How to remove wood from flimsy cap?

[thrillhouse700]

Here is a pic of my cap, we took it off the boat and realized that the wood on it is also rotting, the red lines show where the wood is. I was wondering how would I remove this wood? I tried prying on it and it flexes the fiberglass a lot and if I try prying it off it WILL break the glass. It is only rotten on the front edge about 2 inches in and the bottom about 3 inches up. The rest is still coated in resin and solid. I want to replace it because it is a structural point for the top cap and the bow floor.

 

[i386]

Re: How to remove wood from flimsy cap?

From the pic it's tough to see how it's attached. On mine, I had some plywood with a layer of glass holding it to the back side of the cap in several place. I went around the perimeter of the plywood with a cutoff wheel to get through the glass. Then I worked a wood chisel under the wood until it was free. Once the wood was out of the way I ground the area it was attached to flat then glassed in a new piece of wood.

 

[thrillhouse700]

Re: How to remove wood from flimsy cap?

Yeah I will get better pics next time I am over there. I took a screw drive and pushed it into where it is de-laminating and the fiberglass started to make cracking sounds so I didn't want to try too hard. It looks as if they just glued the wood to the fiberglass. There is no glass on the top of the wood.

 

[i386]

Re: How to remove wood from flimsy cap?

It may take several approaches to get it off. Hammering a flat prybar under an edge has also worked for me. I've even used a handsaw in places to get in between layers to seperate them (pounding it in with the heel of my hand). Obviously try not to crack the "skin" but hey it's fiberglass so it can be fixed.

 

[All Wet]

Re: How to remove wood from flimsy cap?

A jigsaw or sawzall might do the job but they will likely induce too much bounce. I would try with a sidearm grinder equiped with a cut-off wheel. But watch yourself; those things are dangerous.