I'd think about some reinforcment.

Get a cardboard tube, cut in half to form a U-channel. Cover in epoxy. Place underneath the deck area, where you feel that it gives. Laminate in place with a few layers of glass cloth. That should add sufficient strength to allow you to walk there with confidence.

(If you can, fair any hard egdges before laminating with an epoxy fairing or filleting compound. For example, where the tube meets the flat surface - so that the glass doesn't make a sharp corner there, but a gentle curve.)

The hardest part of this operation would be getting to the repair site and working overhead.

I also have a DS1 with the plank, and it's not giving enough support over the whole deck area.