Some maintenance questions for an old boat

D

ddombrowski

New Member
Hey guys,
I've posted on here a few times since getting an older laser up and running again, but haven't been taking it seriously until now. I have a 70's era (don't know how old) boat thats been sailed a handful of times, but has spent MOST of its life in dry garaged storage. I'd have to say that for its age, its in pretty good shape, but I'm not all that experienced with these things.

Anyway, the bottom of the boat is in good shape, only a few scratches, nothing major. Top deck looks pretty good. The bottom of the boat is what I would consider "chalky", and the color is pretty faded. I'd like to polish and/or wax. I've read a bunch of older posts that all talk about sanding, painting, and gelcoating, but as much as the older boat may need it, I'm not interested in that kind of time investment. I'm interested in a quick polish/wax job at most.

99% of my hobby experience and workshop supplies are automotive in nature, and I have a lot of automotive tools to use (sanders, dremels, random orbital buffers, polishing compound, rubbing compound, carnuba wax, scratch (as in automotive paint scratch) remover, etc. I'm wondering what kind of polish and wax I should use on the bottom of the boat - can I use my automotive polishing compound and carnuba cleaner wax? Or should I go out and purchase a certain type of compound and wax? This is just to protect the bottom of the boat and to make it look nice - I don't care about racing, legality, or speed.

Second, I'm possibly interested in adding an inspection port to check out the mast step and help the boat air out. I'm pretty well versed in cutting, grinding, drilling etc in car repair, so I'm sure I could handle a hole in fiberglass. Does anyone have any tricks for making sure the hole is perfectly round and making a good seal? If I picked up a 5.5" hole saw, how close of a tolerance am I going to get compared to the exterior of the port? If I cut with a jigsaw, is it possible to sand the hole round for a better seal?

Thanks for the help! Any questions, just ask.
 
Don't wax the boat--it's supposed to make it slow. I'd use the automotive compound to get the chalk off and then finish with some Teflon Polish.

Here's the advice I used for my port, and it has worked out great. No leaks.

"I use Viking 5", and fat bag, but NOT next to the centerboard, as that bashes your knee. I put it on the right of the compass, half way to the mast.

I cut with a drill, then power jig saw. I tape the bottom of the saw with something, so it doesn't mark the deck. Lots of 5200, no rivets or bolts.

The bag must be the same brand as the port, to work well. Viking comes out easier than RKO, which I like as I store the boat with port open, bag out. I use white, but Paige uses a bold black.

Al Russell 182797 (and occasionally other numbers, like 166188)"

The above is from this thread:
http://www.laserforum.org/size-inspection-port-t3447.html?t=3447&highlight=inspection+port+hole+cut
 
If you have access to a machine polisher, the job of making the bottom shiny again should go pretty quickly - most automotive polishes will work fine on fiberglass, if it were me, I'd start with a medium to fine polish and see how quickly it brought back the shine.

Since you are not interested in racing, wax on the bottom is fine and will help keep the shine longer - the finish (gel coat) on the boat is more porous then any paint so you may find you need two coats initially to seal it.

The hole for the inspection port does not need to be perfectly round. All ports have a fairly large flange that will account for the less the perfect hole. I too, have always used a jig saw to cut them.
 
I compound and wax my boat yearly -- any automotive compound works fine. For wax, I swear by Collinite Fleetwax -- it is absolutely amazing, looks great and lasts forever.
I did something different for the deck this year; I scrubbed it with "Bon Ami" to get it looking sharp (it took off all black scuff marks and everything else - looks great) and then waxed with "Woody Wax" - now the deck will bead water the same way the hull bottom does as well. Looks amazing. You could probably use Bon Ami on the hull to the same effect as compound, its like $2 a can at any supermarket.
 
Thanks for all the help guys. I think I will go ahead and polish the boat with the polishing compound first, then I will see if I can find the fleetwax. If I can't, I'll use a regular automotive sealer wax. Right now the boat is sitting on the trailer in our garage, I need to find some sawhorses so I can flip the thing upside down and get the buffer on it - which will mean that the trailer will be on one side of the garage and the boat on the other. I'm sure my fiancee is going to love this.....oh well, my garage :)

As for the inspection port, I'm somewhat relieved to hear of such good results without the most accurate cutting method, but I still don't trust myself to create round holes on my own if there is a better method. If I COULD find a holesaw to use with a drill, what size should I get for a 5" inspection port? would I get a 5" holesaw for a 5" port? I plan on ordering a port/bag combo from APSLTD, they've been great so far for everything else. My tow vehicle (91 Volvo) is old enough to have only a simple metal key, so I can get away without having cubby hole, but it would be a nice convenience.

Thanks all. If I get around to it, I can try to post some photos as I'm working on it.
 
Use a bowl of the right size as a template to mark the circle on the deck. That really helps.
 
Got starting using the polishing compound last night, it looks like its turning out well. Doesn't look as good as new boats, but looks way better than it did before. I've only done a small section, and my parts from APS come on Friday, so hopefully I can finish in the next 2 nights.

I'll take a photo tonight and post it. Havent been able to find that wax yet though.
 
Just a note... A while back, I found a cheap 5 1/2" hole saw on ebay for around 20 bucks, there listed fairly often on ebay. It cuts nicely through fiberglass and matches perfectly for the 5" viking port.
 
LQT420 said:
Just a note... A while back, I found a cheap 5 1/2" hole saw on ebay for around 20 bucks, there listed fairly often on ebay. It cuts nicely through fiberglass and matches perfectly for the 5" viking port.
Click to expand...

Wow, really? Thanks for the info, I like this idea. I'm confused though, how does a 5.5" hole saw cut a perfect hole for a 5" port? I understand that the flange covers up some of the excess clearance, but I guess I am a bit vague on the dimensions of the port itself. (or am I missing something obvious?). Is the ID of the port 5" and the OD of the port larger? If it works, I'm very interested in getting (or borrowing) this. You wouldn't happened to be located in WPB, Florida, would you?

Maybe I will purchase this and then sell it to another laser owner in the area for $10.

One last question - I assume you cut on one of the flat portions of the boat, rather than the centerline? Thats where I plan on cutting, just wanted to know I'm going to be making the same size holes.
 
Yes, thats where I was planning on cutting, but I guess my post was a bit confusing. I just wanted to make sure HE didn't cut on the centerline, because he said the saw was a perfect fit. I didn't want to cut on the flat part and then realize the hole came out a different size because he cut on the centerline, which Im sure he didn't.

Just to clear it up, I plan on cutting the flat portion. Thanks.
 
LQT420 said:
I'd love to let you borrow it but I'm in CT... sorry.
Also, here is a link for inspection port sizes vs cutout sizes for Viking ports:

http://www.apsltd.com/Tree/d3000/e2128.asp
Click to expand...

I have no idea why I couldn't find that the first time I looked on their site. Thanks for the link, I see the OD is larger than the ID, which I expected, and the ID is the one they are quoting for the naming of the size.

No problem on the saw, I'll get my hands on one. Thanks though!
 
Hi,

The Viking lid is the exact size that you need to cut to install the flange. Just use it as a templete (not a bowl, Janet!). I just use a jig saw. No need for a special hole saw, as the flange gives you another 1/2" to screw up.

The Viking is also compatible with 3M 5200, but not all the others are. Some have warnings to use silicone only. I don't recall which, as I never use them.

There are lots of post on this topic, so please do search. Lots of other opinions on ports, mine is kind of a minority re. ports on newer boats. I just responded as I had been quoted by the ex-moderator ;-) on April 1.

Al Russell
 
Good to hear all is going well. Also for cutting the hole, if you happen to have a rotozip lying around use that with a 2.5 inch piece of string tied to a screw that you put in the middle of what your cutting out. gives you close to a pefect circle. And if you want a better shine before you wax, you said you had a bunch of automotive polishes around, go over it again with a 3m perfectit 2 if you have it. gives you one hell of a shine.
 
I'm not sure if someone else mentioned it but the outside diameter (OD) of the Viking "5 Inch" port is 5.5 inches. I used a 5.5" hole saw and achieved excellent results.

The Laser deck, with the exception of the area next to the centerboard trunk, has a foam core. Therefore, once you cut your hole, it is a good idea to seal the foam with epoxy. Because you are not doing any heavy glass work, there is no reason to invest in a bunch of West System stuff. The hardware store variety will be sufficient. A previous poster is correct in stating that you should not place the port on the canterline as there is a wood structural member located there. At least 4" off the centerline will avoid this problem. I would also locate it about halfway between the mast step and the forward edge of the centerboard trunk. This is so you can work on the step if the need arises, and it is also in a good place if you want to through bolt the deck hardware.

Because of the aforementioned foam core, many people suggest not through-bolting. I disagree, because I want the port to be part of the structure, and no amount of goop will accomplish this. The problem is over-tightening the bolts. What you want to do is use 3M 4200 for sealing, and bolt using fender washers and lock washers on the underside. Some of the 4200 will get on the threads and keep the nuts from unwinding, and all you want to do is bring them up snug to the inside layer of glass AND NO MORE.

Lastly, Viking makes two types of 5" ports. One will accomodate a fat bag and the other will not. The latter has no lip to hold the bag and is easier to get your arm into almost up to your shoulder. If you're not planning on using a bag then opt for the larger ID port (they both have the same 5.5" OD). You can buy them direct from Viking Marine, which is located in Long Beach CA.

Hope this helps.
 
Pete,

Your post helps a bunch. No, no one mentioned that the OD of the port was 5.5" until this thread, which I finally figured out after someone posted the website that had the specifications on it, thats where I was getting confused.

I got the boat turned over last night, and found it had far more scratches than I originally thought. Still havent gotten around to taking a photo yet. I plan on pulling the buffer out tonight and doing as much as I can before the hiking strap and other parts arrive, and then I'm going out on the water no matter what it looks like!

Mast step repair can wait until next time. I'll order the inspection port and hopefully it wont be hard to put in. Thanks for the information on the throughbolting and the sealants.
 
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