Is it safe to put this in the water?

[Gabriel1972]

Hello everyone!
My fiancé and I just bought a Typhoon (our first sailboat) and we are anxious to get it on the water (Puget Sound). We bought the boat in Idaho where it has been sailed in fresh water for the last twenty years. There are some issues below the waterline, and I am hoping I can get some feedback on whether or not this boat is fit to put in the water now.


In this photo you can see the keel has been rubbed down to the glass, as well there is some damage to the rudder's edges. My question is, is it safe to put this in the water now and fix these issues this fall, or do these things need to be fixed now?

[Ben Miller]

Congrats on the new-to-you Typhoon! I gather the previous owners sailed it on a very shallow lake?

I don't have any helpful advice, but here are my two cents anyhow: That damage doesn't look like a safety issue to me, although you should give the rudder a close inspection to make sure it isn't about to fall off or fail in some way. You will definitely get some extra marine growth on those raw glass areas, and might also potentially be inviting future problems by soaking a bare keel in the water. That can lead to moisture soaking its way into the glass and possibly blisters. Or maybe not, I'm not an expert enough to say. If you can spare an afternoon it might benefit your peace of mind to buy a quart of bottom paint and coat the raw areas before launching.

[Frenchy]

Yes, that's a pretty boat. You'll have a lot of fun with her, I bet. As Ben said, you might get some marine growth on
those unprotected areas, but otherwise I wouldn't worry about it. That's not bare fiberglass, by the way - it's gelcoat-
and you shouldn't have to worry about blisters. If it were my boat, I would abrade the existing bottom paint, which
was meant for fresh water probably, and repaint with a marine ablative. If you can, try to find out what paint the previous
owner used so you can get something compatible to go over it. - Good luck, Jean

[Gabriel1972]

Thank you both so much for your replies. I really wanted to get some time on the water this summer, and I am very glad to hear that I should be able to do that. I will get this painted with some ablative bottom paint and 'hopefully' get her in the water this weekend!

[Steve Laume]

Wiggle that rudder around a bit to see if there is excessive wear in the shoe. This should not be a safety issue but is something you should determine before you do too much more to that area.

How long is it going to take to sand down to clean glass and gel coat? I would do that and lay on a coat of epoxy with some glass cloth around the rudder shoe as it looks like it has moved. It's that crack, all the way around the shoe that would bother me. Sealing the raw glass and putting some bottom paint on that area isn't going to take you all summer. Do it now and enjoy the boat, knowing you are not goin to be growing a little forest on the bottom of the keel and rudder.

You might miss one weekend or sailing, Steve.

[Gabriel1972]

Thank you for the reply, I angle grinded down to the fiberglass and epoxied some glass around the boot. When it cures I'll throw some filler on the whole thing. The boot was pretty solid and appears to be secured through the keel with two brass pins.

[Dick Villamil]

Glad you filled in the crack - also you need to add a layer of glass and epoxy along the edge of the rudder since it is laminated in 2 halves and add a layer of resin and glass on the bottom of the keel just to seal the existing hull to prevent water from wicking into the laminate. Then sail for the rest of the season. Then do a major inspection and preventative repair on the rudder and bottom of the keel. You certainly do not want water to wick into the fiberglass then freeze over the winter making a slush out of the original fiberglass.

[Gabriel1972]

Putting this in the water today!

[Bill Goldsmith]

Looks like a really nice Ty. Just saw this thread. FYI, some of those abrasions go deeper than gel coat, so I would consider applying a couple of coats of epoxy as a barrier coat before bottom painting. Hope that helps.

[Gabriel1972]

Thank you! I glassed the. edge of the rudder and the boot, hit everything else with fairing compound and applied epoxy over that. Painted the hull with ablative and she's in the water now.
Hopefully I can find a slip, because it was a pain to launch at the ramp here. We launched her at midnight last night to avoid Friday traffic and full moon madness. Stepped the mast, and had to pretty much submerge my truck to get her deep enough to float.
Anyway, now I'm trying to figure out how to attach the boom :/

[Ben Miller]

Congrats! Yes, launching a Typhoon calls for a deep ramp, a long trailer extension, or both. Or a willingness to get the launch vehicle pretty wet.

If your boom is set up like most Tys, the gooseneck fitting slips into the sail track on the mast.

[Gabriel1972]

Found a slip today, so I never have to trailer again (well, not for a while anyway)

[tjr818]

Congratulations and Thank You for saving another wonderful Ty.

[Dick Villamil]

Nice looking photo - make a large print then frame it so you can think about such a nice boat all winter when it is covered. You made the rudder and bottom safe - nice job! Congratulations on your success with such a great sailing Ty - I really like mine!