Help!... I Think I Bought a Project!

saltynomad

New Member
Hello! This is my first time posting here so please bear with me, and thanks in advance for the help. I recently picked up a laser 2 sailboat for cheap... so cheap in fact that I did not give the boat a thorough inspection. I began working on the boat today and have found some unsettling things. Turns out, the boat was painted with exterior home paint. (who knows what this is hiding). there is a crack in the deck that will not be a big deal to repair. The worst part is that when the boat was well supported I stepped into the cockpit and to my surprise it was quite soft. I would guess around 80% of the cockpit sags down roughly 1/4'' when stepping on it. I fear that the boat has similar issues elsewhere. I bought this boat to sail fast in rough weather and I want it to be strong. My question is, is this boat worth repairing? How much would it cost? how should I go about fixing it? Do Laser II's have a foam core? Thanks in advance for the help!
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I believe the horizontal parts of the Laser 2 deck (including the cockpit floor) are cored. Years ago, the floor of my Laser went soft at the areas where you push down with your feet going downwind. I took it to a local boat repairer who injected a mix of resin, foam and fibre into the problem areas, and it's been like new since. You should show your boat to a professional who can say what the problem is to begin with, and what to do about it. If the solution makes your boat a "project", then you'd probably be happier sailing with a soft floor.

I have some experience with Laser 2s from the youth worlds days of the class, and I can try to answer any further questions.
 
I believe the horizontal parts of the Laser 2 deck (including the cockpit floor) are cored. Years ago, the floor of my Laser went soft at the areas where you push down with your feet going downwind. I took it to a local boat repairer who injected a mix of resin, foam and fibre into the problem areas, and it's been like new since. You should show your boat to a professional who can say what the problem is to begin with, and what to do about it. If the solution makes your boat a "project", then you'd probably be happier sailing with a soft floor.

I have some experience with Laser 2s from the youth worlds days of the class, and I can try to answer any further questions.

Thank you for your response. I don't mind a project, I just was not sure what to do about it. I am surprised to hear it is cored. I am going to put an inspection port in tonight and go from there.
 
I installed an inspection port this evening and discovered two things. The deck is foam cored as you had said, and the wood inside the hull is severely rotted. Is this hull trash? Would 20lbs of fiberglass make it seaworthy :)
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Hi,
Yes you have a project.

It all looks really wet and horrible.

I'd do a version of what is being done in this video:
.

He cuts out a big area to get at the damage and then re fits the cut out to complete the repair. On a Laser 2 I'd cut out a panel each side of the centre line big enough to easily get at all the damage. Then I'd break out all the rot and damage, hose it out with fresh water and then I'd leave it hanging up somewhere warm and dry for several months before I began to replace all the wooden bits.

Should be fun. My L2 is a great boat to sail, excellent single handed.

The only down side is its ability to turn turtle really fast and stick the mast in the mud. So I always sail with a mast float, totally unsexy but there is a lot of mud around here and I'm usually by myself. It's a long swim home.

Finally look after the foils. Some of them were badly built and the metal reinforcing rods rust and break the surface like concrete cancer. I have to gently sand mine with 600 grit paper and spray with new paint every year to keep the rust at bay. It's not difficult and is fun to do on a sunny spring day.

Riv
 
I installed an inspection port this evening and discovered two things. The deck is foam cored as you had said, and the wood inside the hull is severely rotted. Is this hull trash? Would 20lbs of fiberglass make it seaworthy :) View attachment 19710

Hi Salty, did you ever repair the cockpit and what was the solution? I recently purchased an 89 Laser with soft spots on the deck of the cockpit similar to what you described. I have searched the forum and yours it about the only post that indicates similar issues to what my boat is plagued with. I am a carpenter by trade and not afraid to dive into a repair, but would like to hear any advice you might have. Thanks.
 
I ended up in a similar situation. I bought a L2 last sunday and installed inspection ports on the rear deck and the front blukhead of the cockpit. The rear of the boat was pretty dry and everything seems to be ok. However, I had a bad surprise in the front. All the plywood as rotten away and is completly delaminated :-S (I was able to remove the parts why my bare hands)... Looks like I've got a project on my hands.

I knew I had the fix soft cockpit floors but I was not expecting to have to fix the front deck too...
 
do you have an update?
My boat is in similar condition... I'm wondering whether I should just scrap it, sell the parts and get a new boat...
 

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