What is there underneath the cockpit floor?

mihor

New Member
I have been fixing up an old beat up Laser.

Next on the work list I have some de-lamination problems to fix on the side decks and the cockpit floor. Some of them I fixed already by inserting epoxy into the core but the cockpit floor remains soft in some parts.

My question is -- does anybody know what is there supposed to be underneath the cockpit floor?

There seems to be a lengthwise support that attaches the floor to the hull. Is it so? What ever it is on my boat – it seems to be falling apart (see picture showing the centerboard trunk on the right and the front of the cockpit on the left). Any suggestions how to repair this? Or just forget about it until further damage appears?
 

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mihor said:
I have been fixing up an old beat up Laser.


My question is -- does anybody know what is there supposed to be underneath the cockpit floor?

There is a wooden stringer that runs the length of the cockpit, right down the middle from front to back. The top is glued to the bottom of the cockpit, the bottom is glued to the hull. There is also some big lump of putty right in the center of the back of the cockpit that attaches the cockpit to the hull. I'm not sure about the front.

It is important to fix this. You put a lot of force on the cockpit with your feet (think about rolltacking), and the cockpit needs to be securely attached to the hull.

There's a writeup somewhere on how to fix this; it is a horrendous job.
 
mihor said:
...
My question is -- does anybody know what is there supposed to be underneath the cockpit floor?
There seems to be a lengthwise support that attaches the floor to the hull. Is it so? ...

Hi,
There are 3 stringers in that area of the hull. Your´s ist the "keel"side-stringer. The others are more to the the middle of each side of the hull. Others are in the bow-area-section in front of the daggerboard-trunk.

Yours look as it has been rotten, if I´m right. "You" should try to replace it. If you have inspection ports in the neighbourhood of the daggerboard and at the deck between the stern and the cockpit, it is possible to reinforce the rotten "keel"side-stringer with suitable water-resistant wodden beams, that are glued with fibreglass-resin to each side of the stringer. This work is something that not a beginner in that should do, I think, but any local dinghy-ship-yard can do it.
At the pic´s below, you can see the "keel"side-stringer of my old 46438 that was built in Cornwall/UK (PSE).
Ciao
LooserLu
 

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Ok, thanks!

I think I'll open up another inspection hatch to get a bit closer and then continue the repairs.
 
mihor said:
Ok, thanks!

I think I'll open up another inspection hatch to get a bit closer and then continue the repairs.

If you put an inspection hatch on the stern deck, think about a couple of things when you decide where to put it. First, even the best-installed hatch sticks up a little, you don't want it blocking the free movement of the tiller. Secondly, there is a lot of force on the traveler fairleads and the traveler cleat -- keep the hatch well away from them. In my case, the decision was made for me -- there was a soft section of deck I wanted to cut out, so that is where I put my hatch.
 
This boat is trashed. Fixing it will result in a lousy old boat that does not sail well. Cut the thing into pueces and deposit in a nearby dumpster. If you are too broke to get a decent boat, spending more money and time on this piece of crap won't get you anywhere closer to happiness. Either go buy a new boat with money you have or get a part time job for a few weeks and use the money to get a new boat.
In the long run your entire life will be better.
 
Thank you for the words of wisdom.

Like I said in the beginning -- it is an old beat up boat. This boat is not used for racing so I don't really care if it has some extra weight or if the hull is not as stiff as the new ones. It only needs to be solid enough to be able to go out and have fun on the windy days at the country house. Fixing the thing is a sort of a hobby which I'll continue when the sailing season is over. With the current use I have for a Laser I would not be bothered buying a new boat. This will do fine.
 
gouvernail said:
This boat is trashed. Fixing it will result in a lousy old boat that does not sail well. Cut the thing into pueces and deposit in a nearby dumpster. If you are too broke to get a decent boat, spending more money and time on this piece of crap won't get you anywhere closer to happiness. Either go buy a new boat with money you have or get a part time job for a few weeks and use the money to get a new boat.
In the long run your entire life will be better.
I also do not think in the way of "gouvernail", mihor. I say: Follow the words of "Chris123" and take care well of where you put out the new inspection-port at the deck between the cockpit and the stern. Maybe ask a local professional boat-restorer what to do.
By restoring your old Laser, you learn all important things that you need to be prepared for a newer Laser, is my opinion. You learn nothing, if you destroy her yet.
You have a good Laser-Sailing-Association there in Finnland, I know, and aft some years you can perhaps follow the words of "gouvernail" and get a newer boat from the boatmarket of your nice laserclass-website, I guess.
There have been Laserites that have done more complicated repairs to their Laser and if you are enough perfect in repair with wood and fibreglass you perhaps have great success in your problem. Here are enough other Laserites that are professional in Laser-restoring and watch to your problem and, if you have any problems they help you if they can, I guess.

In my personal opinion: If I would measure the need of reparing anything at my old 46438 comparing to the price if got her, in the way maybe "gouvernail" wants to impress it with his "nice" words, I should not even repair a rudderblade... but dig her 6 feet under.... Of couse, I do not do this.

Greetings to lovely Finnland
LooserLu
Recreational sailing Laserite in GER
 
gouvernail said:
This boat is trashed. Fixing it will result in a lousy old boat that does not sail well. Cut the thing into pieces and deposit in a nearby dumpster. If you are too broke to get a decent boat, spending more money and time on this piece of crap won't get you anywhere closer to happiness. Either go buy a new boat with money you have or get a part time job for a few weeks and use the money to get a new boat.
In the long run your entire life will be better.

There is some common sense in what governail says. I have an old beat-up boat, and if I multiply the hours I have put into repairing it times what I normally earn per hour, I could probably have outfit my entire family of four with brand new lasers.

On the other hand, there is some satisfaction in turning a beater boat into something useable. Not to mention learning new skills -- I'm a lot more confident with fiberglass than I was before, and cutting a hole in a boat no longer scares me the way it once does.

I have promised myself that as soon as I am at competitive Laser sailor weight (180 lbs), and as soon as I can straight-leg hike for 8 minutes, and as soon as I can do respectable rolltacks every time, then I will reward myself with a brand-new boat. Until then I can't honestly look you in the eye and say it's the boat that's holding me back, so I keep racing the beater.
 
Phooey, I just typed this long impassioned description of why I was so brutal about not fixing up delaminated lasers but I lost it while resigning in to the forum.
Brief version. There are lots and lots of used lasers out there. A laser with a delaminated deck is almost impossible to fix such that the expected result is years of trouble free service.
Whenever any set of directions is written about gluing two pieces of fiberglass together, the directions include grinding with really nasty grits, cleaning with nasty solvents, and carefully applying the glue to both surfaces.
When a Laser deck delaminates, the space between the laminates includes powdered foam, mildew, water, and dead bugs. There is no way injecting epoxy between the layers will result in a durable solid structure.
If the repair to the deck happens to work, the hull attached will still be the same old flexible hull.
There are just so many better ways to get a good solid laser under yourself.
I absolutely believe the proper thing to do with a delaminated laser is to remove all the fittings and take the old hull to the nearest dump.
Last. There are currently 4 used lasers for sale near my city on craigslist.com The highest asking price is $1200 US. Three have trailers. One of them must have a more solid deck than a laser with a delaminted cockpit floor.

Friends don't let friends fix up delaminated Lasers.
 
Although gouvernail gets a shiny silver star for his Friends don't let friends quote, (which was truly inspired), the rest of his message was a load of garbage. First, nothing beats building or rebuilding a boat yourself and sailing it. It's just plain fun.

Second, repaired properly with Epoxy, the boat may be better and more solid than it was originally. Ignore his message, he's a bitter, lonely sailer with no imagination. But he is funny.


gouvernail said:
Phooey, I just typed this long impassioned description of why I was so brutal about not fixing up delaminated lasers but I lost it while resigning in to the forum.
Brief version. There are lots and lots of used lasers out there. A laser with a delaminated deck is almost impossible to fix such that the expected result is years of trouble free service.
Whenever any set of directions is written about gluing two pieces of fiberglass together, the directions include grinding with really nasty grits, cleaning with nasty solvents, and carefully applying the glue to both surfaces.
When a Laser deck delaminates, the space between the laminates includes powdered foam, mildew, water, and dead bugs. There is no way injecting epoxy between the layers will result in a durable solid structure.
If the repair to the deck happens to work, the hull attached will still be the same old flexible hull.
There are just so many better ways to get a good solid laser under yourself.
I absolutely believe the proper thing to do with a delaminated laser is to remove all the fittings and take the old hull to the nearest dump.
Last. There are currently 4 used lasers for sale near my city on craigslist.com The highest asking price is $1200 US. Three have trailers. One of them must have a more solid deck than a laser with a delaminted cockpit floor.

Friends don't let friends fix up delaminated Lasers.
 

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