Coronado15 Rebuild

Just thought of something else. Maybe the foam will put some stiffness back into the hull, but it could break down quickly. With some epoxy and some glass tape, you can reinforce all the corners (think of each side of the centerboard trunk as a long rectangular box.)

That would go a long way toward strengthening the hull. The cockpit sole is made of plywood and it might be getting bendy. I sanded what I could reach and wet out the bottom side of the ply with epoxy and then put down a couple layers of cloth. I also added the frames, but that might have been to much.

 

Port side: This corner is the toughest because of these "brackets." I cut this off as close as possible with an angle grinder and a cut off disk.


Starboard side: Then I reinforced the joint. I wet out everything first, then put in a fillet, and then added the fiberglass. Essentially, this was repeated until all the corners were finished. Four with the boat on the trailer, and the other four when the boat was turned.


Here is a look at how the cockpit sole is constructed. The plywood is pretty good but over time the bottom laminate gets checked and the panel loses some strength.


This is a small area on the bottom ply of the cockpit sole. The checking is visible and also some thick patches of old polyester resin. I sanded lots of this stuff down to clean wood, but it was time consuming. If you did some light sanding of what was reachable, and then wet out everything with epoxy, and put down a couple layers of cloth, it would be much stronger. Not perfect, but good.

 

If I could make one more suggestion, it would be that you might want to install the compression post when the hull is over turned. Otherwise, the weight of the installer would cause a bunch of flexing.

 

Canracer, are you calling me fat ;-)?


I got in a little time on Sunday with #4Monkey, we donned our masks and goggles and cleaned out that rotted wood on the keel. Amazing how wet that wood still was. I had the shop vac running in there while I ground it out.. but it's still pretty messy and I should probably have cleaned house before taking a picture for you guys, but I was out of time and this is how it is and how it goes.




This is primarily what I used to grind that down, and it worked ok, the other grinding disc I had was much slower going than this thing. I should see if they have a bigger one for my large grinder, although I'm not sure I want to wield the big grinder in that awkward position..

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-12-in-60-grit-flap-disc-69602.html

What did you guys use to grind and clean-up that surface.. next step is probably the underside of the mast step...

 

Nice work on that keel strip. So it was all wet?

 

I used a flap disk too. also a cutting disk. That flap disk will be useful because some paint will need to be removed in the areas where the new epoxy goes.

 

By the way, I'm pretty sure that I'm the fattest guy out there. When I installed that post, the flex in the hull was not a big deal but it was noticeable. I had those panels cut away so was able to get way back over the centerboard trunk, where the hull had the support. Then I very carefully eased myself over the side so that the boat and trailer didn't rock all over the place.

 

I wanted to clean up the underside of the cockpit sole below the mast step yesterday. Well, I ended up pulling off that big chunk of crud that had once upon a time held the compression post in place... with it, came a bit of end grain that looked like it was a 1/4 of an inch end of a 2x6 followed by a bit of wet plywood. I'll try to get some decent pictures of that piece tonight. None of the pictures I took last night came out very good. So I'll try to get better ones, we also managed to get a good bit more foam out... It's going to have to all come out, because it's all wet, and every foot we dig back we find more nesting... I can also see where the port side stringer has some wood rot.. Not sure I can do anything about that unless I end up separating the deck from the hull..

Will report more and provide pic's when I can.

 

it's possible to access all parts of the hull, without separating the deck. No worries there.

 

What everyone does is cut a circular hole wherever they need to work (well, not everyone,) and then install a hatch when it's done. That might be a good way to go if you plan to put in bulkheads where the side stays attach to the hull. That's the purpose for those templets. Easy to work on the front side, very hard to get to the back.

 

Number 4 and I tried again last night to get the rest of that foam out.. we've gotten just aft of the CB trunk. Unfortunately, we can't get a grip on anything to pull it out because it's so far in there. We've taken to breaking it into pieces as we can and vacuuming it out, but it's slow going, the wet foam and nesting(wet fur ew!) and some other muck, clogs up the hose on the shop vac... Some tools we've tried to help with breaking up the foam.. a long bamboo stick, a garden hoe, a survival knife duct taped to the end of the bamboo pole, a flat head shovel, and just the end of the shop vac tube. I may have forgotten some of the stuff, but we are open to ideas. I think we need some kind of Bat-Tool that would go in like an arrow and then expand out perpendicular to the shaft through the foam..so we can than pull it out in one large chunk. Batman has yet to answer my calls about loaning his out though.

 

Hey, maybe you can give me some advice!?! I have a sad, sick C15 hull, but you have encouraged me to not give up. So I think I need to start by separating the top deck from hull to see what needs repair, how do I do that?
My hull has punctures from being blown off the trailer. I have experience with that kind of repair, but the hull is sagging from inappropriate trailer support, and soft enough to make me think there is rotten wood needs replaced.

 

Hello dfye55,

If you can, post a couple pictures. It can be a hassle at first, but it really makes this forum thing fun.

The hull might be patchable. If you have a rig, sails, and foils then why not.

 

Hi Defye55,
Welcome, I wouldn't start by separating the deck and hull. I'd say, do what you can to get a look inside first so you know what needs to be done. I've been using a cell phone on a selfie-stick for that purpose. As Canracer said, put up some pictures and we can try to help/encourage.

 

Just had a thought about my foam removal troubles... I wonder..

If I remove the chrome drain plug fitting from the stern, if I could fit something akin to a broom handle through that hole, ideally at an angle that would allow me to push the foam from the rear, while #4 tries to pull it out from inside.. if we could get just enough pressure on it to break it free of the glass strapping that holds it in place, we'd be home free. The downside is.. it's supposed to snow tonight and I don't have room in my garage to get to that drain to try it. :-(.. That hole is probably too small anyhow... thoughts anyone?

PS.. I just looked up some sizes of things...

most broom handles are reportedly 1 1/8th of an inch.

Drain plug setup I have.
http://www.westmarine.com/buy/ronstan--transom-drain-with-plug--149393 says it's 1" and that was snug going in...

I could drill out that hole slightly (to 1 1/4") and use one of these:
http://www.westmarine.com/buy/attwood--stainless-steel-garboard-drain-plug--9766445

OHH, I could try to push with piece of rebar first.. That's the free option.. Clearly still trying to noodle this through.