Starwing 13

Petrel

Member
I've been "asking around about" that smashed up Starwing since 2008 ;) Good detective work. The boat has had to take a bit of a backseat to other endeavors and tasks. Plus, it looks like it will be tricky to fix. I'm deciding whether to wait for 70 degree, dry weather and try to repair it myself (I'd like to try sailing it, testdrive) or to just sell it as a project to someone who has the talent and patience to fix it.

Somewhere I have the name of the designer/builder (backed up on another disk), but here is what the material is and some of the details:

-- "Wing-topped triple-laminated hull with resin carrier core reinforcement."
[You'll likely be able to explain what that means.]

-- Hull construction -- Fiberglass with balsa core
-- Floatation ---- rigid urethane

-- Lightweight, easily towed and launched.
-- Weight (bare hull) 145 Lbs.
-- LOA 12' 11"
-- Beam 63"
It had options such as a jib kit and rowing kit (sliding seat). Mine does not have a jib.

Again, I bought mine in a very sorry state for little money. It had NOT been taken care of (and this is an understatement). Second ? owner had some sort of emotional or personality issues and the parent of that owner wasn't interested in sailing and just wanted it out of the way -- so he used something like a backhoe to move the thing (on its trailer) to several locations in his yard (some quite creative, almost in a tree). I suspect the parent with the Caterpillar equipment did most of the damage.

This has been a wildly hot summer and it continues to be so. Temps in the 90's and lots of humidity. I'm a 65 - 70 degree person and I turn to cranky liquid (icecream with an attitude) when it's hot. No substantial shade in my "boat yard," so that doesn't help.

The part of the repair that's going to be dicey for me (maybe anyone) is accessing the dual cracks in the daggerboard case. Someone ("Shorty") suggested I might be able to abrade and prep the inside of the case with sandpaper fastened to a stick (I don't think my hand can fit, and certainly now with fingers gripping sandpaper). Maybe I can find a long extension for a variable speed, low torque drill with some sandpaper affixed to the end of an extension gizmo. Maybe the Bros. Gougen (sp) have ideas.
Then, second tricky part will be how to wet the fiberglass and deposit it, uncrumpled, unwrinkled onto each side of the casing (inside of casing). Maybe something like a pizza plank (but of course, a cooked pizza is stiff, fg fabric isn't. I also need to not get the patching too thick or the db (lovely wide mahogany) won't fit. Maybe if I can get some fabric onto the crack and prepared adjacent area, then if space allows, put some fairing compound atop the fabric, then "fair." I supposed I'd then have to paint it with something to keep all of this from disintegrating from UV and weather/water.

I'm not super talented with 3-D stuff, so have to take a while and practice, so I hesitate to take the db casing apart. Someone experienced might approach it that way, but that would involved a lot more time, mending and materials.

Wonder if Toyota would buy a story that I just couldn't stop the Starwing...:rolleyes:

Thanks for your patience, Wayne. After I try to move my boat/s around the yard, I can see the advantage of "beach boats."

I've been enjoying the Sunfish. After seeing the thread about rigging sides, I've got to see if I've been doing it the right way. And you folks are so right, you can't get anywhere if you sheet it in too much -- no wind fills the sail. I'd always rather sail on a reach or foot it anyway. I have a lot of questions, so now will to play then find that recent bailer "height" thread.
Stay cool!
 
Re: Starwing

Starwing ... looks like it will be tricky to fix.

-- "Wing-topped triple-laminated hull with resin carrier core reinforcement."
[You'll likely be able to explain what that means.]

Sounds like a typical "cored" fiberglass..., this is good news.

Fiberglass ..... =====================
Core (Balsa)... XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Fiberglass ..... =====================

I was afraid it was going to be ABS over foam and that would be a tough, not to mention expensive job.

Most all the repair books cover fixes to this sort of cored fiberglass hull construction.

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9780071569149.jpg
9780071549929.jpg



The part of the repair that's going to be dicey for me (maybe anyone) is accessing the dual cracks in the daggerboard case. Someone ("Shorty") suggested I might be able to abrade and prep the inside of the case with sandpaper fastened to a stick (I don't think my hand can fit, and certainly now with fingers gripping sandpaper). Maybe the Bros. Gougen (sp) have ideas.

Then, second tricky part will be how to wet the fiberglass and deposit it, uncrumpled, unwrinkled onto each side of the casing (inside of casing).
Getting backing layers in place then building on these up to near the outer surface, finishing with gelcoat would be a textbook repair.

The WEST System Fiberglass Boat Repair & Maintenance Guide would be a good freebie to read through.


The daggerboard repair might be best accomplished by putting access ports in the outside walls of the trunk, but I'd need some perspective photos showing the damage in relation to the trunk as a whole to tell if I'm on track with this idea.

Can you provide a set of pictures like this (A, B, C), with the daggerboard out of the way, of course. Maybe with a yardstick taped to the daggerboard trunk for a sense of scale and information about just where the holes are inside the slot.


4944992456_f4e97ef0fb.jpg

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Fellows, I too have a Starwing, which I have enjoyed for many seasons. Unfortunately late this season it began to take on water. It turns out that the roller for the trailer had finally caused the fiberglass of the hull to break apart at the foot of the Centerboard trunk. Now I have a clear view of the construction. It is a thin fiberglass, approximately 1/16th of an inch thick, and no core! This is true of both the hull and the Centerboard trunk.

My plan is to use Shorty's suggestions (http://www.shortypen.com/boats/holder12/qa/index.htm) on "How do I repair a hole, that I can't get to the back side of?" for my repair, but opening access ports in either side of the centerboard trunk from the cockpit sounds like a good idea for your repair, Petrel.
 
Well, yesterday I took the plunge and started grinding away the damaged hull section. I found that indeed it is cored! But very thin. It look like maybe a 1/16" or less thick balsa sandwiched between two very thin layers of fiberglass. It looks like the fiberglass cloth extended beyond the hull at the centerboard trunk and was laid over and resin applied to attach to the trunk. The trunk itself may be cored with the same material, but the coring too starts a bit down from the hull.

Sorry about the mis-information in the last post.
 

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