Specific to the PNW

[artbyjody]

My Catalina is toast... with the mast ripping up the deck, and some of the other DIY with out knowing a DIY should have a self insurance policy... I have 30K of gear in a boat that is worth $1.

just wondering if someone here in the W Seattle area has glass experience and can teach me some things that can prevent me from totally blowing money on trying to actually build something from the ashes...Can offer a Mexican wage and beer - because perhaps you did the same and you could only afford the beer..

My thought process is that I have the gear - but I need to create a new shell and one that reflects correcting the deficiencies I experienced when just using the boat..

[teshannon]

Art,
What the hell happened to her!

[blt2ski]

Tenuki went by with a stink bomb!

Actually, the cabin mounted masts do have some issues if not taken care of in that they will destroy the cabin top. I know of two Jeanneaus like mine in the puget sound region that have had that issue. Both got fixed, I think with a metal plate under the mast, down to the compression post.

Not sure what else to say, other than find another C30, with the hull in reasonable shape, but without the stuff you have?

Where abouts in the other seattle are you. Dad lives off of Fauntleroy, south of the car dealers by the school/park.

marty

[artbyjody]

Quote: Tenuki went by with a stink bomb!

Nah I think I delivered the first one...again my apologies ten...

I am actually up the hill from the Fauntleroy -Vashion Ferry Station...

Here is my perspective at this point... Honestly, glad the mast ripped the deck as a 28 footer quite - well not big enough... I learned that once I had 5 women on board and I had to step all over them instead of...

The Cal is not worth the 30 some K I invested - I have it all the radar, MOB, 2 huge BBQs off the stern.. etc... And what I did learn was - I enjoy sailing. I do not enjoy the fact everything is confined... Hence I know I understand the repair side... but the topsides have to be replaced... smart enough to know better at this point... and to replace means investing $$$ into a repair instead of just going the rest of the way.. But - I learned from my roll and tipping experience - sometimes it is ok to beg for help...

I am mainly book smart and learn from trial and error but there are some things in life one has to swallow their own throat because it would be insane to think you just 'get it' from reading a few words in print and thinking - well I have done x before what the heck is different here...

The mast deal - nothing I knew or know would of prevented it.. I can live with that. When they tried to lift it - it wouldn't budge and as a result it took way more than just wiggling - it ripped the screws out of the deck and delaminated it at the same time...its a 1980 and I imagine it had never in its lifetime been de-masted...



However, other things such as the choice of thru decks for cable connectors which I relied upon store employees... I have to take blame of of because their job is to sell - not to sell based on experience... The cockpit sole is rotten thanks to the less than knowledgeable self (me) - and it took only six months to do... When I installed all the radar - Raymarine crap - I bought those fancy dancy $40 thru hull connectors... at every spot now so much water leaked through ....

I can't sell it - because - honestly I wouldn't do that to someone... but I can use it as a learning platform and go the next step... The issue is I don't want just the book smarts guiding me - that is what got me in trouble to begin with... I simply want to take what I invested in and at least build around it...

I learned alot the last two years but I probably have not learned enough and sadly I have more time and money than what I should as I have a dream - I think its doable - just do not want to embark with thinking I did my best when the best was not best enough...

Make sense... maybe ?

None the less, today I took 3K and bought epoxy /resin , tools, 100 yrds each of 4ox, 6ox, and biaxial..balsa etc.. I'll practice on a mini project and then go from there... one way or the other.. just it doesn't make sense at this point to yet again buy someone's problem... when I have the resources (mainly time) to go the other mile...

[CharlieCobra]

Sounds like you're fixin' to learn a bit more about boats.

[hellosailor]

Jody-
"When they tried to lift it - it wouldn't budge and as a result it took way more than just wiggling - it ripped the screws out of the deck "
I don't know who tried to lift your mast. If it was a professional yard--they should have known better. When something is stuck, brute force is NOT the universal solution.

"Run, do not walk" to http://www.gougeon.com/ the folks at gougeon aka west systems epoxies have a lot of information onlkine about using their products--or any other fiberglass/epoxy materials. They also will provide free tech support (you pay for the call) to ayone who calls up and says "Help, I need to glue my boat together again" and they'll tell you what is involved, what materials are needed, even the bill of materials and costs if you chose to use theirs--which are arguably competitive with anything else you could use.
If you can take some pictures of the damage, they may well ask you to email the pictures so they can see what you are talking about. I don't think you've killed the boat, you've just got a substantial repair ahead of you. The hardest part of that may actually be getting the temperature warm enough to USE epoxy materials at this time of year.
You should be able to rebuild the cabin top, retab anything that came loose below, and then bolt a new mast step back onto it, to replace the mast.

Unless there's way more damage, this is not a disaster--just a "damned inconvenience" as they say.

[Jeff_H]

This is not all that unusual a problem. Cals, like many production boats of that era had plywood cored decks, especially near high load areas like a mast step or cockpit sole. This is both good news and bad. Plywood is strong and relatively easy to repair, but plywood is more prone to rot, and allows the rot to move more quickly than balsa coring.

The folks at Gougeon Brothers (mentioned above) and at MAS epoxy (my preferred epoxy for the kind of thing you are doing) are the best resource for this kind of project.

I am also concerned that you think that the through deck connectors are the source of your rot problems. If they were properly installed, with all of the holes potted and the fittings properly bedded, there is no way that these fittings could get rot into your deck. Beyond that, as a general rule, where possible, connectors such as these work best when installed in a vertical surface rather than a horizontal one.

Now then, before you open your 3K of eposxy supplies it probably makes sense to ask if this is the best way to spend your money. I liked your original idea that, you can take all of your new gear and transfer it to a bigger, better condition, better designed boat. That may actually be a better use of your money than spending 3K trying to piece back together a boat boat that has lot of problems and a total value all fixed up of less than $10K

Respectfully,
Jeff

[KeelHaulin]

Originally Posted by Jeff_H

That may actually be a better use of your money than spending 3K trying to piece back together a boat boat that has lot of problems and a total value all fixed up of less than $10K

I think that sort of depends on how much you are willing to invest in the next boat relative to what it would cost to fix the one you have Jeff. I think many, many boats can be justified as best suited to the scrap yard (from a strictly monetary standpoint) but people keep fixing them and sailing them because that's what keeps them afloat both figuratively and financially.

People with Albergs, Cal's, etc. have done extensive refit work because they love the boat design much more than what todays market says it's worth. I've seen boats like these completely gutted and rebuilt just because it is "the boat they most want to own/sail". It can get a little cooky when it gets to that point; but that is what they want. Topsides refit is not 'beyond repair' or to be considered a waste of money; in Jody's situation it's what needs to be done to keep/sail the boat she already owns.

I understand your point; this is not a flame just an alternative opinion.

[artbyjody]

Originally Posted by CharlieCobra

Sounds like you're fixin' to learn a bit more about boats.

You are not kidding there

In ref to other contributions all valid points and agree with each one...

Kinda reminds me of when I first did RVing... 30 somethings generally do not RV, but since I was traveling from Philly to Seattle all the time, and staying for months on end, I bought an old 35' Airstream. Worked well and the per diem more than paid for it - but it was old, none the less a classic. Refurbed some of it, but sometimes to get what you want you get new. So traded it on a new model and got a substantial discount on the purchase. However a Catalina has none of those trade-in qualities sadly lol.

The issue does come down to time versus what is the expected outcome and overall is it worth it. As it stands the coring on the deck will need to be replaced that means to do it properly - untabbing the deck and making new (lotsa work)...

As for Jeff's comment: I am also concerned that you think that the through deck connectors are the source of your rot problems. If they were properly installed, with all of the holes potted and the fittings properly bedded, there is no way

The first year I had it - I installed all the radar, GPS, etc...did the thru holes using (see image) - used 3M sealant the whole nine yards...silicone on top for additional safety.




Next year - I needed to add the DSM unit to it and run the Radar cable through the deck and up through to the pedestal...So I pulled the old connectors - and wallah - to my dismay the core was rotten beyond belief...Lesson learned - use piping and actual epoxy to secure it and not those through deck 'water tight' systems...The 3M sealant (which was recommended for this purpose) - was not the ideal stuff since now I understand what the 'pros' use from watching everything in boatyard (one learns alot there)...While it never was apparent - I imagine most people install once and never check it later and so it is thought 'no problem'...

At any rate in the process of still removing everything... and at this juncture learn how to fiberglass and proper use of epoxy... At least at this point the boat is in the yard and not racking up fees....


hellosailor: Thanks for the link - btw anyone in the Seattle area - Fiberlay (which is where I got my supplies as it is down the road from me) no longer carries the System 3 products due to a major price increase from the supplier. They do have their own line of epoxies which I will try out...(wondering if anyone has used their in house brand before?)....

At any rate - thanks for the inputs and if anyone has suggestions here in Seattle for getting marine grade balsa - would welcome it....

[KeelHaulin]

How thick do you need the balsa? There was a local listing for boxes of 2'X4' sheet a few days ago on San Francisco region craigslist. I think it might have been 1-1/4" thick however...