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Default Sailboat Restoration - Is it worth it?

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
has made the plastic shell brittle in spots. Structurally it seems sound,
but areas were the plastic has broken away has created a couple sharp and
jagged spots that could be dangerous. I am thinking of just glassing the
whole thing, but I wanted to ask a few questions first. First and foremost
do you think it is worth the trouble? Given my current financial position,
it is either this or nothing. So I guess I should be asking IF it would
work? If I try it should I use polyester, or epoxy? Will it melt the
Styrofoam were it contacts? What weight cloth? Do you think one layer would
do the trick? Sorry about all the questions. I've done glasswork before, but
I'm far from being a pro. Unfortunately I don't know the make either. Thank
you very much for your responses.


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Don White
 
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Default Sailboat Restoration - Is it worth it?

** I believe they were called 'Snark"
see http://www.castlecraft.net/super_snark.htm
I wouldn't spend any money on it. There must be some old fibreglass
sailboats around.


wrote in message
m...
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
has made the plastic shell brittle in spots. Structurally it seems sound,
but areas were the plastic has broken away has created a couple sharp and
jagged spots that could be dangerous. I am thinking of just glassing the
whole thing, but I wanted to ask a few questions first. First and foremost
do you think it is worth the trouble? Given my current financial position,
it is either this or nothing. So I guess I should be asking IF it would
work? If I try it should I use polyester, or epoxy? Will it melt the
Styrofoam were it contacts? What weight cloth? Do you think one layer

would
do the trick? Sorry about all the questions. I've done glasswork before,

but
I'm far from being a pro. Unfortunately I don't know the make either.

Thank
you very much for your responses.




  #3   Report Post  
Frank Hagan
 
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Default Sailboat Restoration - Is it worth it?

Used sailboats in pretty good condition can be found frequently for
probably as much as you would spend fixing this one up, especially if
you don't have any "extra" supplies around to do it.

But it all depends on if you would enjoy fixing it up. I built a
little sailboat for a lot more than I could have bought one that size
for, but it was part of the process of learning about boats, becoming
part of a community of amateur boat builders, etc. So for me it was
definately worth it.

If the rigging and sail is in good condition, and the only thing you
need to do is get some epoxy and patch the hull, it might be worth it.
See if you can find epoxy sold in quarts ... but it is often pricey.
Epoxy won't melt the styrofoam, as far as I know (although I would
test a small patch first!) You might find someone near you who is
into building boats, and has some spare materials they will sell you
inexpensively.

On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 21:41:15 GMT, wrote:

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
has made the plastic shell brittle in spots. Structurally it seems sound,
but areas were the plastic has broken away has created a couple sharp and
jagged spots that could be dangerous. I am thinking of just glassing the
whole thing, but I wanted to ask a few questions first. First and foremost
do you think it is worth the trouble? Given my current financial position,
it is either this or nothing. So I guess I should be asking IF it would
work? If I try it should I use polyester, or epoxy? Will it melt the
Styrofoam were it contacts? What weight cloth? Do you think one layer would
do the trick? Sorry about all the questions. I've done glasswork before, but
I'm far from being a pro. Unfortunately I don't know the make either. Thank
you very much for your responses.


- - -
http://www.messing-about.com
Resources for the Boat Builder, Renovator and Small Boat Skipper
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Leanne
 
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Default Sailboat Restoration - Is it worth it?

I think for the money you would spend on it, that you could find a nice
previously owned Laser, Sunfish, Force 5 or another fun type dinghy.

Leanne



wrote in message
m...
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
has made the plastic shell brittle in spots. Structurally it seems sound,
but areas were the plastic has broken away has created a couple sharp and
jagged spots that could be dangerous. I am thinking of just glassing the
whole thing, but I wanted to ask a few questions first. First and foremost
do you think it is worth the trouble? Given my current financial position,
it is either this or nothing. So I guess I should be asking IF it would
work? If I try it should I use polyester, or epoxy? Will it melt the
Styrofoam were it contacts? What weight cloth? Do you think one layer

would
do the trick? Sorry about all the questions. I've done glasswork before,

but
I'm far from being a pro. Unfortunately I don't know the make either.

Thank
you very much for your responses.




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William R. Watt
 
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Default Sailboat Restoration - Is it worth it?

) 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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homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
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William R. Watt
 
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Default Sailboat Restoration - Is it worth it?

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.


--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
warning: non-freenet email must have "notspam" in subject or it's returned
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Chris Crandall
 
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Default Sailboat Restoration - Is it worth it?


I was given a boat in much the same condition. I put it on top of my car,
after having bought a bit of line to setup the main sheet and halyard.

I took it to Highland Beach, Florida (north of Boca, south of Boynton),
and sailed it a couple of times in the ocean. Then, I took it to a
landfill on my way to the Keys for a vacation.

It was worth the effort, and I was glad to dump it at a landfill for about
$5 or so.

1) Don't even bother with this if the styrofoam has water in it; it's not
worth it.

2) Don't bother with the glass and epoxy/polyester. If it's poly, it
won't stick. If it's epoxy, it's a waste of time, money, and precious
hydrocarbons (that's not petroleum you're using, it's men's lives).

3) Use it for a short while, and find a good safe place to dispose of it.
Anything else will be a waste of your time, money, and precious resources.




wrote:
: 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
: has made the plastic shell brittle in spots. Structurally it seems sound,
: but areas were the plastic has broken away has created a couple sharp and
: jagged spots that could be dangerous. I am thinking of just glassing the
: whole thing, but I wanted to ask a few questions first. First and foremost
: do you think it is worth the trouble? Given my current financial position,
: it is either this or nothing. So I guess I should be asking IF it would
: work? If I try it should I use polyester, or epoxy? Will it melt the
: Styrofoam were it contacts? What weight cloth? Do you think one layer would
: do the trick? Sorry about all the questions. I've done glasswork before, but
: I'm far from being a pro. Unfortunately I don't know the make either. Thank
: you very much for your responses.


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Backyard Renegade
 
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Default Sailboat Restoration - Is it worth it?

(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
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Rufus Laggren
 
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Default Sailboat Restoration - Is it worth it?

My word! This has been a most entertaining thread. I had no idea there
was so much quick & dirty, cheap ****, ruthless and practical expertise
in this high toned crowd. G

Even saved some links.

Cheers, Rufus
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