[C320-list] Comments on older C320 "floors"

[jonvez at comcast.net]

For those who have removed the base of the table, are there any tips or tricks? I want to pull of my floor boards but have avoided this area as I haven't been able to determine the best way to get the base off...Thanks in advance...

Regards,

Jon Vez

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Warren Updike" <wupdike at hotmail.com> 

> In this context, I use the word "floor" to mean that area under the sole while 
> the wood surface that is walked on is, well, the cabin sole. I learned this 
> somewhre, I forget where. Anyway, last winter I removed the entire sole to 
> refinish it at home. This gave an excellent opportunity to check all the bilge 
> spaces in the "floor." 
> 
> As our #62 is among the oldest C320s, I can't say when the floor/sole design 
> changed; but, change it did. I used the diagram obtained from the document on 
> our website, and marked all the places where there is a drain from one space to 
> another, and each of the rubber plugs in the stringers. 
> 
> For those who have the new floor/sole, On "Warr De Mar," after removing the 
> wood sole, there are a number of bilge spaces created by the stringers that run 
> athwart-ship. Some are enclosed by fore-aft plates epoxied between the 
> stringers. Some of these "bilges" or chambers have a tube or limber hole to 
> drain into the next bilge space. Some do not. The plugs in the stringers are 
> after-market mods to allow any water to be drained from within the stringers. 
> 
> The speedo on these olders hulls is directly under the 2-drawer cabinet in the 
> V-berth. To remove it, I pull the cabinet to get close to reasonable access to 
> the speedo. Even so, it is so unwieldy working in this space that fully one or 
> two cups of water invariably enter the boat. So, before I undertake to remove 
> the speedo, I first plug and tape the drain tube to the next bilge space then 
> remove the accumulated water when I'm done. If any moves past the taped plug, 
> it goes into the space under the sole in the V-berth and then into the space 
> immediately aft of the bulkhead. That space has no drain pipe. I find it 
> necessary to pull that part of the sole to check. 
> 
> Under the table in the salon, behind the mast, there are two bilge spaces that 
> have no drain and no plug in the stringer. Before I refinished the sole, there 
> was water in there forever that contributed to the buildup of mildew under the 
> sole. The mildew had migrated into the wood of the sole and runined the finish 
> hence the refinishing of the sole. But, that's anothe story. Now, we check 
> this space twice a year by pulling the table out with the base on and viewing in 
> the bilge space. This fall, we found about a cup of water between the two space 
> with no clue to it's source. 
> 
> Between the bilge space with the pump immediately fwd of the galley deck on 
> centerline, there is a plug in the fwd-aft place separating this space and the 
> one to port that is between the galley space and the pump space. The way this 
> hole was drilled through the fillets, it opened access to the space between the 
> stringers. No matter how I try, I don't seem to be able to make this 
> water-tight with the rubber plug. Next spring I plan to tape it with outdoor 
> duct tape. I intend to keep bilge water in the bilge. If anyone has a similar 
> experience and can offer a better solution, I surely would appreciate hearing 
> it. 
> 
> Now, if I can get a few consecutive days of stay-at-home weather, I'll post my 
> sole refinish story on the 320 website along with the Hurth Shop Manual that 
> covers all of the Hurth gears. 
> 
> Warren & Pattie Updike 
> C320, #62, 1994, "Warr De Mar" 
> Frog Mortar Creek, Middle River 
> Chesapeake Bay