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Repairing the Seidelmann 25

3K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  sailingfool 
#1 ·
Hi,

Long time reader, first time poster. I've recently acquired a project boat, an abandoned Seidelmann 25. Its currently sitting in a slip which I'm planning to work out of for now. After clearing out the rotted quarter berths and remains of the sole, I'm left with somewhat of a clean slate... of a sort.

Let me see, 5 of the gussets that span the bilge have rot damage, 4 between 20%-40% and the one where the mast support strongback used to be is completely rotted and needs to be replaced for sure. I was wondering how feasible it would be to apply another fiberglass layer to the damaged gussets?

They are already sheathed with some type of bi-axial +90 -90. The hull is solid FRP and feels pretty thick, but I'm not sure of the stresses those things take.

Other than that, one of the bulkheads has rot damage at its bottom where it extends to the bilge to the gusset that was destroyed by rot. It seems to be pretty stout and the rot doesn't show more than a 5 in above the remains of the gusset. I was thinking of trying to clean the rot out and maybe cutting out the remains that extend to the bilge and modify it to rest on the future gusset.. Is this just a disaster waiting to happen? The bulkhead doesn't have any structural rigging attached to it but it is under the mast area. I heard that automotive coolant is an effective mold killer...

And on top of it all, there doesn't seem to be a through-hull fitting for the bilge pump, but I do have one for the sink thats above the waterline. Would it be feasible to send the discharge through it through a y valve or something?

Last thing, there are some stress cracks around the mast step on the deck. I was thinking about glassing in a piece of plywood as a support pad, but I'm not to keen on removing the gelcoat on the topside. Would the pad still be structurally viable if i glassed it on the other side of the deck instead of on top? I plan on replacing the strongback, but was hoping to make it better than before...
 
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#2 ·
Loxegwen—

The reaons you have stress cracks around the mast step are probably due to the bulkhead being rotten and not supporting the mast step properly. In many deck-stepped mast boats, there is a compression post or bulkhead directly beneath the mast step to transfer the loads to the keelson. In your case, the mast step is supported by the bulkhead, and it rotting at the base is allowing it to compress, leading to the stress cracks around the base of the mast. What you'll have to do is jack up the cabin top slightly, cut out the bulkhead and replace it. Not fun...but very necessary.

You would probably be better off glassing the plywood to the underside, rather than on-top of the cabintop IMHO.
 
#3 ·
Hi,

..., 5 of the gussets that span the bilge have rot damage, ....And on top of it all, there doesn't seem to be a through-hull fitting for the bilge pump, but I do have one for the sink thats above the waterline. Would it be feasible to send the discharge through it through a y valve or something?....
i am not sure what you mean by gussets, many boats have transverse ribs that span the bilge and provide hull strength and cabin sole support. Are you referring to ribs?

If they are rotted, then I assume they would consist of a wood form encapsulated in fg. You need to rip these out completely and install new ones, a nasty job, but common on boats like R19s that have wood ribs. I would recommend you do this repair out of the water so you can control any hull distortion that may occur with the ribs out...try doing them one at a time...after the first one you'll be better able to judge your willingness to do the remainder.

Check the sink discharge again..it is extremely unlikely that a sink would discharge above the waterline, if only because it would create a stain on the hull. You are likely confused. Anyway you don't want to connect the bilge pump to a line like that, the bilge pump hose should exit just below the toe rail (as high as possible) and must have a siphon break in it.
 
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