Commander #5

[paulsproesser]

I am the proud new owner of Commander #5. These are preliminary pictures before any work has been done. The stern motor mount definately has to go and also the baby blue deck. It's hideous and is being prepped for new white gel coat and the bottom will be navy blue. Inside shots were after alot of scrubbing with bleach to remove mold and the winch handles were encrusted and had to be wire brush cleaned and buffed. They are the original south coast winches and winch handles. I plan to redo all the combings exterior wood just as ariel 109 has done. The reason we haven't posted sooner is because we have been sailing every weekend since july 2010 and we aren't done yet. We found the plaques in a bag of crusty crap with screws and everything else and cleaned them up. Somewhere they will be mounted again. As soon as we can we will post more updates on the progress. Thanks for all your help. Commander #5 :D

[Chance]

Paul, welcome and thanks for the initial photos of your Commander. Good to hear you have been enjoying her. Was she already in the DC area when you bought her? Never saw her listed. You have good taste, how can one go wrong with an Alberg design? Will you be re-doing the gel coat yourself, as you mentioned? She looks good, with the exception of the distasteful outboard motor bracket, which as you know is an easy fix. Her interior looks incredibly clean and well maintained. It's interesting how Pearson changed the profile of the bulkheads as production went along. Have you hauled her to see her bottom sides / rudder, etc.?

What's her name?

Thanks again and welcome.

[carl291]

Yes Welcome,
You've made a nice find, this boat must have had very few previous owners to be that original. It certainly cleaned up nice below. Is it an inboard model? Does it have and outboard well? Seems odd to hang a mount off the stern. If those are the worst holes in the hull you have to fill, you're very fortunate! Carl

[c_amos]

She will be stunning!

In every boats life there are seasons. I suspect C-5 has just entered a good one. :)

Thanks for the pictures, I shall look forward to seeing more as work progresses.... What ever you do, she will be worth the effort. These really are fine little ships we have!

[Tony G]

Welcome aboard, Paul.

Everyone here speaks the truth when it comes to these fine crafts. They all seem to have a 'being' or 'soul' that accompanys their history and yours comes with some really cool plaques to boot!

[Commander227]

Welcome Paul,
How cool to have one in the single digits. Have fun with the spruce up.
Mike
C227

[paulsproesser]

Thanks Chance, I will be doing the gelcoat work and have already been filling all the small cracks and holes while sailing. She was on craigslist briefly in july 2010 when my girlfriend found her under free listings so we decided to jump on it. The owner due to health reasons could'nt take care of it anymore and just left it tied to the dock at his house in St. Marys city Md. where i picked it up. He aquired it from a fellow who bought it at auction wo did the bottom, rudder and interior work but gave up and never got to sail her also he stripped the exterior wood and left it that way and it may not be possible to save it and he had it in the northeastern chesapeake area and when he got it at auction she had one previous owner, I found almost everything I know about her from previous postings on this website in the archives under commander 5 back to 2006, I plan to haul her in the spring and do the bottom i concentrating on the topside till then. As far as a name my 11 year old boy who knows how to sail and navigate now, when he saw her barnicles around the waterline he dubbed her The Krusty Krab from the spongebob cartoon but i dont know if it'll stick but it is fitting rite now, i'm getting all the electrical up to date going led ,new wiring, switches / rocker panel etc. As you all know it never ends but when i picked her up it took me 12 hrs to get her to my slip 12noon to midnight and had to navigate off the bay in pitch black without any electric and of course no lights in the rain and two of the channel marker lights where i was heading were burned out so i made it with a flashlight

[paulsproesser]

In response to carl 291 thanks and thanks to all of you for the insight I learned to sail in the early 80's and worked in boatyards and even worked the local boat shows selling them ,annapolis, d.c. and Baltimore just out of high school and my profession then was reupholstery and refinishing furniture which has proved to be handy throughout life so far but I've been an HVAC technician with steamfitters local union 602 wash d.c. since the mid to late 80's and yes she has a inboard well in the lazarette and all that cleand up nicely too but it needs a little work . In my journeys I have spotted two or three other commanders and ariels and a vangaurd in the area and when I get the time I'll try to get more details

[Ariel 109]

Is that a cockpit floor mount compass? How cool, I love those.

You might try and save your coamings and winch stands. They might just clean up real nice and those Commander coamings are so long.

Great having you aboard. I really look forward to hearing about your adventures.

Ben

[paulsproesser]

To Ariel 109, yes it is a floor mount compass it was on the boat when i got it and made a new lexan lense for it. we are gonna try to save the coamings and the winches are brass under the tarnish. thanks.

[paulsproesser]

The winch block

[paulsproesser]

This is the side view of winch base. I found some african mahogany that matches for the rebuild. In the process of removing wood from boat to fix and refinish wood.

[Ariel 109]

Those Commander winch blocks are so much taller than the Ariel's blocks. Do all Commander winch blocks taper downward, opposite of the Ariel winch blocks? Or is this because your boat is so early in the production? Making new ones is a fun project. Remember Ebbs advice about using resorcinol glue and it's advantages over epoxy.

[paulsproesser]

The new winch blocks

[paulsproesser]

The coamings

[paulsproesser]

Making old look new

[Ariel 109]

Wow, those beat up old coamings are starting to look real good. Can't wait to see them varnished.

Great work Paul.

[paulsproesser]

clap boards

[paulsproesser]

Wow, those beat up old coamings are starting to look real good. Can't wait to see them varnished.

Great work Paul.

Its taken since new years weekend to get them this good I am amazed myself , I began by pressure washing to see if there was any color left to the wood and i've one heck of a mess in my garage

[paulsproesser]

Varnishing exterior wood

[paulsproesser]

Wood is soaking up the varnish

[paulsproesser]

Maryland dove and drum point lighthouse

[paulsproesser]

new winch blocks and shined winches, To make the winchblocks match the coamings I found an alcohol based stain from the place I got the wood its made by Behlen it leaves the stain in the wood and the alcohol evaporates allowing the wood to be pourous to soak up the varnish but the coamings are all natural thats only the look of the varnish.

[paulsproesser]

update of ongoing repairs

[paulsproesser]

and more....

[paulsproesser]

still working in the snow

[paulsproesser]

dirty winches

[paulsproesser]

We got started with the epoxy primer

[Ariel 109]

Keep posting them pictures Paul. Love that big spinnaker with the emblazoned number 5, you have to get that flying, make Bill happy. Are you going to mount the jib sheet cleats on your new winch blocks?

As a fellow member of the "Fix Her Up While She's In The Water Auxiliary" I salute you and your important work! Looks like you live in a great area for sailing.

Ben

[paulsproesser]

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=2218817549889spinnaker on a beautiful day

[Ariel 109]

Hey Paul we or maybe just me can't view your video due to privacy setting. What is this thing called Facebook? A lobster trap for friends?

[paulsproesser]

fixing the backstay

[paulsproesser]

Keep posting them pictures Paul. Love that big spinnaker with the emblazoned number 5, you have to get that flying, make Bill happy. Are you going to mount the jib sheet cleats on your new winch blocks?

As a fellow member of the "Fix Her Up While She's In The Water Auxiliary" I salute you and your important work! Looks like you live in a great area for sailing.

Ben

Thanks Ben, I have been admiring your work too, especially the woodwork. Sorry for not replying sooner but have been having problems getting this to post, it kicks me off back to the sign in page. We flew the spinnaker a few time last summer, broke a mast pad eye and the end off the spinnaker pole doing it. The main sail also has the star and three bars with a 5 under it. I was thinking about putting a quick cleat or cam cleat on the winch blocks. I am still trying to get the video to run. It was transferred from my phone and its a video of wing on wing with the spinnaker and 150 genoa at the same time. It hasn't been bad working on it in the water at all. We do like the place that we sail. Its near solomons island maryland. The recently posted pictures are of the ongoing prep work for epoxy prime coat and what I had to do to fix the back stay chainplate. The hull deck joint popped apart somewhere along the line. Maybe this weekend or next weekend may have the whole deck primed. The reason we had the spinnaker hanging off the deck was because it went in the drink coming down and needed to dry it out before packing it up. P.S. The best tool that I have used through this whole process is a 4 1/2 inch angle grinder with a wire wheel for cleaning steel. It goes right through the gel coat and takes out a larger area around pitted gel coat making it quicker to patch with less sanding.

[paulsproesser]

epoxy prime coat

[paulsproesser]

Before and after

[paulsproesser]

Before and after

[Chance]

Paul,
First, it's great to see you making so much progress in relatively short time, and to think your doing it all while still in the water where our beloved Commanders need to be.
For me, I have to go sit in the cockpit under a metal roof and pretend / contemplate the day I'll be in the water, sailing or just relaxing either pier side or on the hook.
Secondly, I love the wet slip location you have. Is that a private dock / slip?
Okay, here's where you have me stumped, in reference to the repairs of the backstay chain plate. From the photos, it appeared that the backstay chainplate was over stressed and pulled up and forward, thus damaging the deck / taff rail area. I can't see it, but I would imagine the chain plate knee got tweaked in the process. Did you replace / reglass a new chain plate knee in place to receive the chainplate?
What are you doing with the hydraulic bottle jack? Did you disconnect the backstay from the chain plate during these repairs? I imagine you did, so that you could have at least temporarily removed the chain plate to access the condition of the knee. Were the holes for the mounting bolts elongated? Did you reglass the knee, fill the holes with thickened epoxy, redrill, etc.? Did you drill the chain plate for an additional bolt up closer to the underside of the deck?
Sorry for all the questions, but I'm having trouble seeing this repair through, and on such a critical structural fitting.
It's nice to see that you are making forward progress, keep the post and photos coming.

[paulsproesser]

We've been working until 9 and 10 pm every fri,sat and sunday and Lisa has blisters on her knees but were no longer coming home covered in fiberglass from sanding thank god. and thats only the epoxy prime coat we still need to sand and paint before the wood and winches go back on , I'm shooting for the end of the month and I think I'll wait until march to haul and do the bottom so we can sail until the fall , I aquired her on the last day of july 2010 and started the refurbishing on new years day we just have to be a little more creative working afloat and twisting until it hurts awhile sometimes. We are in a pretty protected cove in the Solomons Island Md area and in these warm months have been getting about two dozen blue crabs every weekend out of our two traps at the slip , thats our other reward. The transom, knee and chainplate mounting are all solid however I plan to beef it all up anyway my problem was the transom hull/deck joint popped apart I think I heard it while flying the spinnaker and 150 genoa downwind last spring so I jacked it out with some 4x4 cribbing cleaned it all out real good with the wire wheel and used 2 tubes of west system six 10 thickened epoxy to resbond it and I'm doing it all the way around and I have a donor with some old mohoghany for the new rub rail .I plan to do my hull in the dark blue like yours in spring or earlier depending on weather, jacking the transom back out put the tension back where it belongs on the fore and backstay, also I've read in some posts about guys removing the lead ballasts thinking it was for an onboard motor counterweight , Nonsense it is ,the lead in the keel is to counterweight your mast and sails to keep the vessel from healing over and also allows the boat to rite itself , to remove the lead is a hazard that throws off the entire trim charactaristics of the boat we all want to sail faster but we dont want to lose our boats to a good gust of wind.

[Chance]

Paul,
Thanks for the clarification. Okay, if your hull to deck joint separated, and as you state it happened on the transom, did you also retab the joint from the inside?? Thickened epoxy is great for filling cracks and sealing / bonding but the hull to deck joint must have multiple layers of glass tabbing to be structurally sound. Did you remove the chainplate knee and reinstall? Did you reglass any areas from the inside of the lazarette area? As I'm sure your well aware, the loads placed on the shrouds and stays can be extreme and simply putting thickened epoxy to "seal the joint" will not achieve this. I just hate for you to go through this repair of yours, and find out next year that it doesn't hold up to the normal loads placed on it.
You may be surprised to hear this, but I have never eaten blue crag. I know, I know, I must be the only on on the mid atlantic seaboard that has not eaten blue crab. Am I missing out? I used to visit marinas around the Solomons Island area when I was teaching up at the Patuxent Naval Air Station during my Naval days (I retired from the Navy in 2007). I really liked the area. You have great sailing grounds!

[Chance]

Paul,
Almost forgot, but I have to say, the external lead ballast (pig) that can be viewed in your bilge when you lift up the bilge access covers is not the same ballast your referring to that was designed, lowered and encased in the keel cavity. There is a wealth of expert, and master craftsmen on this site, with very detailed knowlege of our beloved vessels. To suggest that the external lead (pig) is not for compensation for the lack of an inboard motor, and without any supporting documentation, I say is wrong. One could argue, that lead in the bilge, whether deep in the hull as one monolithic lead ignot or the small lead pig you can visibly see in the shallow of our bilge, is indeed ballast and we who sail know what ballast does and is good for. The question that you should ask yourself, is why did Pearson add this additional ballast? And that question has been answered on this forum.
Have a great evening.

[paulsproesser]

I have read alot of the discussion on here and I'm one of those with no inboard engine so I'm in the should I or should'nt I stage , I would love to get the lead out literally and yes I am reinforcing with glassed in mohoghany in the transom and glass on the outside also, I dont want this problem to resurface and as you know we dont do any ocean sailing here and I cant get enough time off to take a trip that long and I didnt mean to seem I was discrediting anyone and you should eat a crabcake , you really are missing out, Thanks

[Ariel 109]

Paul, the boat is looking great!

Removed the external ballast from Ariel 109 over the winter and haven't had any regrets. Having those sharp heavy lead blocks flopping around in the bilge made me a little nervous. I've been out sailing with her since in strong winds and she feels the same as before. In light summer winds of Western Long Island Sound she feels faster.

Watch you fingers taking those blocks out!

[paulsproesser]

Thanks Ben, I peek down there occasionally and someone did a real botched up job I assume of covering them up in a bad fiberglass cloth tent maybe to get over the eye bolts , she sits in the water now perfectly about an inch or two below the waterline down the full lenght of the hull so thats what I'm worried about messing up but as far as the rigging and pulling of them i do that sort of thing at work alot changing out large compressors and pumps in tight spaces but the surface underfoot is'nt moving and rocking about, I could rig a gantry and hoist over it easy enough but not this summer we have our hands full and maybe that will fall under the interior work schedule this fall and winter before I pull it in the spring to do the hull and rudder because once the hull is done I'll be itching to push it to the limit and I'm contemplating running her in the governors cup race next year if shes ready it's run in the beginning of august its a race from Annapolis to Point Lookout straight down the bay its quite a haul but the lead is the only weight i have left i can ditch I may even have to throw out the anchor in that one and the cooler

[paulsproesser]

Finished coamings and paint

[paulsproesser]

Finished coamings and paint

[paulsproesser]

Finished coamings and paint

[c_amos]

Paul,

She is BEAUTIFUL! Nice work, and thank you for taking the time to take and post the pictures for us all to see.

What brand of varnish is that? Has a very nice color.

[paulsproesser]

sail and flag

[paulsproesser]

I used the Epifanes high gloss but it took 4 1/2 qts so far and it needs a little more in a few areas . We just applied the last coat on wednesday nite 10/5/11 due to the condition of the coamings when i got her I had alot of open grain to deal with so I had to lay them flat and start with 8-10 coats starting with 75% thinned then gradually decrease the mix to 50% to allow it to soak deep into the grain, I did this every 24 hours nite after nite until i got a good build up the started with the 25% mix for another 8-10 coats and letting it cure , when i got about 12 coats I knocked it all down to make the high spots meet the low spots then once I had an even surface I applied about 10-12 more coats to finish sanding when needed inbetween with 400grit . we did very little sanding on the raw wood but alot of restoration to save them and glad i did because you cant find woodthis pretty anymore I looked. but theres no stain thats the natural color of the varnish however i found a good alcohol based stain I used on the winchblocks so they would match because I made them out of african mohoghany which was much lighter in color , We have a long way to go yet I gutted the electrical system and have gathered everything for that but the batteries and now the bottom will have to wait for spring but from what I can tell it all looks good and now that I've taken care of the topside/deck and the core issues the bilge stays dry we will post more shortly when i get the other winchblock on this week and the winches while all the bronze is still shiny

[paulsproesser]

Also I ordered A new hull ID plate from Bristol Bronze because the original had tarnished and chipped but the original says Bristol R.I. and the one Roger sent me says Portsmouth R.I.

[Commander227]

Whooeet wheeeew (wolf whistle)
Nice work Paul!!

[paulsproesser]

tHANKS BUDDY! But I cant take all the credit I could'nt have got this far without Lisas help I think she works harder than me sometimes, and saturday my brother Mike came over from VA. to help and my sisters boyfriend joe who pressure washed the coamings on new years day when we took them off he also made that maiden 12 hour journey with me where we got in at midnite with no working lights , we all ganged up and put the wood back on whith new ss screws washers and ss all thread rod for the winchblocks and had a pizza party and caught a few crabs

[Ariel 109]

Sure does look beautiful Paul, an amazing transformation. I love the solar powered garden light in the flag pole mount, good ideal.

Hey Paul. I would be glad to (gratis) re-enamel you old Pearson builder's plate. It's not too hard to do, should come out nice.

If anyone has an old Pearson builder's plate from a lost hull that they don't need I'd like to purchase it for my boat. Don't care about the condition.

Ben

[paulsproesser]

Here is a pic of the garden light at night and of the plate. I think the metal needs to be stripped and cleaned before it can be re-enameled. I really appreciate the offer but are you really able to fix something like this?


Sure does look beautiful Paul, an amazing transformation. I love the solar powered garden light in the flag pole mount, good ideal.

Hey Paul. I would be glad to (gratis) re-enamel you old Pearson builder's plate. It's not too hard to do, should come out nice.

If anyone has an old Pearson builder's plate from a lost hull that they don't need I'd like to purchase it for my boat. Don't care about the condition.

Ben

[paulsproesser]

You might want to just order your hull plate from bristol bronze. The one I got for 5 dollars more they acid etched the background.

[Lucky Dawg]

HOLY COW! Your brightwork looks stunning! Seeing your companionway has me salivating to get to work on Lucky Dawg's door slats. Nice work and many blessings upon you for your Commander restoration!! Have you looked at your first post recently?? What a beautiful transformation. Hope you and Lisa are walking on air.

[Ariel 109]

I think the metal needs to be stripped and cleaned before it can be re-enameled. I really appreciate the offer but are you really able to fix something like this?

Glass enameled work is pretty straight forward. To get rid of the old cracked enamel on the builder's plate you just bake it away in the enameling oven for a few minutes. After cooling the plate down and applying a blue glass enamel paste you put it back in the oven for just enough time for the glass enamel to melt and fuse on top of the bronze. You can then polish the face of the plate and it should look like new.

[Commander 147]

I have to agree with all of the acolades from the others on your very impressive job on the brightwork. That's what brightwork is supposed to look like but very seldom does. Well done I am very impressed!!!!!

[mbd]

That varnish job is just... wow!

[paulsproesser]

Thanks and yes we have had a perpetual grin on every since we epoxied over the last spot of the old baby blue gelcoat then when the wood went on it was OMG! I look at the first posts all the time and remember how embarrassing it was to sail around but we had fun and she sailed great even with the winches rotting off I expected the jib sheet to rip it rite off sometimes, glad it didnt would've had to buy new winches. If you follow the procedure I posted in #49 you cant go wrong but you have to be patient and i rough cut some quick temporary clapboards out of 3/4 pine and used spray on thompsons water seal while i was redoing the old ones and they still look great .

[paulsproesser]

Thanks , you only want to do this once and afterward you"ll understand ,I had days where I actually thought I would never get it finished

[paulsproesser]

Ben , OK send me your shipping address to my e-mail psproesser@yahoo.com and I'll send it out I am truly Indebted for the help I'll send a money order for you to cover return shipping and BEER MONEY!!

[paulsproesser]

Sailed Sunday and had dinner this is the pic from our table

[paulsproesser]

http://youtu.be/JQUjT9mvo0E

[paulsproesser]

http://youtu.be/j7EojXwhswc

[paulsproesser]

http://youtu.be/KRsgW4yHqUg

[paulsproesser]

http://youtu.be/RX1mMWlDPe0

[paulsproesser]

Getting started on the bottom, On 4/2/12 monday am when we crossed the river wind was about 20-40 knots with gusts even higher and swells up to 5 ft. and real choppy , we had to go up river against it to get out far enough to turn east toward the bay and solomons Island to put the current and swells in our favor. There was one other boat out on the Patuxent that morning doing pretty good with storm jib and main up about a 30-35 foot sloop and while we were waiting to get pulled out we drove out for lunch to see the rescue squad with boat in tow and the state police chopper hovering over the river , Evidently one of those gusts of wind took them out and they had to be rescued . So occasionally we do get some tricky weather here which requires quick judgement and it always seem to come off the land from ssw.

[Jon]

Paul, your varnish job is stunning. I have Ariel 205 which I've refurbed. My woodwork has been Cetol'd and it looks good but nothing like yours. How has your varnished wood held up thus far?

[paulsproesser]

Thanks jon its holding up have to keep it covered when not using

[paulsproesser]

Without everyones input and suggestions and EXPERT GUIDANCE, I would've never been able to get this far. I saw something and took a chance and by finding all of you have strived to make this vessel all i can manage whith what I can manage, I hope I'm doin OK if not please step in , I want to make this boat a legacy to the designers and preserve it as long as I can.

[paulsproesser]

Solomons island history, The fourth pic is an old chesapeake bay oyster boat and the fifth one is the bow of a huge old wooden schooner just rotting away in the yard but I bet she was beutiful in her day , I wonder how that bow sculpture would look on my boat ? haha.

[paulsproesser]

Nickel plated id plate. Thanks again Ben! The cost was the same for nickel as it was for chrome and i remember Ebb saying that nickel lasts longer and holds up better wish I could stick around long enough to see.

[paulsproesser]

Acetone did nothing to this foam, The third picture is a void in the factory glasswork straight into the port side corner from the lazarette to behind the back of the cockpit locker

[paulsproesser]

Stripping, fairing, and blister repairs

[paulsproesser]

Epoxy prime coat , you can't really see it that well but i did install and epoxy in a piece of underground feeder conduit for the lazarette drain , which i think Chance recommended its a must , that void was mostly responsible for water getting in under the lazarette floor everytime the stern dips and just from draining and when the foam is saturated the water makes it's way through a void between the cockpit wall and hull rite down below the cockpit floor under the bilge floor to the keel . I posted a video on youtube under commander5md of the water draining out this hole was drilled at mid ballast before the hull makes the curve up toward the bow

[paulsproesser]

Made new rudder straps embedded in the wood for more support out of weldable naval brass from mcmaster carr. The wood itself on the rudder was rough around the edges but was in good solid shape so I used a 4 1/2 inch angle grinder with a polifan sanding wheel on it and tapered the edges to a point and cleaned it up and when i installed the brass reinforcement straps I put bottom paint on under them firstand let it ooze out when i tightened my bolts, The brass bars I got were 1 1/2 x 1/4 inch thick x 1ft long and I split one down the middle then cut in 4 inch pieces to make the other straps all the bolts are 1/4 -20 brass x 2 1/2 inch and the nuts are brass nylocks I used the extra bolt length to help align the plates and hold them in place to paint and get nuts on , then cut off the eccess its awkward holding a screwdriver on one side and a ratchet on the other so it helped out alot and the bolts are obviously countersunk heads but I could'nt avoid the nuts sticking out but I did countersink the nut side too. I didnt want to use a barrel nut because I thought they would be harder to get off if needed and I dont think 11 little nutheads are going to slow me down any.

[paulsproesser]

Time for a break. The p.o. never bothered to replace the missing center brass bracket.

[Porter Wayfare]

That last picture is kind of breathtaking! Nice going.

Edit: Oops, another post got in there before me. I meant the picture of the primed bow in post #76. But since the opportunity has now presented itself, the post immediately previous to mine, here, reminds me that the shape of a mango is also breathtaking. Few shapes compare. But a few do.

[paulsproesser]

Which one the Absolute Mango Smoothies I invented ? They are delicious and healthy

[Porter Wayfare]

No, the fruits themselves. I lived in Guinea West Africa for a while and there were all sorts of mangos. Ones like in your picture, red ones, giant ones. They hang down from the trees on long, sometimes many feet long rope-like stems. One day I tried to see if you could eat too many mangos. I am glad to say that, no you can't.

[paulsproesser]

Cheers!!!!

[Ariel 109]

Hey Paul! Love the picture you took of your now plated Pearson hull plate. It took a few seconds for me to get the joke, ha! Thanks for the pictures of Solomons island. I love seeing pictures and learning about the areas each of us sail and work on our boats.

[paulsproesser]

So do I that was something I did'nt even know about the area until I pulled the boat there . there are still big concrete dome shaped bomb shelter type barrack/ offices two are less than 100 yards from the boat . I love history especially militaria the kids today and even older people are oblivious to what our past generations went through to make our country what is is today " excluding the financial mess" .

[paulsproesser]

Ben, My solar garden light got broken by the dock but it still lites up everynight in the back of my pickup rolling around I gotta get a new one . It would benefit you greatly being out on a mooring ball so people could see you better at nite it fits great in the flagpole holder

[Ariel 109]

Hey Paul, I took your advice and now put an Ikea solar / wind powered garden light on the boat while at the mooring. One of the nice things about my mooring is that it's near the bridge to City Island, which has a wake restriction. But an ounce of prevention can't hurt.

Ben

[paulsproesser]

Hey Paul, I took your advice and now put an Ikea solar / wind powered garden light on the boat while at the mooring. One of the nice things about my mooring is that it's near the bridge to City Island, which has a wake restriction. But an ounce of prevention can't hurt.

Ben

Yea It would be a shame if some dummy T-BONED Noesis coming in in the dark , post a pic so we can see it . I like to have it for just hanging around the boat at night its like a mood lite that attracts the mosquitos away from you. and also if you anchor out somewhere your not draining the battery and also have that little bit of warning to other boaters. The very first night I got the boat I had to enter the cove where my marina is and its evidently a gathering spot for overnighters and I had to weave through several anchored boats most of which had no lights on at all and I had none either It was real tricky and nerveracking at midnite after a 12 hour trip with burntout channel marker lites to boot.

[paulsproesser]

Here is some progress on my lazarette , its all done in mohoghany woven roving and cloth but needs a few more layers and the rope goes out through my backstay turnbuckle and up through the outboard well to the rear deckcleats which allowed me to undo backstay without fooling with the frontstay turnbuckle. I'll be shooting the foam in today and painting epoxy primer in chainplate area then adding more glass matt on the floor, but I may wait on adding the glass until i get back to my slip . The uprite transom supports tie into the reinforcement job i previously did when my rear hull deck joint came apart and i fit wood blocking and thickened epoxy at the base to fill that rear void like Rico did it's a good idea to force everything toward drainage. The picture of the block of foam on my tailgate is the amount that one can of great stuff urethane foam will yield , three to four cans each side should fill the lazarette

[Chance]

Paul,
Nice to see more work on your Commander. From your work description, it appears your attempting to restore the void in the lazarette locker with a similar foam (like original). If so, do not use the foam that comes from a can, like you can purchase from a hardware store. That is the wrong type of foam for this application. A more fitting type of foam and what you should use is a two part firm floatation foam, that after the two parts are mixed, can be poured into a cavity and it will expand and fill the void. The type of foam that I'm referring to is rigid polyurethane foam. It is USCG approved and a quart kit yields approximately 2 cubic feet. Do some research. With the amount of work your doing, might as well choose the right foam for this.
Thanks for posting the photo. Also, it's referred to as forestay or in some conversations a headstay, not frontstay, though I know what you meant.

[paulsproesser]

Paul,
Nice to see more work on your Commander. From your work description, it appears your attempting to restore the void in the lazarette locker with a similar foam (like original). If so, do not use the foam that comes from a can, like you can purchase from a hardware store. That is the wrong type of foam for this application. A more fitting type of foam and what you should use is a two part firm floatation foam, that after the two parts are mixed, can be poured into a cavity and it will expand and fill the void. The type of foam that I'm referring to is rigid polyurethane foam. It is USCG approved and a quart kit yields approximately 2 cubic feet. Do some research. With the amount of work your doing, might as well choose the right foam for this.
Thanks for posting the photo. Also, it's referred to as forestay or in some conversations a headstay, not frontstay, though I know what you meant. Chance there is no difference other than the two part foam has the capability of giving a higher yield for my application the canned foam was perfect for the application and the density can be increased if you continually vent the gas ISOCYANATE after the foam has completely filled the void . They are both polyurethane foam products which consist of 1.Polyol a sucrose or sugar & petroleum mix 2. A surfactant which controls the size and shape of the bubbles 3. Catalyst which controls the reaction rate for example the quicker the reaction rate the smaller the bubbles/ slower the larger this dictates the density of the foam and then finally you have 4. Isocyanate , which activates the reaction which is a liquid with a fast evaporation rate . These 4 parts are the makeup of all polyurethane foam products they're just already mixed in the can and separated in the two part mix , I find the can to be not as much mess and I've been using it for 30 years in the HVAC trade and the reason the foam is there is to prevent gasoline fumes from accumulating not for flotation , This stuff developes a waterproof skin on it that is impressive ,I did several tests on it personally and I'm happy with it . I used 8 cans 4 per side and vented it to get max density and its done. The foam your thinking of thats USCG & US army core of engineer approved is styrofoam which can be dissolved with acetone btw but must be encapsulated , They use it to float docks and bldgs and make cheap little coolers with it. And if you use the two part mix and you trim off the excess you have ruined your waterproof skin and opened it all to absorb water and besides if you think about it that little bit of whatever foam is in there wont keep the 3000# ballasts from dragging her down god forbid and knock on wood. If you really think about it thats where the factory screwed up, they poured in foam with no pipe in the laz drain and trimmed down the eccess foam on top before laying the floor then reamed out the drain creating a big stern sponge.

[paulsproesser]

BEN, I did pull one of the lead ingots out I have 5 100# ingots stamped made in spain or spagne I think I'll take out a little at a time to find the sweet spot so to speak and save my back

[paulsproesser]

Time for a break. The p.o. never bothered to replace the missing center brass bracket.heres some further progress

[paulsproesser]

we'll be sailing soon! 2 months on the hard in this weather has been torture and fantastic breezes calling while working on the boat. the last pic is after i fixed all the cracks and holes and sanded the hull i smothered it in interlux 2000E epoxy primer. I rolled and tipped perfection on the hull and one part enamel for the stripe still need 1 more coat of each and dont get brushing thinner 2333n on your enamel it curdles it instantly , I had that mishap while wiping down the hull , so i still have to sand everything once more before the final coat and I also went with the 2000E under the bootstripe hoping it'll keep the barnicles off they seem to like it there at the waterline .

[paulsproesser]

heres some further progressanother shot

[paulsproesser]

BEN, I did pull one of the lead ingots out I have 5 100# ingots stamped made in spain or spagne I think I'll take out a little at a time to find the sweet spot so to speak and save my backheres one of them

[paulsproesser]

another shotheres how I did it and you have to keep popping the mushroom heads of foam to acheive a maximum foam density . I drilled 9 holes big enough to fit the applicator tube from the can.

[paulsproesser]

Solomons island history, The fourth pic is an old chesapeake bay oyster boat and the fifth one is the bow of a huge old wooden schooner just rotting away in the yard but I bet she was beutiful in her day , I wonder how that bow sculpture would look on my boat ? haha. this vanguard belongs to the lady in the marina office and her husband and it is as close to perfect as you can get.

[paulsproesser]

launch date 6/8/2012, here are the graphics, finally decided on a name we will keep

[paulsproesser]

Two months of preparation for 6 days of paint and finally got the jib halyard unstuck for the top of the mast

[Commander227]

Very nice work Paul. #5 sits on her lines very nicely considering she has the wieght of the outboard near the stern. Did you weight the bow to balance her?

[paulsproesser]

Very nice work Paul. #5 sits on her lines very nicely considering she has the wieght of the outboard near the stern. Did you weight the bow to balance her?Thanks, It was harder and dirtier but quicker than doing the woodwork. We did 2 months of nasty prep workand a few days of chemical stripping to do 4 days of painting. She always sat good on her lines , I put them back to the true original factory lines a P.O. had changed them to a more narrow line , theres no extra weight in the bow and I only removed 100# of the ballast I think Ill take 200# more to offset my battery bank I'm preparing to install. I got a lotta thumbs up as she was headed for the launch they really respected the fact that we were restoring a classic . I got the graphics on a link through Boat U.S. you design it yourself and they make it up , mine were $68 and they keep it in their database for when you need to replace them and and the cost is 50% of the first set . we sailed friday saturday and sunday and tomorrow im starting the new bow rail fittings and lights and putting a fresh coat of paint on the deck then i need to rig up something for my solar panel and install the depthfinder lisa gave me for my Bday last september and I put on 4 new harken ss ball bearing pulleys for the spin sheet and small jib , The boat still had the originals from racelite south coast and replaced the mainsheet , fiddle block and jibsheet lines , i caught them all on sale at 10% off were all $28- $36 ea.

[paulsproesser]

Thanks, It was harder and dirtier but quicker than doing the woodwork. We did 2 months of nasty prep workand a few days of chemical stripping to do 4 days of painting. She always sat good on her lines , I put them back to the true original factory lines a P.O. had changed them to a more narrow line , theres no extra weight in the bow and I only removed 100# of the ballast I think Ill take 200# more to offset my battery bank I'm preparing to install. I got a lotta thumbs up as she was headed for the launch they really respected the fact that we were restoring a classic . I got the graphics on a link through Boat U.S. you design it yourself and they make it up , mine were $68 and they keep it in their database for when you need to replace them and and the cost is 50% of the first set . we sailed friday saturday and sunday and tomorrow im starting the new bow rail fittings and lights and putting a fresh coat of paint on the deck then i need to rig up something for my solar panel and install the depthfinder lisa gave me for my Bday last september and I put on 4 new harken ss ball bearing pulleys for the spin sheet and small jib , The boat still had the originals from racelite south coast and replaced the mainsheet , fiddle block and jibsheet lines , i caught them all on sale at 10% off were all $28- $36 ea.my outboard is about 50-60# its a tohatsu 8hp at full throttle burns 1gph we found it on cl for $600

[paulsproesser]

Two months of preparation for 6 days of paint and finally got the jib halyard unstuck for the top of the mastinstalled the depth finder and clam cleats and lights yesterday and put bowrail together but didnt install need 2 people and repainting top and put in depthfinder Lisa gave me for my bday last sept. In the slip she looks like a tied up horse that wants to run.

[paulsproesser]

Thanks, It was harder and dirtier but quicker than doing the woodwork. We did 2 months of nasty prep workand a few days of chemical stripping to do 4 days of painting. She always sat good on her lines , I put them back to the true original factory lines a P.O. had changed them to a more narrow line , theres no extra weight in the bow and I only removed 100# of the ballast I think Ill take 200# more to offset my battery bank I'm preparing to install. I got a lotta thumbs up as she was headed for the launch they really respected the fact that we were restoring a classic . I got the graphics on a link through Boat U.S. you design it yourself and they make it up , mine were $68 and they keep it in their database for when you need to replace them and and the cost is 50% of the first set . we sailed friday saturday and sunday and tomorrow im starting the new bow rail fittings and lights and putting a fresh coat of paint on the deck then i need to rig up something for my solar panel and install the depthfinder lisa gave me for my Bday last september and I put on 4 new harken ss ball bearing pulleys for the spin sheet and small jib , The boat still had the originals from racelite south coast and replaced the mainsheet , fiddle block and jibsheet lines , i caught them all on sale at 10% off were all $28- $36 ea. Im considering azek for the rubrail its plastic trim for houses to replace faciaboard i can rip it and round it and its flexible to meet the lines

[mbd]

Great job Paul! Looks like a cozy place for a slip. Do you have more pics of your winch pads? -- Nevermind, I saw a good one of them back in
Post #24. Wow! you have come aloooong way in a short time. Well done.

[paulsproesser]

the reason I've made so much progress so quickly is because I got layed off feb13 so I decided to focus on my priorities (the boat) lol. Now I have A great piece of mind getting that job behind me meaning the bottom because as far as I know shes been in the water for 5 years and now shes becoming a pretty boat. I really feel for the greenhorns in the yard because they have to do all the bottom work everyday. I found just as much cracking and crazing and voids galore as I did on top and drilled and filled them all I drilled at least 15 holes thru the hull and got the most water at mid ballast on keel , contrary to the owners manual drilling at the rudder shoe didnt produce much but do it because its all the same cavity and gelcoat voids i filled with 6-10 epoxy and all voids around the main ballast in the keel i filled with foam including the prop knockout blank. now its touchup on the deck and power . I have to consruct a stern rack for the solar panel but other than than that its cosmetic and I will copy your chain locker door because I like it.

[paulsproesser]

I would like to have a painting of the slip pic made there are beutiful reflections off the water. Ben Areil 109 gave me some insight on the winch blocks the deck has a 7degree outward slope and the coamings have the same negative vertical so i made 4 trips with the blocks to the boat with a hand planer to get the fit

[paulsproesser]

next really big job is portlites

[paulsproesser]

I have registered for the maryland Gouvernors cup but there are a few terms im not sure about

[paulsproesser]

Finally got the time to install the rudder post bearing , when we removed the tillerhead and bearing cap there was no old one who knows for how long. However the new one fits nice and tight I recommend using some superlube to get it in place its not harmful to the o rings and its a dielectric synthetic grease and fit a large crescent to the shaft so you can tap it into place . What a piece of mind getting rid of the tiller slop. 6/17/12 repainted deck and cockpit installed bowrail, new running lights and starting to rebuild new switchpanel .

[paulsproesser]

Very nice work Paul. #5 sits on her lines very nicely considering she has the wieght of the outboard near the stern. Did you weight the bow to balance her?another reason she sets well on the lines is because theres no water storage tank up front i removed it for storage it was the original with lead solder very well made though

[paulsproesser]

we went sailing this weekend with the kids or(future sailors who love video games) and happened on a surprise moored at solomons for tours was one of the great ships which visited Baltimore for the commemoration of the war of 1812 and stopped over here for a special tour and cruise pkg. for those who may not know the war of 1812 was where the british sailed up the patuxent river and landed at benedict then marched to bladensburg to the first engagement with the U.S. malitia in which the malitia retreated then allowing the british rite into Washington to set fire to the white house and capitol at that time James and Dolly Madison were the occupants and Dolly Madison saved several treasured paintings before the white house burned and they fled however what saved washington was a tornado and thunderstorm which came across the Potomac from Virginia and hit the british troops they had never experienced such a thing and thought it to be the wrath of god and hightailed it back to their boats and it was the heavy rains that doused the fires on our capital bldgs and also after that is when the white house started being called the white house and not the executive mansion because they had to paint it after that to hide the fire damage it was the heavy rains that put the fires out ,then they headed for Baltimore and then ran into Ft. McHenry and other batterys entering the harbor and were held back at which time Francis Scott Key was an attorney aboard one of the British vessels trying to negotiate the release of a prisoner when he witnessed the bombardment and wrote our Star Spangled Banner.

[paulsproesser]

Ironically all that did'nt have to happen becauce a truce was reached between england and the U.S.A. But the mail was too slow. It was all about british vessels capturing U.S. ships and forcing the men into service for the crown. plus they were still sore about the rev war;)

[paulsproesser]

Spent 6days and 5 nights at the boat 2 weeks ago repainting the top with nonskid poly and went over all the varnish and sanded and declared with a couple more coats of Epifanes.