232 sun pad replacement

skeester45

Was wondering if anyone has replaced their sun pad / engine hatch on a 232 cuddy?  I have a 1995 232 that is pretty rotted at the back corners.  Any tips?  Was thinking I might be able to remove the old and use it as a template, but reinstalling looks like it will be tough.  The hinge is pretty bent and many screws have pulled out of the fiberglass.  Really surprised there isnt some plate behind the glass for the screws or bolts to bite into.  Any suggestions would be great.

69fastback

I’ve done mine. It definitely take two people to uninstall and reinstall because it’s pretty heavy any awkward. I installed new T nuts and then epoxy’d over everything. Put the boys in when you epoxy so it doesn’t get in the threads. I used the old wood as a template. It’s a pretty straightforward rebuild. Use stainless hardware. 

skeester45

Thanks 69fastback for the info.  I like the T-nut idea.  Did you use the original holes?  One other question - did you mount the hinge to the sun pad first, or did you mount it to the boat and then try to fasten to the pad? This pic shows the idea of what I did as a temporary fix at the end of last season just to get out one more time.  Not pretty but it did work.  Dang it was dirty - thats embarrassing.  Thanks again

69fastback

I mounted the hinges on the boat first, since they bolt in with the hinge open. I just used the old board as the template on where to drill the holes. 

skeester45

Thanks 69fastback.  What material did you end up using?  3/4 marine plywood?

Cableguy Greg

I replaced mine with 3/4 inch marine plywood. I had an upholstery shop recover the board and I remounted it myself. 

69fastback

skeester45 said:

Thanks 69fastback.  What material did you end up using?  3/4 marine plywood?

Yep