Dinghy Advice

Lakesailor

Lakesailor

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I have my new (to me) Solo dinghy which I propose to keep in the boat house. It strikes me that grp dinghies are not normally kept afloat. I've mended some cracks in the hull and the hull/deck joint which was opening here and there. The centreboard bolt has good rubber washers on it and whilst the seals on the opening of the centreboard case are just about gone, I don't want to disturb the keel band strips to replace them as it is going to need all the screws drilling out.
What else should I think about for a boat that is going to be in the water all the time. Should I remove the self balers and glass up the holes?
Should I have ballast at the bow end to lift the transom flaps well out of the water.
Will the bottom of the centreboard (the front edge when down) dislike the constant immersion.? It's wood, I'm thinking about epoxy coating it, but water could get in at the pivot bolt hole and then not be able to escape.

What does anyone think?

Anyone kept a grp dinghy afloat?
 
I left a contender dinghy 'afloat' on (wet) grass for several months. When I finally got back to it the bottom was totally riddled with osmosis. I would be very wary of leaving it afloat in fresh water unless, maybe, you give it a couple of coats of epoxy.
Hoist it up to the roof beams?
 
I left a grp cat on Rudyard lake for a month once, but there it had no wood in the water, I removed the daggerboards, boom & sail when I left her. After a month the bottom was covered in slimey weed & little black blobs of some stiff gooey organism. It took a very long time to clean it off, especially the blobby lumps. But the sailing was fun.

It is dark in the boathouse which should reduce fouling. I think epoxying the centreboard is a good idea & perhaps use it to make a template before you start. It is then easy enough to replace if it does get wet.

I still reckon a launch trolley with boom up cover & lock it to a substantial spike in the ground is the easiest way to keep it, with perhaps a mooring just off shore for when you expect frequent use.

.
 
It should not be to heavy make a floating frame pull it up just above the water?

Find a simple way to store it dry, although an inconvenience you still get more sailing time than by doing the work required to keep it afloat...
 
Not the answer to your question, I know, but what about something like the Thule 571 roof rack hoist.
Float the boat over the strops and turn a handle to lift it just clear of the water. Capacity is 100kg, so should just cope with a Solo.
Presumably you will be un-stepping the mast?
 
ProDave said:
Doesn't your boathouse have it's own slipway?

so just run it up the slipway on it's launch trolley and store it there?

Saves unstepping the mast as well.
Click to expand...

This was discussed on the handover, but Phil pointed out that there are a lot of people on & around the lake, some of who would consider "borrowing a dink & abandoning it when bored or after capsizing" to be a bit of a larf. :mad:

A chain thro a transom drain flap & possibly the trolley to a girt big ground spike, or a mooring ring in the boathouse wall might work. There is a decent boom up cover with the boat.
 
Will she be stable enough to survive the odd capfull of wind without tipping over? I've seen a relatively stable boat like a wayfarer capsiszed on her mooring.
 
DanTribe said:
Not the answer to your question, I know, but what about something like the Thule 571 roof rack hoist.
Float the boat over the strops and turn a handle to lift it just clear of the water. Capacity is 100kg, so should just cope with a Solo.
Presumably you will be un-stepping the mast?
Click to expand...
A hoist is tempting. But the boathouse is rather old and whilst it has oak beams I wouldn't want the owner to feel I was risking damaging it.
 
Get a grip. :D
The dinghy wasn't a major purchase. It doesn't warrant a lot spending on it. I'm just wondering how it will cope with being afloat for 2 or 3 months.
 
Lakesailor said:
You may have noticed the yew tree on the slipway ;)
Click to expand...

Ahh, yes, that would easily take an 8" coach bolt for a mooring ring. Keep it low down & they would need to cut down the whole tree or remove the transom - neither practical solutions for a casual thief.

I think the galvanised centreboard is quite a good idea for life afloat, but for 2-3 months then you'll probably get away with the one you have. It should dry out well enough over winter.
 
Lakesailor said:
Get a grip. :D
The dinghy wasn't a major purchase. It doesn't warrant a lot spending on it. I'm just wondering how it will cope with being afloat for 2 or 3 months.
Click to expand...

Make something similar?

Frame of wood 2"x2"? or as suitable. As for floats boat weights 100kg + your weight 85kg? So say 200kg 200 lts? all up.. Old fenders? Old Plastic drums? A couple of Old Optimist, Canoe or topper hulls :D:D

Duct tape some old Lilos Together? A couple of cheap Air mattresses?

Just ideas....
 
Some dinghy's such as a Laser stratos are designed to stay on a mooring if you believe the sale's blurb.

They have a pair of those one way flap valves on the back to let accumulated rainwater out as the boat pitches a little.

You'd also have to antifoul.

Other than that should be no probs.



__________________
 
Forming a plan now. Keep it in the boathouse until it shows signs of distress, then keep it on a trolley on the slipway.
The hoisting it out of the water in the boathouse idea won't sit well with the owner. It's a very old building and she doesn't want contraptions adding to it. Getting the dinghy onto a floating platform is more than my poor old back could stand.
 
Lakesailor said:
Forming a plan now. Keep it in the boathouse until it shows signs of distress, then keep it on a trolley on the slipway.
The hoisting it out of the water in the boathouse idea won't sit well with the owner. It's a very old building and she doesn't want contraptions adding to it. Getting the dinghy onto a floating platform is more than my poor old back could stand.
Click to expand...

That sounds sensible; I might epoxy the centreboard - as long as the boat's casing can handle the extra thickness - but things like 'Versadock' etc are bordering on something like a cross between the D-Day landings and ' Thunderbirds ' ! :rolleyes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=---1WSwwN6A
 
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In my view it's far better for this dinghy to be used and kept afloat, than for it to be sat on a driveway somewhere.
You might get some osmosis, but the gelcoat isn't immaculate anyway, it will dry out over winter, you will get many seasons out of it yet.

Enjoy.
 
lw395 said:
In my view it's far better for this dinghy to be used and kept afloat, than for it to be sat on a driveway somewhere.
You might get some osmosis, but the gelcoat isn't immaculate anyway, it will dry out over winter, you will get many seasons out of it yet.

Enjoy.
Click to expand...

:D:D:D You haven't seen the Minisail yet! :D The Solo is immaculate in comparison!

Phil, that makes sense. I still like the idea of a galvanised centreboard tho.
 
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