Antipodean Boats Connection

[RFNK]

This yard has not long changed hands. I can see it not too long in the future they bring that in here too.
I didn't ask either way and did it on a Sunday, when the manager wasn't around.

They're pretty strict about it here. A while ago there was a guy who sprayed his boat on a weekend after being told very clearly that it wasn't allowed. When he came in on Monday, he found his boat back in the water - as it was, so to speak. The yard in question has been hit quite hard in the past by the EPA etc. and has had at least one very serious accident so they are very strict on both scores.

Rick

[Geftb]

Yeah. There all good here. The above post was just a joke.

[RFNK]

I know. But it's a serious problem here. There are three slipways/boatyards in Port Stephens. One of them has a big, very expensive painting shed, one is a straight slipway and the other has a travel lift and is located right next to shops, cafes etc. None of them allow spraying. If you need to spray your boat, you either pay a fortune for the big shed or you take the boat to Newcastle or elsewhere. So learning about paint that gives a good finish off the roller etc. has been a bit of a priority for me of late!

Ooooon that topic - did I tell y'all about the guy in Newcastle boatyard with a 70' aluminium yacht he was having refurbished? It was in the spraying shed (they have one too) for at least 3-4 months with a team of, I think, about 5 guys working on it. The entire boat, inside and out, was sanded right back, and then 12 coats of various primers and finishes were applied. The whole thing was sanded down between each coat. Apparently, the 12 coats were not about achieving a fancy finish but, rather, necessary to achieve a finish that would last. I don't want an aluminium yacht!

Rick

[Phil Y]

Me neither.

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[WX]

The French usually leave them bare alloy, there's one on our wharf.

[Geftb]

That sounds ridiculously expensive

[Phil Y]

But seriously, 6 minutes a side, what the hell were they doing?

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[Phil Y]

We have 4 or 5 days of rain starting today. Last time it rained I was surprised to find quite a bit of water in my bilge. Not sure where it came from. Prime suspect is where the front end of the aft cabin sits on a deck beam at the back of the cockpit. That's sealed now. The other faint and unlikely possibility is where some topside seams have opened up again on the north facing side of the hull. I can't imagine that much water capilliarying it's way in through them, but it's possible. We shall see.

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[Phil Y]

I discovered West 410 filler yesterday. I've been using, wait for it, filleting filler for my fillets. It's something like a cross between whipped cream and expanding foam. Doesn't really want to lie down smooth and is a bitch to sand. So my cockpit fillets I did with that stuff. Then sanded off the worst of the lumps. Then smoothed on some 410. It's a bit like butter. More like that clever butter/margarine that spreads smoothly even when it's been in the fridge. Just wipe it on with the filleting tools God put on the ends of your hands and it goes smooth and shiny with a perfect transition to the floor and sides. Love it.

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[Small boats rock]

Is that fairing filler or that micro balloons stuff. I've used both, but then they changed their numbering system, so now I don't know what's what anymore.

[Phil Y]

It's a fairing filler, kind of a brown soft powder. Not the white microbaloons. Mixes to a lovely smooth consistency, whereas the microbaloons seem to be more like whipped cream, lots of air in the mix. I found it soooo much nicer to work with.

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[John B]

Ultralight?
Terrible smell.

[John B]

I think we just have accept that somewhere along the line West went nuts perhaps invaded by Barstards international.
20190525_093712.jpg
Oh hang on I see .. microfibers , which is a glue additive is 403 or 413 unless you use colloidal silica which is 406. Micro balloons for a low density filler fairing are easy because they are red, and they are 407 wait no , I see the last bag I bought went to 417 by stealth. But that's OK because microspheres which are always white are 411. But are they really... that's an old bag.....
Can't find my ultralight because it stinks so bad it got sealed into an old ice cream container. Where is that? What does it matter anyway?
Why do we even exist?

[RFNK]

Americans are mad.

Rick

[Phil Y]

Yeah the labelling is stupid. I didn't notice the smell. The epoxy Im using is pretty stinky though. Trojan from Newcastle.

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[RFNK]

150 years of steel making has left Novocastrians with no sense of smell.

Rick

[WX]

Yeah the labelling is stupid. I didn't notice the smell. The epoxy Im using is pretty stinky though. Trojan from Newcastle.

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Botecote is fine on the nose though it doesn’t pay to sniff the harder.
For smell Epiglue is quite likeable but expensive.

[Phil Y]

The good news is my deck doesn't leak. The bad news is my starboard topside does leak. I've posted a thread in building and despair seeking advice.

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[Small boats rock]

Is it just a case of the top sides drying out? She's traditional construction right?

[Phil Y]

Strip planked, glued and edge nailed. Glassed outside. But yes I'm sure it's just drying out. The question is how to fix it in a durable way. But I suppose if I make this seam stronger than ever the next one will open up next summer. I also have a concern about what happens when the planking swells again over winter, but that may happen a bit less once she's dry inside.

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[RFNK]

If the whole thing is glassed, it shouldn't be shrinking and swelling too much. I'd cut into it to make sure there's no rot, get rid of any moist timber, fill and patch up the glass. The whole hull is glued together already. I don't think carvel rules apply.

But how is it leaking into the inside?

Rick

[Phil Y]

If the whole thing is glassed, it shouldn't be shrinking and swelling too much. I'd cut into it to make sure there's no rot, get rid of any moist timber, fill and patch up the glass. The whole hull is glued together already. I don't think carvel rules apply.

But how is it leaking into the inside?

Rick

Well the inside is not glassed. So where neighbouring planks have separated there is a gap. Water running down the topsides passes through the gap. There's no rot, all very sound.

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[Chris249]

It followed me home and my wife let me keep it.

Radiant arriving 1.jpg

NOT her best angle - the coachroof is big but not as big as it looks here, and it gives us standing headroom in a lightweight 28'er, which I really appreciate for cruising. She sank on the mooring about 2 years ago after being struck by one of the big logs or pieces of oyster lease that come down the river, which bashed her around and then sliced a hole about 5mm x 30mm through the garboard. She then had a rough salvage job (inevitable given the fast tide and exposed mooring) and then arguments with insurers, a long distance house move and the enormous hassles in registering the trailer led to her sitting in the sun 11 hours drive away for eons.

I was worried that something would go wrong on the 800 km tow up to our new house, but apart from a brake controller niggle it all went perfectly. At no time during the salvage, slipping, craning around the place and then the tow has she shown any sign of hull weakness, outside of fairly cosmetic impact damage from the log and the salvage strap. I was also amazingly lucky to score an Etchells trailer the day after she sank, and that it fitted even better than I had hoped - with the keel chocked up she drops straight into the Etchell's supports. Getting a pre-VIN trailer re-registered was a bastard, though, but with the new 3.5 ton undercarriage and new electrics it performed well and towed easily. Although she's 10cm over-width she was easier to tow than our 18 foot racing cat in some ways, because she sits above traffic and is so visible.

As soon as she was salvaged we lucked into our lovely 36'er but the old 28'er is such a piece of the family that she is going to be renovated, with a new coachroof and cabin. A new high aspect bulb keel and rudder may also follow. I have no timeline since we have no use for her and we have oodles of space.

[Phil Y]

Well that sounds fun

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[WX]

Looking very dry there Chris.

[RFNK]

Well the inside is not glassed. So where neighbouring planks have separated there is a gap. Water running down the topsides passes through the gap. There's no rot, all very sound.

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I would reglue to the extent you can and then patch up the glass.

Rick

[RFNK]

It followed me home and my wife let me keep it.

Radiant arriving 1.jpg

NOT her best angle - the coachroof is big but not as big as it looks here, and it gives us standing headroom in a lightweight 28'er, which I really appreciate for cruising. She sank on the mooring about 2 years ago after being struck by one of the big logs or pieces of oyster lease that come down the river, which bashed her around and then sliced a hole about 5mm x 30mm through the garboard. She then had a rough salvage job (inevitable given the fast tide and exposed mooring) and then arguments with insurers, a long distance house move and the enormous hassles in registering the trailer led to her sitting in the sun 11 hours drive away for eons.

I was worried that something would go wrong on the 800 km tow up to our new house, but apart from a brake controller niggle it all went perfectly. At no time during the salvage, slipping, craning around the place and then the tow has she shown any sign of hull weakness, outside of fairly cosmetic impact damage from the log and the salvage strap. I was also amazingly lucky to score an Etchells trailer the day after she sank, and that it fitted even better than I had hoped - with the keel chocked up she drops straight into the Etchell's supports. Getting a pre-VIN trailer re-registered was a bastard, though, but with the new 3.5 ton undercarriage and new electrics it performed well and towed easily. Although she's 10cm over-width she was easier to tow than our 18 foot racing cat in some ways, because she sits above traffic and is so visible.

As soon as she was salvaged we lucked into our lovely 36'er but the old 28'er is such a piece of the family that she is going to be renovated, with a new coachroof and cabin. A new high aspect bulb keel and rudder may also follow. I have no timeline since we have no use for her and we have oodles of space.

Excellent! I'm envious, such is my level of insanity. Great project and I look forward to seeing how it and she goes!

Rick

[John B]

A round bilge Spencer, you've told us about her before ,Chris, but a refresher would be nice.

[John B]

What I would do Phil, is groove it , g flex it , patch glass it with boat cloth. The last similar job I did , I used a multimaster so the blade just cleaned the cracks out to about 1mm or blade thickness. The challenge was getting the glue in , I think getting creative with a syringe or similar would be the go, and I wish I had done that.
Next option is to cut a wide groove and spline it, but I would go for plan a first to see how it worked.

[Phil Y]

I think that's what I'll do. I think maybe this will happen from time to time. What paint is best for blending in a repair? I'm thinking I might get good with a little airbrush.

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[WX]

I’m glad this little trip on the river was more a chance to relax than actually sail because there is bugger all wind this morning.

[Phil Y]

Just looking on eBay, those flexible solar panels seem to have got even cheaper. 200 watts just over $100.

I'm wondering whether to put my dinghy davits back on. I bought them second hand and had them on for a while. They are a place to hang a dinghy. Mount a solar panel. Got a pole for a wind generator. And a couple of antenna mounts. A GPS receiver mount. 2 rod holders. A bit ugly and too busy I reckon. With flexible panels so cheap a few of those on the hard dodger top might be a better option. And the dinghy on deck somewhere.

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[brucemoffatt]

Just looking on eBay, those flexible solar panels seem to have got even cheaper. 200 watts just over $100.

I'm wondering whether to put my dinghy davits back on. I bought them second hand and had them on for a while. They are a place to hang a dinghy. Mount a solar panel. Got a pole for a wind generator. And a couple of antenna mounts. A GPS receiver mount. 2 rod holders. A bit ugly and too busy I reckon. With flexible panels so cheap a few of those on the hard dodger top might be a better option. And the dinghy on deck somewhere.

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Quality is pretty variable. My 70w flexible panel now has loose cables where they attach to the panel so no longer fully waterproof. Sika helps. If you get one I have a recommended minor mod re cables.


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[pelagos]

Also if it's a cheap brand make sure the real life output matches the package, many reviews seem to indicate some optimistic outputs which are not achievable, so you may need 3 or 4 to meet the claim for 2

[Phil Y]

Quality is pretty variable. My 70w flexible panel now has loose cables where they attach to the panel so no longer fully waterproof. Sika helps. If you get one I have a recommended minor mod re cables.


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I think it's important to avoid any strain on the cable entry points from the get go. I like to secure the wires to the back of the panel, or the frame in the case of hard panels, before anything else.

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