Plywood behind dash?

[David - WI]

My dash is all swiss cheese... apparently it took 3 or 4 tries to get the hydraulic helm in.

I'm wondeing if anybody has a method to cut / pry / peel the plywood away from behind the dash so I can replace it. The dash flexes way too much just doing normal manuevering or even pulling my fat ass out of the seat by the steering wheel.

I don't really need to fill any holes in the fiberglass, but I need to fix up the structure behind it.

I was thinking about one of those oscillating saw / tools or I have some small plunge routers that I could set to just less than the thickness of the plywood and make it into a "checkerboard" and then chisel the individual blocks off.

But... the main thing is I don't want to spider-crack the dash all to hell.

[dunnitagain]

Go to Horrible freight and get a Oscillating saw , they work like a dream. I take the semicircular blades , and cut deeper notches in them with a cutoff wheel. Gives the dust room to clear the cut.

[David - WI]

That's hat I was hoping to here! I've never tried those saws because they seemed kind of hokey on the infomercials... but now I see Bosch, DeWalt, Milwaukee, etc all have them.

[dunnitagain]

That's hat I was hoping to here! I've never tried those saws because they seemed kind of hokey on the infomercials... but now I see Bosch, DeWalt, Milwaukee, etc all have them.

Also look at King Arthurs Tools , they have a 4.5" blade with a chainsaw chain on it!!! for you 4.5" grinder.
Cleans the stringers and strakes clean out of a Hydro. They also have a Carbide needled grinding disk. Loo them up,
they make this stuff for wood carving .

[home made tunnel]

https://www.amazon.com/King-Arthurs-...hain+saw+wheel

ABSOLUTE best piece of machinery when carving crap out of an old hull. I used one to do my Bayliner. That, and a sanding disc 3M cubitron II sanding disc.

If you think a grinding wheel will cut out fiberglass, think again. Use the 3M Cubitron sanding disc!
From 3M website:
"123 PSG
To create PSG, engineers start with 3M™ Ceramic Abrasive Grain and use proprietary technology to form the grains into triangular structures and electrostatically orient them on the backing to form sharp peaks that maximize cutting potential. These peaks slice cleanly through metal, rather than gouging or plowing as traditional abrasive grains do; and continuously self-sharpen as the points break off. This generates a super-fast cut and lessens heat build-up due to friction, reducing heat-related stress cracks and discoloration. PSG also wears evenly, and because the abrasive stays cooler and sharper, Cubitron II products last significantly longer than their conventional ceramic counterparts, ensuring extended high performance in production applications. Our Cubitron™ II products achieve a fast cut rate and a long product life."