Wayfarer Mark I GRP Questions

[DHaranSailor]

Hello!

I have been searching for some information on the Wayfarer Mark I GRP model of boat. I just purchased one to work on over the winter that has been neglected to say the least. The fiberglass is sound except a little bit of separation on the stringers. That brings me to my question. The stringers are open on both sides and are hollow and appear to never had wood encased. I want to ensure that there was not previously for rigidity before I re-enforce them.

It is a 1969 Mark I GRP Wayfarer. Number 1886 if that helps. Personal experience great or a form for Wayfarers, which I can't seem to find.

 

[wayfarer]

Hi, I also have a MK1 grp Wayfarer. The parts that you're calling stringers, are they the sections that run across the boat (side to side) under the floorboards?

The "across" sections on mine are hollow and open-ended, and tend to lift towards the ends (separating from the inside of the hull) I have recently glassed one of them back in with epoxy and woven mat. They stiffen the hull a little and support the floorboards.

Hope that helps.

 

[DHaranSailor]

Fantastic news! Yes, I am referring the the pieces you are talking about.

I appreciate you taking the time to join and answer the question.

I am going to start a thread as well with the progress I make as I work on her.

 

[cjm1]

I have a 1967 W 1344 and abused like yours. All my ribs were broken loose from the hull. I suspect people walking in the boat without floor boards. I found the multitool with a the carbide blade best to clean out underneath the hollow ribs. I pre wetted the hull and rib with epoxy and then slid the pre wetted 6 in FG tape between the rib and the hull. I weighted it all down with about 6 one pound bags of rice over a sheet of poly sheeting . After it cured fared it down with the multitool and applied 2 strips of FG tape on each side of the rib. It is stronger then new.

 

[DHaranSailor]

cgm1, thank you for the feedback. As this will be my first fiberglass work would this be a similar product to what you used?

Tape
Epoxy
Hardener

Thank you again for the help on this. Excited to get her back on the water where she belongs.

 

[Brian S]

Dharan, that stuff will work for you. However, West Marine might be near the most expensive. Have a look around on the interwebs for good prices.

West System is good epoxy. Match the "speed" of your hardener to the temps you will be working in.

If I were re-installing fiberglass stringers, I don't know that I would put a layer of tape between the stringer and the hull. Rather, I would use 406 colloidal silica http://www.westsystem.com/ss/406-colloidal-silica/ to thicken the epoxy, and make a gap filling paste to bed the stringer in, then would glass over it with neat epoxy and fiberglass tape. Or, I might even use Six10 pre-thickened epoxy http://www.westsystem.com/ss/six10-thickened-epoxy-adhesive/ to bed the stringer, then neat 105 epoxy and tape over the stringer.

Remember, fiberglass does not like sharp angles, so make sure to smooth things, and if there's a hard angle, make a rounded fillet for the glass tape to lay over. That way, there is no stress riser in your fiberglass tape.

There are many resources on the interwebs on how to do repairs like this, and the West Systems web site is certainly one of the best resources.

 

[DHaranSailor]

@ Brian

Thank you for the advice. I will take some pictures of the separation tonight while working on removing the mail box letters they used to do the registration number (grr) and put it up here. I like the idea of the silica approach and then tapping like you suggest on the outside.

Also, +1 Awesome points for saying "interwebs".

 

[DHaranSailor]

Here are some pictures of the supports. You can really see in the one the separation. That is the worst of all of them.

 

[Brian S]

Are those supports butting up to the centerboard trunk, or almost up to the CB trunk?

If so, they are really just risers for floorboards. I bet if you grabbed them and tried to move them, they wouldn't move too much, even though they look as if they are de-laming.

I'd just clean and dry, scuff under as best I could with some sandpaper, and squirt some Six10 or Jamestown Distributors' TotalBoat Thixo under and leave it at that. JD has been making up a TotalBoat line of product at lower cost. They have a good reputation as a retailer, I don't expect their house-brand would have too much suck.

On my wood GP14, there are bonafide frames, which were used to hold the plywood panels as the hull is sheathed, and then in-between them, there are similar wood members which look like frames, but that aren't structural, they are just fastened to the hull to provide floor board risers. The floorboards are cedar, and plenty springy, and can't take too long of a span between the frames.

 

[DHaranSailor]

That sounds like a solid plan then. They aren't moving at all much when I push/pull on them.

The floors (and rudder) are completely rotten so they have to be re-built. He only had one of the two left, but they look to be mirror images so that should work. It has a few chunks missing so I will have to make a template first before I cut the nice wood.

The benches and the other interior wood work is good, just needs a sanding and varnishing. The two handled on the fore deck need to be re-done as well. One is serviceable but the other is gone.

 

[Brian S]

Kinda depends on how historically accurate you intend to be. As I expected, current Wayfarers do not have any handles on the deck. http://www.uswayfarer.org

I know that in the GP14 world, low sail numbers, under maybe 1000, are considered to be historically significant, and many people try to restore them as close to original as possible. On a Wayfarer, I don't know if there is any significance to hulls built in the late 50's early 60's time frame, soon after Ian Proctor designed it in '57. Unless you plan to have two guys sailing and need to haul the boat up onto a beach or a launching dolly, I personally would consider omitting the handles so as to save you trouble. But, that's totally your call.

I had a friend use 1"x2"x8' maple to make floorboards for his Wayfarer. I don't recall if he thickness planed them at all. 1" thick hardwood floor slats seemed far too heavy and overkill to me, but then I'm used to springy cedar boards...

 

[DHaranSailor]

Bet it looked really nice all done though. I had considered doing slats instead of a solid piece of marine plywood. Haven't decided yet. That is one of the last steps on the list. I will have to ponder the handles. Nice to have, but hard pieces to recreate. I am going to re-gelcoat the whole boat so covering the holes will be easy. No blending.

 

[Ray Bowles]

I would suggest that you start now on drying out the water. A heat lamp with a reflector spaced 18" from the work area was what I used to dry my project. Sponge dry as much of the water out first and then the lamp for about a day. Good luck with your project.
Ray

 

[DHaranSailor]

Ray - She is dry right now minus just a tiny bit from a sprinkle yesterday. What looks like water now is the stain from the tannin that soaked out of the leaves while she was outside for 20 years uncovered under a tree. If she had been a woodie she would of been gone.

Thanks for the well wishes!

 

[cjm1]

I can assure you the ribs are structural and are not attached at the centerboard. Using epoxy you have to be 100% free of any moisture . Here is a site you should study. http://www.wayfarer-international.org/WIT/WITindex1.html

 

[DHaranSailor]

cjm1, thanks for the reference. Has tons of good stuff in there.

 

[DHaranSailor]

Okay. I have all but the last few pieces of the hardware removed to get reading to start sanding and fairing. The closer I looked the hardware really needs replacing on most points. With the holiday's coming up I wanted to put together a list for my reference as well as to pass on to family.

Any suggestions on brand? Harken is the best and what most of the old stuff was on the boat.

Also, anyone familiar with a list of part numbers or the like that is available? Most is pretty easy to find the replacement pieces. A few I would like a second opinions on, particularly the side blocks on travelers and the main block in the cockpit.

Also, I am planning on going with Interlux Brightside for my paint. Applied Roll & Tip. Fire Red for the topsides, Black for the hull, and white for interior. Again, any experience with the paint or thoughts are welcome.

 

[Brian S]

I have been buying Viadana hardware through www.sailcare.com. The cam cleats are the exact same design as Harken H150s. As explained to me by Jerry at Sail Care, there's a Spanish guy who designed the cam cleat. He licensed it to Harken in the US, and Viadana for Europe and South America. Viadana then came to Sail Care and asked if they wanted to sell in the US. I have found much of the Viadana to look very similar to Harken, seems to be good quality, and 1/2 the price of Harken. I bought the Viadana equivalent of H150s with the high angle attachment to use for jib sheets on the 192, and they have been doing fine for 2 seasons now. I have also bought another cam cleat which is installed on the Schaeffer blocks for my main sheet, again, as trouble free as the H150s I bought for my little boat. I've also bought a smattering of small blocks, they have been doing well as my jib downhaul and adjustable topping lift, and as pennant halyard blocks for the race committee boat.

As for paint, you're probably ok with the Brightsides. Looked pretty good on my friend's Chesapeake Light Craft kayak kit. When you say hull in black and topsides in red, do you mean to say you will paint the deck in red? Topsides is technically the hull portions above the waterline. I personally wouldn't want too dark a color for decks, due to heat with sun, and red is certainly a color that tends to bleach in the sun - ever see a red car in FL?

Personally, I would probably do sections of the deck with Interlux Interdeck or Kiwigrip, specifically the side decks, in case you had to sit up on the side deck for hiking, you wouldn't want to slide off...

 

[DHaranSailor]

Brian, exactly what I was hoping for! I'd love to buy all Harken gear for the boat but I fear it would take me a while to replace all the pieces. A affordable option is great to have.

I do mean the deck. It is the original color of the deck of the boat. I will be purchasing a cover for it eventually down the line to keep it from being constantly exposed to the sun like a car or a moored boat would be. Until then a tarp while at home will be over it.

For your last point, is that a anti-skid type coating?

 

[Brian S]

Yep, DHaran, Interdeck and Kiwigrip are non-skid finishes. I know of quite a few people who have done non-skid on their decks, and have been happy with both finishes. I think Interdeck is more like little beads in the paint, for effective non-skid, but that won't shred your skin. My Granddad once used an additive that was more like sand or ground up pumice in his deck paint when I was a kid. I never wanted to sit on the cockpit sole after that, the finish was very rough. Kiwigrip is like a kinda pudding consistency type of stuff that the amount of texture is controlled by the type of foam roller you put it down with.

Meh. The side decks on my GP14 were varnished. Old, beat up varnish, but still. I guess it's not that slippery when you're hiked out, especially if you've got toe straps to anchor your feet.

I bet a black hulled, red decked boat would look pretty aggressive Personally, I'd probably do a grey finish inside, because I would find white to be rather stark. These are your personal decisions about what colors you like, so I'll say no more!