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.