Gulf Coast 18 Fiberglass Repair and Other Refitt Tasks

[wyb2]

I’m still not in the ‘give up now’ camp. I mean if it was me doing the work, I would give up now. But it can be done. Glass and resin are relatively cheap, and if you want to learn how to repair fiberglass, you only really do that by working with a bunch of glass and resin. So even if this thing never floats again, it will still have served as a learning tool.

Let’s all keep in perspective that this is an 18 ft daysailer, not a passage maker or live-aboard. It’s not going to require fancy electronics, tankage, a head, a galley, etc. The electrical system will be one battery, the nav lights, and … maybe that’s it. The monetary damage can be contained.

That being said, reading the transom discussion, I still vote on planning to separate the deck and hull. I think if you can get past the mental hurdle of doing this, it will make everything else so much easier. I can’t imagine the whole deck structure weighs more than 200-300 lbs. With some 2x4s, a box of screws, and some ratchet straps, you could build yourself a sufficient gantry in a day. Pry/cut any joints, lift deck, pull trailer and hull out from underneath, set deck down. Now you have 100% two-sided access to every repair you need to do, and can inspect every nook and cranny.

If I absolutely had to do the transom one-sided, maybe set up a sacrificial layer(1/4” ply, even cardboard) to act as a backer to lay your inner skin. Then bond your core to that skin, the lay up you outer skin on the core. Just an idea.

[M.B. Naegle]

I'm getting a few areas prepped for the first batch of resin. I feathered the glass around the holes in the bow and filled the voids in the foam with spray foam so there's a flat surface behind the patch. I'm going to whittle a relief around the inside edge next so the new glass can form a bit of an inside lip. These holes are about the size of a quarter so I'll start with a quarter sized disc of cloth for each one and work up to a 3" disc.

I also beveled the edges around the hole/crack in the bulkhead. This one will be more cosmetic than structural so I'm thinking I'll use the fiber body filler to put it back together using some clamps and an aluminum plate for backing.

I'm stripping all of the hardware off the back of the boat, which is a bit of a process figuring out how to reach the inside nuts, but it's also helping to figure out how to do the inside glassing. One thing I'm considering to "fix" the Gainward hole is to replace the two 4" round inspection holes with a pair of rectangular inspection holes. If I can find some off-the-shelf, I'll go that route. Otherwise I'll go with the plan of making wood panels to screw over the glass. There would still be a little glass work on the one side, but it would really help in accessing all of the hardware nuts, and putting the bigger holes further back would help glassing the inside seam of the new transom.

The top and the bottom shells are glassed solid together at the transom, while the sides look like they were pop-rivetted together with sealant. Since I'll need to cut it apart anyway, I'm thinking I'll trim the last 1/2" off of the back of the top shell and rebuild it when I do all the outer transom glass. This would mean I can drop in a solid transom panel without splitting the whole boat, and if the rear access panels pan out as I hope, I'll still be able to lay in a solid inside seam.

I know I'm looking for excuses not to split the hull. The seam just looks in such good shape around the rest of the boat, lol.

[Spot]

Originally Posted by M.B. Naegle

These holes are about the size of a quarter so I'll start with a quarter sized disc of cloth for each one and work up to a 3" disc.

You would feather the 1" hole out into a 3" per side funnel assuming hull is 1/4" thick and start with a 7" patch if you were 'going 100% by the book' so to speak for a 1:12 taper. Mo' bettah surface area for adhesion with a taper and big patch first.

I did some CAD figures a couple months ago, might be worth a peek and then decide how you want to proceed.


hole patchin' thread: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3577715


hardware mountin' thread: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3589284


PS I do like your can-do attitude!

[nelly]

Fiberglass is not hard to lay up where it is structurally sound, but in this case to get to "safe boat" you will really have to know what you're doing. Knowing what you're doing will mean few to no mistakes with prep and layup.

I have done some larger repairs, but I don't think I would trust myself this much to get this boat in a situation where I'd be ok with bringing guests on it - but personally, I'd probably be ok with sailing it solo.

Selling it to someone down the road? I don't know.

Boats are a ton of work, and I like to fix stuff too, but your effort may be better somewhere else!

[M.B. Naegle]

Originally Posted by Spot

You would feather the 1" hole out into a 3" per side funnel assuming hull is 1/4" thick and start with a 7" patch if you were 'going 100% by the book' so to speak for a 1:12 taper. Mo' bettah surface area for adhesion with a taper and big patch first.

I did some CAD figures a couple months ago, might be worth a peek and then decide how you want to proceed.


hole patchin' thread: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3577715


hardware mountin' thread: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3589284


PS I do like your can-do attitude!

Spot, big thanks for the links, the CAD drawings offer a good visual.

With the grinding taper, I see that I was figuring diameter, not radius. Got it.

[M.B. Naegle]

I picked up a sheet of 1/2" doug fit marine ply today. It's whole 4x8, but much cheaper than the online prices I saw. All the local places I had tried didn't have anything, until I checked with the yard that supplies all our machine crating lumber at work and sure enough they had it. Dunno why I didn't ask there first as they're primary specialty is industrial and ag uses which is mostly treated stuff.

Just traced a pattern of outside of the stern onto some cardboard and am about to scale it down to account for the hull thickness and the layer of glass that will seal the plywood prior to installing it. Once the old transom, is all cut away and the edges cleaned, I'll test fit the pattern first before transferring it to and cutting the plywood. Won't get that far tonight unfortunately and still want to practice glassing the smaller stuff first.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by M.B. Naegle

I picked up a sheet of 1/2" doug fit marine ply today. It's whole 4x8, but much cheaper than the online prices I saw.
...
Just traced a pattern of outside of the stern onto some cardboard and am about to scale it down to account for the hull thickness and the layer of glass that will seal the plywood prior to installing it. Once the old transom, is all cut away and the edges cleaned, I'll test fit the pattern first before transferring it to and cutting the plywood.

Sounds like a good approach.

With all that plywood, maybe you could cover both side-decks with full-size plywood pieces, with one or two layers of epoxy and glass cloth. It would be simpler and faster than trying to patch and fill that one trashed side deck...

[M.B. Naegle]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

Sounds like a good approach.

With all that plywood, maybe you could cover both side-decks with full-size plywood pieces, with one or two layers of epoxy and glass cloth. It would be simpler and faster than trying to patch and fill that one trashed side deck...

Yes, and it would provide much better access for bolting hardware thru the sides and allow me to seal the inside seam of the new transom. Glassing the panels would be better, but I like the idea of sealing it and keeping it natural wood too. It's not teak or mahogany, but it adds a little custom flare.

Some of it will also go towards rebuilding the rudder. I was thinking about remaking the rotted parts out of aluminum or hardwood, but it was plywood to begin with and if I seal it right and maintain it, it would be simpler to keep it plywood.

I'm going to look into some epoxy sealers for the rudder and side panels and see what I can come up with.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by M.B. Naegle

Yes, and it would provide much better access for bolting hardware thru the sides and allow me to seal the inside seam of the new transom. Glassing the panels would be better, but I like the idea of sealing it and keeping it natural wood too. It's not teak or mahogany, but it adds a little custom flare.

Yes. Anything that gets you sailing faster (and at lower expense). It's not your forever boat, and if you do decide to make a more durable surface you can cover it with a couple layers of fiberglass + gelcoat later.

Some of it will also go towards rebuilding the rudder. I was thinking about remaking the rotted parts out of aluminum or hardwood, but it was plywood to begin with and if I seal it right and maintain it, it would be simpler to keep it plywood.

I'm going to look into some epoxy sealers for the rudder and side panels and see what I can come up with.

I made new rudder cheeks for our boat last year - 3/4 marine ply - using the old ones as a template. I finished it with a coat of runny epoxy (boatbuilding epoxy with maybe 10% acetone to thin) so it soaked in, then 2 or 3 coats of a two-part marine clear finish. I'll rot before they will.

[Shaneesprit]

Just as examples
Reasonable project with a reasonable value at the end of project.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284751449...QAAOSwB-NiTuu~

Ready to go - more or less.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165404676...8AAOSweyhiQJa6

Small boat small money 16 - 21ft boats are generally very cheap. Around 22ft boats become more user friendly and the costs, go up. Once your over say 30ft the Costs go up again.
So if you want to learn the ropes buy something that sails, I promise you it will need repairs all boats do, or if you want a project, add up the costs first, both the cost to you and your time ( you won’t get your time back ) and you will underestimate the costs. and always take into account what you will have at the end and the price you could sell it for at the end, even if money is not the object.
I have done many restorations, (never a boat mostly cars / campers) while not looking at the costs, but generally been happy with my cost to value balance at the end.
Hell when I payed £8000 for a burnt out rolling shell people looked at me, but I roughly spent what I got back, about £15000
Had I of started with a different model of the same vehicle I would of doubled that. But I didn’t do it for the money I just wanted to.

[M.B. Naegle]

http://https://youtu.be/3UtyT2riV2U

Found this transom video where he replaces the wood and saves the corners and skins, all done from the outside. My inner skin is falling apart as I remove the old transom, but the corner is staying solid.

[Spot]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UtyT2riV2U

Hi Miles, you need to paste over the http:// when adding the YouTube link.

I did not watch the whole 38 minute thing. Some of his math and techniques seemed a little strange planning and doing the outer skin removal but he did go after it and made a video so double credit there to him versus zero for my commentary from behind the desk.

Are you doing anything to brace the sides of the hull from splaying out when the transom is gone? Or were you able to save some of the glassing between the cockpit tub/ hull joint/ upper edge of the outer transom?

[M.B. Naegle]

Originally Posted by Spot

Hi Miles, you need to paste over the http:// when adding the YouTube link.

....

Are you doing anything to brace the sides of the hull from splaying out when the transom is gone? Or were you able to save some of the glassing between the cockpit tub/ hull joint/ upper edge of the outer transom?

Thanks. Still figuring out some of the forum mechanics.

I'm still whittling out the old transom. So far the area that has been cut away is still "solid" as the remaining corner seems to be holding the shape. With how the stern sticks out the back of the trailer, there's not much weight pushing things around. If it does settle or move without the transom, I have the transom pattern to check it with before committing to the shape.

[M.B. Naegle]

A separate development: I found a good used original Gulf Coast 18 main sail. I thought it was a good price and looks to still have a lot of life left, so I grabbed it. One more thing off the list.

Based off of what i've read, the "477" number is the prior boats hull number. It looks like an iron-on application, so I'll see if I can remove it, or alter it to match my "71" hull number.

[M.B. Naegle]

I thought I had uploaded these already, but here's some 'demo' progress on the transom.