Lets all learn from my negligence

[Adam]

OK, so I thought that I could leave the cotter pins out of the turnbuckles until I decided to go back out to the boat and tune the mast at a latter date. The good news is I don't have to worry about finding time to tune the mast. The bad news....I have no mast left. The port side turnbuckles walked them selves out from the screws and the mast frll. But not before snapping the bolts holding the step to the deck and doing some moderate structural damage to the fiberglass.

I'm starting to become depressed again and I think the seditives are warring off. What I really came here to find out is advice on how I should go about repairing the deck and structural integrity of the cabin in order to put a new mast on this boat. A Typhoon. I hear about the West system. Never worked with it. Are there other things out there to use that will be better? I would like to stay away from compression posts down into the cabin. There's not much room down there to begin with. Any advise would be helpful. Turning me onto any books on how to use fiberglass and repair that you might have found educational will help since I would like to keep cost down and do the repair my self. It looks as though I will at least have to cut away the area ofr the base of the step and go from there. I had noted some wood rot probing the bolt holes so I may even have to cut back wven more. Well got to go. My next therapy session for this most recent of stupid human tricks starts in 15 nunutes.

PS. Don't forget to lock your turnbuckles.



azazz@ix.netcom.com

[Duncan Maio]

Adam:
Get yourself a copy of This Old Boat, a circular saw and a grinder, and the West System fiberglass repair manual, and just go for it. I would cut/grind off the glass around the step to see how much damage was done to the deck core and any structural members. Whether the repair is large or small, the process is fairly straightforward once you get started. The key, of course, is to follow the directions and not skip any steps or take any shortcuts. West makes that pretty easy, and their technical support is, I understand, pretty good.

Good luck.



dmaio@worldnet.att.net

[Kim]

And if you need a spar: Rig-Rite Inc., 63 Centerville Rd., Warwick RI, 02886; (401) 739-1140 has Spartin (aka Cape Dory) spars.



Williwaw28@aol.com

[Geoff]

Adam;

I'm well acquainted with the special variety of despair associated with self-inflicted disasters...Last November, in the process of delivering my boat from the North of Michigan, I missed the fact that the wind had tossed a gennie sheet in the water, and violently fouled my prop in a harbour two days' sail from home port. Took off half the starboard teak cowling and cleat, and sheared all four engine mounts, moving the engine back 8 inches and aborting the mission. (Sigh...this is how we learn, n'est ce pas?)

More to the point, I second Duncan's advice. Don Casey's "This Old Boat" gives you pretty idiot-proof advice on glasswork. I'd also recommend Dan Spurr's "Upgrading the Cruising Sailboat" for more info on same. As a side-note, if you like working with wood, Larry Pardey gives you step-by-step instructions for making your own wooden mast in "Self-Sufficient Sailor" Way-cheap, and when you're done would look quite yachty. Good luck, and don't beat yourself up too much!

Geoff Safron



Brainstorm@Unidial.com

[Neil Gordon]

Duncan,

Haven't looked in the lot lately... are you still on the hard? If you are still at Marina Bay, stop by (I-13) and say hello!


Neil



103355.34@compuserve.com

[john churchill]

OK, so I thought that I could leave the cotter pins out of the turnbuckles until I decided to go back out to the boat and tune the mast at a latter date. The good news is I don't have to worry about finding time to tune the mast. The bad news....I have no mast left. The port side turnbuckles walked them selves out from the screws and the mast frll. But not before snapping the bolts holding the step to the deck and doing some moderate structural damage to the fiberglass.

I'm starting to become depressed again and I think the seditives are warring off. What I really came here to find out is advice on how I should go about repairing the deck and structural integrity of the cabin in order to put a new mast on this boat. A Typhoon. I hear about the West system. Never worked with it. Are there other things out there to use that will be better? I would like to stay away from compression posts down into the cabin. There's not much room down there to begin with. Any advise would be helpful. Turning me onto any books on how to use fiberglass and repair that you might have found educational will help since I would like to keep cost down and do the repair my self. It looks as though I will at least have to cut away the area ofr the base of the step and go from there. I had noted some wood rot probing the bolt holes so I may even have to cut back wven more. Well got to go. My next therapy session for this most recent of stupid human tricks starts in 15 nunutes.

PS. Don't forget to lock your turnbuckles.

fiberglass work is actually very easy to do good and strong with epoxy. the hard part of course is getting it to look decent. things get much easier with practice. the boat itself is not a great spot for a first try. SYSTEM THREE sells a $10 sample kit that is great. see if there is a dead boat out in the yard that the managers will let you experiment on, then punch a hole in it and fix it. everything is in their book, that comes with the kit. points covered that seem especially important are extra coats of resin to fill the weave of the cloth and fairing with a readily sandable mix (plain epoxy is quite hard when it comes to sanding. good luck and don't hesitate to call if you have problems, i've got a fair amount of epoxy/fg experience.
john churchill (757)547-7714



jchurchill@erols.com