[fraser20000]

Hello guys, been a while but using the warm weather I have been at work doing what I can.  she started as loose tape on the deck and a little hole in the transom as i bought her but has evolved to.

• 70% of the Transom had to be rebuilt. She is solid but needs finishing
• Roof in the back was rotten through, along with the main support, this was replaced but not shaped or trimmed so its about double the old ones thickness
• Every hatch was rotten through. Rear hatch rebuilt but needs sanded and finished, Same with the front
• The entire deck was pretty much acting as a water tank between the veneers
• many holes in the hull. Mostly done filling and fixing
• Rot in the bubble, in the works, decided to take it back to wood and epoxy coat her
• Trailer is a mess with broken brakes and a bit of rot but we will patch and launch her then redo that
• The dolphin engine is turning smooth as silk after a lot of fear and a few weeks of 2 stroke oil and rocking with a big stick and a socket.

 

Its all a bit rough and ready right now and needs a lot of touch ups but she will hopefully sail this year. Below are some of my battles. Sure I made some mistakes but nothing that can not be restored later if someone had the funds. i plan to use her a lot so I am trying to make the repairs solid. The hatches will be adjusted colour wise when I varnish the epoxy with some mineral stains. hope you find it interesting

Stern

First 15 mm, she got 2 laminated with epoxy

 

Roof is ply because it is painted and the veneer I got was trash

 

 

Matchsticks and splinters aka the rear hatch

 

Remade, i then ground out old filler and used epoxy and wood flour to fill the gaps then epoxied the hatch to be varnished

 

Front hatch got fiberglass so I will have to sand and tweak the colour, using the old frame a 15mm ply

 

making a mess

 

Older patch before i got the wood flour using epoxy and thickners

 

more holes

 

Checking the fit of the new hatch

 

I like the look of the ground areas filled with wood flour and epoxy

 

Cold forming the hatch

 

Rot in the bubble, the smell was exactly like a forest floor so I pumped some acetone in before i cut away any more rot

 

taking her back to all wood hatches and bubble, I think she looks much better now. The wood is in great shape other than the rotten bits. Will be rebuilt with Douglas fur and the bits of 2mm veneer I got that turned out to be of little use.

 

 

Topic

[Nick Phillips]

Fraser
Great to see Blue Jackaroo being looked after. Looks like you’ve been busy!  A benefit of some decent weather and a boat you can have on the drive. And something good to come out the Lockdown.

Looking at that picture with the transom cut out made me think you could have put some leaded lights in there! Although I guess the rudder mountings might be a small challenge 😉

The damage to the blister at the front is almost certainly because water has got in behind the laminated ‘quadrant’ which joins the blister to the deck – it then soaks up the central timber in the blister and outwards. As you do the repair it is really important to get a good seal around that join, and to minimise any movement between deck and blister.

Keep us posted and fingers crossed we can all get afloat this Summer!
Cheers
Nick

[Doug Odgers]

Fraser,  well done.

Although A90 Received this level of refurbishment by Dominic Dobson, the previous owner, as a relative newcomer to Atalantas seeing your comments and photos is an education and a guide for my burgeoning maintenance regime.

Thanks,  Doug

[fraser20000]

Hi Doug

 

Thanks for the kind words,  This boat has lived outside under tarps for a year so far and lived in a tent before so she has some problems I have think have been going for years. the transom for example had been eaten by the cables on the rudder and dug in an inch or so into the wood. I have never do this sort of work so I try to post everything so people can avoid my mistakes if any come up.

From my research fresh water is the enemy. Thanks for the kind words. She will rest a few days while the rain passes and then I will start work on the bubble veneer. Not sure my plan yet either many layers of 2mm or a layer of fiberglass in the middle.

 

Cheers

[fraser20000]

I replied to you nick in my other post with update pictures but I think they have to be approved by the admin first.

[fraser20000]

Thanks for the kind words Nick, she is getting much more done since I am not rushed now which is great because these problems would have festered.

I am not sure what leaded lighting is but I though of windows in the transom but not much use with a ladder and outboard mount planned for either side. I am up for anything on the bits I have rebuilt. I am considering once I have got the back looking flush attaching some really thin veneer to bring back the old look she had with the varnished transom. I actually had considered making her nameplate in epoxy with some lab chemicals mixed in to make the epoxy glow when exposed to light as shown by this amazing youtuber, he answers most of my questions which is rare and has amazing videos. Another is about epoxy with carbide and diamonds added similar to advanced concretes that might be great for coating boat keels.

I have some oxalic acid on the way for the rust spots, other than needing more sanding the wood looks perfect on the bubble so should take epoxy well. I am still thinking the repair though but I am going to try for a nice round inlay with the mahogany veneer I can salvage then I can put all the strengthening on the inside.

 

I am considering stripping the inside cabin  back to barewood on top so not sure about finishes that would let the inside wood breath or if thats a good idea but the thick house paint had moister between the paint and wood.

The epoxy will stiffen it up a bit itself hopefully. I considered putting some fiberglass between the layers but as I understand it in bending the center of a material is not actually compressing or stretching so not sure again. My epoxy is a bit more elastic than west coast, I had a great long chat with the rep who said a lot of boat yards in the UK use it.

 

Any general insight is always great as I am new to all this.

Cheers

[fraser20000]

Hi Nick

I am not sure what leaded lights are but i was thinking of adding windows but with a ladder and outboard I think I will be struggling for space. You are dead on about the blister, I found a lot of water and a strong smell of the forrest after rain in it. I just kept digging back to good wood though.

I made a template to replace but as I often do made a mistake and cut the wood in the wrong direction. My old man is much better at that than me so he helped out for this bit.

I must have been having a bad day though, I mixed my epoxy and is good practise wetted out the surface with raw epoxy. the main reason from my research is that the thickened epoxy has less area to cling and is is possible dry wood can wick out some a dry out the joint. i then mixed up my peanut butter with filleting mix and microbubbles. I done my work then again as is good practise put the extra out in the open. After 5 minutes later chatting I noticed smoke coming from the tub. My scale took a wobbly and I think i added to much of the epoxy second part.

it has set solid but I have lost some strength for sure from the unreacted part of the mix.

my Failed attempt

 

old mans one

 

[AOA]

Fraser – really sorry about your posts which I hadn’t ‘approved’. I don’t normally have to do this for registered users so not sure what is going on (don’t want to undermine confidence in the Webmaster, but I don’t!).

Now done and will look out for any more until I get the issue fixed

[fraser20000]

Thanks for sorting it. i think its because I had not sorted the membership before I made the thread. I thought the first one I had just forgotten to send so if it seems I repeated myself that’s why.

thanks for looking into it and if I need to start a new thread or move this one i can.

 

Cheers for looking into it, You have my upmost confidence. I have no idea how to run a website let alone a forum haha

Cheers

Fraser

[Author]

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