First post, O'day 30 restore

[Bswett]

Well hello,

This is my first post in this forum.
I'm in the process of restoring an O'day 30 which is in pretty bad shape. I'm in the central pacific coast of Costa Rica, and unfortunately theres not such a thriving sailing community around this parts. I'm pretty much alone with this crazy project/dream.
This is not my second sailboat, the first one was a lovely little cyclone13, which has given me years of pleasure and fun. Now i'm on to bigger and way more complicated things....

I'll probably be asking many questions throughout this journey, and I hope I found a good source for info and help.

The first question I have is regarding the hull paint job I'm doing. I used a transition cleanship antifouling blue paint for the part under the waterline, and the white part on top is looking pretty weathered. It's the original paint and I'm not sure I'll be able to make it shine again. Someone is recommending a new product paint called 'fast dry?' But I'm not sure about that. Any ideas are highly appreciated.

Second question, The cabin is full of rain water and I'm wondering if this boat has a plug or something that I can undo as to drain the water out. Right now the boat is sitting mainly out of the water in a home made metal monstrosity that we built in the mouth of an estuary... I know this might be a silly question, but I'm full of those....

Anyway, some pics here. That in the boat is my friend and boat co-owner power washing the deck. It turned out pretty nice. And If you think the outside looks trashed, i will eventually post pics of the inside.... :-(

I will also need a new diesel engine. Any leads on where could be a good place to order will help.

Thanks,
Bryan

 

[pateco]

Keep sending us pictures. I would like to follow your restoration progress.

 

[njlarry]

Your boat should have a garboard drain plug on the starboard side a little way above the keel. Absolutley open it at once. If you don't have one they are only about ten dollars US, drill a hole and install one ASAP or you may face water damage inside.
The hull will likely shine nicely again with compounding. Check the polishing link on MaineSail's section of this forum.
Good luck, take it one step at a time.

 

[DHaranSailor]

I second njlarry's comment. No need to paint the topsides, just a really good compounding and polish and it will come back.

 

[Siamese]

The last paragraph in your post is a doozy "Also, I need a new diesel engine".

Is this something you've looked into at all yet? I'm unaware of your level of sailboat maintenance knowledge, but will suggest that the single biggest expense you'll have is for a diesel. If it were me, I'd get a very firm idea of what replacing will cost. Armed with that information, I would then find out for CERTAIN whether there are any other major issues to be dealt with, like bulkhead rot, and whether there is any water intrusion into the balsa core of the deck.

In other words, don't take the diesel replacement lightly.

 

[Bswett]

Siamese,

Thanks for your answer which triggers some serious thinking. About my sailboat maintenance knowledge, it's pretty close to non-existant. I know how to patch some fibreglass, and I've completed a basic keelboat and basic cruising courses in Seattle, Wa. But yes, I don't even know how big of a mess I've dove into. Not my first time having to learn something from scratch though. It's part of the fun, isn't it?
The boat was very close to free and has been full of water for years, floating in the ocean tied to a buoy, and housing a large family of pelicans who used the deck as their dinning and living room. So, bulkhead rot? How do I know? Water intrusion in balsa core? Probably....

Getting an outboard engine has been suggested, since the whole diesel machine replacement sounds pretty complicated, but.... there's something nice and classic about the good old (and cheap to fill up) diesel engine.

And thanks for the topside compound and polish ideas....

B.

 

[Siamese]

Well, it's good that you're ready to put your thinking cap on and are prepared to evaluate your situation.

If a portion of the boat's interior has been marinating in saltwater for a period of time, we can probably assume your bulkheads are shot. Forgive me if I tell you something you already know, but those are the "walls" just aft of the v-berths. They provide privacy, but more importantly, they're fiberglassed to the hull, and provide needed structural integrity to the boat, as well as providing an anchoring point for the chainplates (that your mast shrouds attach to). Important stuff.

Water intrusion into the balsa core is HIGHLY likely with how you've described the overall care and condition of this vessel. You can query this of course. The remedy in cases where the intrusion is limited isn't real bad. If it covers larger areas of the cabin top, deck, and cockpit sole, it's a considerable job to tackle.

If your engine marinated in the saltwater, that's engine, AND transmission. How's the shaft and cutlass bearing?

It's possible to tear out the existing propulsion system, reinforce the transom, and attach an outboard, but it's far from an ideal solution. YMMV.

This boat's going to need a complete re-wiring job. $$$$ Complete set of batteries. Battery charger and cabling. Main circuit box.

Those of us with a few decades of experience maintaining our boats can tell you (and some queries here and on Sailnet will demonstrate) that you will easily and likely far exceed what it would have cost to have acquired a boat in ship-shape condition from the get-go. The formula might be different for a house, car, or motorcycle where sweat equity can yield benefits. Not so much with a boat.

Sorry if it sounds like I'm using you for a punching bag. Just wouldn't want you to get blind-sided by some of this stuff AFTER you've already put time and money into it, and feel you've reached the point of no return.

Are there exceptions? Could this boat be salvaged? Can't say it's impossible, but we're talking about the guy with mad boat maintenance skills and true cunning when it comes to identifying and scrounging major and otherwise expensive components.

With all that nay-saying said, good luck with your evaluation and anything that comes after that. Certainly your fellow sailors on this site and others will enjoy assisting.

 

[Bswett]

Your boat should have a garboard drain plug on the starboard side a little way above the keel. Absolutley open it at once. If you don't have one they are only about ten dollars US, drill a hole and install one ASAP or you may face water damage inside. The hull will likely shine nicely again with compounding. Check the polishing link on MaineSail's section of this forum. Good luck, take it one step at a time.

Hi njlarry, would you be so kind to find me that polishing link. I've been looking all around and no luck...

 

[py26129]

Here you go: http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/52772-tips-compound-polish-wax.html

BTW, the "metal monstrosity", in the picture, looks like a pretty decent cradle.

Matt

 

[Bswett]

Well, it's good that you're ready to put your thinking cap on and are prepared to evaluate your situation.

If a portion of the boat's interior has been marinating in saltwater for a period of time, we can probably assume your bulkheads are shot. Forgive me if I tell you something you already know, but those are the "walls" just aft of the v-berths. They provide privacy, but more importantly, they're fiberglassed to the hull, and provide needed structural integrity to the boat, as well as providing an anchoring point for the chainplates (that your mast shrouds attach to). Important stuff.

Water intrusion into the balsa core is HIGHLY likely with how you've described the overall care and condition of this vessel. You can query this of course. The remedy in cases where the intrusion is limited isn't real bad. If it covers larger areas of the cabin top, deck, and cockpit sole, it's a considerable job to tackle.

If your engine marinated in the saltwater, that's engine, AND transmission. How's the shaft and cutlass bearing?

It's possible to tear out the existing propulsion system, reinforce the transom, and attach an outboard, but it's far from an ideal solution. YMMV.

This boat's going to need a complete re-wiring job. $$$$ Complete set of batteries. Battery charger and cabling. Main circuit box.

Those of us with a few decades of experience maintaining our boats can tell you (and some queries here and on Sailnet will demonstrate) that you will easily and likely far exceed what it would have cost to have acquired a boat in ship-shape condition from the get-go. The formula might be different for a house, car, or motorcycle where sweat equity can yield benefits. Not so much with a boat.

Sorry if it sounds like I'm using you for a punching bag. Just wouldn't want you to get blind-sided by some of this stuff AFTER you've already put time and money into it, and feel you've reached the point of no return.

Are there exceptions? Could this boat be salvaged? Can't say it's impossible, but we're talking about the guy with mad boat maintenance skills and true cunning when it comes to identifying and scrounging major and otherwise expensive components.

With all that nay-saying said, good luck with your evaluation and anything that comes after that. Certainly your fellow sailors on this site and others will enjoy assisting.

Very eye opening post here. It really took the wind out of my sails for a while. But I've been working on the boat and feel pretty good about it. This project is not meant to result in a super fancy sailboat parked in a fancy marina. It's definitely more of a humble, make it work deal. Also, there is no big hurry. It's three parters wanting to learn and do-it-ourselves. Naive, I know; but here we go.

I have removed most of the wood from the inside, and yes some of the bulkhead pieces are shot, but not the whole thing. Plenty of reusable stuff here. So the plan is to make new pieces where needed and just sand and refinish other boards and walls.

The balsa core that you talk about has me a bit confused. As far as I can tell there is no balsa core, it's all fiber glass, and after pretty good inspection we see that it's in pretty healthy shape.

From the v-berth, the quarter berth in the rear, and the closets I removed a bunch of rotten carpet wall and a layer of foam between the inside fiber and the carpet. I'm curious if this needs to be replaced or if it's only intended to insulate the boat for colder seas. I've been advised to do a gelcoat product (?) to refinish the inside. Not sure what this is and what it looks like.

Anyway... one thing at a time.

Thanks,
Bryan

 

[Siamese]

Here's the deal with the balsa core. The hull on your Catalina is solid fiberglass. The decks, and cabin may appear to be solid fiberglass, but are absolutely not. It's a fiberglass sandwich with end grain balsa wood between inner and outer layers of fiberglass. Anyplace where there is hardware mounted on this fiberglass sandwich is a place for water to get into the balsa core. The manufacturers didn't do as good a job as we'd like when they originally mounted the hardware, and after this much time, it's HIGHLY likely that you have areas where water has gotten under the hardware and into the balsa core.

It's very typical for water to get into the balsa and rot it, and/or cause the balsa to delaminate from the fiberglass skins and weakening it considerably. It may effect only a small area around a particular piece of hardware or it can it effect several square feet of the deck, cockpit, etc.. These are very common repairs and Google will direct you to the remedies.

There are ways to test for how much of an issue this is on your boat, including walking on the deck and feeling soft areas, using a brass ball peen hammer to tap around fittings and listening for changes in the sound, and using a moisture meter, or a combination of all three.

You don't want weak decks if you're going to sail that boat. Repair of a saturated core isn't too difficult if it's just a small area around the fitting. When it covers larger areas, the repair gets fairly involved. It's your call as to whether you're happy with "out of sight out of mind" or whether you understand how critical this issue is to the viability of your project.

If you're in need of an engine AND you have "spongy" decks, you can find yourself in a situation where restoration of a particular vessel is a sucker bet. The earlier you know the true condition, the better.

At first glance your cradle looks better than you describe. Closer inspection seems to reveal that the keel isn't sitting on anything more solid than loose soil. The bottom of your keel is where most of the weight of the boat should lie, with the perimeter supports providing stability. There should be little weight on the perimeter supports and where the the supports meet the hull, there should be plywood squares of at least one sq. ft. each, built up to roughly conform to the curve of the hull, and covered with thick carpet. Otherwise, it's likely you'll deform the hull at those areas, and risk significant damage.

You have much more important things to do right now than painting or compounding the topsides (portion of the hull from waterline to gunnels). Scrub it clean and call it good. The best and easiest way to clean the topsides is with an acid cleaner like Mary Kate On Off. You really should have done the topsides before putting your bottom paint on though, as the acid will eat the bottom paint. You can use tape and thin plastic sheeting to create an apron around the waterline, so the acid doesn't get on the bottom paint. See MaineSail's (this forum) advice for cleaning before compounding polishing for details. You brush the acid on, and rinse it off seconds later, and the scum is gone. You would be wise to call that good enough for the topsides right now.

I'll leave you to it. At most, I'd like to see you be successful with this, and at the least I'd like to see you not get burned. Somebody tell me if I'm wrong, but you appear to be skipping the critical step of evaluating the viability and cost of bringing this vessel into basic sailing condition.

 

[Panta Rei]

Siamese is doing a very good job trying to let you down slowly. You have made a big mistake. At this point right now , you have more liabilities with that boat than assets. It will actually cost money to get rid of this boat. Don't put another penny into it. A 40 ft Oday was listed for sale in the virgin islands for $1500. It was in much the same condition as your boat. The boat never sold.
It had one advantage, It was in the water. Your boat will cost money to just to move it.
I know the boat looks nice and will clean up ok on the outside but it is not a sailboat and will never be again. You could sell a few components of the boat but shipping cost would be more than the value.
The scrap value of the aluminum mast and boom might be considerable but it will take a lot of work to cut the mast down. The cradle might be worth something.
Are there sails? They may be of value if they look new. Not soft or worn in any way.
You need start finding a way to responsibly get rid of this thing and then we can help you buy a nice sailing vessel for as little as a few thousand dollars.
Don't be fooled by the listing price of boats you see on the internet. The boats often sell at 1/2 that price.

 

[25yearslater]

You might want to listen to these folks. Unless you have some particular obsession with this particular boat here is what you are in for in all probability: http://forums.oday.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=123244 Been there, done that and only because I have always wanted an Oday 27 and wouldn't settle for anything else. By the time I was done including a complete new set of sails it cost 2.5 times it's original selling price. Think very carefully before you take your next step.

 

[Stu Jackson]

To the OP, you wouldn't be the first or the last, but...

http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=1199421&highlight=project boat

http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=1228105&highlight=project boat