Something new

[vega1860]

Lealea is developing a problem that I have never heard of before. Actually, I am not certain that it is a problem but here it is:

When we were in Port Townsend refitting after our first Pacific crossing from Hawaii, we took the mast down and left it for five months. During that time, the cabin overhead lifted away from the support beam on the port side. Just a bit, but enough to be noticeable. I figured it was because the pressure of the mast and rig had been removed and when we put the mast back up and tightened everything up again it would settle back into place.
Four years and another Pacific crossing later, the gap above the mast beam is even wider than before. Now you can actually see daylight between the beam and the overhead on the port side.
The mast is straight, the shrouds are properly tensioned and I would think there has been sufficient time for it to settle back down into position, but no. The vertical supports have not moved downward; there is still a good quarter of an inch between the bottom of the supports and the cabin sole on both sides.

Is this a problem? If it is, how do I fix it? I am really puzzled.

 

[schroath]

Hi Chuck,

Not that I have an answer, but that sounds remarkably like the issue
Matt Rutherford has been having on his Vega (see "Matt Rutherford's
bulkhead issue"). You might check those posts (if you haven't already)
for the group's collective wisdom on the subject.

Jody

 

[frankdeba27]

Dear Chuck,

I am a carpenter. Sometimes I stare at a problem like that for a long time before I figure out what's going on; what the stresses are and what's acting on what. Sometimes I walk away and give my impressions time to settle. Sometimes I sleep on the problem. Here's what I would go into this with to solve this particular problem:

Something moved or there wouldn't be a gap.
If some one thing didn't move maybe more than one thing moved.
Maybe everything involved moved just a little bit.
There are laws of nature and maybe physics that this boat did not defy. (This has been an important thing to know to keep my sanity.)
How could the roof go up?
How could the bulkhead and/or beam go down?
What forces would I have to reverse to correct the gap?

I guess the point is that I can't figure anything out without seeing it and even then it could take me days.All the best of luck.
Frank D.

 

[pjacobs55]

Hi Chuck,
It sounds as if the sides of the boat have been squeezed together a bit for the roof to raise. Being on stands could have done this ... maybe.

Once the hull was back cradled by the water, you're right, it should have settled down again.

But if you did some bulkhead or structual modifications while she was on stands you could have locked the cabin top/hull relationship in that new position.

My suggestion is to check the hull-to-bulhead bolts. Are they tight? Are the holes elongated from constant flexing? If you're at a mooring for a while maybe try slackening off all the bolts, including the mast beam bolts, and see if it settles out again.

I was surprised how much my project boat flexed when I gutted the interior, and had to shore up the cabin top and cross brace the sides to keep it in shape.

Hope this helps,
Peter
#1331 'Sin Tacha'

 

[gurkin42]

Is the deck a diffrent color now???

 

[vega1860]

Hmmmm, While we did not mess with the bulkhead, we did remove all of the furniture between the main bulkhead and the galley to replace it. That may be it. Damn, I hate the thought of ripping all that out again d:^(

 

[pjacobs55]

Well, I don't think I'd rip anything out. If the boat is at rest for a while try loosening a few things off, and maybe even the rigging, as Douglas suggested.

I don't see the furniture being a problem as it's all fastened to the bulkheads. Any chance you could post some pictures?

Peter
#1331 'Sin Tacha'

 

[tim_klynn]

You might be able to compare something like the distance between port and starboard hull/cabin sides or a diagonal distance from say a molded feature in the floor to the deck/hull joint.
You could measure your and have some else whose doesn't have the problem to measure theirs and see what the difference is.
The measurements might vary from series to series. -Tim G
________________________________
From: Peter peter@...
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 2:18 PM
Subject: [AlbinVega] Re: Something new



Well, I don't think I'd rip anything out. If the boat is at rest for a while try loosening a few things off, and maybe even the rigging, as Douglas suggested.

I don't see the furniture being a problem as it's all fastened to the bulkheads. Any chance you could post some pictures?

Peter
#1331 'Sin Tacha'