Hello, all!
I was recently sailing an old 'fish at a resort. This is a beater boat that gets used by perhaps four-six people over the summer. I didn't really look too closely at the boat before going out, but heard some cracking at the back of the cockpit while on a broad reach. The aluminum trim had come away from the lower edge of the fiberglass at the back center of the cockpit, and there was a vertical crack in the one-inch lip as well as a slight crack in the deck behind the cockpit. These were all pre-existing, as there was some gelcoat missing and dirt in the crack.
When I got back to the dock, I grabbed a few cable ties from my toolbox. There is a 5 or 6-inch size that is wide enough to fill the hole in the trim but not so wide that you can't get it through the holes. I carefully lined up the trim with the corresponding holes in the fiberglas and put cable ties into the three holes that were missing rivets. I rotated them down so that the tails faced back under the cockpit lip and pulled them quite tight. This stabilized the lip and we were able to sail all week without further deterioration. Unlike the trim on the gunwale of the boat, the cockpit trim seems to have a crucial role in strengthening the cockpit.
I expect I'm the only "hard" sailor that will use that boat this year. The resort will pull it out and hopefully dry it and do a resin/glass reinforcement after the season.
Just an emergency suggestion if this happens to you!! Cheers.
I was recently sailing an old 'fish at a resort. This is a beater boat that gets used by perhaps four-six people over the summer. I didn't really look too closely at the boat before going out, but heard some cracking at the back of the cockpit while on a broad reach. The aluminum trim had come away from the lower edge of the fiberglass at the back center of the cockpit, and there was a vertical crack in the one-inch lip as well as a slight crack in the deck behind the cockpit. These were all pre-existing, as there was some gelcoat missing and dirt in the crack.
When I got back to the dock, I grabbed a few cable ties from my toolbox. There is a 5 or 6-inch size that is wide enough to fill the hole in the trim but not so wide that you can't get it through the holes. I carefully lined up the trim with the corresponding holes in the fiberglas and put cable ties into the three holes that were missing rivets. I rotated them down so that the tails faced back under the cockpit lip and pulled them quite tight. This stabilized the lip and we were able to sail all week without further deterioration. Unlike the trim on the gunwale of the boat, the cockpit trim seems to have a crucial role in strengthening the cockpit.
I expect I'm the only "hard" sailor that will use that boat this year. The resort will pull it out and hopefully dry it and do a resin/glass reinforcement after the season.
Just an emergency suggestion if this happens to you!! Cheers.