Covering old GRP dinghy decks with ply, mostly for appearance's sake

[lw395]

That would be many hours work to make immaculate or about 20 minutes to make seaworthy.
The star crazing does indicate a hard knock, it's tedious to repair perfectly but it is not going to sink you.
That area of hull will never again be quite as stiff as a new boat, unless you add a lot of weght.
But that mostly matters to the keen racers among us.
In my view it often works out cheaper in the end to buy the best you can afford rather than paying for a tatty boat/car/bike and spending on parts and materials.
OTOH, buying a cheapie and getting out there is better than waiting for the ideal example to turn up.

 

[lw395]

Dan- this is what a centreboard should look like!

http://www.wayfarer-international.org/WIT/maint.repair.ref/CB.rudder/finishingCB.pdf

Those of us who capsize more than once a year are excused the wax polishing phase!

 

[Greenheart]

In my view it often works out cheaper in the end to buy the best you can afford...but buying a cheapie and getting out there is better than waiting for the ideal example to turn up.

I regret, the best I can afford definitely is a cheapie! But I'm relieved to know that for non-competitive purposes, evidence of bashes aren't a significant defect.

I'm thinking I should acquire a tent flysheet to erect as a rain-proof cover-all shelter, then regard all of April as written off for repairs!

The happy prospect of covering decks with an attractive teak finish, begins to recede into the gritty reality of returning an old boat to basic seaworthiness...

 

[Greenheart]

That would be many hours work to make immaculate or about 20 minutes to make seaworthy.
The star crazing does indicate a hard knock, it's tedious to repair perfectly but it is not going to sink you.

I hope I'm not asking something I've already asked in the last 48hrs...shocking memory...

...what are the procedures for basic versus immaculate repairs to star crazing? I suspect I'll have a fair number of them to do, plus other scrapes.

I found what seems to be a careful and detailed video account of how to eradicate shallow scratches from a hull; it's about West Epoxy, but the presenter seems to be an ordinary guy, not a huckster. I'd like to know if forumites agree with what he says, because if so, I'd go with it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GQxtaqlAHs&list=PL457E2BE9AD9BB6B9

Plus, I'm beginning to recognise that a session of smoothing with sandpaper and a new coat of white paint, is probably a more sensible alternative to labour-intensive custom-decking with wood. (Is that a collective sigh of relief I detect?)

Will the same variety of paint which is suitable for dinghy decks, be okay for the underwater sections? I mean, once they've been scraped, and holes filled, and patches re-gelcoated (or whatever it involves)...

...I reckon I'll spend as long getting the boat back into properly tidy, seaworthy (rather than shamefully drab) condition, as I'd have expected to take turning her into a faux-teak modern classic. I won't mind that, as long as I end up with a safe, clean, sound hull & rig. All the practical advice from you gents is finally hitting home!

 

[Lakesailor]

It's an old boat. That's just the gelcoat that has cracked it's not as flexible as the grp layup. If the dinghy isn't going to live in the water eave it and see if it gets any worse. Why do you need to do it all at once?
BTW I put an alloy keelband on a tender using 1" wide aluminium flat strip. Big mistake. It seemed to grab at anything you tried to pull it over (Shale beach in my case).

 

[Greenheart]

It's an old boat. That's just the gelcoat that has cracked it's not as flexible as the grp layup. If the dinghy isn't going to live in the water eave it and see if it gets any worse. Why do you need to do it all at once?

I was thinking that after spending at least the winter ashore, damaged bits of the hull might've dried out, hence a good time to repair...but I expect without long-term immersion, the hull would hardly have absorbed much moisture. I guess I'm just keen to sail a boat that doesn't appear to have been involved in a drive-by shooting...

...plus there's often an unpleasant sickly yellowish colour on old GRP hulls which one suspects might have been white when they were new...

...and if I'm going to do an all-over paint job, it must be smart to fix underlying flaws first? No? I'd be grateful for any suggestions of which paint to use on a dinghy; ideally not jaw-droppingly expensive. I'd like a slick glossy finish, but I don't need any race-tested performance enhancement.

Is there a preferred solution to covering bold existing colours, other than removing them?

 

[Kelpie]

I can understand the desire to look at an aesthetically pleasing boat.
Fortunately there is now a way to do this at minimal cost and zero maintenance:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Classic-Sai...5809/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364214701&sr=8-2

Happy sailing Dan!

 

[Tranona]

I was thinking that after spending at least the winter ashore, damaged bits of the hull might've dried out, hence a good time to repair...but I expect without long-term immersion, the hull would hardly have absorbed much moisture. I guess I'm just keen to sail a boat that doesn't appear to have been involved in a drive-by shooting...

...plus there's often an unpleasant sickly yellowish colour on old GRP hulls which one suspects might have been white when they were new...

...and if I'm going to do an all-over paint job, it must be smart to fix underlying flaws first? No? I'd be grateful for any suggestions of which paint to use on a dinghy; ideally not jaw-droppingly expensive. I'd like a slick glossy finish, but I don't need any race-tested performance enhancement.

Is there a preferred solution to covering bold existing colours, other than removing them?

If you read the magazine which sponsors this forum you will get up to speed on painting knackered old GRP boats. They have been running a series on the boat they are renovating and painting is the current task.

 

[Greenheart]

Fortunately there is now a way to do this at minimal cost and zero maintenance:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Classic-Sai...5809/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364214701&sr=8-2

Dammit, Rob...one look at that book, and you've got me wanting to put teak decking on my dinghy again...and maybe an artistically-carved taffrail? Gaffs might look nice on an Osprey...and lovely dove-tailed interlocking teak floor-gratings...ah, yes...bring on the winter, and a spacious garage with a tool chest and a heater...

If you read the magazine which sponsors this forum you will get up to speed on painting knackered old GRP boats. They have been running a series on the boat they are renovating and painting is the current task.

Thanks, I'll take a look.

 

[prv]

In my view it often works out cheaper in the end to buy the best you can afford rather than paying for a tatty boat/car/bike and spending on parts and materials.

I regret, the best I can afford definitely is a cheapie!

In that case you can't afford the parts and materials to fix it up.

OK, it's not quite that clear cut, but lw395's point is a sound one. I've spent thousands on parts and materials for Kindred Spirit and now the new boat, and that's not counting major capital items like new sails, engine overhaul, etc. But we won't be seeing that money back in increased sale price. The fact is that it's usually cheaper overall - even costing your time at zero - to buy a boat in reasonable condition, than to buy one in poor condition and bring it back up to the same standard. The only financial reason to do the latter is that you spend the money over time, as you earn it, rather than needing it in a lump sum. (There are non-financial reasons like ending up with a boat customised to your preferences, having to work with what boats are on the market at any given time, etc).

Pete

 

[Greenheart]

Thanks Pete, they're actually quite encouraging words, because I've mostly turned the corner into reasonable ambitions, re. getting on the water this year.

With that in mind, and since you mentioned the colossal expense of new sails, what's the best strategy for economic repairs to weary old sails?

Sorry, ought to be a new thread really, except it's hardly a new topic around here. Any brief useful guide for patching small tears/holes in dinghy sails?

 

[prv]

With that in mind, and since you mentioned the colossal expense of new sails, what's the best strategy for economic repairs to weary old sails?

Weary sails are weary because the fabric has stretched, leaving the sail baggy. I don't think there's anything you can do about this. Some people talk about having them recut to take up the bagginess, but I reckon that's beyond all but the most skilled amateur.

Holes and tears - patch 'em or sew 'em up. Ask the missus if you don't know how . Proper sail stitch is herringbone, I believe. I've never tried it, but I expect a domestic sewing machine would be fine with old dinghy sails.

Pete

 

[Greenheart]

Hmm. SWMBO's mother is something of a seamstress, but I'm not sure what she'd say to ten square meters of terylene! Worth asking, just to see her face...

I was wondering whether any of that special tape makes a permanent repair to small holes, or whether they're strictly a get-you-home solution.

 

[Grumpybear]

Hmm. SWMBO's mother is something of a seamstress, but I'm not sure what she'd say to ten square meters of terylene! Worth asking, just to see her face...

I was wondering whether any of that special tape makes a permanent repair to small holes, or whether they're strictly a get-you-home solution.

Semi permanent. Will get you home at the end of the season, in my experience.

 

[Lakesailor]

...plus there's often an unpleasant sickly yellowish colour on old GRP hulls which one suspects might have been white when they were new...

Try rubbing compound. Don't paint the hull.
Dinghies get scratched during launch and recovery and even just bumping up the shore for a picnic.
That will scrape off your new paint and it will look even worse.

Rod for one's own back.

 

[Greenheart]

Try rubbing compound. Don't paint the hull.
Dinghies get scratched during launch and recovery and even just bumping up the shore for a picnic.
That will scrape off your new paint and it will look even worse...

Excellent thinking. So...when I've repaired the marks of a chequered history on the hull, what do I do with rubbing compound? What is rubbing compound?

Is there no good sense in painting the topsides, leaving the yellowed undersides to resist scratches without conspicuous marking?

 

[prv]

what do I do with rubbing compound? What is rubbing compound?

It's an abrasive cream, which will polish off the top layer of yellowed gelcoat, leaving it white and new-looking.

Pete

 

[Greenheart]

It's an abrasive cream, which will polish off the top layer of yellowed gelcoat, leaving it white and new-looking.

Thanks, I see. But, doesn't it do more harm than good? I mean, that yellowed gelcoat was at least helping to protect the virginal white underneath, wasn't it?

I'm thinking the topsides (which aren't so vulnerable to beach scratches) could be painted a bold colour, leaving the undersides (rarely seen) as is.

Like this...(click it, it's not obvious as a thumbnail)

View attachment 30059

Not that it'd have to be black...personally I like a white hull best...but how duff would a bleached-blonde topsides look, over an old, off-white bottom?

 

[prv]

how duff would a bleached-blonde hull look, over old, off-white topsides?

Very duff, as you've clearly capsized

Nowt wrong with the idea of painting her though. We've just done that with the new boat. Now a shiny and distinguished navy-blue, rather than yellowing white with fifteen years' charter-work dings all over it.

(Only problem is that any scratches will be very obvious, white against navy, but in theory this paint is touch-uppable, and anything you put on by hand in your garage should be too.)

Pete

 

[Tranona]

Dan

How you deal with refurbishing a tired boat depends on the condition, what has been done to it beforehand, how much time and energy you want to put into it and the end result you want.

There is a vast array of materials and methods available for you to use plus books and information from manufacturers to help you choose.

Generally gel coat responds well to use of a cleaner and polish or if it is really faded a rubbing compound to expose new gel coat. At some point, though the surface gets so beat up that painting is necessary to hide the mess - or you want to change the colour, at which point the amount of elbow grease and time rises as you need to get a good surface for the new paint.

If you want to avoid all this, buy a boat that does not need it. If you enjoy hard graft and spending a bit of dosh then get a faded beauty and spend your time and a little money restoring it.

Lakey says it best - get a reasonable boat, clean it up, go sailing and fix/improve it as you go.