Wetting out horizontal holes?

Does your 1990 Catalina 30 have a cored deck AT THE RUBRAIL? I doubt it. Most boats have core only on the horizontal surfaces of the deck, and not the vertical surfaces or edges.

Here are two pictures showing how a late '80's Pearson 33 deck was laid up. This is typical of how sailboat decks are laid up - even today. In both pictures, the deck is upside down.

You can see that there is balsa core on all of the horizontal surfaces, but not on any of the vertical surfaces, or edges.


If there is no core, then you are only trying to re-define/strengthen the edges of the hole, and not completely fill it.

I believe that I know what you are trying to do, and here is how I would handle it. West Systems makes this epoxy in a tube, called Six-10. It is mixed when you dispense it through the nozzle, or you can stir it in a cup. The stuff is great, in that it is viscous enough that it will cure in a lump that you can suspend upside down, without adding additional thickener. If you stir it after dispensing it through the nozzle, it becomes less viscous. The more you stir, the thinner it gets.

1. squirt some Six-10 in a cup
2. mix it with a small stick
3. using the stick or a small chip brush apply brush the epoxy to wet out the hole
4. then apply the Six-10 directly into the hole to fill and fair it using the nozzle**
5. redrill the hole after it sets**

** only necessary if you want to completely rebuild the hole.

That said, I would not attempt any of this unless I was sure that water was penetrating through these holes.