Edgar Cove Launch

[EdgarCove]

Hi all....I have purchased a (1960's) clinker built Edgar cove with Stuart Turner 1.5hp inboard ( R3M) which I intend to upgrade to a Yanmar 1GM10. The exterior hull to gunwales has been coated with West System epoxy...which I would like to remove and go back to a varnish finish.

1. Is the removal of the epoxy a) feasible.... b) The correct thing to do....and c) Is there a 'right' or 'wrong' way to remove the epoxy

2. Is the change of engine the best way forward ( need more power to navigate the River Dart)

3. What should I do with the R3M engine?

Look forward to any constructive comments....I do have a sense of humour

Steve

 

[Wansworth]

Hi all....I have purchased a (1960's) clinker built Edgar cove with Stuart Turner 1.5hp inboard ( R3M) which I intend to upgrade to a Yanmar 1GM10. The exterior hull to gunwales has been coated with West System epoxy...which I would like to remove and go back to a varnish finish.

1. Is the removal of the epoxy a) feasible.... b) The correct thing to do....and c) Is there a 'right' or 'wrong' way to remove the epoxy

2. Is the change of engine the best way forward ( need more power to navigate the River Dart)

3. What should I do with the R3M engine?

Look forward to any constructive comments....I do have a sense of humour

Steve

Keep the Stuart!

 

[oldbloke]

I have a 14' clinker launch, probably Latham's of Poole, and have been through some of this myself.
Re the engine. R3Ms are funny things a good one is marvellous and surprisingly good at moving a boat, a bad one is a detestable item sent to torture us. They are all old now and spares, fixing and fettling are getting harder and harder unless you are an enthusiast. Mine was almost reliable for me but I couldn't let anyone else take the boat out cos they wouldn't have the knack. I now have a 6hp Suzuki on the back because I am too mean to pay for putting a new(ish) diesel in. Assuming that yours is one of the smaller launches, the problem with a diesel is fitting a suitable propeller in the space available.
However, the boats no use without reliable propulsion.
Re the epoxy. What's underneath the epoxy?. Mines epoxied because it was falling apart, the epoxy is literally holding it together, and is doing that job very well. I mostly dry sail her and the keep her in for August. She doesn't leak or have to take up and if she is absorbing any water she has 10 months to dry out.
So, is yours epoxied for structural reasons or just because the previous owner wanted a nice hard finish?.

 

[EdgarCove]

Thank you for your reply.
The launch is a 14'6"...and as far as I know the previous owner applied the epoxy system himself for reasons only known to himself.Underneath the epoxy the mahogany planking...which except for 1 or 2 small repairs... are in extremely good condition.

 

[debenriver]

You don't say whether the hull is currently clear finish or painted??

Traditional clinker construction is not really ideal for epoxy coating, though it can be done with great care. The problem is that there are wedge-shaped spaces under the timbers (the bent frames), the copper nails are fairly sharp where they are peened over the roves, the plank edges are quite sharp too and so on. So there are lots of places where either the epoxy may not have got a good hold to start with, or where it will in time break down. Then water will get in under the surrounding epoxy and the timber will start to turn black and rot.

And even if done perfectly it needs UV protection, either paint or UV resistant varnish and regular upkeep of those finishes.

Removing the epoxy is tedious! Not much more tedious than bringing the hull down to bare wood with conventional coatings though. But long term I think it's probably the best thing to do, unless you are going to be able to sand it all very thoroughly to remove any conventional (i.e. non-epoxy) coatings and re-apply say two or three coats of epoxy again – and then paint/varnish as required.

You will need a chemical stripper that will strip epoxy. And do it in a well ventilated area. And then a lot of careful scraping and sanding. Traditional clinker construction is truly extremely frustrating and tedious to bring down to bare wood with the bent frames, the plank lands, all the fastenings, and difficult to access places!!

Alternatively, if everything is in good nick now and painted – I think I'd simply give it a good sand and re-coat.

As for the engine, the Yanmar – specially the single cylinder 1GM10 – will not be so smooth running as the Stuart and will tend to vibrate more. So you will need to pay particular attention to the engine beds and surrounding floors, and probably beef them up if it's not to shake the boat to bits!

Cheers -- George

 

[Pump-Out]

3. What should I do with the R3M engine?

Offer it to one of the Thames Boatbuilders, Henwood & Dean or Freebody

 

[Tranona]

Echo much of post#5. Removing the epoxy is a major undertaking. Its major selling point is that once it is applied it stays on - even though it is not appropriate to a traditional clinker boat. If it is till sound and not gone too milky suggest you abraded and coat with a good UV resistant coating - clear or pigmented to choice.

Likewise fitting a 1GM is a major job as you will need to beef up the bottom of the boat with substantial beds, install a stern tube and ensure you have enough clearance to swing a 12 or 13" prop depending on which ratio box you have. If you have the engine already then fine it can be done, but if you are buying new suggest you go for a Nanni or Beta 10. Physically virtually the same size, a little heavier but far more refined.

Do you have any photos of the boat?

The Stuart will make a fine conservation piece built into the base of a coffee table in you lounge!

 

[debenriver]

They sell at auction – £400-£500 as is – £1000+ restored.

 

[oldbloke]

The trouble with chemical strippers on a clinker boat is that they get between the la ds and you can't get them out. Then when the boat gets wet ,they reactivate.
I would leave it where it is.
Are there now feasible electric options for a new inboard?

 

[EdgarCove]

Many thanks for all replies.

George (debenriver)...Thank you. The hull was painted, so I have sanded all the paint off down to the Mahogany planks (which like I said seem to be in good condition) from the gunwale to the 'water line' as this are didn't seem to have epoxy applied to it... just paint .
I don't mind the tedious sanding as I ' have a picture in my head 'of hopefully what the finished job should look like but I am not a fan at all of re-applying any epoxy at all.... would just prefer to apply the 10 or so coats of varnish to the hull and if need be ..apply further coats at the end of the season when the boat is out of the water.

Tranona...Thank you... A well respected local ship shipwright suggested the Yanmar as it will virtually 'drop into' the position left by the R3M with very little alteration work.
Great suggestion for a new 'coffee' table... but my other half thinks that our house has 'more than enough' chandlery ' as it is !!

Oldbloke...Thank you.... Electric inboard???.. no noise..no smell...and sorry.. in my opinion..no character.


Hopefully I shall post some pictures soon
Ventis Secundis

Steve

 

[James_Calvert]

A boatman at Salcombe told me years ago that the launches on hire at Dartmouth were fitted with Stuart Turner 4hp engines, rather than the 1 1/2 hp commonly fitted at Salcombe, because the tides were stronger there

Don't know how easy it would be to get one...

 

[EdgarCove]

Thank you James...A little more research now I guess

Steve

 

[Wansworth]

I had a Stuart Turner in my 23foot boat…..worked impecable!

 

[Tranona]

Many thanks for all replies.

Tranona...Thank you... A well respected local ship shipwright suggested the Yanmar as it will virtually 'drop into' the position left by the R3M with very little alteration work.
Great suggestion for a new 'coffee' table... but my other half thinks that our house has 'more than enough' chandlery ' as it is !!

Hopefully I shall post some pictures soon
Ventis Secundis

Steve

Bit of wishful thinking there. If you have the standard ST stern log that will not take the power of a 1GM - 5 times the Stuart! you will also need substantial beds going fore and aft plus some athwartship strengthening to absorb both the power and vibrations of the bouncy little Yanmar. 3/4" stainless shaft is absolute minimum - I think the ST were usually bronze. I replaced a P55ME with a Yanmar and it was a lot more work than first appeared, and later replaced that with a Nanni which was a whole lot better than the noisy (but reliable!) Yanmar.

 

[oldbloke]

If you are trailing and launching yourself , you should go overto Salcombe for Town Regatta and the Bang and Go Back Race, although if the Stuart Turner has gone by then you won't be eligible for the Stuart Turner prize.

 

[EdgarCove]

Thank you again Tranona..... I guessed that when I decided to remove the epoxy ..and change the engine I may well be opening a can o worms....but hey ho...in for a penny...I have started looking for secondhand Nanni 10 h.p....but they seem to be a rare as hens teeth?

Oldbloke..Thank you... The ST has been removed now.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Before removing the epoxy, I think I'd want to know why it was applied in the first place, It might have been applied because the launch was nail-sick or similar - in that case, the epoxy is pretty much holding her together! Nail sickness is when either the nails have corroded or the wood surrounding them has degraded so they no longer hold the wood firmly. I'm afraid epoxy coating is often a last-ditch treatment to keep a terminally sick boat going for a few years longer.

 

[EdgarCove]

AntarticPilot...Thank you...A very valid and interesting point I shall ask the previous owner (who applied the epoxy) his reason for the epoxy .
Steve

 

[EdgarCove]

Following my last post...I spoke to he previous owner and because the launch had not been in the water for several years... he was 'advised' to apply the epoxy. (and after he applied it...water still managed to get into the boat when launched).
I shall post another thread under the heading of West Epoxy....asking if its possible to apply epoxy onto existing epoxy.

 

[oldbloke]

To make the boat watertight, you either have to completely sheath the boat with epoxy and fibre or you have to completely fill the lands with resin glueing all the wood together.
Wheni I did my poor old nailsick wreck I spent many hours with a pressure washer and then a hacksaw blade getting decades of crud out from between the planks.
I had no practical alternative,but the danger is that the wood moves as it gains and loses water and if the planks can't move then the wood will cracked.
Evidently the previous owner didn't completely seal the boat.
Nevermind, it takes a lot of salt water to rot a boat. Keep the insides nice and dry while she is afloat and make sure she gets a good airing through the off season