Aft Shower woes 396

[Viper]

The other thing to consider about King Starboard and the like is that they are not the easiest material to clean. Their rough surface is prone to getting dirty and scuffing very easily. I would not use it for this particular application, there are a lot of composites out there that would be much better here.

[bud37]

Maybe consider using some oak or poplar.....I think you are painting it anyhow, and the original lasted this long and if there will be no leak then.......

[tomschauer]

Also keep in mind starboard or any composite has near zero structural integrity, for the application near the base of the shower it would be a compression requirement which would be ok.
You could consider using cedar and kerf the back side to make the bow without having to steam and clamp it. Cedar will most likely outlast most of the boat.

[Viper]

Starboard also expands and contracts quite a bit with changing temps. It's not ideal for joints that are to be caulked because it moves too much and isn't the easiest stuff to adhere to.

[Tireless]

Just a thought. You can make the wall material from a 1/2”- 3/4” wood product, as did Carver when they manufactured the boat. You can then cap the surface of the wood with a fibreglass product on both sides and glue to the wood. You can access the fibreglass material in a sheet form from a building supply as it is normally used for making tub surrounds. The material to cap the top at the doorway, use the original cap as it is probably in good shape. Then seal the seams with a quality tub and tiles caulk. The trick is to prevent water from having contact with the wood. As for a wood product, you could use a good quality marine plywood and apply more sealant on the surface and cut ends.

I think this is how I would approach the issue. Probably save some cash as you could do it yourself.

Greg

[Viper]

If you're going to use wood, I'd encapsulate it in epoxy. You can tint it to any colour or leave it clear if you want a woodgrain look. It'll last a heck of a long time if you do it right.

[RGrew176]

Thanks for posting how to go about this project. We all can learn from the experiences of others.

[thatchh]

Updated 2/19/21. To 650guy and all you 396 owners. I have been meaning to post on this very topic for a while. Just been too busy working on my boat. I have addressed this problem and have a solution that works. It's not beautiful, but it's cheap and effective and almost unnoticeable unless pointed out. If you use the shower with any regularity, you do or will have this problem. This design is a mess. Even if you don't see it, you probably are smelling it. The least Carver could have done with this one was to coat that silly door frame with something.
There is a risk with replacing the existing wood. Because of the draft angle of the molded shower pan, there is a gap that grows to over 1/2" where the sealing seam is. Carver just took their automated caulking gun and squirted in gobs of silicone sealant. There is a pretty good chance that will fail and leak again. Even if the wood doesn't rot, water will collect and mold will form and smell.
I had the same pile of rotted wood as you have seen in previous pictures.
I cut off the rotted bottom section of the frame and didn't replace it. I eliminated the molded plastic piece on top of the rotted section at the bottom of the door. There is a nice looking molded pan with a channel next to it hiding under that rot and caulk. In fact the channel provides a nice place for the water to collect and rot the wood. I used plastic razor blades to remove the caulk and reveal a shiny surface. I also had to cut in a small area toward the sink cabinet, but it was solid once I got about 2" up from the seam. I used a vibrating saw to make the cut next to the sink. It made a fairly straight line. I coated the wood where I cut it with a plasticizer so water couldn't penetrate any more. I did fill in that small area with some laminated Seaboard (like Starboard) that I had to mold to curve. I used 2 layers of 1/4 inch material. I bought the expensive adhesive, and heat treated the surfaces before gluing. I clamped the glued pieces to the outside of the molded shower to form the curve. They stayed curved when I removed them. I treated the surfaces with chemicals and heat before I applied the sealant. So far it is holding well. I tended to err on the side of lots of sealant. I angled it so it would run away from the joint. I used mildew resistant silicone. The pictures make it look worse than it looks in person.
As designed, the frame offsets the door about an inch outside the molded shower pan. The jury rigged plywood frame and gooping are compensating for that. You know how some home shower doors have a sliver of vinyl to help prevent splashing at the bottom of the door? Well, I used a big “sliver” to bridge the gap and direct any water that runs down the door into the pan. I attached a piece of vinyl (Home Depot clear carpet runner) to the bottom of the door with 3M double sided tape. One could add an attachment strip, but the adhesive shows no signs of pulling off after a full season of use. I made the vinyl strip a little longer than the width of the door to provide some overlap to reduce leaking. It works really well.
There is bound to be some leaking at the corners of the door. This is where the channel outside the pan comes in. It’s great for catching any extra water and keeping it from running across the bathroom floor; at least until it fills up. What if there was a way to drain it? Well guess what’s beneath the floor just outside the bathroom; the shower sump! I cut a counterbored hole at the end of the channel near the door with a forstner bit and made a fitting that looks like a mini thru-hull with a nut and a hose barb on the other side. I ran a piece of clear vinyl hose from there to the top of the shower sump. Any extra water goes the same place inside or outside of the shower.
I put a little piece of Plexiglas in the corner near the hinge to corral any water on that side. I added a small piece of starboard near the sink cabinet to support the door closure frame where I had removed the rotted lower frame. I purposely did not seal the bottom of that piece, so any water that ran down could drain in the channel. We use the shower regularly, and there is so little water in the channel, that I’m not sure it even reaches the drain, but if it does, it will run into the sump.
The picture of the fitting shows before on the left and after on the right. I had access to a lathe, but this could be done with a hacksaw, a file and an electric drill. I found some plastic ones on Amazon that would be easy to modify, but they took forever to ship. I did have to grind the fiberglass on the bottom a little to have a flat spot for the nut.
In retrospect, I might have been able to leave the door hinge attached to its plastic frame rather than remove it. It was a pain to peel of the adhesive backed foam to get at the screws. I think I could have sliced the bad part off at the bottom with it still on. It was a lot easier to lay the door flat to attach the double stick adhesive and vinyl flap, so I would still have removed the plywood frame. That went back in fairly easily. I was able to remove and reuse the trim that covers all the plywood frame attachment screws. I put some new mounting adhesive on it when I put it back.
Regards,
Thatchh

[km1125]

Nice work!!

Source of the post
Maybe someone can tell me how to turn these pictures right side up.

One easy way that's available to almost everyone running Windows:
Find the picture file in the folder and right-click on it. Select EDIT from that menu, and it should bring the picture up in MSPAINT.

Then select the rotate button and pick which way you want to rotate it

mspaint_rotate.jpg

Then SAVE and move on to the next one.

[thatchh]

km1125 thanks for the advice on the pictures. I am running Windows 10. The files on my computer are correct. If I open either of those two pictures, they are in the correct orientation. It's only when I add them to my post that they turn sideways. I hate to think I would have to save counterrotated pictures just to post them. I might try it to see.
Update: Looks like I got it now.