Messed up hatches...dissolve epoxy?

Builder's Forum
1

Boat-building gurus:

I've glued the ribs on my hatch covers (for Chesapeake 16) and the epoxy has completely cured. Now that I'm fitting them to the deck I realize that I didn't sort out the ribs correctly. I've glued one with a smaller radius curve to the rear hatch and one with a larger radius curve to the front hatch (Should CLC mark these better? Anyone else make the same mistake?). So, the curves of the hatch covers don't match the curve of the deck, and I doubt they will seal correctly.

What's the best way to remove one of these ribs from each hatch cover? Dissolve with vinegar/acetone/some other compound? Heat with heat gun and remove? Cut off and make new ones?

Thought I was getting close to finishing!

Eric

2

Persistence with a heat gun should undo it, especially if the epoxy isn’t more than a few days old.  The wood won’t burn until it gets to 450 degrees or so, but the epoxy lets go around 150 or less when it’s newly applied.

3

Thanks John. I'll give that a go.

Eric

4

Tried the heat gun. Worked like a charm. Got the rib glue hot and gave a little push with my thumb and they popped right off.

Eric

5

Yes…I made that same mistake!  I found that the hatches sealed well enough even with the wrong radius.  That foam tape is pretty forgiving.