Balsa Core - ProBalsa

Used it for deck repairs. If you have spongy decks or roof my advise is to do sounding testing with mallet and precisely mark out area that has wet or roten core with marker. Then cut top skin using skil saw and pry out remaining balsa. save top skin. clean/prepare bottom skin. use top skin as template to trase shape on balsa. lay balsa with thikened epoxy prewetting with unthikened epoxy. use west system notched spreader. lay top skin. add weights or drill holes and use butterfly ancors to tie down sandwich. next day grind a recess in top skin. lay 1708 tape . next day sand and do some fairing job. good luck

To answer Gary's questions. I used 3/8 thick but 1/2 inch would have been better. It is not primed but that wasn't a problem. I used West systems epoxy and had no problems. Make sure the old core is cleaned out really well so that the epoxy and new core will bond realy well, saturate really well and cover with cloth and it should work great.

Trick to using it. Cut out a template of area out of either thin plywood or thicker cardboard. Fit your template into the area you are replacing. Work from the bottom of a floor is my suggestion. Then cut the balsa to fit the template. Trial fit the balsa supported on your template into the hole. With out the template the product flops all over the place, making it difficult to fit. When ready wax paper or release plastic on your template lay the balsa on the template after your wax paper and epoxy the resin through the balsa add you fiberglass while wet to side you are not epoxying up into the boat. After the epoxy is dry remove from template, trim and fit up into the hole you are working on. Then epoxy the under side of the floor you are working on with thickened epoxy raise the pre epoxy and fiberglassed balsa bottom side down up into the hole, back up with a wood template and two by fours with wax paper or release plastic on the side your not epoxying and press up into hole with wood and a screw car jack works super for this holding the balsa under pressure up into the hole until the epoxy sets up.

We had to replace the roof of the aft cabin and the floor to the fly bridge of a Marine Trader 34 because the teak decks had leaked. We cut out the core (plywood squares) and replaced it with balsa, fiberglass and west system. The area is now VERY strong and water tight.

I used this product as a replacement for an area of wet and rotten deck core. I found it to be packaged well. The balsa is easy to use and is backed with fiberglass. It is easy to cut and to manipulate. What small area didn't conform to my contours, I found easy to split and mold. The fiberglass backing kept it all together. Wonderful Product!

I used to replace a large area of rotten core on the deck of my C&C 24. Once you survive the trauma of using a circular saw on your boat to cut the outer skin things are actually easier than expected. Would suggest to cut in smaller pieces rather than using a large piece to cover the entire area. After covering the repair with the outer skin i filled any remainig gaps by injecting epoxy, it works!

I use the product to replace core in both deck and hull applications. Work perfectly. Size accordingly to original builders spec. easy to work with and makes a excellent repair.