hylas 49, #26 - Dry Rot in aft stateroom, portside - from aft, to 4 feet forward

[Ambition]

Andy,
Ambition is a 46 however we have had both issues you describe on our boat. As Dan, Joel and Eric eloquently described, the wiggly windlass is caused by the core under the plate having deteriorated enough to have the strength of mashed potatoes! On ours the yard choose to remove all the hardware and then somehow extract the mushy core. They replaced / filled the cavity with epoxy and rebed all the hardware. Eight years later it remains solid and problem free.
For the damaged teak paneling, I opted to purchase direct from Queen Long a 4

[Midnight Mile]

Midnight Mile had rotted core around the windlass just like you described. The repair entailed removing the windlass, hardware, and chain guard plate. Then cutting away the top skin, replacing the rotted core with Coosa board and laying down a new top skin. It is a SUPER strong repair and Coosa is impregnable to water so this should be a permanent repair. This was performed by the yard when we were doing our initial refit. I removed the old windlass, chain guard, and hardware myself as well as reinstalling all of it to save some money. Feel free to message me if you want more information or pictures.

Dan
H49 #28

[etuman]

There are other methods to attack core rot as well.  If you can access the rot from below, you can also cut and replace the skin and core from underneath.  The chain locker might be a good candidate for going from underneath.  The aesthetics wont be an issue.

I have also heard of a method that uses a drying agent and a sealant, that is injected through a hole or holes and cures around the rotted area.  This method has had some detractors, but there are some who swear by it, when done properly.  Check the web for this, I have seen the postings, but dont recall the name of the product or method.  You will need to drill a few holes for this, to both inject the epoxy and to fill the voids fully, but patching a few holes in the non skid, will be a lot easier than replacing the entire section.

Eric

[joel]

Andy,

Sorry to hear this!
Can you access the chainplate from under the steps? 

The core rot in the bow is remedied by identifying the wet area with a moisture meter and then cutting the top skin, removing the wet core and replacing it and glassing the skin back down.  Personally, I would not tackle it myself although I know owners who have.

Joel
49 #5

[Mccannengineer]

RYA has developed dry rot.  turns out the aft back stay cover is leaking - re-bedding top plate to fix.
However, back stay chain plate drops thru deck and appears to be bolted to a fiberglass extension from aft vertical hull.

Does anyone have knowledge of how and to what the chain plate is connected too???

Wall composite is minimal fiberglass at port lazarette, 5/8's?? marine grade plywood and a skin coat of teak plywood - 1/16" + or minus.
Dry rot runs from just below ceiling down to bed frame and from a foot off aft wall, forward about 4 feet - stops prior to turn out to port hull.

It also appears that we have dry rot or another problem forward of chain locker - interested in hearing how others have repaired this area.  Chain retrieval system - windless and fittings bounce when pulling up an anchor???

Any input would be appreciated and a welcomed Christmas gift!

Andy