Clearing the Deck

I think we mentioned in a earlier post that we were considering flipping the boat upside down to work on the bottom.  Others have done this http://2842j24.blogspot.com/2009/08/bottom-fairing.html, and it looks like it could make working on the bottom of the boat a lot easier, both to do, and on our shoulders.  We've talked with Doug M who has some experience in getting his J/22 from the horizontal position back upright, so we are planning to give this a shot (more about  how in a later post).  But before we can flip the ol' boat, we need to clear the deck.  So this past weekend, we took off all the hardware that (1) either we weren't going to use anyway, or (2) would get in the way when we go to flip her.  This included all the stanchion bases, bow and stern pulpits, and a variety of other hardware.  Below is a picture of 2762 ready to roll!

The remaining question is once it is flipped, where should the support beams be placed?  There is a nice flat spot fight at the stern (aft of the lazarettes) that we think would work for support at the back.  Our main concern is up near the front.  The deck curves, and we are not sure how best to support the full weight of the keel.  Another option is to take off the entire main hatch (slide and cover) and build a post to help support the weight of the keel directly.  But we still need to choose where to locate a cross beam on the bow.  In addition, I think we will build some small supports to hold up the gunnels of the boat right where the bulkhead attaches, as that will both help to support the weight of the keel, and provide some side-to-side stability.  Feel free to add suggestions!

The Trailer Pads are Done (almost)

Several posts back we talked about making the new brackets and pads for the trailer we are refurbishing for this boat.  The plywood pads were painted and prepped, and then we used 1/4" stainless carriage (or step) bolts and stainless nylock nuts to bolt the brackets to the pads.  Here is what they looked like with the hardware on.

After that, we discussed a couple of options for padding.  One was the double D rubber dock fender molding http://www.taylormadeproducts.com/dockprod.html, and while nice, the price on this material just wasn't going to work.  Next option was to use some of the trailer bunk board material, which once again seemed like it would work just fine, but was a bit pricey for what you get.  After thinking about it some, we decided to use some indoor/outdoor BeauLieu Perfection Gray carpet from Home Depot (SKU #591529).  At ~$0.60/sq ft, the price was just right. While it isn't the softest material, it should work fine for the boat, at least for now.  Ended up using a hot glue gun to glue it down, just along the edges.  We didn't want any water to get trapped behind the carpet being held there by glue beads.

Used some clamps to make sure we were getting good tight adhesion to the edges of the pads.  Here are a couple of the final pads with the carpet glued on.  So the Trailer Pad and Bracket project is almost complete.  Just have to go out and mount them to the trailer posts.

Few More Blister Pictures

Here are just a few more blister pictures, a little closer up.  If you look closely, you'll notice that we did not even get all of them.  So, I think after much thought, a little angst, and some trepidation, we have decided that we need to strip all of the gelcoat off, and then recoat the bottom.

 

So the question of the day has become, what tools do we use to strip the bottom.  I've read on several of the forums, that you can use a large disk sander, but that seems like an awful lot of work with some real potential for lots of "Whoops!"  There is a tool called a marine shaver http://www.paintshaver.com/marineshaver.html that looks up to the task, but at $600-$800 seems a bit too much for this project.  So, we are seriously considering using a 3 1/4" planer.  The Makita KP0800K http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/Tools/ToolDetails.aspx?ID=316422 , the Dewalt DW680K http://www.dewalt.com/tools/woodworking-hand-planers-dw680k.aspx is another option.  Both of these are being considered, because they are reasonably priced, and if we mess up the tool in the process we are not out a lot of money.  So that is the plan at the moment.

Ultimately, we'll peel off the gelcoat and outer glass layer, then we'll wet out with epoxy, apply filler, fair, filler, fair (until it is smooth), and then we'll come back over it with 6-8 coats of Interlux Interprotect 2000 or some barrier coat.

Starting to Work on the Bottom

After getting the boat out of the water, we started sanding the bottom of the boat.  The boat had some sort of ablative anti-fouling paint on it, and then what looks to be Interlux 2000 under that.  We knew the boat had blisters, but I didn't fully appreciate how many.  Once we started getting into the job, more and more of these little blisters started appearing. here are a couple of before and after pictures.

After slaving away with some 40 grit sandpaper on both orbital and belt sanders, Peter suggested that we try his pressure washer.  I was quite skeptical that it would do anything to the epoxy paint, but thought it might help with getting the rest of the ablative anti-fouling paint off.  So we lugged it up there, and gave it a shot.

I was very surprised to see the pressure washer strip off not only the interlux 2000 epoxy paint, but also start to blow off the gel-coat where the blisters were.  It didn't seem to affect the gel-coat in areas that were blister free, but in those areas were we had blisters, it just got up under the gel-coat and took it right off.  I was really amazed.  Peter tells me the secret is in the nozzle, and he is using a version of this roto-blaster type nozzle, and it is incredible.  Needless to say, it is a TON easier than trying to sand all of this stuff off.  The only dilemma a this point is, should we take off all of the gel-coat, and the start from there.  Not sure I want to try messing with spraying new gel-coat, but I have gotten suggestions to replace it with rolled on epoxy.

Update on Pads and Brackets

After some discussion we decided to prime the metal brackets with Rustoleum 7769 Rusty Metal Primer and the top coat them with the Rustoleum 7786 Smoke Gray Enamel.  Figured this would give us about the best protection without having to go the epoxy paint route.  Right now we are planning to go this route with the entire trailer too.

Here some of our helpers are prepping the pad for priming and painting.  For the most part the boys are anxious to be a part of the process, as long as the process doesn't take too long :).

This is how the final brackets turned out.  They are sitting on the unfinished pads.  The original pads has these holes in them, and while I am not sure I know exactly why, I am guessing they help to dry out the space between the carpet and the pad.  I assume this helps to prevent the carpet from holding moisture resulting in blisters.

Next step is to paint the pads.  Wood will be primed with Zinsser Perma-White and the top coated with some left over Sherwin Williams exterior latex paint I have.

Building Trailer Pad Brackets

Once the trailer arrived, we realized that the pads and pad brackets just simply were too far gone.  So I started looking around for some raw materials to make replacements.

 Here is a shot of one of the original brackets that had been cut off the screw post.  This was a good one; the angle iron on some of the others had completely rusted away.  So I went over to Home Depot to look for some materials, but they just did not have the 3"x2" angle iron or the schedule 40 pipe.
A quick visit to the www.mcmastercarr.com website, and I found

Line Description Ordered Shipped Balance Unit Price Total 1 9017K24 Low-Carbon Steel 90 Degree Angle, 3/16" Thick, 3" Leg Length, 6' Length 1 Each 1 0 32.32 Each 32.32 2 7750K116 Standard-Wall Steel Unthreaded Pipe, 2 Pipe Size, 1' Length 1 Each 1 0 12.05 Each 12.05

We were able to use the metal band saw in the little shop at my work to cut out al the parts.  Cut the angle iron into 11" lengths, and then cut one side down to 2" and angled the corners to match the original.  The pipe was cut into 1.5" lengths and predrilled for the retaining bolt.  A friend of mine offered to weld the pipe onto the angle iron, and before we knew it -- new brackets.  Below is a picture of what they looked like after the fact.  We'll end up painting these when we paint the trailer.

Tom had also found some scrap 3/4" ply wood and already cut out some pad shapes.  A little bit of sanding on the corners, and we are set to go.  Will probably paint the pads with some left over exterior house paint I have.  Tom also has some indoor/outdoor carpet that I think we will use for padding.

Locate a Trailer

While I would have preferred to get a double axle galvanized trailer, the budget for this effort would simply not allow for it.  So, I posted to a few websites and recieved a couple of replies for trailers.  In the end we bought an older Triad Trailer that had a considerable amount of rust on it, but that seemed adequate for the local hauling we would be doing with it.  

My good friend Tom Kirby offered to go pick it up, and by the time it got back to Atlanta, almost all of the pads had disintegrated, one of the upright support posts had completely broken off, and one of the keel guide boards had come off.  So we have some work ahead of us.

Well the Project is ON!!

After taking a look at the boat, we decided the price was right and moved forward with the project.  Initially we had hoped to get someone else to put on a new bottom, but in the end it looks like it will be just us.  I have done the bottom of a J/24 once before, and I remember thinking at that time that I would not do one ever again ... unless I owned the boat.  Well here we are again.  Anyway, first priority was to get it out of the water, and onto a trailer.  But we don't have a trailer, so the search for a trailer began.

Initial Inspection and Evaluation

Here is the boat, J/24 Hull # 2762, on the day of general inspection. The previous owner kept her in fresh water for a long time, and so we are not surprised to find lots of blisters when we pull out for an inspection.  The boat is suffering from some of the typical issues that accompany a boat of this age.  Besides the blisters, there is one are of deck core rot forward of the port shroud, and the stanchions bases flex a good bit.  The boat is pretty much as  it came from the factory.  The bottom had been "done" once before, and after some sanding, it appears that the keel may actually have been faired, but will know more as we get into the project.

No apparent Hull damage otherwise.  Looks pretty solid.  The rudder does has a spot where someone got too aggressive with the sander and it appears to have been sanded through to the core.  Fortunately, the rudder was not left in the water, so I am hoping to be able to repair it.

If you enlarge the photo below, you start to get a sense of the blisters.  EVERYWHERE, and lots of little ones.  Will have our work cut out for us if we tackle this job.

 If you enlarge, you can see a few blisters on the keel too, but generally there does not appear to be any damage to the keel.  It appears in decent shape, and firmly attached.  All good signs.