Winter project Relcraft 23 f/b

RobWales

RobWales

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Gran Canaria
www.3ksengineering.com
Well I'm pleased to report that it arrived safely, though the poor driver had an horrendous trip from Essex to Wales what with accidents and the terrible weather!
Had a bit of a surprise when he eventualy arrived at 6.30pm last night it looked a lot bigger on the trailer than I had expected! (Yep I took an educated punt and bought it unseen).....
My hiab man had been waiting for an hour and half to unload from the trailer because when the boat was just 10miles away the M4 had been closed due to a lorry being blown over!!! The winds here yesterday were very bad and I had visions of a phonecall all day saying that the boat had blown over en-route!
And when it did arrive my hiab man said.......we aint going to get that off and onto your cradle in here!!! oops, mild panic set in at this point..
Anyway with a little head scratching we did manage to get her off the trailer and onto the cradle,though the hiab boom was scraping the lights above!!!!
Here it/she is in her winter home for the next six months while I carry out a full refurb, must say I'm delighted with what I've seen so far, a very heavily laid up boat and in better condition than I was expecting, gelcoat has a few dings and scrapes but overall I'm convinced it will come good given some tlc....
Anyway I'll update on this thread as work moves forward...
Rob..... ;););)
 

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She looks very nice Rob. The transport yesterday must have been somewhat traumatic, so good result in the end. I'm looking forward to reading the refurb thread. Good luck. :)
 
SP2 said:
Looks like a good project, Rob. Is she a "do up and keep" or a "do up and sell"?

Is there a lot to be done and what powers her?
Click to expand...

Hi Mike,
In answer to the 1st Q?
I have a habit of saying "right I'm keeping this one" however it never seems to pan out that way!
Though having had a damn good look over it on Sunday and getting a feel for what it has to offer in relation to what I want to use it for, I suspect that this could well turn out to be a keeper......
Powered by an AD41 VP running through a 290 outdrive, is there a lot to do? I guess it could be used as is but me being me then yes there is a lot to do...
Watch this space as the refurb progresses.
Rob.
 
Quick update

Having spent the last couple of weekends crawling all over the relcraft project I thought it time to give a quick update on progress so far......

90% of deck fittings now removed, some star crazing found in places but in general the original gel is very good, also looking at the grp thickness through the now open fixing holes these were very well laid up craft, plenty of original gelcoat remaining also, so big hopes when it comes to cut n polish!

Ripped the carpet tiles out to discover the ply floor to be rotten so the floor and bearers which were attached to the stringers have been removed, seems that the anchor well drained through the bilges right back to the stern, all well and good if a piped drain but nope! Standing water had done the damage!
All headlinings,cabin linings also removed as there was evidence of water ingress everywhere with again the ply backings having rotted in a lot of areas!...a proverbial sieve!

Interesting job removing the windlass which is an old Maxwell unit, thanks to an impact driver! anyway safe to say it's totally knakered, motor casing rotted through, all of the aluminium on gearcase is 50% dissolved and for what it would cost in spares I'm suspecting it's scrap!

Other things I've found/discovered....

Cabin entry doors...rotten
Windows...suprisingly good condition which is a result as when trying to remove the port side unit to reseal,even after removing all fixing screws it would not budge...I suspect they have been out within the last few years as there looks to be lots of good condition white Sikaflex type adhesive/sealant holding them tight...so they are staying put. (no evidence of windows having leaked at all but thought it prudent to remove and reseal,so decided against)...
Water ingress looks to have come from the added flybridge moulding's bolt holes,plus a couple of other unsealed additions.
Electrics are a total mess, all wiring to flybridge underdash looks like a plate of spagetti....!
Hull below waterline is sound...
Outdrive is excellent (from a visual point)...
Engine...well it's there and looks ok, but will be removed to enable work to be done, plus a bilge makeover to do...

So all in all so far....no hidden horror's except the windlass! still early days and plenty to do but I'm more than happy that I've purchased a strong boat that gives me confidence moving forward.

2 pics attached, phone cam sorry, couple of stern cleats, radar arch and grab handles to fly still to be removed....

Will update once progress made.

Cheers, Rob.
 

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Thanks for the update Rob. Good to hear that she is basically sound. Wet wood is not a recipe for longevity, and probably all wood will need replacing, but I'm sure you will have learned a lot from Vas's thread? :)
 
rafiki_ said:
Thanks for the update Rob. Good to hear that she is basically sound. Wet wood is not a recipe for longevity, and probably all wood will need replacing, but I'm sure you will have learned a lot from Vas's thread? :)
Click to expand...

Yes rafiki I would estimate that at least 80% of the timber in the cabin will be coming out, no big problem as it was my initail intention to fully refurb in there anyway! Seems that all of the GRP encapsulated timber below deck level is good.
And in ref to Vas....when ever I think oh b*ll*cks I was hoping to get away with that I think of the photo's Vas has posted and think...I ain't got a problem :)
 
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Looks good already Rob,
tbh i would try to remove windows and re-bed on Butyl tape then rather than take windows to bits, cut a bead out of sealer between glass and frame and reseal with good marine sealer. Have used this process on my boat and no leaks from windows.
Look forward to further updates, this i feel will turn into an absolute cracking craft with your attention to detail.

Best wishes Geoff
 
xr3i said:
Looks good already Rob,
tbh i would try to remove windows and re-bed on Butyl tape then rather than take windows to bits, cut a bead out of sealer between glass and frame and reseal with good marine sealer. Have used this process on my boat and no leaks from windows.
Look forward to further updates, this i feel will turn into an absolute cracking craft with your attention to detail.

Best wishes Geoff
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Thanks for the kind words Geoff, believe me if I could have got the frames out I would have!...whatever has been used on them is determined to remain there, I tried all ways but unless I want to buckle and kink the frames they are staying put!....I do intend on running a decent sealing bead around all areas at some stage but this can wait until a later date!....lots to do prior...:)
 
RobWales said:
Yes rafiki I would estimate that at least 80% of the timber in the cabin will be coming out, no big problem as it was my initail intention to fully refurb in there anyway! Seems that all of the GRP encapsulated timber below deck level is good.
And in ref to Vas....when ever I think oh b*ll*cks I was hoping to get away with that I think of the photo's Vas has posted and think...I ain't got a problem :)
Click to expand...

I don't know if I should be flattered guys :p
Good to see that you use MiToS as the worst case scenario that gives you strength to go on :D (tbh, never thought of that when I started the rebuilt thread)
Reminds me the story I was told during July in Seville (awfully hot!). When a heatwave hits Spain, the journalists have extended reports on the temps in Seville (also known as the frying pan of Spain) where temps regularly reach 47-48 so that the rest of the Spaniards feel better with the 42-44 they're experiencing :D
Pain relativity I'd call it!

Rob, looking good indeed, having a solid grp shell, removing floors, bulkheads, doors et al is nothing, you should be clear and ready to start rebuilding in a few weeks, so go on!

cheers

V.
 
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Not much to add Rob other than I too am watching with interest. I can't contribute much advice as I've not done mine yet, but it sounds like you have a plan anyway and on that basis all I'd say is that if you think a job needs doing then do it! From what I've uncovered, short-cuts and boat repairs seem to be mutually exclusive. The old saying of do it right and do it once has somehow never seemed more appropriate. :D

The Relcraft certainly looks like a good find and by refurbishing completely you can modernise and tweak various aspects to better suit your needs. I think the the big plus of these sort of projects is that you get to do the modifications that perhaps you would otherwise like to, but are reluctant to tackle. Either because it involves pulling out perfectly good interior or simply a wish list item that you never quite get around to! There's no excuse when it all has to come out anyway and I personally find that blank canvas thing is quite inspiring. Well, at least that's what I keep trying to convince myself with mine... :rolleyes:

Looking forward to some interior pics too...
 
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