U-bolt was loose on hull where boat is hook to trailer; inside I found a problem; the washer went through the wood, the wood has rotted away; about 4" long and 2" wide; water has been coming through the bolt holes. I had purchase this boat this past summer; should the fix be with wood and fiberglass or should I just fill it up with layers of fiberglass; any comments would be helpful.
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here is an Idea
What you do is repair the holes as best you can....... Than get a metal pipe that will fit in the inside of the curve of the boat and as long as will fit the bow curve. You than drill the pipe with the two holes for the bow U-bolt. You might have to get a longer U-bolt boat hook, Drill thru the pipe and use washers on the inside. This will give the new boat trailer u-bolt a much wider area to place the strain of pulling the boat on the trailer. I know what I'm saying, hope the directions are clear enough. I wish I could draw it for ya, it then would make sence (cents). John USNret
What you do is repair the holes as best you can....... Than get a metal pipe that will fit in the inside of the curve of the boat and as long as will fit the bow curve. You than drill the pipe with the two holes for the bow U-bolt. You might have to get a longer U-bolt boat hook, Drill thru the pipe and use washers on the inside. This will give the new boat trailer u-bolt a much wider area to place the strain of pulling the boat on the trailer. I know what I'm saying, hope the directions are clear enough. I wish I could draw it for ya, it then would make sence (cents). John USNret
I would do the repair with wood and fiberglass.
I guess the previous owner did not know the proper use for that U-Bolt. sailboats are not designed to be winched on the trailer but to be floated on to the bunks. A line can be tied to the U-bolt to guide it unto the bunks. The U-Bolt is also used to help secure the boat to the trailer for towing. If one tries to winch the boat unto the trailer or exert undue force on that U-Bolt the backing plate or washers will drive through the wood at the bow with the consequences you have experienced. If you are looking to retain the U-Bolt I would replace the wood as the bolt will need it as anchoring point.
I guess the previous owner did not know the proper use for that U-Bolt. sailboats are not designed to be winched on the trailer but to be floated on to the bunks. A line can be tied to the U-bolt to guide it unto the bunks. The U-Bolt is also used to help secure the boat to the trailer for towing. If one tries to winch the boat unto the trailer or exert undue force on that U-Bolt the backing plate or washers will drive through the wood at the bow with the consequences you have experienced. If you are looking to retain the U-Bolt I would replace the wood as the bolt will need it as anchoring point.
Wood will make a perfectly acceptable
repair. Just get a piece of locust or red mulberry or white oak or osage orange and make a new block bed it in urethane caulk, redrill the bolt holes from the outside, Use sealant (more of the urethane caulk) under the outside washers and nuts. The wood that I mentioned will last slightly longer than granite.
repair. Just get a piece of locust or red mulberry or white oak or osage orange and make a new block bed it in urethane caulk, redrill the bolt holes from the outside, Use sealant (more of the urethane caulk) under the outside washers and nuts. The wood that I mentioned will last slightly longer than granite.
Look at the type of ubolt too.
Tom, Does your ubolt have nuts that can be tightend from the outside? Some ubolts just bottom out on a flange on the outside and you have to do the tightening on the inside, which is often times hard to access. The best thing to do if yours is like that is to replace it with one that has nuts on both the outside and the inside. That way, snugging up the ubolt can be done easily from the outside of the boat. If you trailer the boat a lot, it will loosen over time, even if you don't winch the boat on the trailer (which I agree you should not be doing).
Tom, Does your ubolt have nuts that can be tightend from the outside? Some ubolts just bottom out on a flange on the outside and you have to do the tightening on the inside, which is often times hard to access. The best thing to do if yours is like that is to replace it with one that has nuts on both the outside and the inside. That way, snugging up the ubolt can be done easily from the outside of the boat. If you trailer the boat a lot, it will loosen over time, even if you don't winch the boat on the trailer (which I agree you should not be doing).
I had the same problem
I had the same problem. I used a piece of 1" metal plumbing pipe, approx 6-7 inchs long (might find a scrap for free at Home Depot/Lowes). Drilled 2 holes for the U-bolt and set in with alot of sealant. Worked great and the U-bolt couldnt be more secure. Turned out to be a very easy repair. You may have to cut through some foam insulation to get to the back of the bolts.
I had the same problem. I used a piece of 1" metal plumbing pipe, approx 6-7 inchs long (might find a scrap for free at Home Depot/Lowes). Drilled 2 holes for the U-bolt and set in with alot of sealant. Worked great and the U-bolt couldnt be more secure. Turned out to be a very easy repair. You may have to cut through some foam insulation to get to the back of the bolts.
Make it really strong!!!
It ought to be strong enough to pick the boat up! It's already failed once. Others report problems with their bow eyes. Fix it once right. I would use 5 to 10 layers of glass cloth 2 or 3 inch wide tape with epoxy resin, then a stainless steel plate 1-1/2 to 2 inches (whatever will fit) by 10 inches 1/4 inch thick. Glass cloth first, then stainless (with holes already drilled) pushed onto glass before it hardens so the glass takes the shape of the stainless (flat) Aluminium plate with stainless washers would be OK instead of stainless, and it drills easier. It's not much more work to make it really strong. Why not? It's fine to talk about floating the boat on the trailer, but sooner or later there will be a time when you need to winch it. This will probably be a time when you don't need more problems, like a bow eye bouncing off your head. The shock load when the trailer bounces on a bump in the road will exceed the strain of winching the boat on to the trailer. The bow eye is like a bow cleat. It should be as strong as you can make it. I like to work with wood, but I would not use wood in this application. It's building in a weak link. Accacia (Black Locust) or Osage Orange (Bois D'Arc) probably won't rot, but they will compress under shock load.
It ought to be strong enough to pick the boat up! It's already failed once. Others report problems with their bow eyes. Fix it once right. I would use 5 to 10 layers of glass cloth 2 or 3 inch wide tape with epoxy resin, then a stainless steel plate 1-1/2 to 2 inches (whatever will fit) by 10 inches 1/4 inch thick. Glass cloth first, then stainless (with holes already drilled) pushed onto glass before it hardens so the glass takes the shape of the stainless (flat) Aluminium plate with stainless washers would be OK instead of stainless, and it drills easier. It's not much more work to make it really strong. Why not? It's fine to talk about floating the boat on the trailer, but sooner or later there will be a time when you need to winch it. This will probably be a time when you don't need more problems, like a bow eye bouncing off your head. The shock load when the trailer bounces on a bump in the road will exceed the strain of winching the boat on to the trailer. The bow eye is like a bow cleat. It should be as strong as you can make it. I like to work with wood, but I would not use wood in this application. It's building in a weak link. Accacia (Black Locust) or Osage Orange (Bois D'Arc) probably won't rot, but they will compress under shock load.
flaw in manufacture
I had the same problem on my oday 25cb 1975 model. The problem was in the manufacturing of the boat. They used raw wood without encapsulating/sealing it from moisture. Grind out the old rotten wood, clean with acetone (open hatches for ventilation, cut a piece of wood, spruce would be fine, the wood should be 6-12 inches long, or whatever you like, have it wide 3-4" or so, and 1-2" thick. Gring/sand it to fit the radius and angle of the bow as best you can. go to walmart and get bondo, or fiberglass reenforced bondo stuff, bed your new wood coreing with this stuff-it will glue the wood in place. Then when dry fair it in with a good filet to the existing hull surface (you have to grind/sand this surface then wipe with acetone to remove wax) then just cover it all with 1-2 layers of glass with resin or epoxy. Then redrill the holes for the new eyebolt-you are gonna use a new one,right. Seal everything with 5200 or something similar, like the previous post suggested. And there you have it. The idea is to spread the load over a large area, so if you have a catastrophe it will rip the entire bow off the boat instead of just the small area around the eye. Oh, yeah, a backing plate, or large fender washers would be called for to help spread the load.
I had the same problem on my oday 25cb 1975 model. The problem was in the manufacturing of the boat. They used raw wood without encapsulating/sealing it from moisture. Grind out the old rotten wood, clean with acetone (open hatches for ventilation, cut a piece of wood, spruce would be fine, the wood should be 6-12 inches long, or whatever you like, have it wide 3-4" or so, and 1-2" thick. Gring/sand it to fit the radius and angle of the bow as best you can. go to walmart and get bondo, or fiberglass reenforced bondo stuff, bed your new wood coreing with this stuff-it will glue the wood in place. Then when dry fair it in with a good filet to the existing hull surface (you have to grind/sand this surface then wipe with acetone to remove wax) then just cover it all with 1-2 layers of glass with resin or epoxy. Then redrill the holes for the new eyebolt-you are gonna use a new one,right. Seal everything with 5200 or something similar, like the previous post suggested. And there you have it. The idea is to spread the load over a large area, so if you have a catastrophe it will rip the entire bow off the boat instead of just the small area around the eye. Oh, yeah, a backing plate, or large fender washers would be called for to help spread the load.
Epoxy
I had a simular problem with my Mac 26. Access was a problem so I cut a hole with a hole saw. then I dug out all of th erotten wood that I could remove. Then I took some of the epoxy putty that comes as two sticks that you mix equal lengths and packed a lot around the U bolt. After it harden about 20 minutes I tightened up the bolt and never had a problem again. It's been a while but I think that I was able to remove all of the rotten wood and I used a backing plate on the U bolt. Seems like the original just had a couple of washers that pulled through the rotten wood. The epoxy putty will even work under water and was as hard as concrete. Sealed the bolt holes so that there was no leaking.
I had a simular problem with my Mac 26. Access was a problem so I cut a hole with a hole saw. then I dug out all of th erotten wood that I could remove. Then I took some of the epoxy putty that comes as two sticks that you mix equal lengths and packed a lot around the U bolt. After it harden about 20 minutes I tightened up the bolt and never had a problem again. It's been a while but I think that I was able to remove all of the rotten wood and I used a backing plate on the U bolt. Seems like the original just had a couple of washers that pulled through the rotten wood. The epoxy putty will even work under water and was as hard as concrete. Sealed the bolt holes so that there was no leaking.
- Jul 24, 2006
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OOPS, SORRY
Ross, your right, my bad. I was thinking yellow pine. The most important thing is to seal it good.
Ross, your right, my bad. I was thinking yellow pine. The most important thing is to seal it good.
Why use wood?
If you're rebuilding a system where you have the opportunity to use materials that won't compress, why use wood? You're building in a weak link. I love wood. I was the founder and manager of Canada's only accredited school of wooden boatbuilding ( www.boatschool.com ) but this is not the place for it.
If you're rebuilding a system where you have the opportunity to use materials that won't compress, why use wood? You're building in a weak link. I love wood. I was the founder and manager of Canada's only accredited school of wooden boatbuilding ( www.boatschool.com ) but this is not the place for it.
Fred, I am not sure that using wood is building
in a weak link. There are several species that are at least as strong in every regard as polyester/ fiberglass. Since you have built wooden boats you must know that black locust is stronger in compression, bending and in impact resistance than any glass matrix. So far as I know only osage orange exceeds locust in mechanical properties. Now granted using an unsuitable wood species would be a mistake, making a repair without the proper skills is also a mistake.
in a weak link. There are several species that are at least as strong in every regard as polyester/ fiberglass. Since you have built wooden boats you must know that black locust is stronger in compression, bending and in impact resistance than any glass matrix. So far as I know only osage orange exceeds locust in mechanical properties. Now granted using an unsuitable wood species would be a mistake, making a repair without the proper skills is also a mistake.
Yes, Tart was built at the school
That was the last year I was there. It's a not for profit (that's for sure) society, and I stepped away. It's still going. Alan's new boat, another Ted Brewer design. was also built on Gabriola, by one of the fromer instructors at the school.
That was the last year I was there. It's a not for profit (that's for sure) society, and I stepped away. It's still going. Alan's new boat, another Ted Brewer design. was also built on Gabriola, by one of the fromer instructors at the school.
Great Boat
Off topic for sure, but... I had the great pleasure to be involved with rigging his newest boat. It is one of the most beautiful boats I've ever worked on. The boat is absolutely dead square (as far as I can tell). We were able to build the shrouds to exactly the same lengths. Even the lifelines measure the same port and starboard within 1/8"! For a one-off wooden boat I thought that was very impressive.
Off topic for sure, but... I had the great pleasure to be involved with rigging his newest boat. It is one of the most beautiful boats I've ever worked on. The boat is absolutely dead square (as far as I can tell). We were able to build the shrouds to exactly the same lengths. Even the lifelines measure the same port and starboard within 1/8"! For a one-off wooden boat I thought that was very impressive.
Ross, I freely admit that I'm nit picking.
Black Locust is strong and durable. I do think, however that glass on glass is more durable and stronger in this case. The wood will shrink and swell a bit, and it makes an interface between different materials. I prefer a lot of glass with a metal plate. I don't like plywood on the inside of through hull fittings on a glass boat either, even if it's BS 1088. (That's British Standard, not the other BS.) In any case, If the repair is done with a chunk of good wood with big washers or a metal plate, it will probably be OK. I'd rather carve that Locust into a fiddle for the table or a serving spoon and have it where I can see it.
Black Locust is strong and durable. I do think, however that glass on glass is more durable and stronger in this case. The wood will shrink and swell a bit, and it makes an interface between different materials. I prefer a lot of glass with a metal plate. I don't like plywood on the inside of through hull fittings on a glass boat either, even if it's BS 1088. (That's British Standard, not the other BS.) In any case, If the repair is done with a chunk of good wood with big washers or a metal plate, it will probably be OK. I'd rather carve that Locust into a fiddle for the table or a serving spoon and have it where I can see it.
Fred, if ever you get the opportunity
carve some red mulberry for those things that will show. Much nicer grain and texture and very nice color. locust has the reputation of being stable enough for use as insulator pins on utility lines.
carve some red mulberry for those things that will show. Much nicer grain and texture and very nice color. locust has the reputation of being stable enough for use as insulator pins on utility lines.
I'll keep my eyes open for Mulberry
Locust turns up fresh in my neighborhood if I'm patient. I don't know if I've ever seen Mulberry. Aside from our Red and Yellow Cedar and Douglas Fir,we get a bit of Holly, a bit of Yew, and fruitwoods. The local Maple is suitable for houses. It makes nice furniture and cabinets. I was at a music retreat in Crescent Beach (BC) last weekend, and the firewood pile was rounds of Black Locust, up to 16" diameter, cut in 14" long pieces. I think it was taken down from a public right of way. It broke my heart. Must have been a stem 14 to 16 inches in diameter 15 feet long, maybe longer. And how about all the curved branches and crooks that got thrown in the chipper when they took it down?
Locust turns up fresh in my neighborhood if I'm patient. I don't know if I've ever seen Mulberry. Aside from our Red and Yellow Cedar and Douglas Fir,we get a bit of Holly, a bit of Yew, and fruitwoods. The local Maple is suitable for houses. It makes nice furniture and cabinets. I was at a music retreat in Crescent Beach (BC) last weekend, and the firewood pile was rounds of Black Locust, up to 16" diameter, cut in 14" long pieces. I think it was taken down from a public right of way. It broke my heart. Must have been a stem 14 to 16 inches in diameter 15 feet long, maybe longer. And how about all the curved branches and crooks that got thrown in the chipper when they took it down?
Those chunks of fire wood split out to
make wonderful cleats. Straight grain, all heart, just use a plastic or iron cleat for a profile pattern. Send me a snail mail address at 'Nan-ross@starpower.net" and I'll send you a piece of mulberry and maybe a piece of osage orange. You may be too far north for them in BC. Ross
make wonderful cleats. Straight grain, all heart, just use a plastic or iron cleat for a profile pattern. Send me a snail mail address at 'Nan-ross@starpower.net" and I'll send you a piece of mulberry and maybe a piece of osage orange. You may be too far north for them in BC. Ross
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