Wrecked my boat; need advice on many items of repair...

inthe_wind

New Member
I hope not to be too much of a drain on this forum, but I have many items to repair, and I am restricted to repairs that will allow me to continue to sail in the frostbite series on weekends, and that can be carried out in outdoor winter conditions.
1. The hull is overall good, watertight, but has several gouges and nicks that are down to the fiberglass; gel coat repair should cover those but how urgently is that needed?
2. The mast hole has a deep indent/gouge about 5" from the bottom, which may also be a crack, but it's not visible (the lower mast section snapped clean at the vang tang). I should fill, make watertight, and smooth, but how can I confirm that it is not cracked? I filled the well with water and that seemed to remain full, but I worry...
3. The toe rails are both snapped in several pieces, requiring replacement, the screws seem tight, not stripped.
4. The centerboard and rudder are nicked, deeply scratched, ground down though the paint on the leading edges; will they soak up water (adding weight) if exposed, should I refinish/paint? With what products?
6. Gooseneck fitting has hole very elongated - should I replace?
The main sheet boom fittings have already been replaced, due to their being pulled out of the boom. I want to keep the boat light and pretty, and of course class legal. Any suggestions are welcome. Oh, the wreck? Google Severn Sailing Association news, or use this link:
News - Severn Sailing Association
Any assistance is appreciated.
 
The products for repairing the gel coat and fiberglass can be sensitive to temperature of application. If its below the recommended temperature in the instructions you need to wait on that. Some will never set up correctly if applied cold. Some will eventually set up if you have a good warm day.

If the mast step is compromised, you won't be sailing it long if you don't repair first. And we are back to needing products that generally don't do well applied in cold.

Its not sounding good for making the boat serviceable without a heated garage to work in.

Its possible that pictures of the damage might have someone say to just go sail it without doing any fiberglass work... (after the mast section and broken rails are replaced)
 
1. Can keep sailing and wait until spring
2. This is concerning. Probably need an inspection port at the minimum so you can see inside the hull, then repair as needed or put in one of the mast step repair kits. Definitely need a warm place for that.
3. Sounds a repair requiring a screwdriver and 3M marine adhesive. Not sure how well the adhesive sets up in cold weather.
4. Marine Tex may work for this. Surely you can find someplace indoors to do this.
6. Are you talking about the plastic insert in the end of the boom, or the actual gooseneck attached to the lower mast? The actual gooseneck can be hard to replace and get the pop rivets secure.

I'd say #2 is your main concern, and I wouldn't sail the boat again until it is fixed.

I read about the Severn Sailing incident, and there's a thread at SA for anyone who wants to pile on. Sorry this happened, but I'm glad everyone is OK.
 
I'll comment just on 4 and 6 (where's 5?).

4: The old-style foils are made of closed-cell foam, which doesn't absorb water. All those centreboards have a yellow leading edge after a few sails anyway, so no worries.

6: Good question. I replaced mine after my vang tang (nearly) broke, as I figured it was because the vang pulled at it at a slightly different angle from tack to tack, which in turn was because the elongated hole let the mast over-rotate. It's quite a job to get the old plug out, and I finally had to saw it in two. And the improvement the new plug made wasn't very big. How far does your boom turn without the mast turning with it? Compare it with a new boat, and if the difference isn't huge, forget it.
6. Are you talking about the plastic insert in the end of the boom, or the actual gooseneck attached to the lower mast?
If it's the mast fitting that is bent, you can always bend it back. A bench vice might be the right tool.
 
Thanks for the replies; to clarify, I meant the gooseneck fitting on the boom - the plastic hole is distorted allowing play. I'm not sure if this will affect sailing. I can definitely work on the smaller bits inside. Faring the rudder and centerboard are necessary; does anyone know what material they are made out of and could recommend a paint product?
 
I agree with Torrid; I have fixed many boards with Marine-Tex. I used (inexpensive) spray paint (a few light coats) to finish up.
Gouges and nicks in the gel coat can be covered with tape until the weather gets better for proper repairs.
The toe rails can be replaced now, but assuming that they still allow you to get back in the boat after a capsize, you can wait as well.

Your fellow SSA frostbiters should be able to give you further advice on these issues.
 
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I'd like to see that, too! But everyone that I know was intensely engaged in their own activity, most of which entailed swimming...There were some long distance glimpses of the bay, shot from shore, but not sufficient to glean details of that wind or the wave action encountered. I hope to never again see such, from any sized boat, in my lifetime. Please accept that the rescue that was mounted was 100% warranted. I am still amazed that half of our number showed their expertise and ability, and sailed to shore, then assisted those of us less talented wrangle our boats back to the dock.
 
I'd like to see that, too! But everyone that I know was intensely engaged in their own activity, most of which entailed swimming...There were some long distance glimpses of the bay, shot from shore, but not sufficient to glean details of that wind or the wave action encountered. I hope to never again see such, from any sized boat, in my lifetime. Please accept that the rescue that was mounted was 100% warranted. I am still amazed that half of our number showed their expertise and ability, and sailed to shore, then assisted those of us less talented wrangle our boats back to the dock.
Right! I'm not looking for sensation here, and in fact am glad no one was shooting video at times when me or my other Laser sailors got wrecked or had to be rescued (I've been there!) What really counts in the professionalism that comes through the Severn site on how everyone conducted themselves and nobody got hurt.
 
We have an awesome Commodore; she was on site and managing every aspect of the rescue and response that day and for the days afterwards, too. The 'lessons learned' are being used to create further safety aspects for future events.
So, back to repairs; I can't see the affected part of the mast from the inspection port but I was determined not to leave that to chance because of the advice above, so I filled the mast well with water and used a shop vac to blow air into the hull - increasing pressure gently until there was positive pressure - and no bubbles appeared. So, no crack! Right?
Next step; Put a low watt lightbulb down the well, dry it out completely, then patch with epoxy and filler mix, leaving the lightbulb to help it cure. I have taped the gel coat nicks and chips for later repairs - does not look pretty, but oh well.
The screws for the rails are unbacked, so will use 4200 to bed them and hope they are tight enough. If not, I will try out those plastic inserts as seen in another post on this forum.
Thanks to all for your advice, as a beginner, it is helpful to find information from more than one source.
 

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