A few (to many) questions.

[donncha]

First sorry for the amount of pics, I just used thumbnails(you can click on them to view in there full size,sorry for the adds on imageshack) so as to not slow you down to much.

At the moment I am doing some work on a Falmouth Pilot from 1964 which I bought at the start of the summer. I have started sanding the deck and hull as well as begun work on the interior. I also just got a quote from an electrician (3 thousand euro to do a basic rewire of the boat).I have a few little problems that I would appreciate advice on very much.

Firstly how would anyone recommend tackling this repair? It came about I presume from a mooring line comming off the roller and eating away at the gunwale. Would you advise splicing in a new piece for the gunwale and using a good filler for the rest?



There are many rust stains on the hull that I can’t find any reason for from the inside, is there a chance they will damage the wood over time or is it purely a cosmetic problem?


Does anyone know how to go about dismantling this windless? It is totally seized solid. I would like to sort it out before next season but at the moment the many, many other jobs are higher up on the to do list.



The sanction bases are not screwed into the gunwale. The are slightly loose. I presume the reason for them not being screwed into the gunwale is to avoid damage to it is there is excessive pressure put on the stations. It it a good idea to leave then be?


Would replacing the bottom panels and putting in straps for the batteries be sufficient for the battery locker?


Any ideas about how to rectify the gas storage? This current set up is totally unacceptable.


I have no way of knowing if the keelbolts have ever been replaced and I know it’s very hard to tell from photos but does anyone have any opinion on there condition.



I obviously don’t expect anyone to respond to all there different topics, but any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you,
Donncha

 

[kaysveistrup]

Hi Don.
First off IMHO,
Replace the damaged section.
The rust spots although cosmetic would worry me. Steel or iron has been used and is being eaten away, hence stains. I would be trying to find out what is causing the stains and rectify it as if it is something to do will hull strength it may give way at the wrong time.
The windlass is a remove it to a bench and give it your best shot at stripping down, plenty of WD40 soaked into bolts for 24 hrs prior to try and ease rust and lubricate.
Stanchion, if it can be bolt down through the deck without no problem, do it, but there really shouldn't be too much stress on the gunwale if you screw it to that to. That is probably why its loose as not held it 2 planes.
For the battery compartment, have alook on e-bay, you should be able to pick up a good h/duty plastic battery box reasonably, which tidies all up and comes with securing staps.
Gas tanks are always a tricky one, I'd go for using just a bottle of gas.
Those bolts don't look as thought they have ever been replaced, but the head on the LHS one seems to be in good condition, the RHS is difficult to tell. If they look as though they ate not too corroded from the original size I'd leave them. For those in the bottom picture, if the rest are like that they shouldn't be too bad. I don't like the look of the top picture, but its pretty hard to tell what it is.
Hope this helps.

 

[Tranona]

Damaged toerail Looks like you could scarf in a new section but watch the curve. Graving piece should do the planking.

Rust stains are almost certainly rusting iron fastenings for planks to frames. Dig through the paint and filling to find the heads of fastening and try and draw. If extensive rusting replace fastenings.

Stanchions should be bolted thru the toerail. If they are loose thru the deck, remove and rebed. Bolt, not screw to the toerail. This is a great spot for rot as freshwater can get under the fitting and rot the deck planking.

Can't help with detail of winch but soaking in a bucket of paraffin should shift the solidified grease and free it up.

Provided the floor of the battery compartment is firmly fixed use webbing straps to secure battery

Gas bottle needs to be in sealed box above the waterline with a drain to atmosphere at the bottom. Calor Gas in Southampton have schematics for how to build.

Keel bolts. Quite often have rusty tops in bilge but be sound. On the other hand the usual weak spot is where they go thru the wood keel and deadwood. Only two ways of checking, first is to take them out - not for the faint hearted, second is to have them xray'd in situ - hard on the wallet. Tell tale signs of corroded bolts are movement of the keel and heavy rust staining coming out of the keel/deadwood joint.

Welcome to the joys of wooden boats!

 

[dur]

[ QUOTE ]
...dismantling this windless? It is totally seized solid

[/ QUOTE ]
Put it in a large bucket then fill with diesel. Leave until you need to refit it then dismantle. Should do it.

 

[donncha]

Sorry I should have made that more clear. That is the diesel tank that and the gas bottle stood on top of it. It was draining directly into the bilges and had no real ventilation. I was wondering what to do to rectify the situation, maybe build up a gas bottle compartment as Tranona said.

Thanks for the help

 

[stevelay]

Hi Don,

Have you thought of dumping the gas and using a spirit stove instead? Simpler, safer (probably).
Good luck with the project

 

[donncha]

[ QUOTE ]
Hi Don,

Have you thought of dumping the gas and using a spirit stove instead? Simpler, safer (probably).
Good luck with the project

[/ QUOTE ]

I have a pretty good gas stove that's seen very little use, and in my limited experience with spirit stoves I found them to be dreadfully slow.

By the way how does using a separate plastic sealed container as a gas bottle locker sound? I was thinking of getting a thick plastic box or bin and converting it to fit the gas bottle. I would add a vent and make sure it was sealed properly. It would be a whole lot easier/cheaper then GRP or wood(and probably safer then wood). I know GRP would be safer but is this solution viable at all?

 

[johnlilley]

Hi there
used to have a Falmouth Pilot "Fern" great little boats.
the rusty marks, if on the transom, which is what they look like are the fashion piece fastenings, these are the shaped sections of timber surrounding the inner edge of the transom to attach the planking to instead of pinning the planking to the end grain of the transom. There are mild steel galvanised coach bolts running through the oak fashion pieces, the oak corrodes the bolts, the pieces become slightly loose and you get cracking around the perimeter of the transom where the planking is coming away from the transom. They are also inclined to get some localised softening around the mahogany transom where the bolts come through. Cut the bolts off , install some graving pieces, and reinstall new bolts at different points.
The Clyde anchor winch does come to pieces, extract the locking pin in the central shaft that sticks out the end of the chain gypsy and the whole assembly with the winch drum should knock through.
The stanchion bases should be both bolted to the deck and bolted to the toe rail provided of course the angle is the same and no distortion will be encountered by tightening the toe rail bolts. That way both the toe rail and stanchion are given extra support. If there is any angular difference, wedges should be fitted.
The keel bolts on the Falmouth pilot are fairly easy to extract and relatively short as they do not pass through any of the floors, there is just one difficult one right at the stern where it passes through the stern knee and a pair fitted under the engine. I would be inclined to inspect one or two within the main saloon at very least
One area that is not so easy to attend to is the floor bolts as these are fitted above the ballast keel under the wooden keel and extraction is impossible without removal of the keel

I'm sure you will get some helpful advice on all of the questions you have asked.

John Lilley

 

[donncha]

The rust stains are at the bow and on the upper hull just under the starboard jib sheet winch. There is also severe rust stains coming from the head of the rudder stock where it joins the tiller.

I think I will have to leave the keelbolts until next year and sort them out then. At the moment there is no movement but they could do with replacing soon.

Thanks for the info about the winch, I think I'll give it a go after socking it for a while in diesel.

 

[Gordonmc]

I won't repeat the good advice already given, but I have a few thoughts on the battery and gas bottle stowage.
The battery really needs securing properly to avoid spills and protecting from loose items which could cause a short. I suggest building a timber box with a lid. The ebay plastic battery boxes are a bit flimsy.
I had the same problem with gas as you. Any leak will fall into the bilges and stay there until it goes bang. I could not build a gas locker high enough to allow a through-hull vent, so I built a self draining gas locker on the foredeck, just in front of the coachhouse. It wouldn't pass a safety inspection as it was too close to a porthole and the foredeck escape hatch, but at least I know with these closed any gas would ascape via the scuppers.
Eventually I banished gas altogether, scrapped the locker and bought a spirit stove. If you want to keep your gas cooker I suggest keeping the bottle in the galley (under the cooker?) with preferably an uninterrupted run between the regulator and the cooker. That way you will be less likely to forget turning off the gas at the bottle each time you are finished cooking and there are no hidden joints to go wrong.
Another minor point... I was told by a Corgi gas fitter (not marine) that the flexible pipe to the cooker had to be armoured. This is bad advice... the armour hides perishing rubber inners. Use flexible rubber pipe which will be date-stamped.

 

[Roach1948]

I would agree with Gordonmc - get rid of the gas. In Roach I designed and made a gas locker with an overside vent, but in such a small boat it took 1/4 of my cockpit space and the gas locker filled with water with more than two people on board.

In the end the end making a gas locker, designing a cockpit round it, and fitting the gas cooker would cost more than a second-hand Taylors. Now I have to take the whole lot apart again, but I will gain a cockpit locker!

PS I made the gas locker by glassing up a plywood box and making a lid for it. Your welcome to it but it is only designed to take one Gaz cannister. (another reason to changing to paraffin - I always ran out of gas at the most inorportune times)

 

[Bosunof]

Windlass: Try Cillit Bang. I have on brass and cast iron and found it works as does Coca Cola sometimes.

Bosun

 

[Searush]

If you have a gas stove, keeping it will save you at least several hundred pounds over the cost of getting a parafin stove. Gas is a lot easier to use. I've used butane/propane cooking & heating in boats, houses, tents, small vans, large trucks, caravans & motor homes for cooking, lighting & heating for some 40 odd years without ANY problems. My Primus stoves always need far too much care & attention, cleaning & priming. They work OK, but are a complete pain to use compared with gas - which is perfectly safe with a few simple precautions.

Mounting the gas bottles in a polythene storage box with a clip-on lid is a simple, cheap solution to the leak hazard. Just make sure you can vent it with a sealed tube flowing down & outboard. You could use plumbing fittings or fuel lines do do this cheaply & effectively. You will need to figure out a way of fastening down both the stoirage box & the bottle(s) without losing your gas tight seal. Shouldn't be too hard to bolt thro' & seal in some manner.

 

[Jwoods]

A bit slow in replying to your list but here goes!
1. I had the same rusting problem with the steel bolts through the hull. I had to replace some planks and these included bolts. These were attached through steel brackets on the inside of the hull. I ended up replacing most of these fasteners with stainless ones. I knocked the old ones out with a large drift from the inside but could not move the fore set which still remain. I did not want to cause any hull damage by brute force!

2. The batteries on my Pilot 6 ton are under the cockpit, just above the shaft gland. This keeps the weight lower at the expense of some access problems, but it does not take long to remove the battery platform

3. Best of luck with the keel bolts! I made detachable planks on my laying up cradle so I can in theory just remove the ones under the bolt needing replacement.

I am sure there are differences between your boat (more room) and mine but I suspect that overall the construction is similar.