Fixing a boat.

[Ex-Calif]

I just gotta say that this isn't just a patch the hole type job, IMO.

The forestay applies it's load to the bow fitting and the bow fitting passes the load to the hull.

The structural integrity of the bow is completely compromised. Think how much force it would take to pull the bow up and snap it off at this point (with the damage).

Now imagine you are going to design a structural repair that restores 100% of the previous strength.

It's doable but it's not slapping on a few layers of glass and sanding to a nice finish either.

I am presuming this is some sort of insurance salvage so somebody in the business of making money or saving money has deemed this boat a total write off. I'm not saying it is but tread carefully.

[Sam Plan B]

Just a few practical comments. (1) As previously mentioned, use epoxy resin and hardener. It is much more expensive but is easier to measure with push pumps. Also, it has a longer working life is you use the right hardner for the temperature. (2) If you try to do the work from the outside in a male mold situation you will have much more room to move but you will be doing an overhead layup. This is hard to do since you will be fighting gravity. Doing an inside layup in the stem will mean working on a temporary female mold. The form will be light gage sheet metal bent around the stem. Working inside in the stem will be ugly work but will mean a finer surface finish and less sanding later on. (3) Either way the liner, if there is one that far forward, will have to be cut away and the hull feathered back at a ratio of 1:12. That is, if the hull is .5" thick, feather back 6". Note, since the stem takes considerable stress from the forestay it will be, or should be, quite thick. Also, be very careful to check for cracks radiating from the damaged area. You may have a much wider area to repair than it appears at first glance. (4) One last thought, fiberglass matt does not work easily in epoxy resin because of the binder used to hold the chopped strands together. The binder easily disolves in polyester but not so easily in epoxy. If you try to do an overhead layup with matt be sure to wear a hat.

Sam Hepford

[Raggedy Man]

Just thought I would stick my 2 cents in here. I live in Galveston and I passed hundreds of these boats on I-45 (the freeway) returning home after our evacuation. They floated there during the hurricane and they were clearing them off the highway with bulldozers. My friend had the 35 Pearson now being auctioned off. His boat settled down next to the center guard rail in fine shape, 2 days later it was totaled and in the breakdown lane. If you look at the pictures of this boat one can almost see where the dozer lifted it up with it's bucket. It can be repaired with a lot of work, a lot of structure will have to be built in from the fore sta bolts down the stem below the water line. Any coring in that area will have to be removed. One other thing when you get this back to your area you either have to work on it in your back yard or put it in a marina on the hard and that costs $30. a day here, I did 29 days the summer of 2007. Good luck and if you don't get this one you will get the next one, believe me I looked at hundreds before I decided on my fixer-upper.

[Little Otter]

thanks guys, ex I took into account the fact that the forestay takes alot of stess and my dad looked at the pictures this morning and pointed that out the solution that I gave was to take and glass double thickness in the area that was damaged and around that for a foot then take 2 1/2" marine plywood seal it with epoxy or fiberglass and then attach that to the damaged part of the hull with ferro cement or something to that effect then botl it there and run a strip of steel down the seem there to act as a bow protector and I can bolt the ply wood to it then that should keep it together and repair it to 100%, any thoughts to make this repair easier or better will be appreciated, BTW my dad graduated fromUGA with an engineering masters and said it sounded fine and I can do all the metal, wood, and glass work myself .

[exnatalia]

I have a Sadler 34, great bluewater boat and fast. Foam between hull and inner skin is for bouyancy only, its closed cell so won't absorb water. The hull is very well laid and very strong. Fixing the hole in the anchor locker should not be a problem.

This is an unsinkable boat. There is a strong owners webpage/forum.

Feel free to contcat me if you need any more info. I'm in Louisiana and have my boat on the hard doing a major refit before heading off on a circumnavigation with the missis.