i know its not a motoring thread, but its worth a try. im looking for reliable info on how to repair my boat. ive asked several other people and im getting different information. its a ply 16ft hartley. the local boat builders didnt help much either, they just wanted to know if they were gona be fixing it or not. i want to do it myself but require solid info.
i need to replace the hull and several parts of the framework. does anyone know how to go about this and what materials i should be using! so far ive removed the roof area and all the ply from top facing areas. ive found softwood in a few areas of framework and want to replace it. i need to know what sort of wood, nails and screws to use. it seemed to have copper (or similar) screws and nails in it.
intrade,
Mar 29, 5:16pm
is the structure rotted or why is it damaged!
jezz43,
Mar 29, 5:19pm
it has softwood around the right side, mainly where the side meets the top. the transom was completely rotted out so i have removed it, the floor in the rear where the transom was has a hole in it due to me dropping the hammer after removing the transom.
intrade,
Mar 29, 5:24pm
your best to set the crap on fire. and buy a fully fiberglass one. you be spending 1000 of $ I know a client friend is a boat builder and he hates plywood glass . he only wants wood only working on a old fishing boat right now for a guy who is going to turn it in to his house they are fitting new copper nails and there is 100s on the kauri-hull the (nails=rivets) cost 6$ each .
intrade,
Mar 29, 5:29pm
just imagine you fix it or get it fixed and you drop a hammer somwhere while your in the open seeyou be sunk in no time not to mention the pounding from a good wave would likely punch holes one day thru it somwhere also.
jezz43,
Mar 29, 5:33pm
i realise that, hence why im replacing the areas affected. new wood isnt as brittle or rotten as this is, and i dont plan to go fishing with a hammer
intrade,
Mar 29, 5:37pm
you realise they rot between the fiberglass and the wood. tell me 3 reason why you want to fix that! instead ofusing what ever can be usedand get a fully glass hull! Yo be spending at least 5grand on materials from what you discribe and there be loads more hidden rott.
jezz43,
Mar 29, 5:41pm
3 reasons, 1) i want it to be my own 2) its my first boat and i like the challenge of building something new 3) its a project, i have no intention of using it straight away.
its currently just ply, but i was thinking of glass over ply. i couldnt care if i spend a fair amount of cash fixing it, i have no intention of selling it and im aware i wont make what i invest back.
if its just ply then you are better off in finding the rot. You would need to find somone who is a boat builder and give them a hand and wotch and learn off them up here i could give you a contact from a guy who builds his own small boats .
jezz43,
Mar 29, 5:48pm
i thought about hiring a boat builder to do a perky. i had a look at the local yacht place here and he said he could fix it at a rate of $50 an hour including materials, he never gave me a timeframe but said it could be fixed. problem is he wont let me have any input, it would just be a straight repair whereas i want to be able to add bits and pieces i want to it. compartments etc
intrade,
Mar 29, 5:56pm
forget that.you need to do it your self 2) its my first boat and i like the challenge of building something new you wont be buildingit if they do it you should talk to a private boat builder who does this as a hobby to learn some skills. boat building is not easy if you got no clue . you need to know the wood its strenght and how to apply the wood for maximum strenght applyed the correct way. otherwise your purpose of your reson 2 is invalid. and you myght as well scrap it.
jezz43,
Mar 29, 6:02pm
well i had plans to either do it myself or at the very least help out. but i still need to have my own input as to how i want it set out.
intrade,
Mar 29, 6:04pm
my advise . get it in dry storage and get some skills boat building course and apply the skills on your project. I can give you the contact 021 number of my friend you could talk to what ever he will tell you is what will be corret and what is to do. He is a expert in building boats he worked in saudi-arabia for 3 month building jacht interrior and they wanted him back for 6000 euro a month but he diclined as his wife and kids missed him to much in the 3 month he was gone already.
elect70,
Mar 29, 7:30pm
Could get a joiner to make new frames if give him old 1 s as template .brass screws copper nails & washers. Buy sheets of marine ply use old as template . Transom needs to be 1 piece of hardwood or several thckness of plyglued & pressed together . I did an old plylite fishermancost more than it was worth but enjoyed doing it . Fibre glassing is bloody messyit gets everywhere , & dynel mat is expensive. eg mates 20 ft $12g to reglass
mechnificent,
Mar 29, 10:13pm
Bronze screws, not brass. Brass looses it's zinc and the screws crumble to pieces.
jezz43,
Mar 29, 10:24pm
most of the screws ive removed have crumbled apart. half the time ive had to get pliers onto them to remove the end piece.
jezz43,
Mar 29, 11:38pm
no it wasnt a joke, the guy was one of the big shots at a large yacht crafting firm here. according to him they have a discounted rate for locals with private vessels. only thing that put me off was i wasnt allowed input on my own boat.
theunicorn,
Mar 29, 11:49pm
It looks like you need to replace much of the framing and sheathing to have a seaworthy vessel. That leaves very little of any real value in what you have and a very difficult exercise to cut out ALL of the bad bits. Then you would need to to refit replacements outside the normal sequence in which it was all designed to be put together.
It looks like it would be much faster and no more expensive to get some plans and start again. You would also end up with a much more seaworthy vessel.
jezz43,
Mar 29, 11:54pm
the only damage to the framework of the boat is on the right hand side. the rest is fine. its not necessary to replace everything i and choosing to, but i want to so i have a better understanding of how it was built and so i can maintain it myself in the future.
petermcg,
Mar 29, 11:56pm
Stainless steel screws, always used marine ply or tanalised timber, You might need to get a buzzer and a saw or two. If you go to your local hardware in the yaught department you should be able to find a product that is called fibre glass resin, It is a two pot mix so dont mix up too much at a time, You can then get an additive that you mix with it and it becomes glue, this is the sort of glue you need to use,,, the same product then when mixed with some other stuff it then becomes a filler. You can fill and smooth with bondie etc only if it is covered with fibre glass.
geedubu,
Mar 30, 12:00am
Admire your commitment, and it is true that you can get more pleasure out of fixing a challenge yourself than actually (a) having an economical and seaworthy outcome at a good price or (b) going fishing.But unless your true and only interest is in spending $ and fiddling with the boat for fun then the advice to walk away and/or start again is the best info provided on this thread.
jezz43,
Mar 30, 12:04am
im happy to spend the $$$ on the boat to fix it. ive built several toys in the past and i prefer them when ive built them myself from scratch. so this wouldnt be any different,
haventrader,
Mar 30, 1:40am
jezz. Many of the points raised above are good advice. I found a boat I really wanted a while back. The extent of the rot sounds similar to what you have now. However, I persisted and weekend after weekend I cut out rot, repaired beams, built new rudders (it was a cat) etc etc, and spent a heap of cash. By the time I lost interest, I had 2 sturdy, watertight hulls etc etc and then had to get new sails, motor, trailer you name it. Anyway, it is your call. I suggest you get a book in the library- the title is something like "Building plywood boats". It will give you a lot of information. When cutting out rot, always cut back the ply until you have good, sound ply. If the area is not too large, you will fit a backing piece (on the inside of the hull) cut larger than the opening, and fit the new piece of ply against that. Make sure you always cut the rotted areas out square. Use epoxy! But always use gloves and appropriate masks etc. Don't "guess" the mix- you will waste a lot. As far as the frames go, cut out the "dark" wood. You would need to either splice your frames or possibly double up- not my area of expertise and I suggest you ask a boat builder, or read about this first. I could waffle on here for hours about rebuilding boats, but this topic can be discussed when our friendly TM team gives us the category we asked for 15 months ago. All in all it is a labour of love, it will take up a lot of time. It is often easier building new than rebuilding, and you never know whether you've actually got all the bad bits out until it's too late. BTW, when I take my boat out, I have a lot of tools on board including a hammer. It might just save your life and boat in the event you need to make emergency repairs and slow the ingress of water. Good luck with your project and let us know how you get on.
jezz43,
Mar 30, 1:47am
thanks haven, ive been busy for a while removing the rot and i have 90% of it out already. turns out i need to rebuild the right handside framework where the roof/canopy thingy or whatever its called is screwed onto. and the transom and the underside of the boat where the transom was up to about 3 feet back towards the front of the boat. i will be buying another boat in a few months and it will be a fibreglass one thats already done, but this one i will rebuild to how i want it to be. it doesnt seem too bad and im not going to can it or lose interest, i finish most of my projects eventually. my partner has a mate who worked on ali boats and hes done ply repairs before so he is coming to have a look tomorrow and reccomend what i do next. should be fun
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