Jobs to do and advice required

[Reptile Smile]

Hi all,

I suppose I'm going to have to stop calling my boat a 'project boat' as I've been sailing it up and down the Bristol Channel quite happily. Nevertheless, I have a few jobs left that I don't really have solutions to. I've put them in a video so you can see what I'm talking about...



So:

Knackered cleat

It's not so much the cleat that baffles me as how to install deck fittings so that they don't leak, and what to do with the holes from ones that have seen better days.

No gasket? Just some silicon, some pilot holes and some self-tapping screws? Then tighten slightly, allow to dry, then tighten up?

And how do I best fill holes elsewhere..?

Seagull

She's being much better behaved now - starting first time, no choke.

Nevertheless, it's been slightly embarrassing to note that she's been weeping fuel from the filler cap. I'm presuming that this is due to the tank being full, and the hot weather causing the fuel to expand. I've been leaving the breather screw a little open to compensate for this, but is this normal? Does it indicate that I should replace the cork washer under the filler cap?

Starboard winch

Is knackered, but I don't know whether it's just the pawls that are worn, or whether it just needs it's mounting bolt tightening. If it's the latter, I haven't the first idea of how to get to it. I don't mind buying new winches (am coping fine without them, but it's more for the look of the thing...) but still don't know how I can get to the mounting points..?

Port winch

Has been removed and the repair is a bit agricultural. How could I tidy this up? Does it need sanding? Re-glassing?

The winch seems fine (no wobbles like the starboard winch) - if I could work out how to mount it?

Also - homemade lazy jacks - possible? They don't seem that complex a proposition to me, unless I've missed something?

Finally, I'm getting closer to my plan to install a furling system to the foresail, but does that mean I sacrifice my ability to reef, in that I then don't have a spare halyard to run a smaller jib up the fore shroud? I could put one up, but it would get in the way of where the rolled up sail would be..?

All and any thoughts or advice very gratefully received, as ever...

 

[nickd]

Hi

Knackered cleat
Get a new one with the same mountings so that the holes match. Chances are if you try and fill the existing holes and make new ones you will either get an overlap of the holes and or weaken the area by too many holes. Whilst you are at it I would dremel out those gelcoat cracks and fill.
Once you have the holes drilled coutersink them and then put sikaflex around each hole such that it will get sqeezed into the countersink around the threads and seal it all. DO Not use self tappers use stainless countersunk set screws, self tappers will pull out.
Cant help with the seagull - sorry

Starboard winch
never seen one of those winches before but looking at the other I would guess that the mounting just needs tightening, see if you can replicate the problem on the port winch by slackening off the mounting whilst its on the ply base - if so just tighten it up. You must be able to get at the mounting points from the lockers undet the seats, you might need an extension bar on your socket.

Port winch
Ugly repair, I would say you need to remove it completely and see what the original damage was. I would guess you will need to reinforce the repair by glassing a piece of ply in thats much bigger(longer) than the hole so that it will transfer the winch stress onto the sound glass thats left. Then sand back to sound glass feathering the edges and build back up with as many layers of fibre as necessary.

Homemade lazy jacks
Not difficult have a wander around the other boats take some photos and scale up or down as necessary

Furling
Once furled your genny still uses the halyard as it remains hoisted. So you cant hoist a storm jib with that halyard.
You reef a furling genoa by partially furling it so you can reef it to any size you want. So the only time you would want to change your foresail would be to take it down and hoist a storm jib

Hope that helps

 

[maxcampbell]

Don't confuse furling with reefing. The cheapest system is a furler which just twiddles the luff wire of the sail - OK all in or all out, can't stop it half way.

Reefing needs a foil - see Dylan Winter's recent video on here of him fitting a Plastimo roller reefer.

If you fit a furler you will need a second halyard to hoist a small jib - or a way of disconnecting the furling drum from the deck fitting.

 

[macd]

Don't use silicon. Orrible stuff. As nickd wrote, the appropriate Sikaflex is much preferred.

 

[ianat182]

Assuming the foresail is normal sized jib and not a genoa I'd think that putting two sets of reefing points(slab reefing that is) in the mainsail would avoid the need to reduce the foresail area at all. Your boat looks to be about a 20footer?
The non-foil furling method using an upper and lower bearing and spool should have an all wire jib halyard fitted with a 6mm rope tail and a Talurit soft eye, then using a Highfield adjustable lever to tension the wire luff of the foresail every time it is hoisted, but it must be a wire luff to the jib to prevent stretch and because the halyard and jib luff become the forestay whilst sailing; the forestay is detached and refitted afterwards, when the jib and upper bearing are lowered and detached. It is a very good rig when coming up to moorings and the furl is done quickly by a single continuous 5mm cord to the spool, at deck level. The upper and lower bearings are clipped together and not removed but the halyard re-tensioned using the rope tail mentioned above.

Large dinghies like the Wayfarer often use this method and their sail area is pretty close to yours, so should be OK.


ianat182

 

[VicS]

CLEAT
I agree try to get the same sort of cleat agin if you can ... Looks like a YS one to me. If it is it will have the YS logo on the top

Yes bolt down with countersunk machine screws... Backing pads and penny washers under
Personally never had any problems with marine grade silicone but be sure it seals around the screws where they it pass through the deck moulding.

I often just fill old holes with car body filler topped off with white gelcoat filler. Anywhere critical I put a layer of glass mat inside as well

SEAGULL
You can get new washers for the cap (and the vent screw)
from John Williams at Saving Old Seagulls


WINCHES
Barton bottom handle winches. I think Similar to mine

If you undo the screw in the top it will all come apart. Take care because there are sprung pawls at the top and at the bottom.

Carefully lift the whole lot off the base then dismantle where you wont lose any bits.

Mine are mounted by 4 countersunk machine screws through the base. But yours seem to have a single central mounting. You will see once you get all the moving bits off the top. Not rocket science


LAZY JACKS
I have not needed them on a small boat in 30+ years!


FORESAIL REEFING/FURLING
Why not look at the small Plastimo system like Dylan Winter has just fitted to Katie L

 

[William_H]

Jobs to do

Buy a taper tap for 6mm and 4mm thread to suit the SS bolts you usually use. Not expensive and very useful. Or if like me I still use 3/16 and 1/4 whitworth screws so tap to suit.
If you find access to the under side difficult then in many cases the bolt into the tapped hole will be strong enough. If you need a nut under neath then tapping the hole and tightening the screw will hold it while you tighten the nut. No need for 2 people.
Winches are usually attached with screws through the base plate. You must dismantle the winch and all will be revealed. I had one set of winches wore out so that the main load bearing wore and the drum wobbled. This was OK but it did cause the pauls to let go and it would slip and not hold under load. That then required new winches. They had had a lot of work. Winches should be dismantled often like once or twice a season for lubrication and cleaning. Nothing to fear except losing the bits. I have been known to do it between tacks while beating.
I can see you really have a problem of access under the deck. Try to get a smaller more agile person to approach from cabin. Or fit a hatch or port at the back of the cockpit for the cleat and side hatches for the winch bolts. Either way you can't realistically own a boat where you can not access the inside of fittings especially rudder pintles and O/B bracket bolts.
I find it refreshing that you are using the boat even when it is not finished. That is good. Boats are for sailing not for prettying up. Although every one to their own hobby of course.
Don't rush to get a furler or roller reefing for the jib. I am known for championing individual jibs as I love to race and want performance but i know I stand alone in this opinion on this forum. Certainly contrary to other opinion you could not hope to use the boat always with full sized jib relying on mainsail reefing. You need to be able to reduce area of jib and main for any sort of safety and comfort. good luck olewill