I have the opportunity to pick up a 1976 22 ODay that has been neglected on a trailer (outside) for 10 years. The boat has had 12" water inside (presumably freezing & thawing every year). I have drained the cabin (which is terribly musty and filthy), but the bilge is still full of water (the pump/electrical are not working yet). The floor feels "punky" and deflects measurably while walking on it. Is the floor of these boats a wood core laminate? How about the hull and/or structural stringers? Is it possible that the hull (or keel) is saturated? Aside from the floor, there is no visible damage internally or externally. Also, are there any other potential problems (specific to this boat) that I should look for before taking this on? Thanks!
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Stu Timm
Money Pit
Sounds like a loser to me, Dave. The deck as far I know has a balsa core and if it's spongy, you'll have to drill it out and rebed it, a lengthy process. If the boat's essentially free, and you're very handy with fiberglass work, it might be a deal, but if not, you will have a problem. I used a small 1/3 hp electric auxilary pump from Sears to drain the recesses of the bilge when I need to. If the boat's level on the trailer, the bilge under the cabin floor (inside) should be the lowest part of the boat. Is there a access hatch on the cabin floor? The stringers on the 22 look like 1 by 3's laid flat and glassed in. If the fiberglass is soft above them and the wood is soft as well, pass on this little boat as her days of sailing are far gone. Keep checking this posting, as there's a great deal of information out there from many of the great folks who participate in this site that would also be of help toyou. Best of Luck, Stu Timm "Karakahl" 1979 22' Oday CB Centerport, LI
Sounds like a loser to me, Dave. The deck as far I know has a balsa core and if it's spongy, you'll have to drill it out and rebed it, a lengthy process. If the boat's essentially free, and you're very handy with fiberglass work, it might be a deal, but if not, you will have a problem. I used a small 1/3 hp electric auxilary pump from Sears to drain the recesses of the bilge when I need to. If the boat's level on the trailer, the bilge under the cabin floor (inside) should be the lowest part of the boat. Is there a access hatch on the cabin floor? The stringers on the 22 look like 1 by 3's laid flat and glassed in. If the fiberglass is soft above them and the wood is soft as well, pass on this little boat as her days of sailing are far gone. Keep checking this posting, as there's a great deal of information out there from many of the great folks who participate in this site that would also be of help toyou. Best of Luck, Stu Timm "Karakahl" 1979 22' Oday CB Centerport, LI
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Rich
Hope Springs Eternal...
Hi Dave: I took on a 1975 O'Day 22 about 8 months ago--she was in about the same or worse condition as it sounds like "yours" may be. The cabin floor is, as you suspect, a wood cored laminate. My cabin floor flexes so much in a few places it feels like I'm walking on graham crackers in a cellophane bag on top of a trampoline. BUT that was basically the only problem with my boat. The hull is solid glass; the decks, coach roof, cockpit seats and floor are also cored glass. I thankfully and surprisingly had no other delamination problems on my boat (it had been neglected for about 10 years). That's not to say that Stu's advice in his posting is wrong or inapplicable--you need to check out "your" boat carefully and if you're not willing to do some work or do not want to learn, pass on this boat. Mine has turned out to be a true gem in the rough and, after eight months of "polishing", she shines and I would not trade her for anything (short of a new Catalina 380). The cabin floor can be fixed--drilling holes, letting it dry out, filling/saturating with epoxy, filling, sanding and painting OR cutting the whole top skin of the floor out, separating the top skin from the wood core, digging out all the bad core, laying in new core, epoxying in the top skin, filling and fairing the seams, painting, etc. Or you can live with it, as I have, knowing nothing else is wrong with the boat and convincing myself that when I get tired of sailing/racing, I can repair the floor as a "fun" project. Good luck. Rich Lemmler, Jr. s/v TIME BANDIT 1975 O'Day 22
Hi Dave: I took on a 1975 O'Day 22 about 8 months ago--she was in about the same or worse condition as it sounds like "yours" may be. The cabin floor is, as you suspect, a wood cored laminate. My cabin floor flexes so much in a few places it feels like I'm walking on graham crackers in a cellophane bag on top of a trampoline. BUT that was basically the only problem with my boat. The hull is solid glass; the decks, coach roof, cockpit seats and floor are also cored glass. I thankfully and surprisingly had no other delamination problems on my boat (it had been neglected for about 10 years). That's not to say that Stu's advice in his posting is wrong or inapplicable--you need to check out "your" boat carefully and if you're not willing to do some work or do not want to learn, pass on this boat. Mine has turned out to be a true gem in the rough and, after eight months of "polishing", she shines and I would not trade her for anything (short of a new Catalina 380). The cabin floor can be fixed--drilling holes, letting it dry out, filling/saturating with epoxy, filling, sanding and painting OR cutting the whole top skin of the floor out, separating the top skin from the wood core, digging out all the bad core, laying in new core, epoxying in the top skin, filling and fairing the seams, painting, etc. Or you can live with it, as I have, knowing nothing else is wrong with the boat and convincing myself that when I get tired of sailing/racing, I can repair the floor as a "fun" project. Good luck. Rich Lemmler, Jr. s/v TIME BANDIT 1975 O'Day 22
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Clint Burleson
Might be fine
I also recently picked up a very neglected 1976 22' that had had water in it for some time and the floor was "springy". I decided not to worry about it and to try to learn how to sail. I have found no other problems, love the boat, and can live with the odd feel of the floor. Concerning draining the bilge: mine was also up on a trailer making it a bit high and quite suitable to syphoning with a garden hose. Not wanting to suck bilge water I filled the hose with water, capped the lower end, stuck the upper end in the bilge, then went back down and removed the cap. It worked. Good luck, Clint
I also recently picked up a very neglected 1976 22' that had had water in it for some time and the floor was "springy". I decided not to worry about it and to try to learn how to sail. I have found no other problems, love the boat, and can live with the odd feel of the floor. Concerning draining the bilge: mine was also up on a trailer making it a bit high and quite suitable to syphoning with a garden hose. Not wanting to suck bilge water I filled the hose with water, capped the lower end, stuck the upper end in the bilge, then went back down and removed the cap. It worked. Good luck, Clint
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Mark
Same problem
I have the same problem. Bought it for a song.Both tires went flat 10 minutes after the 70 mile drive home! In my case,there was a hole in the sole for a hand-operated bilge pump that looks like a bicycle pump. I got the last drops out with a 1/2 inch tube run out the cockpit drain. Sole looks to be ply/glass laminate. I might put a small bilge pump in there, with a long access hatch. My biggest worry is that there was some dripping off of the keel until I got most of the water out. Hoping it's just a small problem . Let me know how it goes. btw, I pd $1300, got almost new Doyle main & jib, mylar genoa, decent trailer. Maybe I paid too much....
I have the same problem. Bought it for a song.Both tires went flat 10 minutes after the 70 mile drive home! In my case,there was a hole in the sole for a hand-operated bilge pump that looks like a bicycle pump. I got the last drops out with a 1/2 inch tube run out the cockpit drain. Sole looks to be ply/glass laminate. I might put a small bilge pump in there, with a long access hatch. My biggest worry is that there was some dripping off of the keel until I got most of the water out. Hoping it's just a small problem . Let me know how it goes. btw, I pd $1300, got almost new Doyle main & jib, mylar genoa, decent trailer. Maybe I paid too much....
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proto57
temporary/permanant "solution"?
One area of my 1973 O22 was "springy". I realized that there was little room between the sole (floor) and the hull, so I came up with this trick, which seemes to work just fine: I bought a can of that dense, expanding foam insulation from Home Depot (the Northeast's mega-hardware store). I stuck the nozzle in from under the starboard bunk, since there is about 1/2 inch gap, and got the end of the tube to about the middle of the soft spot and "squoze" away. The foam expanded, hardened, and my floor in that area is now firm and fine as day one. I would guess the foam made a "support" of about 8" to 10" radius. Since your floor is soft all over, perhaps you could drill a row of 1/2" or 3/8" holes in the sole, off each side of the boats center, and squirt foam in a radius from each hole. This would make "pillars". Then the holes could be capped. I could see no problem with this, as long as you maintain drainage between the "pillars" and the bilge. You have little to lose by trying. If the floor still is not what you are after, then you will only lose the price of three or four cans of foam. Rich.
One area of my 1973 O22 was "springy". I realized that there was little room between the sole (floor) and the hull, so I came up with this trick, which seemes to work just fine: I bought a can of that dense, expanding foam insulation from Home Depot (the Northeast's mega-hardware store). I stuck the nozzle in from under the starboard bunk, since there is about 1/2 inch gap, and got the end of the tube to about the middle of the soft spot and "squoze" away. The foam expanded, hardened, and my floor in that area is now firm and fine as day one. I would guess the foam made a "support" of about 8" to 10" radius. Since your floor is soft all over, perhaps you could drill a row of 1/2" or 3/8" holes in the sole, off each side of the boats center, and squirt foam in a radius from each hole. This would make "pillars". Then the holes could be capped. I could see no problem with this, as long as you maintain drainage between the "pillars" and the bilge. You have little to lose by trying. If the floor still is not what you are after, then you will only lose the price of three or four cans of foam. Rich.
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Josh
The real question...
How much are they asking for it and what do you want it for? IF the hull, cockpit and bulkhead are all still solid, and the cabin is the only problem, you might not even care. Are you going to just use it as a day sailor? As others have, you might find that you don't even go in the cabin and that it won't matter that it's spongy. If you decide that you aren't in the mood to redo the cabin or pay to have it done, you might concider pick the boat up for parts if it's dirt cheap. Josh
How much are they asking for it and what do you want it for? IF the hull, cockpit and bulkhead are all still solid, and the cabin is the only problem, you might not even care. Are you going to just use it as a day sailor? As others have, you might find that you don't even go in the cabin and that it won't matter that it's spongy. If you decide that you aren't in the mood to redo the cabin or pay to have it done, you might concider pick the boat up for parts if it's dirt cheap. Josh
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