Parts for first generation 14.2

cjdavia

Member
Hi,

First of all, I just received the 14.2 national association manual and I wanted to say thank you for a job well done. The manual is very well thought out and full of helpful information.

Now for my stupid newbie question: Are the parts and specs identified in the manual appropriate for all models of the 14.2? I recently purchased a first generation capri 14.2 (early 80s) and although the boat is in great condition, it has not been in the water for many years. I want to replace the shrouds, forestay, running rigging, and drain plug before setting sail for the first time, but before I buy the parts I want to make sure I'm ordering the right stuff.

Also, since this is an older boat, I was also wondering if any one out there knows of any other considerations I should address before taking her out?

Thanks, your help is greatly appreciated!

-Chris
 
I have a 1986 model, and the manual is very accurate. In the FAQs on this site, there is a good explanation of the main differences between the mod 1, 2, and 3 boats. For the most part, a Capri 14.2, old or new, is set up pretty much the same.

I have been refurbishing mine over this past winter, and it, along with suggestions I've read here, have been extremely helpful. (I wanted a new or at least newer boat, but since I was on a budget, I decided to buy a fixer upper. I’ve been working on it off and on over the last nine months or so, and here is some of the things I’ve done to my boat.)

Before I did anything to my boat, I sailed it last summer. One of the first things I wanted to change immediately was the centerboard gasket. This wasn’t as much work as I thought it would be initially, it was relatively inexpensive, and now I don’t get sprayed with water from the when I sail. (I wrote a long post about it here, and I have pictures of the process. I can post them if you would like to see them.)

I also removed a mooring cleat that somebody had added to the middle of the deck. The jib sheets kept catching on it, and it was a tripping hazard. I suspect somebody added it as a cleat for the furler. I replaced it with a small clam-cleat further back on the deck, and it works much better without snagging the jib sheets.

The next thing I did was replace the rub rail. The old style rub rail is basically useless, especially if is cracking off like the one on my boat was doing. (I also wrote a long post about it here, and I have pictures of the process. I can post them if you would like to see them.)

Later, I also added a better swim step. (The rope loop works, but if you have to use that a few times, you’ll be looking for a better solution too.)

I then moved on to fixing gel coat chips and fiberglass cracks in the seats, and later, pretty much anywhere around the boat.

Since you have the older boat with the teak rail, you may want to make sure that water isn’t leaking into the boat through the holes where the teak rails are fastened. I found that was happing on mine, and had been long before I bought it. The wood under the mast step was rotten. (I should have known that something was up when the teak rail practically came off in my hand right after I bought the boat.) I removed the teak, cut open ports to access the rotted wood, and after removing the rotten portions of the wood, I filled the void with epoxy mixed with a fiber filler. I then drilled a few holes into the remaining wood and injected a wood protector called Gluevit. After that, I filled the old holes, which were stripped out, oversized, and cracking, with Marine-Tex. After that, it was just a matter of drilling new holes and screwing the teak back on (after I refinished it too), and using silicone under the teak and around the screws to prevent future was seepage. (All that may seem a bit extreme, but my boat is much more solid now and should last for years.)

One other very important thing I did was to add longer bunks to my trailer. The trailer came with very short bunks, and the bottom of the boat was flexing too much on the trailer. The added bunks now support the weight of the boat much better, and the bottom of my boat no longer flexes in unnatural ways, even with me in it on the trailer. When I did that, I also had the bottom cleaned up, smoothed out, and bottom coated. (My boat had been sailed in salt water, and it had a very old bottom coat that was badly pitted and flaking.)

Another thing I recently did was to replace the cam cleats, and several of the original blocks. The bearings and springs in the old cleats were shot. I was going to get a bearings and spring replacement kit, which is available from Harken, but the screws on several of the cleats were frozen, and I had to cut the cleats off with my Dremel. Only one cleat came off ok, but the top caps and center portions were very corroded, so I replaced it too. (West Marine loves me. They now send me Christmas cards.) ;)

Since I replace the cleats, I also removed, resealed, and re-bedded the rest of the hardware, including the hardware on the mast and boom. Of course, I also filled the ends of the mast, boom, and whisker pole with spray foam, so that next time I get knocked over hard, perhaps the boat won’t turtle. (That’s another long story.)

You may also want to check the hiking strap brackets in the front of the cockpit. I looked at mine recently, and the bolts and the tiny little washers had pulled deep into the fiberglass. I filled the fiberglass with epoxy, and then used a flat stainless steel bar to spread out the load of the straps, so that my 190+ pounds wasn’t pulling on a small pair of washers.

Finally, before rushing headlong into a total boat makeover, I suggest that you replace the things you already listed, make sure all the screws are tight and fix any stripped screws, especially those on the shrouds. Once everything is safe, get it on the water. After you have sailed it a couple of times, you will see things that you need to change, things you want to change, and stuff that just doesn’t matter. (Not everyone is as anal-retentive as I am, or at least that what my wife tells me.)
 
Thanks for the info!

Thanks for the information, Dave. Your boat sounds great, when you are finished with all of your upgrades maybe you should post some pictures of her so the rest of us have some inspiration. I can't wait to get my priority one items complete so I can take her out for a sail.... However my list keeps growing!

I decided to clean and repack the bearing grease on the trailer and I noticed considerable damage and rust on the bearings, axle, and springs. Man was I lucky to get it home without a major incident. Now I get to hunt down replacement parts for a trailer which is no longer manufactured. One step ahead and two steps back... the only thing keeping me going is knowing that soon we'll be in the water! :)

Thanks again,
Chris
 
paulsheller said:
Chris,

I had the very same problem with my trailer. I found the folks at Eastern Marine to be helpful. They had everything I needed.

http://www.easternmarine.com

Click on the online trailer parts superstore.

I'll have a bunch of pictures soon. Now I making a new cubby door to replace the old... you know the rest.


Trailer troubles. Yep, that sounds familiar too.


Ready for another story? I didn't think so. ;)


I took my family on a road trip to pick up my boat about 6+ hours from our home. We decided to make it a family road trip. After we finally got the boat, we started back late in the afternoon, later than I planned. The bunks, trailer lights, hitch, etc. looked questionable, and I had to think it over a bit before I felt that I could get it home in one piece. While I was worried about all that other stuff, I really should have been worried about the tires and hubs. I should have stopped and bought was a new set of both and put them on, and stay over the night. Instead, I put air in those dry-rotted, 1970's looking tires, and headed home with my new baby. The left tire kept loosing air, so I stopped every so often, in the middle of nowhere between Abilene and San Antonio, to air it up. After a few hours on the road, it got dark, and nobody else was on the road. It was as if the authorities had closed it at both ends, but we missed the checkpoint. Anyway, soon it was that type of dark that many city people don’t know about. It was spooky dark, and I can only see the light from my truck, the stars of course – and the left hub of my trailer. That sucker was glowing! We stopped to let it cool off, and that’s when I noticed the tire was very low. After resting for a while, I aired it up again, and got back on the road, slowly. This began a cycle of driving for 30 minutes and then resting and airing up the tire. I didn’t want to stop, because I had a wife, a 13-year old, and a 3-year old packed in a rented Ford Expedition. I couldn’t stop because we couldn’t find a single motel - at least none that didn’t look like the Bates Motel. After hours and hours of 45-mph driving through pitch black, unfamiliar roads, we hit a small Texas city. The only gas station in town that was open had a can of fix-a-flat. I should have known better when I saw COMBUSTABLE on the can, but I thought I would try it anyway. The tire was still loosing air, but I was tired of stopping every half-hour. We got back on the road, and it seemed to work for a while, but within another hour or so, my boat and trailer were bobbing as if they were sailing through rough seas. I saw another beacon in the night, a small all-nighter gas station. We stopped, topped off our fuel, and then I pulled the boat around to air up the tire at the air station. (My little pump sounded as if it were getting as tired as I was.) For about 30 seconds, everything was going as usual, when I heard a pop and then a whoosh. As I tried to see what happen, molten hot and very sticky fix-a-flat shot out of a rapidly deflating boat tire and all over my bare legs. (The valve stem blew out, and I should explain that I was wearing shorts.) Now, I had one flat tire and no spares. My legs hurt. I was in the middle of next to nowhere at 2:30 in the morning with a very upset wife, and two cranky children. We should have been home hours ago, and now neither the gas station attendant, who I am sure was high as a kite, nor the ATT operator, could give me directions to an all night service station or Wal-Mart, or even a motel within 30 miles. I was determined not to leave my boat behind. (I was worried what some bubba might do to my boat while I drove all the way back to San Antonio or who knows where to get a tire. Don’t laugh. I’m related to a bunch of Bubbas. I know the type of stunts they pull. Let just say I wouldn’t have been surprised to find my boat, in the parking lot, full of beer cans and urine.) So, there we stayed, with the lights of the gas station peering through our windows and the sounds of classic southern fried-rock serenading us to sleep…well the kids and wife slept. I fold down the back seat for them, and I curled up in the front. Ford Expeditions look big, until you have to sleep four people in them. Finally, in the morning, I called the ATT operator again. Amazingly, this one found a Wal-Mart about 10 minutes away. Hmmm… I felt that the boat couldn’t get into too much trouble in the daylight for 20 minutes or so, so I left it behind and ran over to Wal-Mart. I found our wheels, fixed up the trailer, and I go my family and the boat home. Eventually I fixed up (rebuilt) the trailer as I did with my boat…

...However, only later did I tell my wife the whole story. You see, she stay with the kids while I ran into the store. That Wal-Mart, the one the ATT operator couldn’t find, was open 24 hours…and a decent motel was right next door.

Dave
 
OUCH. What a disaster story. It had a sufficiently "happy" (or so) ending, fortunately.

Take heed: Check the bearings, bring along the spare (and don't forget a jack!), and keep the trailer up to date!!!!

Oh... and maybe bring along a chain so you can lock the trailer to a tree if you have to leave it behind.
 
It's all a little funny now, but I learned a lesson the hard way. Now, I always carry a basic but adequate tool kit and spares of critical parts when pulling my boat.

I recently bought a used Sunfish for my son, and I went with all the gear and equipment I needed to replace the wheels, hubs, lights, etc. just in case.

Chris, before you start rebuilding and repairing your trailer, (if it is in the condition that I imagine it is in), you might look for a good used trailer. You might be able to save a little money in the long run. I thought I was saving money by doing all that work and replacing all those parts. Nevertheless, when I was done, I could have nearly bought a much newer (but used) and much nicer trailer for the same price. The same goes for the boat actually, but I don't mind doing the work I did, because it has been a labor of love. All the work in the world won't make her new again, but she's mine and I feel proud at the work I did. Besides, her next owner will really appreciate it! ;)

Dave
 
Dave,
In your lengthy description of upgrades you talked about restoring the wood under the mast step. I have a similar situation. Overall, the wood seems to be fairly sound, but there is evidence of leak and some soft wood along the edge. What type/brand of fiber filled epoxy did you use? Any further recommendations for the procedure?

Just beginning a refurb/project so may have lots more questions. I'm actually not too far from you. Where do you usually sail?
Thanks,
Dave Anderson
 
Things to do before your first sail.
1. Inspect all mast fitting. Tighten on replace loose or worn screws on the mast.

2. If shrouds and forestay are worn or rusted , replace as they are cheaper then dropping your rig.

3. Lubricate cleats with a little spray silicon.

4. Check centerboard to see if it operates freely as a worn gasket will many times suck up into the truck with the board making it sometimes imposible to
operate.

5. Dry rig the boat at home to make sure you have everthing to rig and sail. Do this when there is little or no wind. Sails up, all sheets, vang , rudder , tiller , everthing rigged. check all for ease of operation. Hiking strap condition. bungee for centerboard condition.

6. Take all the stuff out of the cubbie. Take only what you need. A bow line, life jackets, a spare line incase you need a tow, maybe a paddle, sun screen, etc...

7. Trailer bearings and packing (you got it)

8. Trailer lights.

9. Replace older trailer tires/wheels. At walmart $30 to $35 each wheel and tire.

10. The hull plug is the same part as for a Laser. Get two, they're cheap.

11. Pick a nice day for the first sail, stay close to shore , light wind at 1st. Get used to the boat. After 30 minutes, dock or beach and check the forepeak (cubbie) for water.

Hope you have fun and you get on the water safely. If you bought a complete boat, it doesn't take much to get it on the water. A lot of the projects sighted above this post are not key to going sailing but things you can get to over time.
 
One other thing I do have is an old fishing tacle box with a couple of screw drivers, pliers, adjustable wrench, spare line, tape, spare ring dings, clevis pins, cheap tube of bath chalk, spare lines . Stays in my car and has come in handy more than once. Helped are few other sailors to boot! :)
 
DA said:
Dave,
In your lengthy description of upgrades you talked about restoring the wood under the mast step. I have a similar situation. Overall, the wood seems to be fairly sound, but there is evidence of leak and some soft wood along the edge. What type/brand of fiber filled epoxy did you use? Any further recommendations for the procedure?

Just beginning a refurb/project so may have lots more questions. I'm actually not too far from you. Where do you usually sail?
Thanks,
Dave Anderson

First, I removed all the teak. (Most of it was *barely* attached anyway!)

I drilled small holes every two inches or so in the area where I suspected the problems. In areas that came out with good wood, I injected Gluvit made by MarineTex.

Once I mapped the area and scope of the problem, I cut open a two inch by one-inch hole. I used various tools, including a very long screw drive and a file to break up the rotten wood. (The rotten wood was dark, wet, and falling apart.) I poked and prodded out the rotten wood until I hit good wood or fiberglass. After I let the area air out and dry for a few or so, I flushed the area out with alcohol. After it was dry, again, I vacuumed out the area with my wet/dry vac. I then drilled a couple of larger holes at the back of the problem area. Through these, I injected West Systems Epoxy. (105 Epoxy Resin, 209 Extra Slow Hardener, and 403 Microfibers)


I injected a small portion, let it set up a bit, and then injected another portion. This way, the portions would bond together, but wouldn’t generate the same amount of heat as if I injected it all at once. (I did this when it was cool and out of the sun. I also used cold packets outside the fiberglass to reduce the heat.) The injected mixture spread to fill all areas of the void. I stopped injecting epoxy once it had filled just bellow the top of the holes I drilled. After a week or so, the epoxy was fully cured. I filled the drill-holes with MarineTex Epoxy Putty. The reason is, while the West Systems Epoxy is much tougher, it is much harder to sand, and it dries a clear-yellow color. The MarineTex dries white and blends pretty well with the gelcoat of the boat.

I sail at Canyon Lake and Lake Travis. I will be sailing a few other Texas lakes with the TCC (Texas Centerboard Circuit) this year.

If everything works out, the family and I will be sailing at Canyon this weekend. Where do you sail?

BTW, on my site, I just posted the first of several articles I made about my experiences fixing up my boat. Let me know what you think.

Dave
 
Thanks! I'll pick up some West Systems Epoxy and give it a go this weekend. I will try to get at it from underneath (I have a mod 2 and when I take out the cubby I can reach it fairly easily). So far I have reseated and sealed all the deck hardware, most is in good condition, only have to replace a couple of small blocks and the halyards/sheets. So, hopefully after repairing the mast foot it should be good to go.

I have sailed mostly on Lake Travis, but have not been sailing much locally recently. I live about halfway between Travis and Canyon lakes so it is only 20-25 minutes to either. Looking forward to completing my project so I can get out on the water.
Dave
 
I was going to go through the bottom, but since the West Systems epoxy seeks the lowest point unless it is well thickened, I decided to go through the top. (I also had a bunch of cracks under the mast step on the tabernacle that needed to be fixed.) My boat had obviously had a serious "demasting" at some point, and it was never repaired properly. The cracks appeared to have been one of the major sources of the water seepage. (Don't you love it when the seller leaves out little details like that. I wasn't smart enough to know what I was looking at then, but I do now. I won't make that mistake again.)

You don't live too far away. You should come sail at Canyon with us. (I have another open thread to Texas sailors to meet and have a sailing/BBQ day.) Last year a couple of us (Texas Capri 14.2 sailors) met at Canyon. However, it seemed that last year, everytime I went out up there I had problems. (Turtling, forgetting to hook up the main halyard and loosing it at the top of the mast while 300 feet from the dock, getting pushed back onto the shore by the constant waves and wakes from power-boaters, getting stuck in the middle of the lake for two hours without wind or a trolling motor, etc.) Now that my boat and gear are in good order and I have a little more experience, things should go much better.

Where are you getting your gear? Down here, the best place I found (don't laugh) is West Marine. If there is a better store short of Austin, I'd like to know about it. I plan to go to "The Sailboat Shop" in Austin for their grand re-opening, but that is too far for everyday gear and little emergency items.
 
OK, now it's getting interesting...
The wood was not in very good shape at all. As a matter of fact, when I cut the fiberglass below it I was able to pull out the entire piece in chunks. Now I am looking for the best way to completely replace it. I am thinking of cutting a piece of 3/4" plywood to fit exactly and epoxy/glass it back in like the original - unless anyone has a better solution.

Dave - I'd like to meet you at Canyon Lake sometime (not sure about this weekend, but soon) I'll send you my email and # so you can reach me.

btw - I like your website!
 
You might be able to cut open the back of the tabernacle and put in a new piece. (It most likely will need to slide in from the back, since it sits on the supports on either side of the cubby opening.)

With my boat, I went through the same quandary. I ended up removing about 1/4th the wood or more. The epoxy easily filled the void, and it is much stronger than the wood it replaced. The filler I used is especially designed to penetrate and bond with wood, so it should (hopefully!) be structurally sound all the way across. So far it has held up. If it doesn’t, I may have to do what you are doing. Take lots of pictures and let us know how it goes.

If you have to replace the entire piece, I suggest using a piece hardwood and seal it with epoxy. (I do not understand why anyone would use unsealed/unprotected wood in a boat, even if it is encased in fiberglass. Water ALWAYS finds a way in.)

Well, I may or may not make it after all. I promised to take the family down to pick peaches and blackberries at a family farm in Devine on Saturday, and Sunday, I'm going to the lake to get info about joining the club at Canyon. (That will be my sailing day as long as there aren't any thunderstorms. I don't want to play that game again!)

Thanks...now if I can only get more people to use it. :)
Dave
 
Here's a picture of the repaired mast step from the inside and outside.
 

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Thanks for the photo Dave.
I completed the job, but wasn't very diligent about takings pics (I was too covered in sealant and resin).
To summarize the procedure, first I removed all of the horzontal wood, then cut the fiberglass out toward the front of the boat to make enough space to insert the replacement, but left enough of a ledge to support the new piece. I also scraped and cleaned the area where the old wood was. The new piece was 3/4" thick and about 5 5/8" x 22 3/4". It fit very snuggly. I sealed the wood and coated the underside of the mast area with adhesive/sealant before inserting it.
Unfortunately, I found that one of the vertical supports was about half rotted too, so I decided to reinforce with new wood there too. I butted new plywood vertical against the existing (after breaking out most of the rot on the one side) and used marine adhesive and clamped them to keep them in place while it dried. These two pieces were 23 7/8" tall and 11 3/4" at the bottom tapering to 5 3/4" at the top.
After all the new wood was in I fiberglassed the entire area. My glass work definitely isn't as pretty as your picture, but I'm sure the repair is sound.
 
It sounds as if you did it the right way. I still worry about my repairs, even as solid as they feel. (When I started working on my boat, I was a little nervous about cutting so much fiberglass, and I only had a modest amount of experience with epoxy.) If I had to do it again today, I would replace the entire board as you did.
 

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