Narrow piece of wood above windows??? {Eyebrows}

[RON SCHERER]

I have a 1987 model. I do not know how many yrs. Catalina put the narrow piece of wood above the windows that is approx. I would guess 8-10 feet long. I wish they would have skipped my boat as I find it hard to keep it looking good. Has anyone out there replaced it? Has anyone done away with it all together? Can anyone suggest a better way to go with this thing?      

[Stu Jackson]

Ron

It's called the eyebrow.  A search finds this:  http://www.c34.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=272&highlight=eyebrow

Try the main website, too.  Many have replaced it, then you get into discussions of teak treatments, Cetol, varnish, etc.  Not worth going there, been discussed forever.

[Mike Vaccaro]

Ron,

We removed ours completely and fared with polyester filler and then repaired the gelcoat over the holes.  I added a 1" accent stripe that matches the stripes on the hull.  You could fair the holes with any type of filler (epoxy, etc.) if you don't intend to repair the gel coat.  If you work neatly, a 1" stripe will cover your hole repairs, making painting or gelcoat repair unnecessary.  

Removing the eyebrow does cut down on teak maintenance, but the eyebrow does serve a function beyond aesthetics--it provides a rain gutter along the top of the coach roof, which cuts down  somewhat on streaking below it.  Without the eyebrow, I find that I've got to wash the coach roof a bit more frequently.  

Cheers,

Mike

[Mike Smith]

Ron -

I replaced mine on Breezer a couple of years ago.  I bought 6 six, five foot lengths of 3/4' rounded edge teak strips at West Marine.  I cut the ends at a 45/45 bevel with a mitre saw and then butted three of them together for each side with a 3" strip of 3/4" wide fiberglass tape at the joint on the flat underside saturated with epoxy and clamped it overnight to cure for strength.  I cut off equal lengths on each end to match the length of the old strips (13'?).  Bevel each end and lightly sand the strip until smooth.  Apply several coats of Cetol Marine (Light) lightly sanding between coats and then finish with a couple of coats of Cetol Gloss.  Take the strips to the boat and lay them alongside the existing strips and carefully mark where the screws are located.  (You'll need an extra pair of hands for this) Drill and countersink screw holes in the new strips.  Take a pencil or fine point majic marker and trace a line above and below each old strip to show you where the strip was when you remove it. Remove the old strips and clean the area with acetone, but don't erase the lines you drew.  Clean out the old holes and squirt some marine sealant (NOT 3M 5200) into them. You may need to fill them with West unthickened epoxy, let it cure over night and then re-drill the hole to repair/prevent water intrusion damage. Run a thick bead of marine sealant (NOT 3M 5200) down the flat bottom of the new strip, set the strip between the lines you traced and screw it down with SS screws and finishing washers about 95% of the way, so that some of the sealant squishes out.  Let the sealant cure overnight then tighten the screws down all the way.  Trim off any excess sealant with a utility knife.

Mike

[mike lofstrom]

If you decide to keep them, the trick is to keep the UV off of them after they have been refinished.   I had all the canvas on my boat replaced last year.  The canvas shop made a couple of covers for me that cover the eyebrows on each side of the cabin.  The covers are secured with a single snap at the front, and a lift-the-dot fastener over one of the studs on the dodger.  the covers are about 5 inches high, and run the length of the trim.  They are made of the same sunbrella as the rest of the covers on the boat.  I was a little skeptical about whether or not they would stay in place, but they work perfectly.  They are stretched just tight enough to follow the curve of the cabin and not fall down.

[Ron Hill]

Ron : The "eyebrow" piece on the outside is 12 ft long!!  It served as an accent to make the boat look nicer/traditional.  I took mine off for refinishing about 5 years ago and they have never gotten back to the boat.  I refinished them with 4 coats of the satin Cetol and 2 coats of the clear.  I have them in the attic for the next owner - if he wants them?!

What I did was to clean up the gelcoat underneath.  Then I purchased about 30 #4 finishing washers.  Got the same number of #4 flat head 1/2" screws and with a dab of clear silicone caulk, screwed one screw w/washer in each old hole.  Looks great.  In fact only one C34 owner to date has noted that I took those eyebrow pieces off - and it took him 3 months docked next to me to figure it out!!

Don't think those pieces will go back on my boat in my lifetime.  Less maintenance is better!!  

[Jeff Tancock]

Ron,

Are you saying that you have bare screws and washers in the holes for the screws that would normally hold on the eyebrows and it looks OK?
If so I am doing the same this weekend!
Mine need to come off for refinishing again and I was debating having the holes professionally filled and repaired. I like your idea better (if I'm understanding your post correctly)

[Jim Brener]

Ours were gone when we purchased the boat and some PO filled in the holes. If you are not looking for them, you don't  notice the repair.

[Ron Hill]

Yup, I put small screws and finishing washers (with some caulk) in each hole.  Looks great and saves a heck of alot of future work.  This = more sailing.

[RON SCHERER]

Hey guys, thanks for getting back to me on the eyebrows. Ron I like your idea with the finishing washers the best. I think I will give that a try on my boat. I have had it with trying to keep them looking good with varnish. They are tired looking even after I refinish the darn things. Tks---Ron S.