I recently wrote a reply to a
letter where the writer had obtained an International Cadet Dinghy for
his son to race.
He
was deciding just what to do with the boat. The decks needed
replacing, but there are a couple of major decisions that are
to
be made.
1/
Is the boat good enough to restore up to excellent racing condition?
By the time new sails have been bought, foils (rudder and
centreboard blades) have been updated and fitting replaced to the
modern specification it can be a lot of money. Not worth it
if
the boat will never go well!
2/
Whether to do the minimum just to get sailing with some degree of
effectiveness? If the boat will never perform REALLY well,
perhaps it is good to get experience with a cheaper boat, then as you
start to know the boat well then transfer to a new one.
Anyway - Meercat's original
letter is followed by my reply
I read through your FAQs (might I say quite interesting and
well put together) and I have a few questions.
Rather than using 2 pt polyurethane you recommened using
epoxy with a
poly topping (1) is this right ? The coats of epoxy are as thin as you
can get them.
So i'm thinking....
the deck has 2-3 coats of epoxy with a coat of poly
inside has the 2-3 coats of poly (unless the epoxy is good
there too).
The problem with the inside is that there is some drips of epoxy that
has been left there from a previous attempt to repair the deck as well
as some black lines going across the boat and up the sides(why I dont
know). so I'm not sure how that will come out.
The hull will be painted.
Oh yeah, after removing the lid there are a lot of holes left
by screws, copper nails and yes even steel nails
that have rusted & expanded and left holes like what screws do !
Whats the best to fill these with and will that affect the
nails going back in ?
As far as gluing you just need to hold things together while the epoxy
sets up - no need for permanent nails or screws.
As far as drips etc on the inside remove them by sanding - random orbit
sander is good here - about 100 grit paper - be VERY careful not to cut
away at the plywood veneers!!!
____________________________________
Is
the Boat Worth Spending a Lot of Money On? Before
committing yourself to lots of epoxy coating it may be
worthwhile reading the rules about what is a and what isn't counted in
the hullweight and then weighing the boat in that condition.
Also read whether lead (metal) correction weights are allowable and
checking whether there are any fitted - remove them before weighing.
The decision tree goes a little like this.
If the boat is much more than 5kg over - it is a short term boat - it
will be pretty well impossible to get it down to the minimum. Clean it
up just as much as you need to get it on the water. Your son will race
it for a year or so and then will start to have enough experience to
make a better boat go well. Don't spend too much money on this type of
boat.
If the boat is only a kilo or two over it is a good boat if it is ready
to go in good sailing condition. Just patch up to keep going, you can't
afford to add much weight in epoxy (or anything else) so just two very
thin coats. Bote Cote have a product called TPRDA that thins epoxy out
without destroying its capacity to protect the timber - use it to the
max allowed - roll the epoxy out well spread. Adding thinners to epoxy
is not cool for boat use.
If the boat is under weight by a kilo or more - you're in luck.
Provided the hull is stiff and fair (the chines and panels have nice
geometric shapes - nice even curves, no hollows and bumps) this is the
sort of competitive boat that is worth fixing up and giving the full
epoxy treatment to.
So weigh it and see what you've got.
____________________________
Finishing
the inside of the hull - particularly inside the buoyancy tanks Painting
and varnishing strategies depend on how much the boat weighs.
The
full epoxy method is best if it can be done without making the boat to
heavy to be competitive.
If the boat is two or more
kilos overweight an alternative for inside
is to use Everdure - a very thin soaking epoxy - a couple of coats. It
is nowhere near as effective
in keeping water out of the wood as using epoxy, but it doesn't weigh
as much.
Epoxy coating is good from a wood and weight preservation perspective,
but it will add a couple of kilos to the hull weight - even if you are
careful.
If the boat is going to end up being pretty competitive with that added
weight (ie no more than a kilo over minimum) then epoxy is a worthwhile
investment - depending on how much labour is involved. Or just add the
epoxy as you do work on the boat.
___________________________
The most common pitfall is that someone in your position gets all
excited about fixing the boat up. They lose track of the fact that the
boat is probably pretty close to sailable now. I would suggest doing
the minimum you can get away with until you find out how commited your
son is.
Another thing is not to overcapitalise an old boat unless it can be
competitive - ie close to minimum weight, fair and stiff. Don't add new
sails, new masts to an old clunker. Maybe pick up some second hand
sails from some of hte top sailors in the class if the ones you have
are shot. Replace other things as necessary. Then see how enthusiastic
your son is after the first season.
A cheaper and a better way to get a fast boat is to buy a good second
hand racing boat that is doing well in its fleet than to completely
re-outfit an older boat with new sails, mast, rigging and fittings.
So weigh the boat and inspect it so you know whether it is a goodie.
If it is a bit heavy or out of shape - just do the minimum to keep it
going - after the season sell it for what your bought it for and get a
current competitive boat.
____________________________ Centreboards
and Rudder for efficient sailing One labour
intensive but very effective way to lift performance is to
make some highly accurate and smooth foils - rudder and centreboard.
They can then be moved onto a new boat when the time comes.
Shape is important so you have to use templates - contact me on storerm@ozemail.com.au
if you are after templates and an instruction sheet.
______________________
Sorry this is a bit rambling - trying to cover a lot of ground
that have rusted & expanded and left holes like what screws do !