Livingston 14

Hi guys hope everyone is having a good day. Just had a quick question regarding a boat that I bought not too long ago. It's a Livingston 14 catamaran from 1989. My issue with it is that the sides of the boat flex quite a bit and I wanted to add stainless rails on it but was worried that if I lean too much might crack the boat. Idk if I'm being paranoid but I'd really like to stiffen the sides so it won't flex as much. Was thinking of sanding down to glass from the inside and adding 2 layers of 1708 with epoxy to stiffen it up. Was also reading on using xps foam and then a layer of 1708? What do you guys think? Any help would be appreciated thanks

 

Good morning Andyboy, welcome to the forum.
For reference for other readers, here is some more info about the Livingston 14.
Livingston 14 Foot https://www.perform-marine.com/livingston-14-foot
I am wondering if the topsides of the boat have a core, or are they 'single skin' fibreglass?
The photo in the link suggests that they might be cored?

 

Livingstons are built to be light and low in cost, there are many places with just barely enough glass to do the job.

Without seeing your exact boat, the sidewall flex isn't normally a problem. The keels are where most people needs to do repairs, they wear through quickly from beaching.

Adding a core to the sidewall would probably be overkill for how the boats are normally used. Beefing up the gunnel and possibly adding a stiffener to the sidewall is more typical.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I will be fishing this boat for salmon and halibut. It's not uncommon to use 2lb to 10lb lead weights and those weights sometimes get banged against the sides of the hull just want to have peace of mind. Ondarvr by beefing up the gunnel you mean adding some kind of backing like wood underneath gunnel to support the rails that im thinking of adding? What do you recommend to stiffen the sidewall?

 

This is the flexing that I'm worried about especially when I lean on it with my knee to fight a fish.

 

That's normal for these boats, and doesn't affect the usage much, but there are modifications that can help.

To stiffen the gunnel I frequently just add a couple of layers of glass. Start about 2" to 3" down the inside and wrap it over the top to the edge.

You can add a core to the entire length, but becomes more of a hassle, I just reinforce the location where I'm mounting something.

Downriggers add a huge stress to these areas, so foam cores don't work well for the mounting area, you need a more solid structure.

A cheap core that won't rot is a section of PVC trim board.

To stiffen the entire side, a PVC pipe cut in half lengthwise, then glassed over works well. This can be used to run wires through to keep them out of the way too.

I have two livingstons, one has been in the family for decades and has been work on extensively. Both hulls have been totally re-glassed below the waterline. I had a rod holder get pulled right out, took a chunk of glass with it, that was about ten years ago, maybe its time to fix it.

The other one hasn't been around as long, maybe only 20 years, but the hulls need a total rebuild like the other had for it to be usable.

 

That's crazy what were you fishing for that it took a chunk of Glass? I wouldn't want that to happen to me lol. The layers of glass to stiffen the gunnel sounds like a good easy idea. For the flexing on inside I'm leaning towards using the pvc trim boards to reinforce the sides from the inside. The flexing bothers me a little. It looks like I'd only be reinforcing not the whole inside but maybe just this area with the black lines?

 

One length of PVC pipe lengthwise on that surface will make a huge difference without adding much weight.

PVC trim boards aren't light, and they cost more.

 

Ok I will try it with pvc pipe cut in half. What diameter you think would work best?