And so it begins

[25yearslater]

Morning jibes. The chainplates for the lowers are indeed attached to the deck only. The backing plates are 3 X 6 inches or thereabouts. I would be concerned except the boat was being sailed up until I got my hands on it with the chainplates rattling around. With the use of epoxy add 40% more strength - 10% for application errors and Knytex cloth adding another 30% or so over chopped mat and roving and I should have something 50% stronger than the original by a modest estimate. Of course the proof will come when I take it out in some rough weather and test my theory but I'm reasonably confidant the structure will hold. My biggest concern was the loose situation which opened the door to an impact strain which is why I through bolted keeper plates to the inner skin. With a solid mount the impact force is changed to an increasing strain which the elasticity of epoxy should help absorb and the Knytex transmit through the entire structure due to its continuous fibers.

 

[DannyS]

The inspection port on you lower chainplates look good. I hated that I couldn't have a look at mine when I had the 27. How did you remove the mystery filler? That stuff was hard as granite!

 

[jibes138]

OK 25yearslater. Here's the deal. The standing rigging of your boat does some funny things to the boat. For instance the headstay and the backstay try to bend the hull in half making it banana shaped. The shrouds are typically run to the bulkhead and that is at least screwed to the hull and deck so most of those loads are just heeling the boat. Having the lowers just screwed into the deck is trying to lift the deck off of the hull putting a bending moment on the hull and trying to fold it in half the other way. This is also putting all the stress into the hull to deck joint with potential for leaks to develop. After all the work you are doing with the laser to perfectly align the deck you don't want to warp it with all these forces that will crack your new gelcoat do you?

 

[25yearslater]

First to Danny. Never underestimate the power of cheese. Sorry couldn't resist. On page 2, I detailed using a carbide router bit to clear the material as the stuff was like you said granite. After opening up a few areas an application of a hammer and cold chisel fractured the rest for removal. Only nice thing about hard stuff is it tends to be brittle so no massive hammer blows were required. I'm puzzled as to it's function as it only appeared to pin the chainplate to the deck and not offer much bonding anywhere. And now Mr. Jibes. You are correct with the tension on the shroud stay bending the hull. The whole set up of the lower chainplates does seem less than ideal. Again refering to page 2 what I incorporated was an epoxy annulus around these that was thicken with 404 high density filler. The purpose in addition to protecting the core was to transmit the forces up to the biaxials that comprise the surface laminate. I used alternating +/- 45 and 0/90 which are rated somewhere around 39.9 ksi or 39900 psi tensile strength according to Owens Corning. This is per layer of the thicknesses I used. The intent was to transmit the forces along the entire 20 foot length of the repair as well as diagonally from the cabin to the chine at 45 degrees so no load would directly transmit directly athwartships. At a few points along the way my sanity was called into question as to why I was so overbuilding the boat when it was built with less expensive material. Your input as to the forces involved are testimony as to why I went overboard.

 

[25yearslater]

WARNING: The following post contains graphic images that some viewers may find disturbing. But since you're probably going to ignore the warning anyway, here's what's up with 25 and his YOT restoration. The cushion covers are complete. A self feed or walking foot are an absolute must for plaids to keep the patterns from drifting during the stitching process. The plaid fabric is the dread Olefin (Herculon) that was original in the Oday line at the time of construction. The bottoms are Outdura Acrylic that I was going to use as a hull liner but changed my mind when I found the exact or at least a closer material to the original hull liner. Sewing your own is a real money saver. For less than 1000.00 you get the machine (Singer Confidence Quilter), fabric and all the assorted threads, snaps, zippers and whatnots to completely redo an interior. A great moneysaver and winter project for any boat. Here again I had never sewn much of anything but with some guidance and trial and error, viola a new interior decor awaits.

 

[bria46]

Your dog looks as content as you do.

 

[rajhnsn]

What type of foam did you use?

 

[25yearslater]

Hi bria46. That's Misty who is part of a set of Malamutes. Now that they no longer pull a sled as they are showing their age, they loaf around begging for ear rubs.

Hi there Rajhnsn. I haven't stuffed the foam in yet as they would require a good deal more room. When I do I will be purchasing from www.foamdistributing.com who has the HD36 foam very reasonably priced. The mildew issue has not been answered to my satisfaction with regards to other more costly foams. This stuff is so low priced should mildew arise I can toss it and by new. Nobody seems willing to back their foam products that are mildew resistant with any type of warranty. My attitude is; why bother then? Near as I can tell the only thing different about 'boat' foam is the price.

 

[jibes138]

Hey 25 plus Dog,
Here's a tip for you. Since you live in the Northeast, there is a company in Springfield Ma. called Osgood. This is a warehouse filled with every kind of fabric known to man. I was able to find headliner fabric for my O'Day that was an exact match in there by hunting around. I think they moved to West Springfield. They sell Sunbrella and stuff too. So if you are in the area might be worth a stop to see what you can get for bargains. I also picked up plastic YKK zippers in there.

 

[Panta Rei]

just checking in. My two cents ... My boat sat for extended periods of time with a good amount of water in the bilge. Most every plated or painted item shows signs of corrosion. I was surprised that the foam mattress were in great shape. (no odor)
With that in mind, I'm looking for a good mattress, maybe even memory foam. As you know , I'm not restoring my boat to original but I must admit the plaid is catchy.

 

[25yearslater]

Thanks Panta. I really couldn't justify the high priced foam. I question whether it is really mildew resistant and what are some of the longer term exposure hazards associated with the mildewicides and the 'dead' spores that are sure to be released every time someone sits on a cushion or sleeps on one. If it turns out to be a problem with untreated foam gathering mildew I sure would like to know it's growing so I can correct the problem fostering it's growth. Like you say how big a problem is it really. I don't recall my 22 having any mildew treated foam and it was never a problem in the seven years I owned it. I'm from the school that says mildew is a symptom. Cure the problem and the symptom will go away. Anyway it's good to hear your experience to lend some comfort to my plan of action.

 

[25yearslater]

Well with the house reeking of polyester gelcoat I am happy to report all my messing with RTV Urethane molding compounds is yielding some encouraging results. In addition to producing some reasonably accurate emblems it will capture a well defined non skid pattern. So with some lousy pictures ( this 312 Oday rope weave pattern) has been transferred from a small scrap of the Gibco Flex Mold to a gelcoat layup and then recaptured with the urethane and with that a layup in gelcoat again. So what does this mean? It means huge savings in reprinting your original deck nonskid. Now the rich guys can go ahead and buy the full sheets and the results will be astonishing as the gray layup demonstrated. For those of us on lesser budgets, here's the how to. Purchase a smaller amount of the flex mold and use it to create a gelcoat deck, say on a 4 X 8 sheet of plywood by using the repair techniques shown by MAS epoxies. Now you have the pristine deck for the cost of the Flex Mold, say 1 square foot or so, the plywood and a quart or two of gelcoat. After it cures pour on the urethane enough to cover the deck. After that cures remove and cut out your patterns to the sizes you need. The urethane captures about 95% of the original pattern or about 3 years of hard use less than perfect. For about 300 bucks you've got some great one shot molds to replace your worn nonskid. If you can afford it the Gibco yields an eye popping wow result. Now hows about some decent weather so I can get busy again.

 

[jibes138]

Dear 25 years and counting,
I submitted your request for some decent weather and received an unfavorable response. On the way to work this morning, with a half mile to go my phone rang. It was my wife informing me that at 7:40 am it was 82 degrees in Miami. I am now very depressed. It was in the 30's when I went to work.
Moral of the story, move to Miami.
Nice work on the non-skid. I can't wait to see it on the boat. Not sure of your process, are you making loose pieces of gelcoat with the non-skid and then bonding them to the deck? I would have expected spraying on the gelcoat on the boat then using the non-skid molds to impart the pattern after covering with mold release?

 

[25yearslater]

Ahoy there jibes, from this God forsaken frozen wasteland in upstate New York. If it weren't for Lake Ontario and it's many destinations I would definately be moving. Not sure if Miami would admit one more lunatic. No offense to any lunatics from Miami reading this. What I'm up to jibes is to create a gelcoat 'deck' on a 4 foot by 6 foot piec of plywood by piecing the gelcoat with the Flex mold as it does lock into an existing pattern. With the nice flat surface imprinted in a false deck I can then pour the RTV urethane over that deck. After it cures I should be able to cut it to fit on the boat and in one continuous pour of gelcoat imprint an entire section if not an entire side. Some of the problems were the curvature of the deck didn't lend itself to piecing it together as the flex mold doesn't turn horizontally. I figured that would turn into a colossal mess. The other problem was one of stiffness. The flex mold would have to be cut for each section as it doesn't lay flat when it has to be able to lay up against the cabin sides. This prevented a mirror image piece that could be used from one side to another. I thought about casting off the boat but with gelcoat being essentially brittle I had serious doubts about it's ability to conform to the deck. Everything fell to the urethane to succesfully duplicate pattern. With yesterdays test I am encouraged this will be the preferred route I will pursue. The urethane is also far more flexible so it can conform to the deck. Along with it's translucent cured state, imperfections and coverage can be seen as they occur. Should a void be detected during the pour it is an easy matter to correct it right then and there which is not possible as the flex mold is not transparent or translucent. You only see the result once it is cured and then it has to be repaired. So as of now I'm chomping at the bit for weather conducive to finishing the fairing and creating an original non skid deck. I will definately be sharing this as it unfolds. I am even going to find a way to get some good pictures of how delicate this pattern is along with every step of the process.

 

[25yearslater]

Here's a camera tip for getting these extremely small details beyond a standard cameras range. Take the shot through a magnifying lens. With that tip I can now show the flex mold vs. joe mold results. The quality was not the issue I was going for at this stage but a less expensive way to achieve a reasonable result. So without further a-do which is which?

 

[SailingCal21]

Most digital cameras have a macro mode which allows for extremely close close ups.

 

[25yearslater]

Thanks sailingcal. I checked the owners manual and adjusted the settings but alas my camera has severe limitations. This 312 pattern is a ridiculously small pattern with a depth of only .007 inches. How this pattern provides any secure footing is amazing. I looked at the pattern on a piece I removed and noticed it had been regelcoated without reimprinting. Now I know why I couldn't get a mold of it. The 75-30 RTV urethane I purchased from US Composites captures it quite well provided it has a good surface to duplicate. Again thanks for the photo advise as I would like to post some pics of the process as it progresses.

 

[jibes138]

Is it done yet? Sailing season starts in New England and New York in two weeks.

 

[25yearslater]

Hey jibes I was wondering where you were. Nope not yet, but with the weather approaching the forties and fifties progress is being made again. With any gal the make up is a must before going out. With that the cosmetic work is well under way. The fairing of the port deck is nearing completion with the final barrier coating looking like it will happen in a few days. Now that I have found a body and fender tech willing to shoot gelcoat when I'm ready I am a happy kid. He also turned me on to the long board sanding block. A few flat head 1/4-20s and a couple of wing nuts and there you have it. It sure makes sanding smooth lines a piece of cake. The 30 inch board has some left over 1/4 inch foam glued to it. The 1 foot board is great for the radius work but I didn't bother with the foam. The smoothness of the lines is amazing and I highly recommend them for this type of work. So here are the pics of the bow all nice and pretty with the fairing compound along with the foam tent and Stanley heater keeping tonights goofest toasty. Also up a couple of pics of the simple long board sanding blocks.

 

[jibes138]

What are those old man hands doing in the picture?
A few things to think about...make sure you add ventilation by a solar vent in the hatch or dorade vents or something. I had a catalina 25 with no ventilation, it was a constant battle with mold and mildew. On my O'Day I have dorades and no problem at all, I put a solar vent in one of the dorades for days when there is no wind.
I'm down in NC, used to sail out of Mystic Ct., now I hang out in Beaufort.