hull material

C-hop chop

New member
Does any one know what the material on the upper sides of the hull is? I have removed the water tank vent to seal it, and wanted to be sure I'm not dealing with thin balsa. It appears to be insulation material over the glass hull. anyone have info as to exactly what this is and where balsa would be located on a 2006 Cape Cruiser Venture 23?
 
The hull sides should be structurally fiberglass. The 2006 may have had a foam/vinyl overlay liner, but that is not structural. I am not sure about the 2006, but the core may be foam, rather than balsa--in any case, the sides of the hull and cabin (except the aft bullhead will be about 1/4" thick solid glass. (Some boats had a material called "coremat". Not sure if this was every used in the C Dory/venture line--but consider it as solid.

The boat bottom, the decks, cabin top, transom, and aft cabin bulkhead will have cores.
 
Thank you Thataway , I very much appreciate and value your information. I am amazed at the projects you have under taken and shared on this web page. The reason I am concerned or even aware of these issues, is because of you and others sharing your experiences with us. C-brat web page and all the people who contribute to this page put the C-dory type boats in a class of their own. I really enjoy your pictures of different trips you have done, and look forward to reading more
Thankyou once again,
Marty
One of these days ,I will take time to read how to put photos on here.[/img]
 
Thank you for the kind words to all of us.

Contact one of the administrators: TyBoo or DaNag (2 & 3 on the member list) to get a photo album. Then go to the album, and click on "actions". You should see a pop up which says "add photos". Be sure that any "pop up blockers" are turned off for the C Brat site. The photos must be in a standard format, such as jpeg. Large photos take longer and occasionally can overwhelm the system. So if possible downsize a high definition photo. Most smart phone or lower quality compressed JPEG images are fine for the photo album. When shooting with the camera I record 2 images; one in uncompressed RAW, for larger prints or high resolution monitors, and the other in the smallest resolution JPEG for the internet.
 
Once again thank you ! I have been removing all hardware, one item at a time. I have come across a lot of exposed balsa and foam core and filling with epoxy. Luckily all balsa and foam core is dry so far. I was a bit concerned and surprised with the deck, was expecting the worse. Had standing water under the deck and cabin floor when I bought it, thought it might have come from the bolts holding the fuel tanks down, but all is good and now raised the tanks off the deck and secured the mounting bolts in epoxy. I am sure the only reason for my good fortune, is the boat has always been stored indoors. Started off searching for the best way to put inspection ports in, but now realize I have a lot more work to complete, if this boat is to stay in good condition.
 
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