Rambling repair post...

[SailingUphill]

Meanwhile I am chugging away on my glassing... I prepped the space by cleaning it out... then wetting out with acetone... waiting for it to evaporate...

Here you can see my new balsa core cut to size, sitting next to a bed of wetted base... I flexed out all the balsa and wetted each edge...

This is what the stuff looks like up close... I took my time and got resin on each edge to "seal" it before it went in...


Here is one piece in place...

I'm going to use some epoxy/filler to fill in any gaps in what I missed and shape out that curve in the middle... IN some crazy part of my head I thought the original pried up piece of glass/gelcoat was going to go back in, but there is no way I am doing that... it'll just leak an ruin this work again... nope I'm in for a penny, I'm in for a pound... I'll be glassing this all in and gelcoating it I'm sure it'll be "FUN." NOT.

By the way earlier comments about the traveler... were SPOT ON... there were some pretty huge dings in it... and I have so many projects on my plate right now that I'll replace that if I can afford it, if I can't then it'll go back in... For now I sanded down the dings, and oiled up the car... I hope that'll keep it from being useless. When last I sailed it, I didn't have any "catches," but now I'll be paranoid looking for it.

Wish me luck and feel free to tell me I am doing it all wrong. Yell at me before I destroy something.

[SailingUphill]

Oh and I think I ruined my screen protector and my cheap phone case... I got laminating resin in a small amount on both... heheheh... sticky fingers (literally). Oh and these darned touch screen phones don't work well through gloves.

[SailingUphill]

Making holes and filling others... New access ports going in...

New hole... Gives access to the motor mount.

2 new holes, gives access to where I am going to mount the swim ladder.

[SailingUphill]

Filling the gaps...

[AJ Oliver]

You work a WHOLE LOT faster than I do - rank amateur that I am.
We enjoy your posts. Keep em coming.

[SailingUphill]

AJ... nope I'm on a mission, and am just a rank amateur.... I'm stir crazy from not sailing, and I am JUST starting to love this boat, with the realization that I can now configure a boat exactly the way I want.

Some things I missed with my last boat were a regular gelcoat finish (boat was painted), and a swim ladder.
Bonuses are this boat has room below to be almost comfortable, and of course easy trailer launching.

So I wanna get this boat looking as nice as I can while I improve functionality as well. My hope is a do most of the work well.. is why I am posting what I am doing my hope is to have someone throw a red flag if I do something incredibly wrong.

I am turning this into my own personal blog (this thread)... in case I can give others ideas.

Like I said I did this with my Capri 25, and it keeps me busy until Spring hits.

[normbue]

I have a traveler bar if you need it. It's a non-captive ball bar, which I believe is original, and is in good shape. I had to replace the car itself and did it with the captive ball type.

[SailingUphill]

Norm... maybe... I have a lot to get done before I get back to the traveler. I think its going to work as is right now though...

[normbue]

OK. .

[SailingUphill]

Still putting stuff together. I quick visit to Stef from our local fleet, and I have a nice NEW pair of hatch slides (nice work Stef)... I also got a look at his shop as well... he's got all the toys to machine it all. So huge thanks to Stef. I hope I don't need them, but he has a stack of the rudder cheek plates as well, good to know there is a decent source for them.

Anyway, hatch slides in hand I put some time into finishing a couple smaller jobs...
Port side in place, and glued in... I used different locations for the screws intentionally, and refilled the holes when I did. I took Stef's suggestion of putting the thicker side up, and that seems to mate much better to the hatch, as well as putting the stronger piece up.

The fit is perfect, and slides quite nicely.. I intentionally tapered the aft portion of the slides in some, not a lot, but it'll be hard to slide the hatch hard against the stoppers in the future (which lead to damage to the stoppers). Now it'll slide to a stop, but you have to push it you cannot just slide it against it.


Beckson deck plates are final too. I'll clean up the sabre saw marks (black on fiberglass) at a later time.

[dave]

Too late now, but when I use a sabre saw I first check the bed for spurs and such and file or sand them smooth, then cover it with masking tape.

Getting the black or other color off is easy with MEK and/or rubbing compound. Ringing the whole port with deep scratches or gouges, not so!

[SailingUphill]

yeah I usually cover the bottom of the sabre saw too.. however, I have to clean up the whole transom anyway... so I really wasn't concerned. This boat is anything but a looker... I have too many projects to get done right now to slow down, and I am not entirely sure I am not going to wind up painting the cockpit yet.

[SailingUphill]

This might not be politically correct, but neither am I...

[normbue]

Thank You!! The same back to you.

[SailingUphill]

Trying to fix the crib boards... Slowly adding back the starboard...

Finished product...

Started work tonight on the instrument cluster, using white starboard.