Please allow me to introduce myself,

[leob1]

I'm neither a man of wealth or fame.
I'm the proud owner of a new(to me) Super Porpoise, that I got for free from a graigslist add. Needless to say it's less than a turnkey boat. The hull and deck has a few small holes that need patching, a few cracks, and a few gel coat chips that need filling. It also has a big crack in the foot well. But I do have all the parts, rudder(that's a big hunk of bronze), daggerboard, mast and sails. The only thing that's missing is the pin to attach the rudder.
I did some research on the forum, and realised that the hull needs to be dried out, the boat is much heavier than it should be, and that this should be a fun boat to sail. It's also my first sail boat, although I do have other paddle craft. I recently repaired a canoe, that I also got for free from Freecycle. I did a blog about it, http://www.free-canoe.blogspot.com/ it was a fun project. I hope this one is too.
There is lots of information on this forum, but please excuse me when I ask dumb and obvious questions.
My kids are already asking when we will go sailing, so the first question, How long should I expect it to take to dry the boat out to a usable condition?
Thanks.
Leo

 

[Wayne]

I'm neither a man of wealth or fame.

How long should I expect it to take to dry the boat out to a usable condition?

I did notice on your canoe, you aren't afraid to do sound repair work, even if the aesthetics aren't prize-winningly dazzling. ...though the ants do add a particular .... um, er, charm

... so you are beyond duct tape ... that's a good thing.

The manufacturer's published weight for a Super Porpoise is 155 lb., so if you've been using Sunfish weight as a comparison, maybe your boat isn't really so bad off.

Sooooo... in order to answer the question "How long should I expect it to take to dry the boat out to a usable condition", would you mind sharing with us the weight so we can compare it to know time frames ... or is the old girl being femininely modest?

.

 

[chau8238]

Also, you should post some pictures of it so we can see the condition it's in.

 

[leob1]

Getting an exact weight will be tough, the only scale in the house is the bathroom scale, and it's one of those modern electronic types, made of glass. My wife will not be very happy to have me weigh the boat on it. I'll have to work on that.
The canoe was my first fiber glass repair, and I don't mind a "work boat" finish, if it gets me on the water. Painting it was goinig to be this years project, we'll see.
My son, 19, wants to put duct tape over the holes and go sailing, youth. And I did put some over the holes to prevent more water from getting in, until real repairs can be made.
I'll post some pics in the next day or so.
Thanks for your replies.

 

[Wayne]

Getting an exact weight will be tough, the only scale in the house is the bathroom scale, and it's one of those modern electronic types, made of glass. My wife will not be very happy to have me weigh the boat on it. I'll have to work on that.

Got a friend or neighbor with an oldie but goodie you can just throw a small folded up towel on for padding and it wouldn't be any worse for the wear?

The canoe was my first fiber glass repair, and I don't mind a "work boat" finish, if it gets me on the water. Painting it was goinig to be this years project, we'll see.

We'll welcome some pictures, It's amazing the helpful ideas that pop up from things people have learned working on their boat.

My son, 19, wants to put duct tape over the holes and go sailing, youth. And I did put some over the holes to prevent more water from getting in, until real repairs can be made.

Yup, a stop-gap measure, not a permanent solution. Perhaps your son has seen too many Red Green shows.

. . . but I don't really blame him for wanting to get out on the "new" sailboat either.

.

 

[chau8238]

The bottom of my boat near the rudder had a 1/4 inch hole in it, so for temp measures, I sealed it with some silicone I had laying around. For right now it'll work, but once I start working on it, I'll fix it properly.

 

[szpatterson]

As for your son's duct tape idea.... I'm a high school student, and have had similar urges on my boat. While my dad (and his fiberglass expertise) was at sea, i have found that Gorilla tape works exceptionally well for a quick fix on minor cracks. In fact, i have a few strips at the bottom of my cockpit right now.

I'm sure duct tape isn't a good idea, and definitely isn't a permanent fix, but has worked quite well for me for a temporary thing, just like you said.

Sam

 

[Wavedancer]

Agreed;
Hooray for the gorilla or the old-fashioned duc(t) tape.

 

[Wayne]

Agreed;
Hooray for the gorilla or the old-fashioned duc(t) tape.