The 30 year refurb continues

[geoffr]

Hi again:

Here are some further photos of recent work on my boat.

The previous owner didn't like using the pop-top, as he said it let in too many insects when he went camping out on the water overnight down at the Gippsland Lakes. So he dismantled most of the fittings and bolted the pop-top firmly to the coach roof; fortunately though, he kept all the bits and pieces and gave them to me when I bought the boat.

I've since reinstalled the arms and replaced the white rubber edge moulding, so the pop-top now works a treat and provides almost standing room in the cabin.

Around the cockpit doorway I've also replaced and refitted some of the brightwork that was either worn or rotten, as well as the wooden grab rails on the coach roof. I know it's a pain to keep wood shiny and protected in a marine environment, but I think it adds a touch of old-time maritime 'feel' to any boat. Apart from that, it was all part of the original 1970's design of these boats, so I figure it's a nice touch to reinstate and recognise that fact.

Finally, in the interior cabin view, you can see the S/H computer stereo speakers I've mounted in the roof top area: they play very well with the car stereo I've also installed.

Cheers,

[Olmate-sail156]

Hi Geoff,
I have been undertaking similar repairs on Olmate since before christmas although I am not doing the internals with this lot.
I will have to though because it is grubby and has been hand painted with something that is flaking off in an inconsistent way. How to prepare the rough glass surface is an unsolved question.
Any suggestions?
The job began as a simple clean up. Whack a coat of paint on. Yeah right. What a learning curve. Spraying.
The gel coat, whilst it didn't look chalky sucked up brown stuff or bred it and polish helped for about two minutes. As well as that the white of gel coat repairs after various minor insults (including impressions left by the wobble rollers) stood out like the proverbial.
Any way I stripped all fittings to do the job and am almost back together.
The inner two screws of the traveller where the nuts sit against the wall of the sloping side of the cutaway section are especially difficult to replace. I knew they would be when I had such trouble accessing them for removal. Got the starboard side but have yet to succeed with the port.
Just had the idea whilst writing this of superglue on the tip of a long screwdriver blade. I had been using sikaflex on the tip of the finger.
Have you encountered this problem?
Graeme

[Mark]

Hi Geoff

Thanks for your journal posts a fantastic job and beautifully done you must be very proud, you have great woodworking skills I wish I did, anyway congrats on the job.

[geoffr]

Hi all again - especially to Mark and Graeme for your comments!

Graeme: re your specific inquiries, I fortunately did not have the problem you describe on this boat; however, I did have the exact same problem on my previous boat interior (a deHavilland Nomad).

On that boat, the interior coating had almost turned to powder or flakes in many areas, and came off on our clothing or anything else that rubbed against it. Plus you breathed all that crap in!

My solution - which may not by any means be the best - was to attack it all with several wire brushes: a broad brush for large flat surfaces, and a thin one for the crevices and corners.

I then vacuumed all the debris and was left with bare GRP, with the glass fibres clearly visible in the surfaces. Through all this I was wearing a paper breathing mask, goggles and shaking out my clothing at the end of each session - then in for a shower to get rid of any itchy stuff.

I then painted the entire interior with a good undercoat - which was water based for ease of application. Once that was fully dried, I painted everything again with an oil based gloss enamel, to really seal the surface hard. The resulting interior was so much cleaner and better presented than the original, so despite the tough manual work it was well worth it. Just make sure you have good ventilation, the right tools (wire and paint brushes) and reasonable quality paints. I suspect you'll only have to do this once in your boat's life, so it's probably worth the effort. Have a look at the pics attached for finished product.

Re your other query: I have used blue-tak to good effect to hold nuts on the end of long screwdrivers to reach bolts inserted from the other side; I also have a set of differently sized multigrips that are great for holding a nut on one side while you go outside to tighten it up.

Cheers,

[geoffr]

Hi again all:

For those who are interested, I finally launched my refurbished Investigator two weekends ago.

With assistance from a good friend Jim, who has many more years experience with trailer sailers than me, we hoisted the mast in the carpark at St Helen's Marina (North Geelong), from where our club (the Geelong Trailable Yacht Club) sails every second Sunday.

It took about twice as long as normal to then rig the boat, mainly because we were adjusting things as we went.

Eventually though we were on the water and under motor out to Corio Bay ready to hoist some sails. The conditions were fairly calm; about 5-10 knots from the SE, making it an ideal day to just potter about and try a few things.

As with all maiden voyages, I discovered a few things that either need to be modified, or added to the fit out I've done so far. I also have to adjust the lean of the mast (too far forward), the shroud lengths slightly, and the length of the jib. I also have to find a better way to attach the forestay.

Nevertheless, it was a great day's sailing with a few good friends. My boat is back on the front lawn for a little more fiddling, before I declare her ready for general action. Then I'll be looking at the 'bells and whistles' stuff, ready for overnighting (e.g. installation of the stove, some sort of table and a few other creature comforts aboard ship).

I'll keep you posted on the last few jobs ahead.

Cheers,

[geoffr]

Hi again all:

One of the jobs I have done since the trial launch is to fix a leaking starboard fore window.

All the (tinted plexiglass) windows on my boat were original when I got her, with all of them screw mounted into some sort of black rubber sealant. When new, I imagine this sealant would have been a pliable spongy black rubber strip, but after 30 odd years it had dried out and shrunk, leaving ample opportunity for water to enter the cabin and wet my carpet and cushions. And after just a day or so, that leads to that horrible wet smell and black mold spores. Yuk!

So I started with the offending window and within an hour had done all four. The first task was to unscrew the dozen or so SS self-tappers, then prise off the plexiglass with a screw-driver and scrape away the dried out black rubber stuff with a single-sided blade.

Then I cleaned the area with some acetone, before re-laying a 12mm wide strip of new white rubber sealant, with peel off adhesive on one side.

I then replaced each window and screwed them back in until the new rubber strip just took up the pressure; any tighter and there'd be no room for expansion on hot days, and the plastic would crack.

Last weekend here in Geelong we had about 50mm fall in 24 hours and, with no covers on the boat (because I'm still working on it, I was a little worried the rain must have got in. However, when I opened her up the next day it was bone dry -- so I guess it all worked fine!

Cheers,

[no way]

Keep an eye on that seal you used. I use it in number of places on my boat and have replaced it a couple of times too.
It hardens with age and in the sun. Maybe next time try Butyl tape, the type glaziers use for glass curtain wall panels on buildings. A little messy but sticks and seals like no tomorrow. There is another thread on here about windows. Be aware that some boats have windows set in an aluminium frame

[geoffr]

Thanks for these comments.

I had aluminum framed windows on my previous boat, and they were much more difficult to seal and re-set.

As for the rubber sealing strip drying out: we all know that everything exposed to the elements has a finite lifespan, so much depends on how diligent we are with covering up our boats when not in use, especially from the sun.

If and when I have to re-seal these windows, I'll certainly take your advice and look at other possible solutions.

Cheers,

[Ozzie]

Just revisiting your refurbishment thread Geoff to try and get some inspiration for this years haulout which I keep putting off due to the nice sailing weather. A few weeks back we managed three sailing days in one week , a record for us, but the boats bottom is looking like the Daintree at the moment so I know the old tub is not performing at her best.

While looking at your pics it suddenly dawned on me that I did not comment on your progress even though I was following it and I just thought I would rectify that now and say what a fantastic job you did on Qumbu, another template for anyone wanting to restore these great little boats. Ive said it before and it's worth repeating that I'd say Kevin Shepard would be chuffed that his design is still being reborn 30 years latter with love and attention like yours.

Hopefully some time in the next fortnight my 563 with get its dose of love before the warm weather sets in. Contemplating the "spruce up" gets harder as I get older. I'll reread your thread again

[geoffr]

Many thanks for your kind words Ozzie.

Like most boat owners (I suspect) I get just as much pleasure from tinkering with my boat, as I do actually sailing it. Then at least when I sail her, I can confidently claim that I know every square inch, for better or worse. If something goes astray, I have only myself to blame!

Most recently I've installed a new VHF transceiver to replace the dinosaur Marine CB that came with her, and fitted a new aerial.

I'm also planning to replace the wooden cabin top rails with two new 25mm diameter dowells that I will oil stain to match my new gunwales (covered in another post and thread on this site).

I'm soon looking forward to the Melbourne Cup weekend to do some pleasure sailing on Corio Bay, when hopefully the weather will be kind and I can continue fine tuning my new sails. I'll take some more pics to share.

Good luck with your refurb, however large or small it turns out to be.

I think it's grand that we can keep such a marvellous design fresh and contemporary.

Cheers,