Help needed to source fiberglass repair to hull

[Tranona]

Put your specs on and look again at the photo in post#12. It does indeed have a 6" teak toe rail/gunwhale/bulwark. Does not matter what you call it it is a huge bit of hardwood which leaks and is probably rotten. 38*150 sawn Iroko is around £20 a running metre and about 25m to do both sides. So £500 - almost as much as the boat cost!

Judging by the original photos of the rotten stern my guess is that once the rail is removed there won't be anything sound to fit the new one to. Ply topsides, ply deck, leaking toe rails, boat abandoned on mooring for 12 years equals rot.

 

[Daydream believer]

Put your specs on and look again

It was only a casual observation. I was not looking for a fight guv, honest

 

[Tranona]

That's OK. will be interesting to see what happens to the boat. Looks like (apart from the horrible deck) it could have been a handy bit of kit in its day.

 

[Revellers]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is a "toe gun rail"?

Sorry its a typo toe rail or gun rail. I'm not up to speed with all the names.
It's the top lenght of timber that joins the deck to the topside of the hulls super structure. I think that's the correct term but please feel free to correct me.
I'm still learning.

 

[Revellers]

That's OK. will be interesting to see what happens to the boat. Looks like (apart from the horrible deck) it could have been a handy bit of kit in its day.

Hi thanks for taking interest.
Yes your correct with what your observations
The the deck is fibre glass with a solid wood core I'll post a pic a bit later when I'm on my laptop.
The motors a bukh dv20 sail drive.
I do a have a bit of background with boats. I've 4 at the moment
A sabre 27 mk1 mold number 12 over in Spain
A Bruce roberts norwest 34 Wales
Gentlemans classic 33ft selby
And this one
I'm a gutten for punishment.
Just trying to get down to 2 now.

 

[Daydream believer]

Hi thanks for taking interest.
Yes your correct with what your observations
The the deck is fibre glass with a solid wood core I'll post a pic a bit later when I'm on my laptop.
The motors a bukh dv20 sail drive.
I do a have a bit of background with boats. I've 4 at the moment
A sabre 27 mk1 mold number 12 over in Spain
A Bruce roberts norwest 34 Wales
Gentlemans classic 33ft selby
And this one
I'm a gutten for punishment.
Just trying to get down to 2 now.

And out of that how many can actually be used right now without any further work?

 

[Revellers]

And out of that how many can actually be used right now without any further work?
[/QUOTE

The norwest and the Sabre

Bought the norwest in april to sail down to spain and the maybe further i have a mooring there

and the sabre is good to go now ive put in some hours on her the head sail is sorted out now also.

not buying anymore just want to finish what ive strarted and get down to one hopefully a cat i think them 9mt catalec look good .

maybe a project cat would be good

 

[Revellers]

heres the top side of the ex racer as promised

i think she looks worse than she is

new ply super structure / toe rails/ cockpit lockers/ oh dear the list is going to go on and on

i would like to say in one of the pics we were scraping the hull as she hadnt moved for 12yrs all there was a slimey film .gosport bouy she was on , that copper coat anti foul is amzing

 

[Revellers]

 

[pvb]

heres the top side of the ex racer as promised

i think she looks worse than she is

I don't! It's a wreck.

 

[V1701]

1. Boats in that sort of condition cost more to repair/fix up/make usable than it would cost to buy one that is ready to use.

2. If (and it's a big if) they do come to fruition at all they also tend to cause their owners a lot of stress in addition to all the expense and time (we are talking years).

3. You need to get more realistic, the best thing you could do would be to try to sell the other 3 boats & enjoy your Sabre 27 (nice wee boats in my opinion). If that boat proves too small, sell it as well and buy a boat (one boat) that's good to go.

Good luck to you...

 

[Daydream believer]

[QUOTE="Revellers,]

[/QUOTE]
Re bottom picture
Jib looks suspect. Running rigging is not in the best of condition, Furler may well be past its sell by date. Teak toe rail could need attention. Is the nav light supposed to be pulpit mounted? if so it seems missing. Underside of the hatch is very mucky- what does that say for the rest of the inside? & that is from a single photo that I cannot enlarge very much
Hmmm. close inspection does not quite look so good, does it. A coat of white paint over everything can hide a host of issues.
Flog/dump the lot & start again with a boat that you can actually sail.

 

[Revellers]

1. Boats in that sort of condition cost more to repair/fix up/make usable than it would cost to buy one that is ready to use.

2. If (and it's a big if) they do come to fruition at all they also tend to cause their owners a lot of stress in addition to all the expense and time (we are talking years).

3. YoIu need to get more realis8tic, the best thing you could do would be to try to sell the other 3 boats & enjoy your Sabre 27 (nice wee boats in my opinion). If that boat proves too small, sell it as well and buy a boat (one boat) that's good to go.

Good luck to you...

 

[Revellers]

Hi yes I think that your correct in what your saying.
I think I'm just a bit too stubborn or stupid. Maybe both.
Im going to crack on with the sailboat and see where I'm at in a months time.
Thanks for the advice. I've taken it on board.

 

[Rappey]

I think most the forum has made their thoughts clear . But as I often say, some of us enjoy rebuilding boats. It's a hobby ! Many men in boatyards have rebuilt boats, they are painted and varnished yet never go out on them. Keeps them busy and an alternative to the allotment shed.
From re reading this thread it's possible only that rear quarter is shot? For all we know the rest might be salvageable and the interior ok ?
I think Revellers has stayed very positive considering how blunt some comments have been though some have made good suggestions on ways to repair.
I hope Revellers keeps posting what he finds and progress made.

 

[Tranona]

Not sure what you have is a Norwest 34, which I think is a variation of a Bruce Roberts 34. The bow and stern is very different and that deck and double spreader rig is again totally different from any other variation of the BR 34 hull.

Is the area of the hull that has the blue stripe on it plywood all the way along as it seems to be at the stern? If so it seems that whoever built it took a hull from a different boat and to avoid building a deck and coachroof raised the topsides and then added the nearly flush deck. That deck would be quite easy to mould in GRP as a one off compared with a deck and coachroof. You say it has a wood core - do you mean balsa or plywood?

As I suggested you really need to get an expert opinion on the condition of the boat and how it was constructed before you start trying to do anything with it. Whoever built it clearly spent a lot of money as that rig and deck gear suggest a serious offshore racing boat of the period (1970's/80s). Such boats tend to be driven hard and poorly maintained with little attention paid to longevity.

Even if the hull and deck are sufficiently sound to justify repairs to the rotten wood, refurbishing the rest of the boat will eat money. Replacing the standing rigging for example will cost 2 or 3 times as much as you have spent already. The engine is woefully underpowered for a cruising boat, although adequate for a racing boat. However if there is anything wrong with it, parts cost a fortune and there is not an easy replacement. I could go on, but I guess you will have got the picture - this is not a boat for the faint hearted or those on a tight budget . Even with a good budget the boat will never justify the expenditure - old worn out racing boats make poor cruisers and are pretty much worthless in the market as there is nowhere for them to race.

I tend to agree with those who suggest you break it up and sell all the gear - you might be lucky and find the keel is lead! That will get your money back and more which you could use to buy a more suitable functioning boat to take down to Spain, with a good chance of actually getting there safely.

 

[Revellers]

I think most the forum has made their thoughts clear . But as I often say, some of us enjoy rebuilding boats. It's a hobby ! Many men in boatyards have rebuilt boats, they are painted and varnished yet never go out on them. Keeps them busy and an alternative to the allotment shed.
From re reading this thread it's possible only that rear quarter is shot? For all we know the rest might be salvageable and the interior ok ?
I think Revellers has stayed very positive considering how blunt some comments have been though some have made good suggestions on ways to repair.
I hope Revellers keeps posting what he finds and progress made.

yes im with you on this one Rappey i will keep posting. im learning so many skills is unreal.
for what ive seen its just the rear quarter and the toe rails cockpit hatches need sorting also there made from 18mm ply
internal needs a full refit also,
im just learning about posting on the forum also i would to thank everyones input.

 

[Revellers]

Not sure what you have is a Norwest 34, which I think is a variation of a Bruce Roberts 34. The bow and stern is very different and that deck and double spreader rig is again totally different from any other variation of the BR 34 hull.

Is the area of the hull that has the blue stripe on it plywood all the way along as it seems to be at the stern? If so it seems that whoever built it took a hull from a different boat and to avoid building a deck and coachroof raised the topsides and then added the nearly flush deck. That deck would be quite easy to mould in GRP as a one off compared with a deck and coachroof. You say it has a wood core - do you mean balsa or plywood?

As I suggested you really need to get an expert opinion on the condition of the boat and how it was constructed before you start trying to do anything with it. Whoever built it clearly spent a lot of money as that rig and deck gear suggest a serious offshore racing boat of the period (1970's/80s). Such boats tend to be driven hard and poorly maintained with little attention paid to longevity.

Even if the hull and deck are sufficiently sound to justify repairs to the rotten wood, refurbishing the rest of the boat will eat money. Replacing the standing rigging for example will cost 2 or 3 times as much as you have spent already. The engine is woefully underpowered for a cruising boat, although adequate for a racing boat. However if there is anything wrong with it, parts cost a fortune and there is not an easy replacement. I could go on, but I guess you will have got the picture - this is not a boat for the faint hearted or those on a tight budget . Even with a good budget the boat will never justify the expenditure - old worn out racing boats make poor cruisers and are pretty much worthless in the market as there is nowhere for them to race.

I tend to agree with those who suggest you break it up and sell all the gear - you might be lucky and find the keel is lead! That will get your money back and more which you could use to buy a more suitable functioning boat to take down to Spain, with a good chance of actually getting there safely.

no its not a norwest 34 i have just bought one this year a solid grp version the price was too good to miss. but thats on the hard in north wales dunno what im going to do with that shes a lovley boat needs a bit of tlc but over all shes ready to go. the previous owner looked after her.

this one though i havent got a clue about. the previous owner just said she used to be a racing boat

as for the deck thers fiberglass over plywood

hull and deck seem sound .will remove the teak toe rail and replace iroko unless you know of any better ?

ive been quoted £40 per lenght 4;2 mts will need 5 intotal
9mm marine ply which runs all the way around apart from the stern £ 40 per 8x4 sheet timber yard in hull

as for the dv20 ive bought 2 of them 2nd hand as i got caught out on a sabre27 with a dv10 bought in menorca and had to replace the head. refurbished head t norris £850

i understand about the rigging but what ever boat i buy it will have to be done at some point

my mooring is in torreviaje spain and am thinking about using this vessel as my floating caravan down there with the odd day.or 2 day cruise,

its took me a while to find out what i want to go crusing pn and im interested in a 10mt catalac catamaran im a few years away from that though

heres the only internal pics i have at the mo youll have to excuse my selfie in this tho its me on a good day though haha

 

[Revellers]

just come across these .ive also renamed the boat Popcorn
these were the pics i was shown to buy her when i got there thought ??????

 

[Tranona]

Makes more sense that it has a sheathed ply deck, but only rings more alarm bells as that highlights the big cause for concern which is the joints between the wood and the GRP parts of the hull and particularly between the deck and the hull. Expect when you take that teak covering strake/toerail off you will find rot in the beamshelf and the ply of the deck and the hull. (40 years of owning a ply boat!). The photo of the inside of the forepeak showing the construction is helpful and adds to concerns about its integrity.

On wood - yes you may be able to buy Iroko cheaper, the price I quoted was retail for new high quality timber. However even basic marine ply is twice the price you have been quoted and really good stuff 4 times!

You won't be able to take the boat to Spain and keep it there as a floating caravan without importing it and paying VAT. Plenty of legal floating caravans for sale in Spain for a fraction of the cost of fixing this boat.