the deck on my Pearson Ensign

[BATAAN]

er... an old boat.

[seasailor55]

Thanks for the comments and encouragement. I'm not as concerned about aligning the hull/deck joint (I'll get some help) as I am about rebuilding that transom. However, the deck still has sawn off rivets in it that will have to be removed, and then there's replacing all those rivets, (every 2", maybe 300 of them?) although I've been told that if I use 3M 5200, the rivets will become superfluous. Some of the hull flange is missing in places and will have to be rebuilt... I could go on and on, but we are making progress, and to me that's the main thing.

[PAR]

Keep swinging Scott, you'll get it.

Don't believe the rivets/5200 bull, you need the rivets, which could be replaced with stainless sheet metal screws. Repair the flange as best as you can, but don't go crazy, so long as you can create a sealed edge, maybe with some 'glass tape, once she's back together. Place your new fasteners between the old ones and just fill in the old holes, rather then try to reuse them.

[seasailor55]

I had my doubts about the 5200 when I read up on it and found out that it stays flexible and doesn't harden. It sounds like a good filler as long as there are fasteners. Great idea about the new fastener holes and filling the old ones, and the 'glass tape. I wondered if short pop rivets would work, but then again, short stainless screws would be quicker and stronger.

Back to the transom. It appears that the donor cut 1-1/2" (all that pretty camber) off the hull at the the stern, as the deck is overhanging the hull at the corners and and the bottom of the hull is 1-1/2" short when compared to factory specs. I'll have to build that back out when I fabricate the transom, using a temporary male mold, unless you know of (and you usually do) a better way to handle this.

[PAR]

Well, I'm not completely sure about the transom, maybe some pictures, but if the hull has been cut short, making an extension will be a problematic thing. It can be done, but a fairing and sanding nightmare for most.

You can use stainless rivets, but often these have a mild steel shank that just rust. Screws work faster and better.

Can you make a new transom at the cut back location, just with more belly (camber) to partly make up the difference? You'll have to modify the deck to a degree, but more camber is never a bad thing and the lose of 1 1/2" isn't enough to get worried about, preformance wise.

[seasailor55]

I thought about pictures last night, as I realized that it would be a lot easier to advise me if you could see what I'm dealing with rather than having to visualize it, but it was too dark. I'll get some pics tomorrow.

Hmmm. Lengthen the hull, or shorten the deck? I could, I suppose, just leave the deck and hull as they are and have a vertical transom instead of the forward raked one. I never have liked that tiny reverse transom on that classic full keel hull with attached elliptical rudder. It's sort of like putting a rear spoiler on a '65 Jaguar XKE

Having said that, (and probably insulted Ensign and Alberg enthusiasts worldwide) I'm not afraid of the fairing and sanding, (I've gone this far, might as well go all the way) but I do want a sound structure that ties into the hull and looks original at least externally. I was considering incorporating some Filon, glassed into the hull, and laminating roving and cloth over it, tying it into the transom. The 3/4" plywood rear chainplate gusset and 3/4" plywood outboard motor mount reinforcement should bear most of the structural loads, I would think.

[seasailor55]

Here are some pictures I took of the transom with a template to show how much is missing and what needs to be rebuilt. It turns out the donor (or maybe some other previous owner) actually cut 3-1/2" off the bottom rear of the hull, as you can see in one of the photos. I've got the transom pretty well defined, (simple convex curve - just needs a little more trimming around the edges) but mocking up the missing part of the hull is a little more challenging as the hull tapers very slightly as it moves aft and requires a very slight compound curve, so a flat piece of material won't conform. I could probably use 2 narrow sections of fiberglass panel (filon) that taper slightly and meet in the middle of the bottom of the hull, overlaid with cloth and resin, or could I just plug the gaps with temporary molds, using layers of cloth and resin to get the hull shape roughed in, and reinforce from the inside (which will be required anyway) with cloth, mat, roving and resin. The outboard motor bracket panel and the rear chainplate mount would then be tabbed in. Your thoughts, please.

[PAR]

It looks like you have two options. The first and likely the easiest, would be to just change the transom rake and make a panel to fit the opening you have. I'd take an1/8" piece of plywood and bend it over the area, to get an idea of the rough shape, then trim to a reasonable fit. If the plywood was covered in plastic sheeting or packaging tape, you could layup against it on the inside, using the plywood as a template. This could save some fairing effort too.

The other option is to extend the transom back to where it belongs. For this I'd do something similar, but using two pieces of thin plywood, meeting on the centerline. I'd press it against the outside of the hull and bulk up the inside, effectively rebuilding the hull shell sides. Then a transom, much like previously described.

Since you have to rebuild this area, you can make some design choices, such as steps, maybe a built in ladder locker, possably an outboard bracket or a stern light pocket, all molded in.

[seasailor55]

A gentleman from Georgia who is restoring an Electra and apparently has a surplus hull has offered to lop off the transom and as much of the hull as I need and ship it to me. I told him I needed the transom and 4" of the hull, which should take care of a damaged section of the port side of my hull near the stern. My plan is to make the neccessary cuts, taper the ends of both hull sections at the butt joint, graft on the new section with cloth and resin inside and out, and fair the exterior of the joint prior to painting the entire hull (which has to be done, anyway). I suppose I could get real creative and do a scarf joint with epoxy and build up on the inside of the hull to minimize the amount of exterior fairing, but I'm not sure how strong that would be, given that hulls can twist and flex under loads, or if the hull sections would match up evenly, even coming from the same molds. Any suggestions?

[PAR]

Scott, I would recommend the scarf joint approach, not only for fairing time reduction, but for laminate strength.

Make the tapers on the inside of the hull shell, leaving just enough of a square edge to align the two pieces. Fill the taped trough with thickened epoxy and several layers of biax, overlapping the layers and feather out as normal. When this is kicked off, grind a shallow depression along the exterior joint and fill with thickened epoxy (milled fibers) and a layer of biax or two, depending on how deep you grind. The resulting repair will be stronger then the surrounding hull shell. It might be wise to make a test fit with the deck cap lowered down, so you have a precise fit between the two.

[seasailor55]

Great. I was mainly concerned about the strength of the joint, but this approach would also help reduce the amount of exterior fairing required. I'm not really concerned with the internal joint fairing as it will all be in the lazarette that will be filled with flotation.

As far as the scarf goes, what angle should I use? The hull laminate varies from 1/4" at the sheer to 5/8" at the bottom of the hull in this area.

I'll make sure the deck is in place and the hull flanges attached to the deck flanges (temporarily) to aid in lining up the joint.

[PAR]

Make the angle dramatic, but what ever is handy with a 7" disk on a grinder. Say several inches on each side of the seam.

[seasailor55]

Well,

The transom didn't materialize. Guess I'll have to fabricate one after all. I'll try using the thin plywood or some fomeboard.

On another note, a local building supply company donated four sheets of 1/2" MDO plywood for the bulkheads, cabin sole, and v-berths. These will be epoxy coated then tabbed to the hull.

Most of the Ensign restorations I've seen keep the notch in the forward part of the port v-berth that was used to house the head. I'm not sure if this is for authenticity's sake or because the configuration is there so why not use it, but since I have a clean slate I plan on making the v-berth sides mirror each other for ease of construction.

The original v-berth tops and sides, from what I call tell, were simply tabbed to each other with no framing. I don't want to add weight, but am thinking of using some light framing and expoxy where the plywood panels meet. What do you think?

[PAR]

Yep, some 1x2's the rescue will be fine and light. Cool deal on the MDO.