I epoxied the frame of my H16 last year with West Marine epoxy, and now I need to take it apart so I can take it to Costa Rica. I have a fourty foot shipping container to put it in, but the only way I can make room for it is if it's taken apart!!! Has anyone ever done this before? Will a heat gun melt the epoxy?... before melting the aluminium, let alone the fiberglass? Is there another way, like drilling out all the rivets and using a hydrolic jack to pry it apart???
It's getting down to the wire if I'm going to take it with me, which I really want too. So any help or advise anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, andrew

Hello,
I haven't done this myself, but I've heard it discussed. Heat is the only way to go to get the epoxy to release. I would keep cool rags around the bottom of the pylons during the process to limit the heats exposure into the hull. It might take some time for the heat to makes it's way through the casting, but it should work. Maybe you would be better off giving a buddy some cash to borrow his hulls and frame for the race?
Good luck,
Jack Hoying
Fort Loramie, Ohio
Prindle 18 #1645
http://www.bright.net/~jmhoying/sailing/prindle.htm

I don't know what portion of the frame you exopied together, but just a thought, if you glued the castings to the pylons could you drill out the rivets for the forward and rear crossbar, remove them, and re rivet them at the destination.

A propane torch is probably the way to go to apply heat to break the epoxy bond. You might check with West Marine to find out what temperature the epoxy breaks at. Of course, you'll have to apply the heat evenly with caution. I like the idea of wet rags around the bottom of the pylon and top of hulls, etc.

A better way is to use a heat gun. It' has a couple heat settings and has no flame. Don't want no burn baby burn!

So far, it sounds like no one has actually tried using heat to burn the epoxy. First hand knowledge is best for something like this. I'd be REAL wary of trying heat. The aluminium is going to conduct the heat pretty darn fast. There is foam inside the pylons that will get damaged. I suppose you could replace it. But, what if the heat gets down into the hull, -will it melt or burn the hull's polyester or the foam core? Also, I believe that epoxy is thermosetting,... if so, then it will not melt, but would only burn. I would not recommend trying this on a good hull. It would be interesting to experiment on useless hull that's trash anyway.

Thanks for all the replies. Today, I tried using a heat gun and a hand-held blow torch. No luck. It got very hot, well over the 200 degrees west marine said would soften their epoxy, and it didn't budge! I gave up and am shipping it anyway, so I guess it will all work out.
So, for everyone in the future, epoxy is a permanent fix for a loose boat. Don't expect to ever take it apart.

I'd be real concerned about that one hull you tried heating. As I said, there is foam inside the pylons. It is a closed cell foam that I am wildly guessing is a vinyl foam. It is soft and squeezable. It is put in as a plug to keep the water out, when you turn your Hobie into a submarine. The front foam plug has a very small metal tube through the foam to vent air from inside the hull. If you have melted the foam, you may find that you are taking in more water than normal, when you bury the hull.

Thanks for the advise Jeff. I heated the rear right pylon and was also concerned about the foam(although I seem to remember that it was below the level of where I was heating...I think). I didn't smell anything burning, but I'm still concerned. I was actually thinking of using expanding insulating foam put in the pylon through the bolt hole, or just seal it from the outside with silicone. Do you have any ideas about either of these routes?

Did you use a rubber Mallet after the heat process?

Yes, I heated a lot, then used a large rubber mallet and a block of wood hitting it from the inside and outside of the hull.