) writes:
Please help, I'm in need of some advice. My brother bought a cheapo used
sailboat at a garage sail over ten years ago. He has since then abandoned it
and said that I can have it if I want it. A recent visit to a friend's beach
house in Florida has rekindled my interest in sailing and I'm thinking of
trying to fix it up. The problem is that it looks cheaper than I remember;
Styrofoam incased in plastic. Then 10+ years of sitting in the hot Texas sun

I see two opportunities.

First, sand off the jagged edges and repair with fibreglass reinforced
resin. Polyester would be cheaper if it will adhere to the exsisting hull
material. The polyester catalyst will disolve styrofoam so you will have
to paitn or tape over the foam before putting on a polyester patch. That
repair should cost less than $25. (Here in Ottawa, in Canadian dolars, a
quart of polyester and catalyst is $14 plus 15% federal and provincial
sales tax. A quart sould be plenty for patchin the holes.) I would not do
nay more to the hull than cover the holes until you try out the boat. You
can always do more to the hull later if you want.

Second, if the patching doesn't work you can build a cheap plywood hull
and put the sail, daggerboard, and rudder on that. You can make a cheap
plywood hull which will last 5-10 years for about $50 if you have tools
and employ scrap lumber for the framing, old paint in cans you find in the
basement, etc., as I do. Essentially all you need ot buy are two sheets fo
ligth exterior grade plywood, some screws (they don't have to be rustproof
for a boat that you will only use for a few seasons), and a tube of
constructuction adhesive (Bulldog brand PL Premium is popular among cheap
backyard boatbuilders.) Allow a couple of weeks part time to build the
hull. There are plenty of online construction photos of home built boats
of this type. I'd take a look at www.simplicityboats.com,
www.boat-links.com, the archives of www.duckworksmagazine.com, and my
website www.ncf.ca/~ag384/Boats.htm among others (a Google search of PRISM
will also bring up some construction photos). A narrow skiff like my
Dogskiff or a short pram would not be too heavy for your sail. Weigh the
hull you have and compare to the weight of any hull you plan to build.

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William R. Watt ) writes:

Second, if the patching doesn't work you can build a cheap plywood hull
and put the sail, daggerboard, and rudder on that. You can make a cheap

PS. Stay away from the "taped seam" construction method (also called
"stitch-and-tape" and "stitch-and-glue") because a quart of epoxy glue
will make the cost prohibitive. For a really low cost small boat you must
use the chine log construction method (screws and glue) with the
construction glue in the caulking tube. The construction glue isn't strong
enough to hold the boat together by itself but works fine with screws and
chine logs (long thin strips of wood along the joins). Make sure all
plywood edges are well sealed with resin so water won't soak into the
interior of the plywood and start delamination. Just seal well and paint,
no need to "tape" the seams. Finally, you can fill any voids in plywood
with PL Premuim by drilling little holes and pumping the stuff in. There's
a recent photo on my website (underside of backrest on the Loonie) showing
a void that's been filled this way. Leftover polyester resin will keep
indefinitely in the 'fridge and PL Premium glue in the freezer, so there's
no waste.


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(William R. Watt) wrote in message ...
William R. Watt ) writes:

Second, if the patching doesn't work you can build a cheap plywood hull
and put the sail, daggerboard, and rudder on that. You can make a cheap

PS. Stay away from the "taped seam" construction method (also called
"stitch-and-tape" and "stitch-and-glue") because a quart of epoxy glue
will make the cost prohibitive.

BARF, so use polyester...

For a really low cost small boat you must
use the chine log construction method (screws and glue) with the
construction glue in the caulking tube. The construction glue isn't strong
enough to hold the boat together by itself but works fine with screws and
chine logs

Or even cheaper with ring nails and chine logs

(long thin strips of wood along the joins). Make sure all
plywood edges are well sealed with resin so water won't soak into the
interior of the plywood and start delamination. Just seal well and paint,
no need to "tape" the seams. Finally, you can fill any voids in plywood
with PL Premuim by drilling little holes and pumping the stuff in.

Which is not really any stronger than the same without all that extra
work, just pour in some resin, much easier than drilling holes, or
seeing as you are trying to build for only a few seasons, don't bother
filling it with anything

There's
a recent photo on my website (underside of backrest on the Loonie) showing
a void that's been filled this way. Leftover polyester resin will keep
indefinitely in the 'fridge and PL Premium glue in the freezer, so there's
no waste.

Storing most resins successfully is not that hard with a glance or two
at the lable. Learning to use what's available, effectively,
priceless...
Scotty

Backyard Renegade ) writes:

Or even cheaper with ring nails and chine logs

I read that Harold Payson uses ring nails on his "instant" boats but I
don't like them for the following reasons...

1. they can't be extracted. I like to do a dry fit before applying
adhesive. I can fit the pieces together with screws, then take them apart
and put them together again with glue. I use inexpensive materials but I
am particular when it comes to fit. I think dry fitting is a good practice
for inexperienced boat builders. Sometimes after I've been using the boat
for some time I find reason to remove some of the fastenings to make
modifications or repairs.

2. I can't find ring nails locally. They are not a Home Depot item. All I
see are the flooring nails which are over and inch long. I use 3/4" #8
zinc plated screws of which there is a cheap supply ($3 / lb) locally. I
might try hot dipped spiral nails if they came small enough. They could be
driven part way in for a dry fit and extracted. I've used long ones on
repairs to hardwook flooring. I don't want to go to the trouble of buying
materials mail order, waiting for delivery, and paying postage. I crave
instant gratificaton, can't stand the suspense.

3. The books I've read all say to drill holes before pounding ring nails
into your boat. They don't save drilling holes, but would save
countersinking.

4. Harold Payson is an expert who never makes a mistake. I only wish I were.


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