Help with engine pad repair

[Brent Jaquet]

I have a 23 foot 1996 signature overnighter in great condition. However this is the third time that I have to repair the upholstered engine pad cover. It has happened about every 4 years. The screws in the piano hinge pull out of what is the rotted or water damaged wood in the core. Last time I had the upholstery shop use marine plywood in the core. However, 4 years later the screws have now pulled out again. I keep the canvas cover on the boat all the time and the cover is re waterproofed every spring. The rest of the pad and board seem fine but that end is spongy. Is there a good fix? I’m hoping to reuse the upholstery. One shop recommended a pvc type core material but my local Searay dealer said they don’t recommend that. Thanks for ideas.

 

[Sublimetime]

Not only the use of marine plywood, they should be epoxy coating the plywood paying extreme attention to the area where the screws will enter. Maybe preattach the hinge before vinyl wrapping, then remove the hinge and redrill the wholes where the screws where so they are slightly larger and then fill with epoxy. harden off the epoxy and redrill wholes again. Now wrap with vinyl and reattach hinge. should be pretty water resistant.

 

[ttmott]

I would get away from wood altogether. Take a look at Nida-Core, Divinycell, or corecell, or other composite laminates and build the structure from one of these then laminate with a fiberglass epoxy layup.
The hinge regardless of the type needs to be through bolted with backing plate.
You will never have another issue.

I'm surprised your SR dealer would make such a statement as the decks and all top structures are a composite layup using structural substrates.

 

[Brent Jaquet]

Not only the use of marine plywood, they should be epoxy coating the plywood paying extreme attention to the area where the screws will enter. Maybe preattach the hinge before vinyl wrapping, then remove the hinge and redrill the wholes where the screws where so they are slightly larger and then fill with epoxy. harden off the epoxy and redrill wholes again. Now wrap with vinyl and reattach hinge. should be pretty water resistant.

Thanks very much to both of you. I will pursue both.

 

[Lazy Daze]

All good suggestions above, but... There's something going on here that you/we are not aware of. That wood should NOT be rotting out in 4 years on a regular basis.

 

[Brent Jaquet]

All good suggestions above, but... There's something going on here that you/we are not aware of. That wood should NOT be rotting out in 4 years on a regular basis.

I was wondering if mold is inside the upholstery wrap and maybe that’s accelerating the process. The shop reused the upholstery in the last fix.