Restoration of 1981 C-22 swing keel #10580

[Pecostx]

Luke, your tenacity is remarkable. Your ingenuity is amazing. Your results are truly artfull. And your rolling cradle is awesome. You mentioned earlier on that if someone was interested you would give dimensions for it. Well I for one would be very interested in the dimensions and lumber specs to build one like it. Would you post them please?

Geoff

 

[Alexsip]

Hello Geoff. He made a separate post with all the details.
You can find the thread here
http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/shop-cradle-for-the-c-22-how-to.172016/

Alex

 

[CloudDiver]

Luke, your tenacity is remarkable. Your ingenuity is amazing. Your results are truly artfull. And your rolling cradle is awesome. You mentioned earlier on that if someone was interested you would give dimensions for it. Well I for one would be very interested in the dimensions and lumber specs to build one like it. Would you post them please?

Geoff

Thanks for your comments and thanks to Alex for posting the link to the cradle thread. I hope it is helpful.

 

[Pecostx]

Thanks to you Alex for the link and thanks to you Luke for pioneering these things and then sharing them with us. I admit to you now I plan on shamelessly copying whatever I can from this forum to advance my project.

Thanks in advance for all you all have provided.

Geoff

 

[CloudDiver]

Holiday weekend and I only had class on Friday, so now I have 3 days to get boat work done and it is long over due... I've been slacking (but for real busy with grad school work).
First, here is a belayed post from last weekend; I finally used my Groupon ($149) to go out sailing and get my Basic Keel Boat cert done. I sailed a Capri 22 with 3 other students and we had a pretty good time, wind was light but it kept thing slow and safe. I put sunscreen only face, neck, and arms but forgot my legs so my knees are pretty pink, lol. The only picture I got was this silly selfie;

 

[CloudDiver]

So the goal today was to roll the boat back into the driveway so I could get the rub-rails put back on. Lots of cleaning and moving stuff around but finally did roll the trailer back out of the shop and did a few side jobs along the way.
I didn't like the way the gelcoat was denting in inside the cabin where the screws were holding on the new hatch slide rails. I realized that I should have epoxy potted the screw holes exactly for that reason. I also noticed the butyl tape really wasn't evenly squeezing out. I decided to take them off so I can epoxy pot the holes, use fender washers with pan-head screws to secure them, and this time I will bed the rails with 3M 4000 UV (which is what CD recommends over butyl tap. In these pics you can see how the butyl tape only compressed and squeezed out around the screws. I was also be shaving a bit of the lip on the forward facing edge of the sliding hatch because its scraping on the non-skid. As suggested by Roy in another discussion, I'll probably also use a rubber door sweep under behind that leading edge to keep water out in the event of heavy spray or rain while trailering.

 

[CloudDiver]

The smashed butyl tape was pretty easy to peel off since it isn't old. I drilled out the holes to 11/32 and epoxy filled them. I'll re-pilot the holes and bed the rails some evening during the week when I have time for a short project.
Next up was finally getting to the windows. I cut the Lexan a long time ago and now I can finally get them mounted since all the paint is done. The first thing I did was to position the windows exactly where they need to be and used blue tape to tab them in place. I used tape strips to mark the outside lines so when I come back to place them, with 3M VHB tape, I can place them exactly because I only get one shot.

 

[CloudDiver]

Many boat builders use black paint on the inside edge of the window to hide the adhesive and 3M tape that you would see through from the outside. I wasn't too sure about what paint to use or what its sheer strength would be, so I thought it would be wise to 'paint' on a thin coat of the DOW 795 and let it cure overnight. Then when I put on the 3m tape and mount the windows you won't see anything through the Lexan. I had already marked the inside window cut outs from my templates and checked the clearances when I dry-fit the windows. I used a razor to cut off the protective paper and then used a semi-stiff steel putty knife to glaze on a thin coat of the DOW 795. When I had an even coat I used the tip of the razor to peel up the rest of the main center protective paper, leaving me a nice border. When this is cure tomorrow I'll put the 3M tape about center in the border area. After the windows are mounted fast by the VHB tape, I'll caulk the 795 on the outside and inside gaps.

 

[rpludwig]

Luke, glad to see you back posting....nice work as usual....problem is, every time you post something, it adds to my to-do list (and how to best do it)!

Glad to see you got out on the water!

Cheers,
Ron

 

[Leeward Rail]

Luke,
Congrats on the basic keel certification. Even if you've been sailing a lot, you usually end up learning more, and have a holiday/vacation at the same time.
My wife was taking her mandatory training course before getting her motorcycle license. I've been riding bikes since I was in elementary school, but figured that I may learn something new so I took the course with her.
I didn't learn anywhere near as much additional stuff, as i did when I took my first official sailing course, but it was still worth it.

What's your plan for the door sweep under the hatch ? I doubt the double sided tape they commonly have on door weather stripping would last long, so I'm thinking that adhesive used for automotive weather stripping would be the best.

Are you planning on curtains for the ports again ?

 

[CloudDiver]

Luke,
Congrats on the basic keel certification. Even if you've been sailing a lot, you usually end up learning more, and have a holiday/vacation at the same time.
My wife was taking her mandatory training course before getting her motorcycle license. I've been riding bikes since I was in elementary school, but figured that I may learn something new so I took the course with her.
I didn't learn anywhere near as much additional stuff, as i did when I took my first official sailing course, but it was still worth it.

What's your plan for the door sweep under the hatch ? I doubt the double sided tape they commonly have on door weather stripping would last long, so I'm thinking that adhesive used for automotive weather stripping would be the best.

Are you planning on curtains for the ports again ?

I will swing by Home Depot today to check out door sweeps. I will probably use the 3M VHB (very high bond tape) because I have plenty of it for the windows. That 3M tape is what they use to hang huge glass windows on buildings. You can buy the same stuff at the hardware store, its the grey double sided 3M 'outdoor tape'. Pressure helps set it, so I have a hard rubber roller for the windows. Much better deal to buy big rolls from Amazon. I always keep some in the shop as it is super hand to mount things onto the race bikes (all of the mounting pivots for GoPro Cameras use 3M VHB tape on the back).

The windows do have a nice tint, but in the end game they are not as dark as I would like. It is the darkest tint of Lexan that any plastics supplier in SD has in stock. In bright sunlight it seems like they don't block much light, but looking from the outside of the boat they are quite dark. You'll see how they look when I peel the paper off the outside for the finished install. Light will still get in and warm up the cabin, so I figure someday I might use curtains. Its low on the priority list at this point. I figure the warmth will be good when the boat sits on a mooring and any cabin moisture will be warmed up to help prevent mildew. Still need to install a solar vent at some point. Have not decided on its location yet, but most likely in the forward hatch top.

 

[CloudDiver]

Luke, glad to see you back posting....nice work as usual....problem is, every time you post something, it adds to my to-do list (and how to best do it)!

Glad to see you got out on the water!

Cheers,
Ron

Thanks Ron,
I actually joined the Harbor Island Yacht Club. I'd like to continue with more certifications, maybe get my Captain's license someday. The membership at the club is $45 each month, but as long as I rent a boat at least once a month that $45 is applied to the to the rental. So I can go take out a Capri 22 anytime I was for $30 for a half-day. They also have bigger Catalinas (270, 290, 320) plus a couple of bigger Hunter's and Beneteaus. I figure, even after I finish my Boat, I may want to rent a second boat if I get a big group of people wanting to sail that is too many for my boat.

 

[rpludwig]

Luke, my guess is once you finish your C22, your going to wanna go bigger! Either way, you're winning!

 

[CloudDiver]

Well, it turns out that using a thin coat of DOW 795 rather than paint was a bad idea. The 3M VHB tape didn't want to stick to it very well. After cleaning with denatured alcohol it stuck a little, but even after pressing it hard with a roller it could be pulled off. I should have tested this theory on a scrap piece first.
I really had no choice but to press on. The tape would stick and had just enough hold that it wouldn't pull off from a straight 90, but it would come away by peeling from the end. I test mounted the rear window and firmly pressed it with the roller. The 3M tape trapped the painted cabin sides firmly with no problem, so I imagine it would have held equally well had I used black paint on the window border rather than the Dow 795. Overall, the window held in place without peeling away accept for the aft bottom corner of the rear window where the cabin has the most curve. To hold that corner I used a #8 half inch screw. I piloted the hole on the bitter outside edge, clear of the tape. I did not go through the cabin wall, and then I over drilled just the window pilot hole so the screw wouldn't crack it. I hand tightened the screw so it just pulled that bottom corner. After that I masked off the surrounding cabin sides so I could smooth the 795 after calking it in the gap. Same on the inside of the window.

 

[CloudDiver]

So after a nerve racking hour or so, I caulked the Dow 795 around the outside and the inside. I used a rubber caulking tool to smooth the bead and then peeled off all the tape and the paper. Looks pretty good and the 3M tape held enough to get her done. The Dow 795 is really the primary adhesive so I'm not worried about the window seal not being strong enough. BTW, the rubber caulking tool was probably not the best, I think I would have gotten smoother results with a wet finger. Maybe I'll try that when I do the port side tomorrow. Its been a few hours in the sun and everything seems to be holding up well.

 

[CloudDiver]

 

[Gene Neill]

MAN, that looks tight 'n right, buddy.

 

[RJD]

Beautiful! Love the hull color too.

 

[Pecostx]

Very nice indeed!

Geoff

 

[rpludwig]

Sweet!
now ya got me thinkin' again as I look at your stainless handrail...maybe I'll lose the teak afterall...