Jobs and maintenace about my boat ...

matt195583 · January 03, 2009, 09:40:11 PM

hello all happy new year and all that , i haven't been around for a while but I'm back grinding holes in my boat ??? . I am at the moment in the middle of a doing my first fiberglass repair job . It was all a bit daunting to start with , the idea of grinding a hole in the transom was not the most appealing of idea's .

The cause of the damage to the transom was the out board bracket , as the PO apparently left the motor on the bracket when trailering , I don't think that should pose a problem. but the part of the bracket that bolts to the transom ( similar to this one http://www.shopping.com/xPC-Garelick_Garelick_Outboard_Motor_Bracket) had nothing to spread the load . where i think problem really began was with the piece of pine used on the inside to spread the load on the nuts and washers . the washers have pulled into the pine allowing the whole bracket to move >:( , in turn allowing the bottom edge of the bracket to push into the glass transom and crack it all the way through .

AdriftAtSea · January 09, 2009, 06:36:02 AM

While you're doing the repair, make up a 1/2-3/4" thick backing board of fiberglass to use for it. Glass it to the inside of the transom, if you've got decent access there. :)

matt195583 · January 10, 2009, 06:58:29 PM

Cheers for the reply adrift , i used 13mm High Density Polyethylene as the backing plate , i also used the same material on the out side to spread the load on the transom . The bracket is mounted on the right hand side where there is a locker under the seat , I have good access to the backing plate but i think resin may have a negative effect on the polyethylene . I sealed the outside with marine sealent (not silicone ) I haven't done the inside but i plan to do that soon . I have some pictures before and after that i will post soon .

Now i just have to make a few more stay wires up , wire in my fish finder and replace some rivets in the mast and I'm in action .So weather permitting i will be out impeding speedboats and jetskis in a couple of weeks .

matt195583 · January 11, 2009, 04:04:12 AM

Well , after a full day toiling in my shed I finished making my stays trimmed the base of my mast and done some other minor things all mast related , at about 430 pm i had the mast standing and realised that the lower rear shrouds are about 40 -50mm to long . bugga . other than that all is good . i have the excess wire to make 2 more if i cant shorten the ones i already made not bad for $ 200 considering i got a swaging tool included in that $200 , when the best quote i could get was $600-$900 .

the next issue i have to face is splicing a rope to wire halyard , I want to stay with rope to wire untill the next rerig when i will replace the mast top pully setup .

So i think i will be on the water for the maiden voyage within the next fortnight ;D cant help but feel exited ,

matt195583 · February 16, 2009, 06:15:16 AM

OK so I have made some really neat new timber rails for my sliding hatch, the 9th coat of international marine varnish is going off as i type . The next thing to deal with is the pop top, all but one of the four latches is missing or broken. I don't have the tent part to seal it up when its open and the whole setup looks to be a royal pain in the behind to me. My thoughts are to get some bolts around the 5/16th size and bolt the thing down insuring the gasket is well in place to avoid leaks, maybe even adding a little marine sealant to the gasket. i don't want to make it to permanent in case when it comes time to sell the next buyer does not want it that way or i change my mind down the track and want to go back to the pop top.

I intend to use my boat for over nighting and hopefully the odd week away, and i would like to make her as seaworthy as a cat22 can get. am i over looking any thing obvious here ? ???

I intend to make a boom tent of sorts using fiberglass poles the same as a dome tent to support it. So i don't think i will really miss the lost head room .

AdriftAtSea · February 16, 2009, 09:20:56 AM

Matt-

I hope you used big fender washers under the bolt heads and nuts on the PE. You really need to do that to spread the load out, so that the nuts/bolts don't sink into the PE over time and cause the fasteners to loosen up. :)

matt195583 · February 17, 2009, 05:41:15 AM

Yes i got the biggest SS 5/16 washers i could get :) . as for the hatch rails I was intending to use brass or SS wood screws and screw them up from the inside so i dont have any bolt/screw heads showing on the topside, using SS cup washers of coarse, also using a flexible marine sealant.
The rails are 1200mm or 4 foot long I was thinking 5-6 screws a side .

There are my newly made and varnished rails ;D

matt195583 · February 17, 2009, 06:07:25 AM

Another thing I am considering Is removing the stauncions altogether , they need resealing and I'm not a fan of them . The height is just right to catch me at knee level .

AdriftAtSea · February 17, 2009, 07:48:47 AM

Good. :)

As for the rails... I'd bed them with butyl tape. I'd recommend putting screws every six-to-eight inches or so—seven or eight per side. Screws should be stainless steel or silicon bronze.

Quote from: matt195583 on February 17, 2009, 05:41:15 AM
Yes i got the biggest SS 5/16 washers i could get :) . as for the hatch rails I was intending to use brass or SS wood screws and screw them up from the inside so i dont have any bolt/screw heads showing on the topside, using SS cup washers of coarse, also using a flexible marine sealant.
The rails are 1200mm or 4 foot long I was thinking 5-6 screws a side .

There are my newly made and varnished rails ;D

CharlieJ · February 17, 2009, 08:37:28 AM

Quote from: matt195583 on February 17, 2009, 05:41:15 AM
I was intending to use brass or SS wood screws

Forget the word "Brass" for ANYTHING that you are gonna depend on for strength. Brass is fine for hinges on locker doors, etc, but NOT for holding handrails or any other kind of part where you need strength- think "bronze" instead. HUGE difference between bronze fasteners and brass fasteners.

Unless of course the boat will never see salt water

matt195583 · February 18, 2009, 04:01:40 AM

Thanks for the advice once again guy's . I think i will go with SS, and i will endeavor to get some butyl tape .

I have been thinking about removing the stanchions and adding a jib furler. But I was just cruising through the forums here and read an interesting thread about downhauls ...... The interesting thing is that i have also been looking at the small block and various other bits and pieces on the front of my boat and lo and behold it is setup for a downhaul ;D I just need to buy some 3/16 rope and I'm set. So I guess the stanchions stay and I will run 1/8 Dacron braid from the life lines to the little Fairleads spaced evenly below them ;D .

$600 i can spend on better things than a furler

CharlieJ · February 18, 2009, 08:34:15 AM

Quote from: matt195583 on February 18, 2009, 04:01:40 AM

$600 i can spend on better things than a furler

Some of us don't much care for furlers anyway ;D ;D I can find a whole lot better uses for $600 too!

Gus · February 18, 2009, 02:33:16 PM

There are necessities, and commodities, a furler its a commodity if you ask me. You could use that money to buy an autopilot, that's a good commodity! :)

CharlieJ · February 18, 2009, 05:03:32 PM

Yep- an Autopilot is a "VERY GOOD THING"

The only thing more boring than hand steering a sail boat on a passage offshore, is hand steering a sailboat under POWER in the ICW :D :D

Laura claims if she was to ever have another kid, she'd name it NAVICO for our tiller pilot ;D ;D

THAT ain't gonna happen though!!!!

Although sheet to tiller works quite well also- we've used that for as long as 2 1/2 days at t time.

s/v Faith · February 18, 2009, 06:41:46 PM

Different splices for different ships.... ;)

I love my roller furling, but while we did have a autopilot (ST 2000) we did not bring it on deck in 8 months of cruising. Rose and I hand steered the entire ~ 2500nm trip and it did not bother me a bit.

But!

... now if I were crossing an ocean, I would have a windvane...

Gus · February 18, 2009, 06:52:13 PM

If you have an extra hand, you don't really need an autopilot, but when alone, trying to make the boat to point into the wind to raise the sails its a PITA.

CharlieJ · February 19, 2009, 01:03:42 AM

;D

By the end of the 2nd 24 hour day offshore, an auto pilot or wind vane begins to look better and better. We also use sheet to tiller quite often offshore.

Inshore, right , I agree, and we don't use it that much.

I have a vane going together in the shop right now by the way.

s/v Faith · February 19, 2009, 01:08:31 AM

QuoteI have a vane going together in the shop right now by the way.

I hope you will document it with pictures, look forward to hearing more about it.

matt195583 · February 19, 2009, 02:31:18 AM

I was lucky my boat came with a Raymarine ST1000 ;) . I'm not sure that i will be venturing offshore as such in the catalina 22. At least not any time soon, I have a lot of learning to do.
That and the keel locking bolt appears to have been glassed over ???

CharlieJ · February 19, 2009, 08:10:27 AM

A couple of videos of Tehani sailing using sheet to tiller steering.

First one is out in the Gulf of Mexico about 25 miles, the second was shot in Mississippi Sound.

First one has nice music with it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PhBRB1qkpk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NokZpCJIuBg

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Jobs and maintenace about my boat ...