Wooden Wayfarer Dinghy repairs

[andy1]

Can anyone help with some advice on repairs to our wooden wayfarer dinghy. We are new to this and have two problems.
Firstly the ply has started to delaminate at the bottom of the transom where it meets the hull and on the hull where it meets the transom. Water has obviously got into the joint. On the transom the outer laminate of the ply has come away to approx 100mm from the hull joint. I have cut this off clean at solid wood.The other laminates look fine.
The outer laminate of the hull has also come away by the same amount and has also been cut back by the same amount where it becomes solid. The remaining laminates at the end of the hull ply show some minor deterioration about 10-15mm in but still appear solid.
Secondly the joint on the wooden mast has begun to open up and needs regluing. Prior to trying any glue I have attempted to close the joint with normal carpentry clamps but cannot get it to close tightly the last 2-3mm remains stubbornly open.
Any advice on what to do next gratefully received.

 

[Kelpie]

Localised ply repairs can be scarfed in. The main thing to do is make sure end grain is always well sealed- epoxy is your friend here. Epoxy always needs a UV barrier (varnish or paint).
If your boat is going to have a paint finish on the hull then I suppose you could take the easier route of using filler to make repairs- much easier than scarfing in a piece of wood.
Not sure what to do about the mast- mine is aluminium. Are you sure the 2mm gap isn't supposed to be filled with glue? There's no point glueing something together when it's under such a strain, it sounds like it would be trying to open up again all the time.

The Wayfarer assoc have a good forum but you have to be a member to post there.

 

[Alfie168]

I reglued a wooden Enterprise mast that sprang apart, and you just have to close and clamp it as best you can....mind you this was in mid 70s so I can;t even remember the glue...it was a resin powder mixed with water..cascamite possibly.

What I would also do is put your feelers out for a cheap 2nd hand metal mast/boom when you can afford it, and just wait until one comes along that you can afford. One will turn up eventually, and you can get higher tensions on them that make the boat sail quite a bit 'sharper' as long as the deck fittings are sound and well secured......yes I managed to pull fittings out of my Enterprise wooden mast...and deck..(mast fell down at Porthdinllaen..towed back to Nefyn by nice man in cruising catamaran 1979) by trying to ape the 'fast boys' with unsuitable rig tensions

As to the transom, well I made a right royal mess of my old Ent transom with filler I'm ashamed to say ( I was only 19 m'lud). I'd stand back and look at the overall condition of the boat and ask myself if the boat was worthy of being repaired properly. Its always nice to see things done right, but you have to do the cost/benefit thing. If you are not into woodwork a timeserved local chippy might do a reasonable scarf joint for you..perhaps someone who repairs antique wooden windows.

Just a few thoughts. Good luck, Wayfarers are great

Tim

 

[Lakesailor]

"filler" should be epoxy resin with a bulker, preferably wood dust as the micro balls and other plastics make a rather runny mess. I made many repairs to frame ends and joints on my Heron using this method. If you need to make a mould use parcel tape with the shiny side against the epoxy as this will detach easily. Don't overfill the reapir on the basis you can rub it down like car filler because it is the hardest material you will ever attack with sandpaper.
Scarfing a piece in can be made easier by using a combination of wood fillet and the epoxy filler. Even if the joint is not perfect the epoxy will be stronger than the wood anyway.
Dry the hull out for a month or so. It must be snuff-dry. Use some epoxy resin without fillers to soak into the wood and then the thickened epoxy on top of it. You can use the same batch starting with it unthickened and adding the bulker when you've put the first coating of thin resin on.
Use a slow-cure boat-building epoxy resin to give yourself 20 minutes or so working time.

 

[ianat182]

You say that the laminations are rotten,so I think you could do well to obtain some mahogany veneer of the same thickness and thoroughly soak with epoxy resin,replacing the laminations using filler as necessary.
As these repairs are located aft I would back up the repair from the interior of the buoyancy by epoxying all of the interior too and especially close to the drain holes/tubing there.
As regards the mast seam, a tapered piece of veneer epoxied ,inserted and clamped would make an easier repair to the split seam.

An old National 12 I had inherited long ago had the same problem of rot at the stern,and I had to cut the full 5 inches of the hull length and lap into a new teak transom(clinker), but using the Cascamite glue in those days. It all held together for 5 years too!

ianat182

 

[Silent Lady]

Glue's

Alot of the old wooden masts / boats were made using Cascamite wood glue .. After a number of years it appears to revert back to its powder form and fall apart ..

 

[lw395]

Lots of good info on the CVDRA website (classic and vintage dinghy racing ass'n) and the WEST epoxy site.

 

[Lakesailor]

I wouldn't recommend epoxying both sides of old ply. Any trapped moisture will not be able to get out.
Even old laminate layers can be restored using epoxy as a thin resin. It uses the flaky wood as a matrix to set and you have a tough composite material left.

 

[Wunja]

Probably all you need to know is in here: Mike's Wooden Wayfarer Restoration Manual

 

[andy1]

Wayfarer repairs thanks

Many thanks to all who offered advice, lots of good information