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Richard
Happy new year and apologies for not replying sooner, I am still getting to grips with the new website….
I actually used Bernard’s plan with slight modifications. I used foam and epoxy, I haven’t weighed it but I doubt it’s any lighter than the wooden one because I overdid the epoxy. I am also thinking about cutting off the top part to save weight. I will take another look at it and get back to you…
Murray
Yes you could be right its not an exact science, although the friends who use the DIY method here in NZ swear by it. Regular ‘polishing’ to expose the copper is necessary. Probably better to stick with an off the shelf specialist product at least you should have some back-up then if you have any issues.
Murray
Looks good. Trevor sheathed his keels with FRP awhile back I wonder how that has worked out?
I have a recipe for making home made copper/epoxy antifouling if anyones interested….
Ouch! Is that having the pintles and gudgeon milled out of solid stainless? Why not get some fabricated ones welded up?
murray
Hi Trevor
A wooden stock sounds interesting and would certainly be less expensive (although if its being paid for as part of an insurance claim that is not necessarily an issue!) and possibly lighter than the aluminium one. Do the drawings specify solid wood or plywood? Either way if it is laminated and sheathed with FRP it would be pretty strong and less likely to rot.
Murray
Hi Simon
check out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/l_atalante/sets/72157608585108667/
For photos of getting one apart and all of the components. The one I got apart was my spare, I had to cut the one on the boat into bits to get it off. The spare came on a chunk of bulkhead attached so whoever I inherited it from had a few problems too!! I ended up recycling some parts and having new ones made.
Trevor has the drawings.
Murray A87
A87 has a boats length – 26′ of 1/4″ chain and 140′ of 1/2″ nylon warp (not that I have used it yet!!)
YNZ recommendations are:
A cable the boats length on deck of chain (minimum) plus 195′ of rope or chain plus a second anchor cable of 19′ 6″ (minimum) of chain plus 130′ of rope or chain.
For a yacht of the Atalanta’s size and weight 6mm chain and 10mm dia rope are adequate for use with a 7 Kg CQR or Bruce anchor or a 13S Danforth type anchor
Also depends on the areas you intend to anchor in and of course what type of anchor you use.
Checked my spares and I only have the gudgeon fittings off the rudder stock – no pintle’s. The aluminium stock and gudgeon’s are all fairly corroded. A87 had stainless pintles when I bought her but they are for a rudder ‘box’ for a vertical lift rudder – so not much help I am afraid. If you are reusing the stainless steel pin check it for crevice corrosion in the area where it passed through the aluminium pintle body. If you do have an all stainless fitting made ensure (as Trevor mentioned) that the aluminium rudder stock is isolated from any stainless by using an appropriate insulating bush such as a nylon one. I suggest you read through the aluminium standards paper, attached to my previous reply, it lists the various grades and applications.
Cheers
Murray
Hi Simon
I will check my spares later today. I dont know if it will make a difference but is your rudder stock a type 1 or type 2 ? From your photo the pintle appears to be fairly corroded. Were the fastenings stainless steel? It should be possible to patch repair it by welding it up – that would keep you going for another season or two. I would look at having a new aluminium one made with an aluminium pin as well to reduce the amount of dissimilar metals below the waterline. See the attached PDF for recommended grades of aluminium for each purpose.
I will get back to you once I have checked my spare rudder.
Murray A87
I am carrying out similar repairs on A87. I did seriously think about rolling the boat on her side for the repairs but opted to block her up to a height where I can work comfortably underneath (as comfortable as one can be working overhead!) as I had to replace some of the hull planking above the waterline as well. This has been Ok so far but when I am ready for sheathing (I am going to sheath the hull with cloth and epoxy this may displease the purists however it is a necessity here in NZ) – It would be significantly easier to do this with the boat on its side – first one side then the other. I intend constructing three hoops out of timber and plywood, one positioned at the forward bulkhead, one at the companionway bulkhead and one at the aft bulkhead and then roll her over. ….should work!
I am also using cloth and epoxy to strengthen the hull to keel joint by running a strip (about 500mm wide) of triaxial cloth down the centreline and then bonding (with sikaflex so it will be easier to remove if required) a new sand keel on the outside of that.
Murray
Did Calista’s bottom look anything like this?This is what remains of the bolts that held Methuselah’s skeg on and the planking under it. I will have to replace the planking from the transom forward to the engine bay, from the centerline out to about 300mm. My plan is to cut the planking back to the new (thicker, wider) stringers I have put in, then put in the first layer of veneer, then router out to the next stringer etc, so the repair is stepped. Getting those rusty old bolts out of the keelson wont be easy, the keelson itself is ok, although I will have to drill out the bolt holes to good timber, then plug them once the bolts have been removed.
How did you do Calista’s?
Trevor Thompson said:
Hi,
Your transom is original – that seems to be how they made them. Mine is the same. I had to rebuild the transom on Calista. The bottom 8 inches was totally rotten, as was the keelson as far as the “P” bracket. Quite a daunting repair! So I cut back the transom in steps and fitted veneer in in stages to laminate up “ply” in situe. Of course I also scarfed in a new section of keelson and a new sandkeel. That left the transom sound but clearly repaired.
The transom is a very important part of a boat, and how it appears is quite an issue – well that is how it seems to me. The transom is something of a statement about the boat.
After much thought I used a circular saw to cut slots 2.5mm deep all over the transom, and then removed the rest with a chisel, to leave a flat surface 2.5mm below the proper finished surface level. I then veneered it in three sections, the top section in a single length covering the solid wooden section, and the rest in a port and starboard section. It resulted in a finished veneer level with the original level, but in clean new wood. The only negative is with the holes left by the staples. They are visible in the vinished varnishwork, an I havnt worked out how to hide them properly.
Of course I have done something similar in the cockpit. I will take some photos when I go out to Calista this afternoon.
Of course it then took a lot of sanding and varnishing.
I was looking for the photo I took of Calista’s transom at Beale park, but couldnt find it, but this is one you of yours which shows it nicely. I dont remember noticing any staple marks, maybe you see the detail because you are aware of it, I just admired the overall picture!How did you go about scarfing in a section of keelson? did you have to cut the planking back?
Learning how to place photos in my blog, a neat feature of the photo uploader is being able to resize your picture by reducing the pixel size as you upload it. Just worked that out after uploading a couple of photos that filled the page!
Get a good sponge! Its not so easy with the boat being divided up into so many separate compartments! I have made the situation worse by adding several floors that divide the “bilges” even further. I am going to have an electric pump in the engine compartment, with a long hose that I can use to suck out each individual compartment. Also have a whale gusher…but I am hoping after all the work I have done on the bottom A87 wont leak!!
A87
