New boat - Allegro 27

[maxiSwede]

Modern yacht care products are amazing! I was pretty sure that the state of my gelcoat was so bad that I would have to repaint the whole top side if I ever wanted it to look decent. Turns out it can be restored to look great for being 45

Hi there, which product sid you use?  I am looking at reviving my chalky gelcoat myself and found a product called " Poli gloss". Apparently fr.o.m. Canada that promilles a LOT.....which always makes me suspicious  :o

Congratulations on a great projekt you are undertaking, sorry I haven't noticed before, but I have spent but very little time on forums and internet lately.

The Allegro brings back memories indeed, used to be a dream boat for me a long time ago. I actually worked at the yard in Nyk?ping a few months glassing hulls together with the owners. Interesting to get an insight in the process but a terrifying working environment had me moving on rather swiftly to teaching ;-)

[SeaHusky]

Hi and welcome back maxiSwede!
For my gelcoat I simply wiped it down with acetone, which actually dissolves the top layer of the gelcoat, and then used Hempel rubbing liquid.
Cool that you worked with the Allegros! It was a dream boat for me to for many years but completely out of my price range and then the recession happened and prices were cut by more than half so now I have one.
It has progressed slower than I had hoped but I am finally getting some paint in the aft lockers and engine compartment and the engine is almost ready to put back in.

[maxiSwede]

Your doing a great job. She will end up better than new!

Aceton and rubbing. I believe that's just fine if you wax once a year in Sweden. Our current boat has spent quite a few years on the trio is and while I cam still get a decent result "buffing and waxing" it lasts only a couple of months. Since we are on a budget haul-outs are not very frequent so by the time we do haul her out the looks are quite sad....

I do not want to do a paint job as long as there is still gelcoat thick enough....since once you start down that road you will have to repaint every few years, and it s not easy to patch up with two part paint either....

[CharlieJ]

LOL a copy and paste from a post I JUST made on the trailer sailor board five minutes ago.

As an old boat builder, I disagree with using acetone, for several reasons. First it flashes off so quickly it really doesn't "clean" It just smears things around, unless you use a bunch, on very wet rags or towels

My wipe down of choice, when using a solvent, is denatured alcohol. But I really don't have a problem with clean towels and water.

I almost never use Acetone in my shop.

Added here-

Oh, and I've never found that Acetone does much of anything to gelcoat, except wipe off the crud. It removes the dullness, but no harm to gelcoat itself that I've found

Still don't much use it. I do have a quart in the shop :)

[CharlieJ]

Your doing a great job. She will end up better than new!


I do not want to do a paint job as long as there is still gelcoat thick enough....since once you start down that road you will have to repaint every few years, and it s not easy to patch up with two part paint either....

Agree there  BUT- Tehani was painted with a 2 part poly in 2005, and has been really used since, and never waxed. Many docks, lock walls, and dinghies banged alongside, etc  Looks like this, from BEER in Florida last year

So depends on the paint

[maxiSwede]

Agree there  BUT- Tehani was painted with a 2 part poly in 2005, and has been really used since, and never waxed. Many docks, lock walls, and dinghies banged alongside, etc  Looks like this, from BEER in Florida last year

So depends on the paint

Charlie, that's an interesting comment, and no doubt you know what your talking about!

10 years is good already, and I believe there is about as much UV at your location as in FrPol.  May I ask which paint you used?  Sprayed or rollers/tipped?   Obviously the prep job is 90%

Sorry of hi-jacking the thread, Mod may well move it or start a new thread,
Cheers

[CharlieJ]

Starting a new thread.Will call it "Paint work on Boats"

[SeaHusky]

Now I am all confused and don't know which thread to reply in...  ???
The gelcoat had lots of stains that didn't go away with denatured alcohol but acetone worked. Charlie is probably correct that it is more smeared than removed but at least it looks less eye catching.

[CharlieJ]

ROFL- your thread amigo, do what you want.Didn't want to hijack it onto an off thread, so started the new one to be just about paint

[maxiSwede]

Sorry about the drift Husky!

This thread is about your b?t! ;-)

[SeaHusky]

I have heard that if you don?t update your thread people will get bored and start talking about paint drying so here is a short update.
Progress is slow but steady. The engine has been completely disassembled and reassembled. My friend who has guided me and also done a lot of the work is an aircraft technician who leaves nothing untouched if it can be improved upon so I am confident that i will not share the engine problems which seem to be mandatory for long distance cruising. We actually found that the gasket for the internal water pump was rotted and the exhaust port on the aluminum heat exchanger was eroded so, left untouched, either of these would have caused a failure in the future at the most inconvenient time.
Some updates on the boat.
The ?engine room?:


Port lights:


Battery compartment:


3x95Ah + 70Ah starter:


Also the road toward cruising is not straight but even unplanned detours may become shortcuts. Due to health issues I am moving up to my parents and have booked a slip for next season in a marina close to where I will live. This is a 25 minute drive to the boat as opposed to the present 2 hours and also a much better sailing area:
https://www.google.com/maps/@58.6567463,17.1122494,14.5z

[Norman]

That is a very impressive battery box, and it doubtless will be easy to maintain the bank.  All of your work on the Allegro is top quality.


The one weakness that I see is the strap to hold the batteries in place.  It would be adequate for a single battery, but your 4  units are very heavy.  The span from the attachments is also a weakening factor, and the 2 inner batteries will have a  much higher force on the strap than the outside ones.

You have a lip on both sides of the battery box, and a rigid wood or fiberglass bridge across would be much stronger, and easily removed for service and removal of batteries.  I used a 1/2 by 3 inch wood slat for my single battery.  I have a removable pin that prevents the slat from moving unless I want to take it out.

Some firm compressible foam on the underside of the bridge to take up any looseness for each individual battery helps keep all exactly in place.

When you move the boat, will your friends still be readily available to assist in your boat work?  They have done impressive work with you so far!

[SeaHusky]

Thanks Norman!
The strap is mainly for the truck move of the boat to my parents house but your suggestion is great!
My friends have helped with the engine but the rest is all me. That is why it is taking so long.

[ralay]

So clean and shiny!  It must be satisfying to get to go over everything so thoroughly.  I fantasized a lot about ripping some things on our boat apart entirely so I could have them just so, but I think we'd have cracked if we spent more than 2 years working on the boat everyday.  Anyways, looks very nice.

[SeaHusky]

Clean and shiny is nice and It is satisfying to see things finally start coming together but more then that it is a boat completely tuned to my needs! What I am trying to build here is a boat specifically for poor health, single handed cruising in the Baltic and possibly for a few people to do some north sea cruising in the future.
It has turned out to be much, much more work and a lot more money than I had thought and planned but as this is probably my last, big project I am OK with it because what I am getting is a boat that is completely to my own preferences and specifications. Imagine what that would cost if I had ordered a new boat like this (maybe Frank has?)
Also everything is better than if I had bought it new because I know every last detail and it will be done to the best of my knowledge and ability. Granted I am learning as I go and have made many mistakes and would have done some things differently had I done more research but at least all flaws are due to my shortcomings and not because someone, somewhere was cutting corners.

I had hoped to have glued the insulation to the hull this season but winter came early and we now have subzero temperatures so that will have to wait.

[Frank]

I admire what you are doing! Will be well worth the work and whatever frustrations you may encounter in the end.
To have a boat exactly what you want and to know its inner workings so intimately is a huge bonus!!
Keep the faith 😄😄

[maxiSwede]

I join in here with the hoorays!

Very nice job indeed. Ditto on the battery strap comment.

[SeaHusky]

No progress on the boat as I have moved in with my parents and got dad home from the hospital with a replaced knee. As it was rather windy but still a nice day I took a drive to my designated slip for next season to check things out. I thought I would take the opportunity to post some pics before Frank starts flooding the forum with rum soaked images of turtle infested beaches. (no no, not jealous at all...)

Standing by my slip looking in toward the sailing club house


This is why I am adding a full inch of insulation to all of the hull. If you are OK with using gloves when drinking your sundowner and prolong the season you get the archipelago pretty much to your self!


Looking the other direction, all I have to do is turn starboard around the wave breaker, aim for the gap, set the tiller pilot and settle in the cockpit until I see Finland.


To paraphrase Monty Python: "No one expects the Swedish coast guard!"
At least I should not expect to out run them even though I do have a rebuilt engine.

[Frank]

Nice views out!
Geez...700hp on that boat....it must do 45knots+

[SeaHusky]

Boat has now arrived safely at new location (parents garden) outside the town of Nykoping where she was built 46 years ago.



Had to take a picture before the cover goes on so I remember what she looks like.