O'Day 37 CC Bottom

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Francois Machabee

Hello Again! Well, I have found the parts for the steering and it was available at Edson for the Push-Pull Steering and the part is an End-Fitting for the SS cable sleeve. I ordered 3 of them just in case! Also, what color is the original GelCoat on the bottom of the boat 1981 model (below the waterline). My boat is currently blue but I cannot tell if this is the anti-fouling paint (and multiple coats of which there seems to be) or if it is the gelcoat. I hope that it is not the gelcoat because some parts of it are easily falling off as dried bits of paint... Does anyone have this info?
 
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Justin - O'day Owners' Web

Bottoms

Francois - I don't know with certainty the color of the gelcoat - typically it was white - but if its coming off like flaky paint that's probably what it is. What's the surface like to the touch? If its materially different from the decks and topsides its probably not gelcoat. Take a spakle knife or similar and see if you can chip the stuff off in a small area. The smooth stuff revealed underneath the gelcoat. Justin - O'day Owners' Web
 
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Francois Machabee

Thanks

Hi Justin, From what I can see, the paint is very brittle and is most probably accumulated anti-fouling. If it is gelcoat, then it is of poor quality because it literally disintegrates to the touch like it lost all of its bonding. The trouble is that I have what looks like multiple layers which were somewhat scrapped and then re-applied but without making the the hull even so this leaves me with pits and valleys on the hull at various points. If the gelcoat is white then I am ok. What would you recommend to get all those layers of anti-fouling paint off. I have heard of wet-baking soda blasting, is it dangerous for the gelcoat? Finally, does anyone know how deeply set is the keel inside the fiberglass keel shell of the 37CC? Is it strait at the bottom, with just a few layers of mat and epoxy or is it set more deeply within the keel itself? Thanks!
 
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Olivier Ruhlmann

On my boat... 1979

Last time I did the bottom paint on my boat I had to sand the old bottom paint off. Typically, bottom paint is blue. The gel coat underneath was cream (like the top sides). Be careful not to sand off the gel coat under the old bottom paint. I sanded mine by hand with a wood brick covered with a sand paper sheet. I recommend that you first apply a or two layer of red bottom paint followed by a layer of blue paint: this way you will know when your bottom paint starts wearing off. Judging from a quick look at the bilge area above the keel it seems like there is close to 1" thick of fiberglass wrapping around the keel. This is what I would expect to support a 6000# catilevered keel.
 
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Peter J. Brennan

Same color

as the topsides. There are also molded in blue boot stripe and sheer stripe. The boot struipe is supposed to define the water line but when the boat is fully loaded and equipped, the waterline can be as much as two inches higher. Paint accordingly. I don't envy you taking off the bottom paint. But if you are going to take it down to the gelcoat, use a grinder -- carefully -- and then put on an epoxy barrier coat and use ablative paint for finish. Use two colors so you can tell whan the top layer starts to wear thin. These boats do not seem to have been prone to blistering. As for the keel, some hard groundings lead me to believe it's plenty tough.
 
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Francois Machabee

What do you mean by ...

Hi Peter, What do you mean by "There are also molded in blue boot stripe and sheer stripe" Does that mean that some models had a blue gelcoat or all of them white? If so, what I am looking at could be gelcoat !!!!
 
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Peter J. Brennan

The boot stripe and sheer stripe

are not painted on. They are bands of blue gelcoat. The rest of the gelcoat is that light tan color.
 
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Francois Machabee

Ouf!!!

OK then, I can breath again. By the way, I will be coming up to your neck of the woods real soon. I am going up the Hudson to Lake Champlain in early May. Have you taken out your boat yet? Thanks!
 
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Peter J. Brennan

Been in all winter

with sails bent on in hopes of that occasional nice weekend. Never happened. We were frozen in the ice. Have had her out a couple of times over the last three weeks, but weather has turned cold and wet again. Nice while it lasted. In May I will have a short haul to renew the zincs and touch up the bottom paint. Where is your boat now? We bought ours in Annapolis and sailed her to New York first week of April, just me, the wife and the dog. Interesting.
 
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Francois Machabee

Must be cold

Wow! The boat was in the ice! You must have a lot less ICE than up here (3 to 4 ft deep). My boat is in the Ocean City area and will be bringing it back mid-may via NY and Hudson to champlain canal and on.
 
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