jeffg42669
Cadet
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2012
- Messages
- 9
Hello to all, this will hopefully end up being a very informative thread when it's finished up - I plan on documenting as much as possible to share with everyone and do my part in contributing to an incredibly resourceful forum and source of knowledgeable souls.
Ok here's the situation - The boat is a 2003 Oden 28 Sailboat (called a Mast28 in a lot of places here in the states). It was trailered down from PA to FL when my Dad bought it a few years ago, has been in the at the dock on a lift since then until recently when we had the hurricane scare a couple months ago. The trailer had been in storage and I decided to take the boat out of the water for the duration of the storm (4-6' tide rise was expected). Anyhow, the stem got damaged from the trailer when we pulled it out - the center V-wheel (don't know the proper name) was bent and I did not know it, the V-wheel didn't turn; it should allow the stem of the hull to roll on it - hence, it dragged on it and caused some pretty serious damage.
In hindsight - the trip from up north is more than likely what caused the damage to the trailer V-wheel thing with over 1,000 miles of travel - taking the boat off the trailer then did not alert us to the problem as the boat basically floats off the trailer, it wasn't until we used the trailer years later that it came back to bite... I inspected the trailer fairly well (or so I thought) and put my hand on every roller on the trailer except this one! True story...
FYI - I didn't know of the damage until I put the boat back in the water, couldn't see it when it was on the trailer and had no reason to be suspect of it at the time. This sailboat boat is a water ballast design with a swing keel (very much like a McGregor sailboat), it's a unique ballast / swing keel system that allows for the boat to be trailered fairly easily. When the boat was back in the water off the trailer I didn't know it was taking on water because the damage is in the section of the stem where the water ballast normally fills with water anyway - discovered the problem when we got back to the dock and raised the boat on the lift! Had this not been a water ballast type of boat I would have had VERY bad day...
The pics should make my description of things much easier to comprehend
In attempting this repair, I am going in with a pretty solid true working knowledge of fiberglass - I've done a few different layups and some mold work but have never done an extensive repair to a finished hull.
This is obviously a high stress area on the hull (at least when it's on the trailer) and I intend to complete this with more strength than what was original. The problem is going to be that I will have rather limited access to the inside, I will have to cut an access panel into the ballast area to get to the actual stem of the hull where the damage is.
Before getting into more than basic details of what I've got in mind, I'd love to hear some input from the gallery O' knowledge and see what those with more experience than myself have to say.
My basic plan is to sand / grind the area down to the 'glass with about a 3-4 inch radius around the damage to feather it out and look for any signs of cracks as well. Grind, cut / bevel actual damaged area out (taking away only what is necessary). Cut an access panel to reach the inside. Grind / sand / clean and layup several (probably 4) strips of 1708 up to at least 6" outside of damage, possibly create a fiberglass inverted U-channel with a peice of 1/2" - 5/8" rope for additional strength along the interior of the V of the stem.
On the outside, depending on how much I had to open up - fill in gouged area with peanut butter and a bunch of strands from csm. Do a little bodywork and spray gel coat w/ mod-C, sand, polish.
Seal up access hole in ballast area of the hull on the interior and call it a long day...
Here's the pics that will tell the story:
Ok here's the situation - The boat is a 2003 Oden 28 Sailboat (called a Mast28 in a lot of places here in the states). It was trailered down from PA to FL when my Dad bought it a few years ago, has been in the at the dock on a lift since then until recently when we had the hurricane scare a couple months ago. The trailer had been in storage and I decided to take the boat out of the water for the duration of the storm (4-6' tide rise was expected). Anyhow, the stem got damaged from the trailer when we pulled it out - the center V-wheel (don't know the proper name) was bent and I did not know it, the V-wheel didn't turn; it should allow the stem of the hull to roll on it - hence, it dragged on it and caused some pretty serious damage.
In hindsight - the trip from up north is more than likely what caused the damage to the trailer V-wheel thing with over 1,000 miles of travel - taking the boat off the trailer then did not alert us to the problem as the boat basically floats off the trailer, it wasn't until we used the trailer years later that it came back to bite... I inspected the trailer fairly well (or so I thought) and put my hand on every roller on the trailer except this one! True story...
FYI - I didn't know of the damage until I put the boat back in the water, couldn't see it when it was on the trailer and had no reason to be suspect of it at the time. This sailboat boat is a water ballast design with a swing keel (very much like a McGregor sailboat), it's a unique ballast / swing keel system that allows for the boat to be trailered fairly easily. When the boat was back in the water off the trailer I didn't know it was taking on water because the damage is in the section of the stem where the water ballast normally fills with water anyway - discovered the problem when we got back to the dock and raised the boat on the lift! Had this not been a water ballast type of boat I would have had VERY bad day...
The pics should make my description of things much easier to comprehend
In attempting this repair, I am going in with a pretty solid true working knowledge of fiberglass - I've done a few different layups and some mold work but have never done an extensive repair to a finished hull.
This is obviously a high stress area on the hull (at least when it's on the trailer) and I intend to complete this with more strength than what was original. The problem is going to be that I will have rather limited access to the inside, I will have to cut an access panel into the ballast area to get to the actual stem of the hull where the damage is.
Before getting into more than basic details of what I've got in mind, I'd love to hear some input from the gallery O' knowledge and see what those with more experience than myself have to say.
My basic plan is to sand / grind the area down to the 'glass with about a 3-4 inch radius around the damage to feather it out and look for any signs of cracks as well. Grind, cut / bevel actual damaged area out (taking away only what is necessary). Cut an access panel to reach the inside. Grind / sand / clean and layup several (probably 4) strips of 1708 up to at least 6" outside of damage, possibly create a fiberglass inverted U-channel with a peice of 1/2" - 5/8" rope for additional strength along the interior of the V of the stem.
On the outside, depending on how much I had to open up - fill in gouged area with peanut butter and a bunch of strands from csm. Do a little bodywork and spray gel coat w/ mod-C, sand, polish.
Seal up access hole in ballast area of the hull on the interior and call it a long day...
Here's the pics that will tell the story:
