[afrinus]

Looked at a Tayana 37 today. The current owner, in an attempt to fix a leak that according to him most Tayana's suffer from, cut off both cockpit coamings flush with the deck. This removed the mounting surface for the main whinches.
I wonder if this is repairable (to original aesthetics and strength) such that one would be able to rely on the winches staying in place in a blow.

Any suggestions and ideas on how to do such a repair from the astute membership will be appreciated.

 

[deniseO30]

Oh My Gawd!

Well this is I guess how it should look

Yes it can be restored. Question is.. the teak may cost more then the owner is "paying" you to take the boat of their hands. What where they thinking? Is all I can ask! What a mess! How badly do you want this boat? Did they save the boards and the glass they cut without thinking?

My guess; they were thinking they hated the cockpit so small and wanted it less confining.

 

[afrinus]

On the positive side - this is the kind of boat I dream of, the price is pretty low (I think he understands the mess and subsequently dropped his price pretty low) and the boat is on the same lake I sail in.

The bad - he didnt keep the cut-off pieces - it sounds that it was cut into pieces to get it off - including the teak

It was not that he wanted a bigger cockpit. Apperently Tayanas have a "standard" leak - water get into the coaming, into the core of the deck and then run into the boat interior where it drips out on the freezer lid.

I believe the owner really believed the only way to address the issue was through major surgery...

 

[tomandchris]

Unless you are really into learning how to do this job, and develope the experiencxe as you go, get a good estimate on what it would take. My guess...to much. You may want to see what else he "fixed"'

 

[socal c25]

Jesus H. Christ.... WTF was he thinking.... Thats like doing a Hysterectomy to cure a tooth ache. If you can fix it great, if a boat yard does the repair (reconstruct) your probably looking a several thousand dollars.

 

[TQA]

Easy repair. No point in using teak for the sides as it will be a paint finish. Teak for the top would be about 200 250 US$ per side.

I think I would through bolt a couple of blocks to transfer the winch loads below but it would most likely be overkill.

Might be good to talk to the designer.

Paging Bob Perry.

 

[killarney_sailor]

Looking on the bright side, he cut them off neatly. It is repairable. It might be worth buying an hour of Mr. Perry's time to get an idea of how best to repair this.

 

[Sabreman]

Some people shouldn't be allowed to buy tools. Seriously.

 

[harmonic]

Not a hard fix just need a few carpentry and fibreglassing skills.Should be able to do it yourself for under a grand.Librarys a great place to start.

 

[sailvayu]

Heres a thought, fabricate the replacements out of aluminum and then bolt them onto the deck. this would give the strength to hold the winches.

 

[Group9]

Definitely fixable, but WTF was he thinking?

 

[Skipper Jer]

I was thinking foam blocks shaped to be like the original coamings then glassed over. Yes you will need a pedestal for winch mounting. WTF is with the plywood????

 

[deniseO30]

Looks like a good place to try C-flex or other type of pre made FG materials.

A boxed in space can't breath, wood would rot.

 

[Barquito]

I think this post should be re-named, 'WTF'. That is one of the stranger things I have seen done to a boat. Like others said, I would be really worried about other strange DIY projects on board.

 

[SloopJonB]

Make a foam mould and make them separately and then glass them in place.

On another note: A Tayana 37 on a LAKE?

There's more than one WTF were they thinking on this thread.

 

[Capt Len]

The aluminium fabrication sounds like a good solution.Solves leaks, winch mounting and storage. A teak cap could make it look like it belongs. I'd build one out of light plywood for test look.

 

[Alex W]

It is fiberglass, everything is repairable.

I wonder how much water has been wicked into all of that exposed core. It could be a much bigger project than you expect.

 

[RichH]

I hope to hell Bob Perry never sees this thread, it would most certainly break his heart.

The cockpit coaming adds significant 'stiffness' to the 'fanny area' and cockpit of a Ty37; plus that coaming prevents the cockpit from being flooded by a boarding/breaking, etc. windward (high) side waves. That this 'removal' now leaves a 90° 'notch' (significant structural stress riser) at the interface of the coach roof/cabin and cockpit area surely weakens the design.
Sure its fixable but so to is walking away or running away and looking around for a boat that wasnt re-designed with a chain saw.

If youre 'really' interested in this boat (and the typical Ty37 warts and pimples are not present - severely rotted chainplate knees, leaking stanchion (teak pedestal) bases which can cause considerable interior degradation to sole/bulkheads, etc. etc. etc. then Id suggest that you hire Bob Perry on a consulting (fee) basis for any such 'restoration'. Additionally, since the molds for the Ty37 are still located at the Tayana yards Id make the suggestion of having Bob Perry negotiate with Tayana for a 'partial' layup of 'just' the coaming area PLUS a goodly amount of adjacent area that can be 12:1 tapered to correctly structurally re-join with the remnants still there .... this would return the strength/structural considerations .... and you wouldnt risk doing a 'slop-job' that would prevent any 'resale' later on if desired. Learning how become a gelcoat 'artist' in such a restoration would be a big plus to keep the boat 'cherry'. I know of one or two boats of this 'family' that have been significantly modified (raised salon, etc. etc.) with Bob Perry being the 'guide' and they turned out even better than OEM.
For myself to do such a job, Id be pretty damn sure that the 'rest of the boat' was close to near 'cherry shape' or somewhat 'restorable' before making such a commitment.

So, in summary, this boat is now 13 steps below a 'beater' and is going to consume a LOT of time restoring to prime condition at the cockpit area. There are still plenty of 'prime shape' and well maintained Ty37s still available - and which usually very VERY quickly are sold 'direct' from previous owners through the Tayana Owners Group (A google group), 'rarely' through brokerage. A LOT of 'prospective' Tayana owners lurk on the TOG group ... and usually instantly 'snap up' all the 'good ones' just as soon as they become available.
Why buy an obvious and possibly expensive 'money pit', when there are plenty of 'good ones' around?

 

[christian.hess]

Im confused by some of the responses, while this looks catastrophic, thats clean cut surgery...

sometimes glass and wood combos are beyond repair...its not like he cut down the cockpit sideways or something

the aluminum mounts are a good idea...buy you also have some think outside the box options here...

a redesign of the coamings...bigger stronger coamings...smaller, etc...

glass work and ply if you want to stay simple, I would not go teak just for the cost concerns...

maybe its me but if your familiar with this kind of work this can be fixed for sure...

cheers

 

[afrinus]

The cockpit coaming adds significant 'stiffness' to the 'fanny area' and cockpit of a Ty37; plus that coaming prevents the cockpit from being flooded by a boarding/breaking, etc. windward (high) side waves. That this 'removal' now leaves a 90° 'notch' (significant structural stress riser) at the interface of the coach roof/cabin and cockpit area surely weakens the design.

RichH - I hate you...for sounding exactly like my conscience....

Thanks all for the replies. I have been toying with the Al/Stainless fabricated build-up idea that would be through-bolted with a backing plate to make sure the winches are secure, with FG over it to get the aesthetics back. I like also the idea of the C-flex with a smaller stainless or Al pedestal for the winches.

However, my main concern was the 90% "notch" Rich mentions - even if I get the winches secure by using a fab structure piece, I still would worry about later cracks at the joint - just imagine anyone of you looking to buy the boat in a few years seeing a crack run the length of the coaming...you'll do what I should - run!

I'm a sucker for these boats, and the fact that it's less than a mile from my marina (yeah, WTF does a Tayana 37 do on a lake...) When you add the price - probably south of 30K - it means serious temptation

Contrary to the photographic evidence, I'm convinced that the current owner is not a chainsaw wielding nutter - he genuinely believed he is starting off right - cut it off neat, build it up properly and his boat was good as rain again...
In the end, I think the scope of what he tackled only became evident after it was too late (by the way, it's not ply wood in the scars - he glassed over the open core with mat and west system to seal it till he got time to do the real job).
He definitely know what the result is - he is listing the boat for ~25K less than what he paid for her in 2010.

Although it breaks my heart, I will have to walk away from this one....unless Mr Perry chimes in with a comment on the feasibility of getting two coamings from the yard...