I just bought an American Fiberglass Daysailer 16...gonna have questions for y'all!

[Coloradonosea]

Hello everyone,
I just bought this 1973 American Fiberglass Company Daysailer 16
-Major issue is the seperation of the deck from the centerboard. (seems like fillet and fiberglass it back together).
-Only came with the main sail.
-needs a good clean, couple small busted parts...will get into and photograph.
-I am a total beginner, and I have signed up for a sailing class at my local lake/resovoir.
-Im gonna fix up the boat on an easy schedule, the class provides boats so no pressure on getting this together to sail right away.

Appreciate any input, and thanks for letting me join the community!

 

[Timm R Oday25]

Welcome ..Ask away.. We love pictures

 

[Coloradonosea]

Well my first concern is water that may have gotten in through the separation at centerboard and deck, boat has been outside some.
From reading id imagine I need to dry out the area, and then use 3M 5200 or something similar to patch and then fiberglass.

My question is how to confirm/investigate if water is inside.
Ive read about folks tipping/rotating the boat, then placing heat lamp inside cavity etc.
Trouble shooting I suppose.

I also need to procure a jib sail and would like recommendations on where to find.

I plan on painting the topside of the boat in white sanded/grip paint, what brand of paint is generally being used?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Coloradonosea]

Welcome ..Ask away.. We love pictures

*Apologies I didn't realize I could respond with a direct reply:

Well my first concern is water that may have gotten in through the separation at centerboard and deck, boat has been outside some.
From reading id imagine I need to dry out the area, and then use 3M 5200 or something similar to patch and then fiberglass.

My question is how to confirm/investigate if water is inside.
Ive read about folks tipping/rotating the boat, then placing heat lamp inside cavity etc.
Trouble shooting I suppose.

I also need to procure a jib sail and would like recommendations on where to find.

I plan on painting the topside of the boat in white sanded/grip paint, what brand of paint is generally being used?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[shemandr]

That Johnson must be a bonafide antique! Our family had one prolly 60 years ago.
There's normally a drain hole low on the transom. If there isn't then maybe it needs one. If there is a drain you can remove the water by opening the drain and tilting the bow up to let the water drain out the back.
What is the material you want to paint? I can't tell if the seat is wood or faux wood.
A flexible material to repair the centerboard/deck joint sounds good. You have to have enough adhesive surface area. I don't think just filling the gap will work. You may consider the alternative of prepping the surfaces of the fiberglass and using several layers of fiberglass tape with epoxy - which will have to be painted. Depending on the width of the gap mat may be a better choice.
Have you established that the centerboard mechanism is functional. The separation may be due to a hard grounding.
There are used sail vendors. That should not be a problem or big expense.

 

[Coloradonosea]

That Johnson must be a bonafide antique! Our family had one prolly 60 years ago.
There's normally a drain hole low on the transom.
>> I did find the drain hole, there seem to be two more in the deck, on either side of the centerboard. No plugs in any of them, ill have to order those.

If there isn't then maybe it needs one. If there is a drain you can remove the water by opening the drain and tilting the bow up to let the water drain out the back.
>> I tilted the front of the trailer/boat up, it drained significantly out of the drain hole low on the transom.
>> While it was draining I noticed the the point of the keel(?) had been ground off, and that water was coming out of that ground of portion (leading me to believe that there is/was water in between the inner and outer hull..

What is the material you want to paint? I can't tell if the seat is wood or faux wood.
>> I want to paint the deck, seats, on top of the cabin (all made of fiberglass). The seats are not real wood, just a decal impressed onto of the fiberglass.
A flexible material to repair the centerboard/deck joint sounds good. You have to have enough adhesive surface area. I don't think just filling the gap will work. You may consider the alternative of prepping the surfaces of the fiberglass and using several layers of fiberglass tape with epoxy - which will have to be painted. Depending on the width of the gap mat may be a better choice.
>> from the size of the gap, and the strength of fiberglass tape/mat I think ill definitely be using that method/approach. Centerboard still feels rigid/solid, though the deck on either side of the centerboard is spongy/flexing (some of that due to the disconnection from the deck to the centerboard-if it was properly attached there would be less floor movement).

Have you established that the centerboard mechanism is functional. The separation may be due to a hard grounding.

>>The centerboard mechanism does appear to be in working order. The keel is free moving, operable by the two ropes coming out of the top of the centerboard. I looked up in the centerboard housing from the underneath, I can't see any day light coming through other than a bit around the fulcrum point where the keel(?) has its axis point.

There are used sail vendors. That should not be a problem or big expense.
>>It looks like the main sail is in good condition, and from the original manufacturer.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

@Coloradonosea

I am a former sailboat dealer now retired. American Fiberglass has been out of business since the early 1979’s. I know of one person that worked for them at one time. There are some questions I need to ask. I think a phone call is in order as long type written questions hurt my arthritis hands. Private message being sent.

Dave Condon

 

[shemandr]

“...I did find the drain hole, there seem to be two more in the deck, on either side of the centerboard. No plugs in any of them, ill have to order those…"
The ones on the deck near the centerboard may be for bailers. I had bailers on my MFG Bandit 15 at that position. They leaked whenever the boat wasn’t moving fast enough. I eventually glassed them over and they never leaked again.

 

[Coloradonosea]

Heres more pics on the seperation of the deck from the centerboard housing:

 

[Coloradonosea]

Here are some photos of the separation between the transom and the deck:

 

[Coloradonosea]

Heres photos of a bit of cleaning, and some work.
I removed wood to be refinished, looks healthy enough. Been cleaning out the mold, doing early and light investigative prep work to old repairs that were done to the centerboard.

 

[stickinthemud57]

You are in good hands here, and I salute you for your energy and enthusiasm. For me, part of the joy of owning a sailboat is to learn more about it as I do repairs and mods. Every piece of work you do on this boat will tell you a little something about the rest of it and make you a better sailor. Keep the pics coming!

 

[Coloradonosea]

You are in good hands here, and I salute you for your energy and enthusiasm. For me, part of the joy of owning a sailboat is to learn more about it as I do repairs and mods. Every piece of work you do on this boat will tell you a little something about the rest of it and make you a better sailor. Keep the pics coming!

Ive never done any fiberglass before and I'm looking forward to it! Folks here have been incredibly helpful, I'm glad I joined here.
By the way the Mac 26S is the boat that I have the goal to own after I learn on this one. I like your style!

 

[jssailem]

The boat looks like it has been ridden hard and put away wet...

Look at the size of the outboard hung on the transom. It is no wonder the tabbing on the deck/transom is pulling away. Many of the small boats were not envisioned to be more than light weight sail only craft.

Rebuilding the boat will be a project, like diving into the deep end of the pool. You learn to swim even if it doesn't look pretty.

Fiberglass work is relatively easy to accomplish. You will build your skills over time just like the industry did in the late 60's.

Good Luck.

 

[stickinthemud57]

Ive never done any fiberglass before and I'm looking forward to it! Folks here have been incredibly helpful, I'm glad I joined here.
By the way the Mac 26S is the boat that I have the goal to own after I learn on this one. I like your style!

Well, thank you! It's funny, I got back into sailing at the start of the pandemic with a Hunter 170 (17' daysailer) that needed a fair amount of work - maybe not quite as much as yours - and my wife and I agreed that while it was a fun boat to sail that it probably would be a little too tippy for the grandkids, so we started looking for a bigger boat. One thing I knew I wanted to avoid was a boat that would be costly to take in and out of the water. After considering the pros and cons of retractable keels (or weighted centerboards), I decided on the 26S. Super roomy, easy to trailer, fast (I have won a few trophies in our local club races), fun to modify, and easy to maintain.

Fiberglass is a miracle material, IMO. Messy yes, but not really difficult to work with. Have fun!

 

[shemandr]

Other posters here have Rx’ed the Utube videos from Andy at boatworks.com. After viewing some I think anyone venturing into fiberglass work would be well served by watching. He is an artist. But I’m not sure I have the website correct.
'

 

[Coloradonosea]

More photos of the centerboard as I get it ready for fiber glass.
took of most of the old repair, cleaned up some of the deck and fronts of seats.
Looks like the floor has pulled away from the centerboard, I imagine ill have to press it back against the centerboard as I epoxy/fiberglass it back together.

 

[Coloradonosea]

Heres photos from the end of the day, pretty smooth surfaces, pretty clean. (on sides of the centerboard, also sanded out some of the deck more.

 

[stickinthemud57]

This is so fun. Thanks!

 

[dLj]

By the way the Mac 26S is the boat that I have the goal to own after I learn on this one. I like your style!

I used to own a Mac 26s - really nice choice! With the water ballast it makes for a 26 foot trailerable boat that is very easy to tow for the size boat it is. I sailed mine all over the US: Rocky Mountains, San Juan Islands, Gulf of Mexico, Georgian Bay, many places on the east coast. Very nice set of compromises in a trailerable boat.

dj