And so it begins

[Panta Rei]

Wow , I really enjoyed reading this thread. I did a complete overhaul on an O'day 22 left for years in a pasture (FULL OF WATER) blisters everywhere. Deck delaminated 90% .
I had nothing to loose so I cut the delaminated cockpit bottom off and raised it 4 inches to make room for a nice quarter birth under it. Kept the bulhead where is was (of course) but completely changed the layout so the forward v-birth is now adult size.
I'm just now Starting an O'day 39. I'm resisting the urge for major changes.
It's got a soft spot up front so I have been contemplating the same mold process you have developed. I'll be watching closely.

 

[25yearslater]

Hello Panta Rei. Glad to offer some ideas as I make my way through this process. Stand by though as the white gelcoat is on the way from Jamestown Distributors along with the 410 Microlight filler to finish the port deck fairing. Everything should arrive Monday and weather permitting I will post the pictures of the mold repair in the cabin liner Tuesday or Wednesday and everyone can judge the results. As I promised I'll share the blunder or accomplishment no matter which. I will also be gelcoating the patches to the bulkhead using a foam brush and then sanding as the entire boat will be regelcoated prior to relaunching. Tonight I have up - the shadows as cast by flashlight showing how irregular a seemingly fair deck can be. Also we have the patches finish sanded and awaiting gelcoat. The cardboard and pencil on block for making really cheap profile gauges for the deck curvature. This one is from the starboard side and reversed 180 degrees rendering it a mirror image for checking the port side. Talk about symmetry in extremis. Anyhow, sorry to hear the crane operator dropped your boat. Hopefully the repairs will all be minor. The 39 is an absolutely gorgeous boat.

 

[rajhnsn]

Are you planning to replace the instruments with originals or will you update to something modern?

 

[25yearslater]

No rahjnsn, I won't be replacing the instruments. The original stock boat came without any instrumentation. I navigated my ODay 22 all over Lake Ontario with nothing more than a simple compass and a chart and never had a problem. With 95 percent of the use being daysailing I'm not one for too many frills. I will probably have a handheld GPS for fog. Anyway when 25 is silent for very long you know he's up to something. So first we have the chainplate gaps awaiting sealant, with the deck plates adding nothing but cosmetic effect. The gaps provide a substantial area for the sealant and allow for any flexing of the entire structure. And now for the coup de etat, the ODay master will share in words and pictures the answer that has plagued ODay owners for years, fanfare please. How to remove the main cabin bulkhead in one piece. As the pictures show a small bottle jack and a few boards placed strategically to distribute the load across the floor, located 6 inches aft of the compression post. Jack the cabin 1/2 to 5/8 inch and remove the compression post and it's mounts, then slide the bulkhead toward the starboard side. once the bulkhead is moved about 3 to 4 inches it will clear the retaining molding in the cabin liner. The bulkhead can then be allowed to lean toward the v berth and the jack removed for easier access in removing the bulkhead from the companionway. Notice the silly grin as the bulkead is cleared from it's home. Reposition the jack and reinsert the compression post as this will keep everything in position until reinstallation. Don't forget to remove all the screws and cut the tabbing. If it doesn't slide easily you have missed some screws. Yes there will be some creaking as pressure is applied. And now we all know how to do it.

 

[25yearslater]

OK as promised the mold and cabin liner repair has turned into an utter disaster. I won't even waste the time taking a photo. Pouring the urethane left to many bubbles from mixing. I'm on to plan B. That will be to print the clay and pour gelcoat directly into it and cut patches with the print to size and epoxy them in place. Should this prove satisfactory it opens the possibility of creating prefabricated nonskid from the flex mold patterns and saving considerable coin. Take heart fellow ODay owners, if there is a way to pull this off I will find it. Once the answer is found no longer will we cringe at the thought of cutting into our liners to free those pesky nuts. On another note, my YOT is featured in the owner modifications section of this site under the ODay 27 owner modifications post by Dan Tobin. 10 years and three previous owners. Check out the gas sniffer, depth sounder and compass that I am currently patching the holes from. The companionway bulkhead is gelcoated and curing, and as soon as it is sanded I'll pop some pictures of that minus the holes.

 

[25yearslater]

Oh kee doah kee. Steps one and two of plan B are successful. The cabin was once again used as the male model that imprints the craftdough. Gelcoat was then brushed thickly over the mold and allowed to cure. Even though I forgot to coat the mold with poly ease it was a simple process to slide a spreader into the clay and break the gelcoat free. Then a quick rinse under warm water to clean the remaining clay ( craftdough is water soluable) from the printed gelcoat and there we have it. Step three will be sand off the abomination and cut the gelcoat and bond in the patch. So far so good. More to follow later but it's looking promising.

 

[25yearslater]

Well what a whoot that is. At this point the cabin liner patch is confounding me in ways I couldn't have imagined. The plugs for the million screw holes are a snap. Cut them from cast gelcoat with a 3/8 plug cutter and drill the holes 3/8 using a countersink and epoxy them in. Some slight adjustments to the 3-1/2 X 7-1/4 cast patch and I think I'll have it with a touch up color matched gelcoat to blend. The big news is we have a brand new teak plywood bulkhead thanks in no small part to Pittford Lumber. www.pittsfordlumber.com Great folks who stock all manner and form of exotic wood and plywood. They even let you browse to select the particular grain pattern of the wood you are using, which as you can see, saves making a new starboard bulkhead. They even offer great advise like epoxy seal the edges to prevent water migration up the core even though it is marine grade. Reinstall using the reverse procedure of removal. So I'm still here and working away. Poseidon hasn't smote me yet.

 

[CJ3]

Lead the way!

I am amazed to find your posts, and for them to be so recent! You're showing me one possible outcome of my current boat project. It is really helpful to see the photos and read your commentary. Why did your core need replacing? The damage to mine appears to have been the result of a poor choice in caulk used in a nav light replacement (interior bath and window silicone tube found on board, courtesy of the previous owner).

Thanks for posting, and showing one way forward. You're tackling a project that can cause a loss of sleep, so the neat pictures and short timeline offer a great beaming ray of hope!

 

[25yearslater]

Glad to here I can offer some hope CJ3. I'm surprised this project is not turning into some big ambition, small talent catastrophe. I haven't found anything beyond the realm of anyone with some basic tools, talent and time commitment. It is important to reiterate I have no special boat building/repair skills. I think what happened to my boat was more and more stuff was added and the necessary recaulking was never performed. It looks like the chainplates and lifeline stantions were the main point of entry of water into the core. Several of the T rails installed were also poorly sealed as was the spinnaker mounting and control paraphenalia. As of now the weather is too cold to attempt the final fairing of the port deck or any gelcoating of the exterior. I have now turned my attention to the cabin and will provide updates as they become available. My best to all. Joe

 

[25yearslater]

OK, now that the liner patch is made I'll see how it looks in a few hours. First a word about matching gelcoat colors. I don't have a clue but the guy with the beard and long curly hair on the Jamestown Distributors how to videos sure does. I is absolutely critical that the tinting occur in direct sunlight. White gelcoat yellows with age so a tiny bit of yellow colorant is needed. ODay added just a tiny amount of brown to the liner gelcoat so that was mixed in to achieve the right color. After seven tries bingo there it was. Small amounts of white gelcoat were added to the mix to reduce the color until a match was found. The only advise I would offer on this is be patient with the gelcoat and yourself. Next in my frustration I made a new mold as previously described and cast the color matched gelcoat but this time I layed in some fiberglass joint tape that I had left over from a drywall project. That gave the casting some strength and holds promise for the prefab deck nonskid. As you can see the plugs with a little touch up are starting to disappear. Compared to what I started with it sure is a step in the right direction. So until later tonight I'll leave everyone with these photos and I'll be back in a few hours with the patch results. My fingers, legs, eyes and somehow my ears are crossed till then.

 

[25yearslater]

Well I'll be! It worked. Sorry about the tardiness, but the epoxy was a bit slower curing than I expected. I just finished blending the seams which were very small. They were on the order of gelcoat cracks rather than the patch edges. I think a final wet sanding here and there and it will be time to try a Preval sprayer with gelcoat. I did have to add just a bit more white to get an exact match as the patch was only slightly darker than the surrounding area. A few touches here and there and the darker gelcoat spots literally disappeared into the liner. I think I have discovered a new hair gel in the process. It's tough to stay clear once you loose track of them there spots. I now pronounce this fiasco doable and the results are more better.

 

[25yearslater]

Removing the blast from the past screaming orange, totally mod at the time, but well relegated to the past. I did however pick up some new Formica in white to keep to the original material and some iron on (original technique) birch (real wood) edgeing at the local Home Depot. It is a good start with the table and will also include the galley sideboard, galley top, once I figure out a good layout, and of course the vanity in the head. This was a fun easy job that breathes a welcome bit of life into the old gal.

 

[Indysailor]

Those bulkheads look outstanding.
Do you still have a jack in there, or is that the compression post behind the table?
I've been thinking about redoing some of the plywood/formica pieces in my 23 with hdpe.

 

[25yearslater]

Thanks Indy. The black tube is indeed the compression post and all jacking apparatus has been removed. I thought the Formica project was a lot of fun. After all the other work it was a nice easy change of pace.

 

[Panta Rei]

I'm enjoying your project. I'm glad you replaced the bulkhead. I replaced mine on the O'day 22' it was the easiest and most dramatic improvement I made.

This thread is turning into a great resource. I'd like to add some content if you don't mind. I'm a Paint and Finishing Engineer and have found color matching to be a developed skill. The best I know have taken years to develop their eye. This is bad news for the guy trying to patch a ding here and there. The good thing is that there is help nearby. Paint stores all have color measurement equipment and software. If possible , take a sample to the store and have it measured. Be sure to clean up the sample with rubbing compound so you are measuring the gelcoat not the previous owners cigar smoke. The software will produce list of tints and the amounts. It CAN also produce a color map giving you and idea where it is in the color space. (if the operator has been has been fully trained) Don't use the tint schedule as gospel since the gelcoat tints can be stronger or weaker or entirly different from what the program has been feed but it will provide you with an accurate reading of the color saving you many attempts and a lot of frustration. You will know it's slightly yellow and has a touch of red to it and a shade or two darker than the base gelcoat. Not something most people can pick up with there untrained eye. Paint staores supplying comercial contractors will be much more help than the big box stores.

As for my boat being dropped from the crane.... We gave up trying to find a replacement toe rail and found a few cracks forward of the keel so we handed it off to the insurance companies.

Keep it coming..

 

[25yearslater]

Thank you so much Panta Rei. By all means feel free to post on this thread. I am happy to share the space as my technique should not be viewed as the definitive answer to any situation. I hope more people feel free to contribute so that all ODay owners can benefit. You are definately right about color matching. I'm still not sure I have an exact match and will follow up on your suggestion prior to testing the Preval sprayer. I hope everything works out well for your boat. On another issue many parts that were original on the ODay line are available through RV suppliers. As the vanity reconstruction progresses I found the original or very closely related Valterra Rocker Pump used in the galley and head at www.makariosrv.com for a very low price. They will be launching a marine supply website soon. Hey and by the way Indysailor, do your cushions have tags indicating the material and or supplier? I took a look at your boat photos and that is exactly the pattern my 22 had and for nostalgia's sake I want to find for YOT.

 

[25yearslater]

Mother of pearl. Have ya ever seen so many damn holes carved in one boat? It's times like these when it's good to remind oneself that no one put a gun to anyone's head to buy it. Anywho, only two more to go and hurrah, huzzah and they will be a thing of the past. The patches were prelaminated and installed using the same technique as the exterior cabin bulkhead with the exception of the rabbet being omitted and the larger diameter part of the patch was epoxied to the inside of the liner with the smaller diameter extending in toward the cabin. Tech note: thicken the fairing compound to the point of breaking the mixing stick or apply several thin coats or sags will develop on vertical surfaces. Further revelations revealed the starboard chainplate bulkhead will have to be replaced as a leaking portlight allowed water to migrate along the vanity top and rot the area where it fastens to the bulkhead. Pittsford lumber is gonna love me when I buy another sheet of teak plywood. As long as I'm about it, the bottom of the vanity will not give up it's red stain. Multiple stripper applications and bleaching and it is still showing red. The areas where that concoction was not applied have the teak brown. Tech note: don't put anything on teak you might want to remove later. The teak laminate layer is extremely thin so sanding will probably remove the teak layer before the color. Also up, a couple of new v-berth/head bulkheads as the others were red and full of, any guesses, yup, you got it, more holes. Enjoy the pics, I'm still here chugging along. Oh yeah, almost forgot. With a total of three sheets of teak plywood you virtually buy yourself a brand new interior save the galley and settee backs.

 

[25yearslater]

Tonights episode, rudder repairs. Well to recap, while moving the boat for haulout a change of forward to reverse sent the tiller swinging like crazy. This was my first indication a set of rudder bushings was going to be in the offing. Now with the rudder and post removed the problem seems a bit more serious. After a cleaning of the rudder post it appears a previous repair had been attempted. Seeing the nylon upper bushing did little to inspire my confidence in the first place and the 1/32 deep wear ring did little to make me feel any better. OK so what happened beyond the initial wear that might be expected? Using a straight edge, step one was to determine if the post was straight. This isn't any ordinary straight edge but is linear within .0002 inches over it's 18" length. A decent 18" combination square scale will also work quite well. Think Starrett not Stanley. Anyway, the post was only off .008"/18" good enough. Further poking and proding revealed the culprit. The lower bushing had broken free and spun inside the rudder tube causing sustantial wear and allowing all sorts of mayhem to occur with the post and nylon upper bushing. This put a tremendous load on the upper bushing where cracking in the gelcoat around the tube is quite evident and wore it out and then transfered the load back to the bottom and wore the post even more. To repair I will build up the post using Devcon Aluminum Putty and I have also made new bushings 1" longer than the originals from a piece of Delrin which I picked up from a local plastics house. Having machined the bore to 2.025" or .005" larger (running fit) than the post I applied the putty and slid a well waxed bushing over it covering the worn area and supporting it on the areas of no wear to maintain concentricity. A tap with a hammer against a piece of hardwood and pop the bushing free and a light sanding with 600 grit wet or dry and good as 34 years old without the wear. Next I'll be repairing the tube by again waxing the bushing (in case it ever needs to come out again) and applying thickened epoxy to the tube and using the bushings, rudder and post to maintain alignment while curing. Yeegad a lot of work but better than a new rudder.

 

[25yearslater]

Shaky, shaky, I'm Yot's loose rudder, Not knee more. Alright then. Pictures up, on right we have nylon upper bushing (real bad idea) as nylon, teflon and several other plastic species are SOFT. On left, Delrin, Susterin may be substituted as both are hard and wear well. So what can the average bloke do if a machine shop is not at hand? The Devcon is available at most industrial supply houses such as McMaster-Carr. The delrin can be had from the same place if you can get it machined. Most small shops would be more than happy to machine it up for a reasonable price. Another alternative would be to double or triple up the lower bushing as that would be the most critical area as the largest unsupported load occurs there. You folks with the skegs never mind. As for my previous swipe at Stanley tools, they are not the highest quality but can suffice if you learn their inaccuracies. The straight edge need not be as accurate as mine. When you check the post check the same side twice but flip the straight edge at it's width and recheck. If the straightedge is true the error will remain the same. If the error changes your post is bent 1/2 the difference. Check at four points 90 degrees apart. An old trick is to shine a flashlight from behind the straightedge to illuminate the gap. A rule of thumb is .003" or less and you won't see the light. So anyway, with the rudder back in and no shaky, I'll take a moment to enjoy a milestone of sorts. 2 months and allmost all the major stuff, save the starboard deck, is complete. All the cabin holes are plugged and faired and await warmer weather for gelcoating. Most of the woodwork has been replaced and is awaiting reinstallation. Only the vanity and starboard settee areas have yet to be stripped of foam and adhesive. So YOT is beginning to offer glimpses of hope. Next up will be to take a much needed break and begin learning to sew. Mrs. 25yearslater has offered to assist in making new cushion covers. My best to all, and should anything seem interesting I'll be sure to post. Cordially, Joe

 

[25yearslater]

Now that the weather is uncooperative, a balmy 26 degrees in Rochester, what is that clown Joe up to. Well I'm gonna tell ya. Just because the winter weather has arrived there is always something that can be done on or for a boat. YOT has hardly been abandonded for the winter. Cushion material to select, sewing to learn and a variety of woodworking to be done. Most of these projects can be accomplished in warmer areas, say a basement. So what we have up, a new vanity for the head, a couple of bulkheads for the head/V berth (the paneled look toward the bunks), a new port shelf/settee top and not shown the starboard shelf. Also, here is the vanity as purchased. And lastly, to the dismay of my friend 'nightowle' the final selection of none other than the dread Olefin fabric. Hey I said I was going for original. Take care everybody and maintain those boats.