I am looking at buying a 16 ft sailboat (Windmill). All the needed repairs look doable except a few cracks in the hull. I believe it is marine plywood with glass. Is it repairable? How much would a professional charge? If the boat is cheap should I still avoid buying it? I just want to sail around in a pretty fast boat - I don't intend to race it. Thanks for the advice. If I am posting in the wrong spot I apologize this is my first post. The picture is of a crack above the dagger board trunk. See the link for more pictures.
Cracked Hull Repairs?
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That appears to be a plywood boat that was
covered with glass after it had been neglected for some time. I would probe it extensively with an ice pick from the inside in a search for rotten wood. If I didn't find any then I would consider a purchase. I think that it probably has only a single ply of fiberglass and the cracks can be ground out and patched with chopped strand mat AND cloth and epoxy resin. The patches should be at least six inches wide and ALL of the paint needs to be removed in the area that is getting the patch.
covered with glass after it had been neglected for some time. I would probe it extensively with an ice pick from the inside in a search for rotten wood. If I didn't find any then I would consider a purchase. I think that it probably has only a single ply of fiberglass and the cracks can be ground out and patched with chopped strand mat AND cloth and epoxy resin. The patches should be at least six inches wide and ALL of the paint needs to be removed in the area that is getting the patch.
THe hair line cracks?
Sam, The hair line cracks look ok! The slot was cut for a reason. What is it for, Dagger board? All fiberglas cracks with time. I would give it a couple of coats of wax. You should not prop "probe it extensively with an ice pick". You do not own the boat and this will cause damage! You can tap it with a wooden hammer and listen for a thud. The sound should sound like a ping. It will feel mushy if the sore rot is real bad. If this is the dagger board of the centerboard well the cracks were caused by stress. I would think you could repair them with a little thicken expoy. Best Luck! Wif
Sam, The hair line cracks look ok! The slot was cut for a reason. What is it for, Dagger board? All fiberglas cracks with time. I would give it a couple of coats of wax. You should not prop "probe it extensively with an ice pick". You do not own the boat and this will cause damage! You can tap it with a wooden hammer and listen for a thud. The sound should sound like a ping. It will feel mushy if the sore rot is real bad. If this is the dagger board of the centerboard well the cracks were caused by stress. I would think you could repair them with a little thicken expoy. Best Luck! Wif
By the way Ross method of repair is
Stronger and will last longer. The ice pick idea is one I have never heard before. Most people drill small holes into the sore and check for wet core. The holes can be easily patches. I think this is all over kill for a 16 foot boat. You could just spread some 3M 5200 caulk on the crack. The short. The cracks look ok!
Stronger and will last longer. The ice pick idea is one I have never heard before. Most people drill small holes into the sore and check for wet core. The holes can be easily patches. I think this is all over kill for a 16 foot boat. You could just spread some 3M 5200 caulk on the crack. The short. The cracks look ok!
Waffe, The condition of the interior of that boat
won't be harmed by an ice pick gently applied. The technique is like this: you probe with the pick very lightly on the exposed wood inside. If the wood is sound the pick will meet resistance at the surface. If there is rot present it will fell like you are spearing a piece of cooked meat. Don't pry sideways. Just straight in and straight out. Fiberglass will only crack if it is too thin for the load. The area of the dagger board is a high stress point and some extra reinforcement there would be good. It is easy enoughto fair it so that it blends in nicely.
won't be harmed by an ice pick gently applied. The technique is like this: you probe with the pick very lightly on the exposed wood inside. If the wood is sound the pick will meet resistance at the surface. If there is rot present it will fell like you are spearing a piece of cooked meat. Don't pry sideways. Just straight in and straight out. Fiberglass will only crack if it is too thin for the load. The area of the dagger board is a high stress point and some extra reinforcement there would be good. It is easy enoughto fair it so that it blends in nicely.
Cracks around the daggerboard
or rudder trunk should be sealed up, but they may not indicate a problem in the wood. Old glass over ply boats are often rotten in places. If this is the case, don't buy the boat. It's too much work and you will find more rot as you fix the obvious. As a wise boat builder friend said "SOMETIMES FREE IS NOT CHEAP ENOUGH" You don't need an ice pick to find soft wood. Use a rubber or plastic hammer, or a SMALL steel ball peen hammer, or anything that makes a noise. thump on a part of the boat that you know is good and listen to the sound, then thump on the wood on the inside of the where cracked glass is. If it sounds dead and then sounds more resonant as you move toward known good wood, the plywood is probably waterlogged and rotten. If the wood is good, I would sand and paint over the cracks. If there's loose glass, you have to either tear it off or squirt some epoxy under it and lay a plstic bag on it with some old encyclopedias on top to hold it down until it hardens. A lot depends on what kind of plywood the boat is made of and whether it's home made or professionally built. If the boat has been stored in a dry place and the wood is OK, and the price is low, go for it!
or rudder trunk should be sealed up, but they may not indicate a problem in the wood. Old glass over ply boats are often rotten in places. If this is the case, don't buy the boat. It's too much work and you will find more rot as you fix the obvious. As a wise boat builder friend said "SOMETIMES FREE IS NOT CHEAP ENOUGH" You don't need an ice pick to find soft wood. Use a rubber or plastic hammer, or a SMALL steel ball peen hammer, or anything that makes a noise. thump on a part of the boat that you know is good and listen to the sound, then thump on the wood on the inside of the where cracked glass is. If it sounds dead and then sounds more resonant as you move toward known good wood, the plywood is probably waterlogged and rotten. If the wood is good, I would sand and paint over the cracks. If there's loose glass, you have to either tear it off or squirt some epoxy under it and lay a plstic bag on it with some old encyclopedias on top to hold it down until it hardens. A lot depends on what kind of plywood the boat is made of and whether it's home made or professionally built. If the boat has been stored in a dry place and the wood is OK, and the price is low, go for it!
Jim , I have been on a successful search
for rotten wood for fifty years. An Ice pick properly applied will leave no tracks and will give qualitative answers when you do find soft wood. Don't be too quick to reject a new to you technique, some of them actually work.
for rotten wood for fifty years. An Ice pick properly applied will leave no tracks and will give qualitative answers when you do find soft wood. Don't be too quick to reject a new to you technique, some of them actually work.
.
Ice Picks
Ice pics have been the tool of choice for hundreds of years. You can also use the wooden handle for 'sounding' instead of a hammer. Works for finding dry rot and termites in houses too. Oh, and they also work great for breaking up ice. Tony B
Ice pics have been the tool of choice for hundreds of years. You can also use the wooden handle for 'sounding' instead of a hammer. Works for finding dry rot and termites in houses too. Oh, and they also work great for breaking up ice. Tony B
Sam, how fast a boat do you want to sail in?
I looked at a few pictures in your link and can relate to this boat a little. My 14' fiberglass boat is pretty similar except for a covered bow. This boat was stored outside (dead leaves found inside) and the inside white paint is chipping as well as the cracks in the hull. Everything can be repaired but as someone said: "Sometimes free is not cheap enough." My other comment is that this boat probably will not sail that fast say 4 knots top speed, and might be a little tender (tippy in higher winds as most smaller boats are). If you really want 'fast' you might consider a Lightning, Lazer, or Hobie/Prindle catamaran depending on how wet and/or comfortable you want to be when on the water. Does the boat come with a nice old rusty trailer as well? Small boats are great and a lot less maintenance than a bigger boat except when they need to be fixed up after a period of neglect. Good luck with this.
I looked at a few pictures in your link and can relate to this boat a little. My 14' fiberglass boat is pretty similar except for a covered bow. This boat was stored outside (dead leaves found inside) and the inside white paint is chipping as well as the cracks in the hull. Everything can be repaired but as someone said: "Sometimes free is not cheap enough." My other comment is that this boat probably will not sail that fast say 4 knots top speed, and might be a little tender (tippy in higher winds as most smaller boats are). If you really want 'fast' you might consider a Lightning, Lazer, or Hobie/Prindle catamaran depending on how wet and/or comfortable you want to be when on the water. Does the boat come with a nice old rusty trailer as well? Small boats are great and a lot less maintenance than a bigger boat except when they need to be fixed up after a period of neglect. Good luck with this.
Caleb, I fear that sometimes we risk losing the
simple joy of boating without an engine. Sailing at any speed with someone you love is what this should be about most of the time. If we are to be distracted by the need for speed we will run the risk of missing the greatest joy of all simply being on the water with someone dear to us and having it quiet enough to talk.
simple joy of boating without an engine. Sailing at any speed with someone you love is what this should be about most of the time. If we are to be distracted by the need for speed we will run the risk of missing the greatest joy of all simply being on the water with someone dear to us and having it quiet enough to talk.
Don't even go there
I still own a windsurfer, a 14' daysailor, a Lightning and a Tartan 27'. I love them all for differing reasons. My journey with sailboats has taken me from smaller to bigger in roughly that order and if romance or emphatuation was not involved I would not still own these boats. Hell, if you happened to be living when Huck Finn did according to Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) than there was a whole lot of romance involved with just a river raft following the current. I am trying to dispense advice from where I stand, not from where I have not ever been before and I know that it is all appealing on some level. Ross Perryville MD, where did your profile go? How do we know that you are even you?
I still own a windsurfer, a 14' daysailor, a Lightning and a Tartan 27'. I love them all for differing reasons. My journey with sailboats has taken me from smaller to bigger in roughly that order and if romance or emphatuation was not involved I would not still own these boats. Hell, if you happened to be living when Huck Finn did according to Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) than there was a whole lot of romance involved with just a river raft following the current. I am trying to dispense advice from where I stand, not from where I have not ever been before and I know that it is all appealing on some level. Ross Perryville MD, where did your profile go? How do we know that you are even you?
sign in ross
ross i had the same problem, i had to log out, then log back in. it worked for me steve
ross i had the same problem, i had to log out, then log back in. it worked for me steve
Caleb, I was my post. either my computer or
the forum's had lost its way and dropped me for a while. I live by the ATF rule where boats are concerned. Anything That Floats. ;D
the forum's had lost its way and dropped me for a while. I live by the ATF rule where boats are concerned. Anything That Floats. ;D
This is crazy!
I get a "Welcome Ross" when I open the SBO forums but when I post I am a stranger.
I get a "Welcome Ross" when I open the SBO forums but when I post I am a stranger.
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