two old boat questions

Hi, I am refurbishing a Laser I sailed as a kid & have just re-claimed. It dates from the late '70s. I have two questions I hope someone here could help me with:

The joint between the deck and the hull has opened up for about 12" midway along the starbord side. I expect to fix this by prying the two layers apart a little and working either polyester fiberglass resin OR epoxy in there, then clamping with a row of small clamps. Question is which material would be best?

Second question is about the trailer: I re-vamped an ancient Mastercraft trailer (late 1950s vintage) to haul the boat from where it was to where it is now, and built supports to hold it under the gunwall the same way I've seen launching dollies constructed. The bow is supported by a "Y" shaped yolk. The Kitty hawk laser trailer is made just this way but has somewhat longer supports under the gunwalls than mine. I am worried though that this method may have caused the delamination mentioned above, and have added a 2" wide nylon web strap from side to side that supports the hull a little ways forward of the rear of the cockpit. What are anyone's thoughts on the best way to support a Laser on a trailer? This boat may live on its trailer all the time, and will travel a good distance to water each time out.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts & experience!
 
With respect to the trailer - I made mine with two straps like this (pictured).

It actually works really well if you stay on normal roads. I used to sail all the time in remote areas that required trips on very rough logging roads to get to. That means rough dirt roads with tons of dust and in that case it's a double-edged sword.

The straps are perfect for rotten roads because they can handle huge pot holes and high speeds but if it rains the straps get wet and are filled with logging road dust. At that point they act exactly like wet sand paper on the hull. (you can see it in the pictures).

So.... I would suggest that if you're staying on paved roads straps are just fine - even if wet. If you're going 4x4'ing to remote places with your Laser then straps are the only way to fly - unless they get wet :eek:

I haven't used any other type of trailor but if my bottom were like new I would not hesitate with straps - provided I stayed on paved roads.
 

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With respect to the trailer - I made mine with two straps like this (pictured).

It actually works really well if you stay on normal roads.


Thanks, right now I'm thinking I'll stick with the strap I've added ad build a rotating bow yolk over the winter to ease solo handling. I wish I could see your pictures, but either they didn't post up or my browser doesn't display them.

How about that split in the fiberglass people, any suggestions? Maybe there's a good Laser repair resource on the web someplace I haven't found yet?
 
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How about that split in the fiberglass people, any suggestions? Maybe there's a good Laser repair resource on the web someplace I haven't found yet?

There are a number of methods that will work, I prefer to gouge out a bit of the cracked filler to have more bonding area and to reduce the chance that more of it may have shattered with smaller cracks that you just can't see.

Either poly or epoxy will work, with a bit of thickening powder added in. People have also used 3M 5200 successfully

This is a pretty common issue and has been answered in a number of threads here.
Heres one to get you started:
http://www.laserforum.org/showthread.php?t=10650 you can use the search feature above and find more

FWIW, if you have Laser specific questions, post them in the main section, it'll most likely get more attention.
 
Hey Singletrack, I share your concerns with trailering/storing and the issues that you brought up ....support during transit vs storage and how one factors in finish, hull care, gunwales etc.

The pics I've put up are not new to TLF but again show a version that I came up with to improve my trailer for pretty much the same reasons.

I combined a wide set of carpeted firm cradles that drain water with gunwale supports and a customized form fitting rubber bow support that barely touches the hull.

My idea was to have the gunwale suports do most of the "work" but have just enough hull support for "dynamic" support for occasional bumps in the road.

During extended storage I can add larger "cushions" (rubber hose or equivalent) to spread the force over more area...as well as keep the carpet off the hull surface.

I am open to any ideas anyone might have to improve my Frankenstein creation :eek:

Good luck! Eric

...forgot to add ...I increased the tire diameter from 15" to 21" plus or minus...that smooths the ride and reduces wheel/bearing rotation by 26.789%...plus or minus!!!
 

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Re: two old boat questions: trailer design

Thanks for sharing pix of trailers. This is what I've done so far (attached pic): For the trip across country the hull was supported under the gunwales just ahead of the rear of the cockpit. The support points were about 5-1/2" wide, which is not as wide as I think they should be, it was what I could do at the time. The bottom was not touching anything when I loaded the trailer, but in the next 2000 miles it did settle a little into the contoured wood frame that supported the two gunwale supports. Because of that, I added a 2" wide nylon strap with tensioning devices that runs over the wood gunwale supports on either side and then spans the hull underneath. I've got this tensioned just enough to lift the boat off the gunwale supports.

So far I'm getting the sense that this is fine, which is nice to know. It seems like the optimal place to support the boat is under the rear of the cockpit, so maybe I should move the strap back a bit (or boat forward)? I am planning on re-building my solution in steel over the winter. Tows nice set up like this!

BTW; I share the appreciation of larger wheels, and actually found a pair of 12" rims with the same 4-on-4 bolt pattern, but fitting them would have required raising the boat and replacing the fenders which put the project beyond the scope of what I could do at the time. There is a transverse spring on this trailer and it provides quite a bit of soft travel even with such a light boat so the wheels need clearance. I settled for re-packing the bearings and buying new wheels & tires.
 

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Wow ...2000 miles...you saw every kind of road surface! I usually over think what might be going on with the forces on any "mass" that is experiencing any "shock" from the occasional bump or hole in the road. It's a curse...I studied to be an engineer and loved it until test time...so I chased after airplanes instead.

I agree that maybe increasing the support contact area might be helpful...and overall, your set up is sim to many proven trailers.

I like that you have a "soft" suspension ...and with those large tires it looks good.

Like mine, the tires can throw lots of nasty debris on the rear of the hull ....so you might add some fender "mud flaps" to correct that. I had to re-mount my fenders to better spread the protection.

What is the bow support look like?

And did you say the delamination occured during the trip?

Talk to you soon

Eric
 
I like that you have a "soft" suspension ...and with those large tires it looks good.

Like mine, the tires can throw lots of nasty debris on the rear of the hull ....so you might add some fender "mud flaps" to correct that. I had to re-mount my fenders to better spread the protection.

What is the bow support look like?

And did you say the delamination occured during the trip?

Talk to you soon

Eric

The soft suspension is a surprise, because this was a Mastercraft trailer from the mid '50s used by my grandfather to haul his Jet class sailboat boat to races. That thing weighed 3 times what the Laser does I bet.

Mud flaps are a good idea, and I might add them, but the wheels are actually far enough out that since the sides of the boat are tapering toward the stern at that point I think spray & debris off the wheels will clear the hull.

Bow support is the original unit on the trailer, it's a V-shaped rubber covered yolk that angles upward off the upright on the front of the trailer at 90 degrees. Happily, that means it contacts the Laser bow neatly under the gunwale on both sides, captive in the groove on the underside. It's adjustable up & down the upright so I can get the boat nice & level. Still, for all that, I am wicked tempted to make a swiveling one that would ease one-man loading.

I do suspect the delamination happened during the trip. I am pretty sure I would have noticed it while I was building the trailer if it had been there before.

Yeah, 2000 miles is a long way to tow a boat on an un-tested trailer, but it's even more nerve-wracking when a stranger is towing the trailer & you aren't even there to keep an eye on it!
 
Cool...bow support sounds great. I have a couple thoughts....You say the suspension originally supported a boat that weight 3 times as much...does that translate to a "stiff" ride because there is not enough static loading on the suspension ,proir to a "bounce" , to soften the spring movment. It's kinda like bending you knees while skiing down mogels as opposed to straight legged.

My point is ...if on your trip it takes a significant jolt or bump to get the suspension to "begin" doing its' job of softening a "jolt" ...then the weight/mass of the hull forward of the strap has no help (other than the factory bond to the deck which includes the mast step) to offset the inertia of continuous pounding as it goes down the road....it just hangs there...holding on for dear life :eek:...tad bit of drama...dumb :eek:

My suspension is too stiff for my taste...I cringe as look in the mirror at 60 /70mph.

Would that contribute to delamination over a long trip? ...I don't know.

If you have an inspection port up front check to see if the base of the mast step is "secure" to the hull.

I would love to have a trailer that used trailing link type suspension for a real cush ride!! ...i'm dreaming ( and a quite boring dream at that :()

...your turn!!;)

Eric
 
Cool...bow support sounds great. I have a couple thoughts....You say the suspension originally supported a boat that weight 3 times as much...does that translate to a "stiff" ride because there is not enough static loading on the suspension ,proir to a "bounce" ,

No, it's actually a very soft spring. I think it's great for the Laser's weight. I just imagine it must have been flattened by the Jet.

I don't have an inspection/repair/stowage port that would allow me to inspect the mast step; is there a way of determining it's condition externally? Warning signs that would suggest a problem?
 
I'm not sure if there is another way to check if the mast step is still secured to the hull without an inspection port. I would suspect that you might notice (with the mast spar inserted) some flexing movment of the mast tube...but I'm not speaking from experience!:eek:

Sounds like your suspension is working well for you...cool

I hope that I every thing goes your way and you are back in business soon. Keep us up with your progress :)

Eric
 
This "problem" ...that may not even exist...(mast step not secure)...has brought up the fact that you have no inspection port. I was just reading "mast step" on the new FAQ thread, and there was quite a lot of interest in installing a "port" to allow regular inspection. You may have a perfectly fine step but without a port....who knows?

Check out that thread if you get a chance and see if it "speaks" to you :)

Good luck, Eric
 

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