Coronado15 Rebuild

how tall do you think I should go, I was thinking at least the 2" PRI-TR3025 but it's only $1 more to go up 1 size from that and get the PRI-TR4030 which is 3 1/8"


oh, just noticed those are both special order, whereas the shorter (and cheaper ) PRI-TR2525 1 1/2 " tall is in stock. How do I know what I need?

 

clearly not as much room there as I thought.. more access can be gained by reaching around the side of the cockpit but it's still pretty tight. I took this next picture tonight I think it gives a good view of quite a bit. Front and center, You can see where that center strip is peeling up at the tail, I think with some cleaning and some epoxy and cloth that can be pulled back down and secured. What's the name of the fin in the middle? It looks banged up on the back end of it, but it's actually remarkably solid. I expected it to crumble and fall off. I can't reach it with my hand but I poked it with a stick and it's hard and doesn't move or smush at all. The stringer to starboard is solid to the hull, even though the wood clearly has a hole in it and may not be particularly durable, it actually seems pretty solid. I might not need to add one of those beams there, a good coating of epoxy and cloth might do the trick to build that up a bit. To Port is another story, you can see where that is largely broken away. It might be worth adding a beam there but would probably be better to tie that back down to the hull somehow, if I could sister in some mg ply next to it... just not sure how I would. I'd need to reach way back in there to clamp the new section in place. Looking up, you can see where I've pulled the core away from the sole. Some of that material left will still come away without too much effort, but it's also not crumbly and weak like everything that was behind it. I had #4 Monkey crawl under the boat while I looked inside. I then had him push on the bottom, trying to create the oil can.. there was some flex there. The pad's don't seem too bad on the bottom, but they don't seem to prevent the oil canning either, I wonder if repairing that port stringer and tying it to the hull might help. If it does I might just cover those pads with some biax matt and epoxy. Of course I have to get in there and rough up all the glass over the pads for adhesion of the new, and that could change everything as if I go to deep I'm sure they will turn to dust.

 

Those pre-fabricated, cloth wrapped, foam things are stringers. You could use them to replace the original foam stringers. I don't think you should use them to stiffen the bottom of the cockpit sole. Although I suppose you could do both. Still, I lean toward replacing the old plywood core to rebuild the sole.

Do you think those original foam stringers are full of water? Hope not. They could be coated with epoxy (see how porous the cloth is from the factory?) and covered with new cloth. I'm not surprised that the hull is oil canning, considering the condition of those foam stringers. In the paint department of any hardware store you will find a small paint roller on a telescoping pole. I saw them at Wal-Mart for $2.77. This would make spreading epoxy very easy and quick.

You think there is room for the pre-fabricated stringers to run just along the sides of that knee and the plywood strip? (that's pealing up and should be epoxied down.) The pre-fab stringers I saw were only one inch tall.

 

I intend to replace the wood core for the sole, regardless. The "Hull Beams" product was something I was considering to replace the wooden cockpit stringers, but I think it would be better to sister some wood up to what's left of those stringers (on the port side) so I can tie it to the hull. Starboard side might just get some epoxy and cloth.

I guess when I grind on the original foam stringers, I'll find out if there's water in there, or if they are just broken down to dust, if so I'll clean them out and add some of those prefab stringers in it's place. There might be room alongside of the knee for the prefab stringers.. but I figured that was the channel for any water down there to get to the drain and I don't want to damn up anything. IF(when) water does get in there, I absolutely want it to have a way out.

and good idea on the telescoping foam roller.. I was thinking about something like that for really reaching up in there.

 

Well if it was me, I'd probably spend a year rebuilding, but you should be in the water this summer. Here are some thoughts about stuff that gets the boat together quickly and as uncomplicated as I can imagine.

You don't have to grind on those original foam stringers, the old glass will probably pull away like paper. Make a quick inspection hole with a razor blade knife. Most of the strength comes from the fiberglass skin and not the foam itself. You could saturate that old cloth with epoxy and lay down a few layers of new cloth. This would add back stiffness and combat the oil canning. (And it would be very quick and easy.) At the same time you could saturate that center strip and glue down the curl.

Replacing the cockpit sole will probably require that lots of thickened epoxy be mixed all at once (for the initial bedding of the plywood.) Better to mix it in 3 or 4 divided batches because larger batches get hot fast. Make a pattern and cut the lumber to size. The edges should be rounded over so that the layers of glass cloth make an easy transition from the flat bottom to the flat sides. A big glass overlap on the sides would be strongest.

Then fix those cockpit stringers. Saturate what you can reach (inside and out) and sister in some new lumber. You could add a fillet along the bottom edges and lay up some glass. Make it strong.

This stuff should be easy and go fast. best not to spend to much time thinking about it.

 

Sadly more time to daydream about it, than actually work on it. So it's easy to overthink, but if I can work with materials and tools I already own, it's always better. I think we can make this happen. I'll do what I can this weekend, but I'm having surgery next Wed. and recovery will take a couple of weeks so, whatever I don't get done will have to wait.

 

Just realized something. Those cockpit stringers will be in the way of draping cloth (across the bottom of the new sole core) and up the sides (of the cockpit sides.) Maybe the stringers should be removed and then replaced after the core is replaced.

Wishing you the best with your surgery. Take it easy during the recovery and we look forward to seeing you back here soon.

 

so, what if I drape the cloth down the cockpit stringers making it more like a shelf bracket, that would strengthen the stringer and support the sole... wouldn't it?

 

It wouldn't tie in the floor with the sides. I think they should be one solid structure.

 

But maybe that's complicated. I guess something is always better than nothing. It would be stronger than it was last summer.

I'd like to see how those stringers tie into the cockpit structure. If you get a chance maybe you can post a good picture (or pictures) that shows the stringer/cockpit attachment joint. Would like to understand how the two things are connected.

 

It looks like it was set down in the glass of the hull and attached with some cloth coming down the outside of the cockpit wall. The picture shows the outside. I'll try to get a picture later of the other side of that joint but I think it's only attached with that fiberglass cloth you see, and only on the outside.

 

In my hull, the stringer was not attached to the hull in any way (around the forward end.) Not sure of course what's going on toward the transom. This could be due in part to inconsistent manufacturing practices, just guessing.

 

Mine is the same, the 2 feet or so closest to the bow are about an 1 1/2" short of touching the hull but in the back they seem to be set slightly into the hull but don't seem to have any significant prevention from lateral movement.

 

It's a good chance to build in some strength. I tied everything together with cloth, epoxy, and plywood. In the forward area of my boat, the hull, the cockpit, the compression post and the centerboard trunk were all rebuilt to be one solid piece. That's the recipe for strength and durability. That's what they tried to do at the factory, but they failed to protect the wood from water intrusion and so the wood deteriorated and durability suffered.

You might pull out the sections of the stringers that look weakest, saturate everything with epoxy and start laying down some new cloth. That would be a good place to get things started.

 

I guess I'm really talking about the very first steps in this larger project. This image shows a lot. If that center plywood piece is solid then soak in epoxy (all the way forward) and set something heavy on it to lay it flat. Also if that "knee" is solid (and also wood) then coat in with epoxy too. Here is where those cheap paint rollers are used. The ends of those foam stringer should be put into order so don't spread epoxy in those areas.