hulldeck joint/and a story
In mid-October, was sailing on the Chesapeake With John Griffiths (who owns and is restoring Ariel #1) in rougher than usual conditions: Small craft advisories, 20-25 steady, gusting 30-35 . Double reefed. The boat handled it well, but when I looked below, there was water on the cabin sole. No water on the bulkheads over the bunk area, but I think it came in closer to the area where the winch pads are. Then flowed down and into the bilge.
I suspect the hull deck joint was working under the load and I want to seal it. Can I remove the metal cap rail that covers the joint without compromising the whole joint? In other words, does the cap play any structural role or is it just a cap.
On a completely unrelated note: An interesting thing happened on this trip. We were out in the Elk River which leads to the head of the Bay. It was rougher than I've ever seen it (since 1950) and we saw what looked like a sailboat in distress. Jib flogging and wrapped around the headstay, mainsail streaming to windward and a man standing on the transom. The wind was blowing the tops off the waves.
We went to see if he needed help and then we saw that he was trailing a hard tender and a girl was clilmbing into it from the stern. She hunkered down in the bow and then we saw another girl climbing aboard. We hove to and asked if he needed help. "Just stand by." Was the answer. We stood by and watched as he hauled in the dinghy and one by one managed to get the two teenaged girls aboard his boat. They were looking worriedly off into the area behind the boat and so did I, expecting to see another kid struggling in the waves. Nobody.
I thought, "If there is another one out there, she's gone." Then I called to the rescuer. "Is there another one?" He yelled back over the wind, "No ... They're looking for their canoe!!"
Imagine that! Wherever their canoe was, it was beneath the waves. Lucky that their samaritan happened by. When we left, he was wrapping them up in blankets and trying to deal with his sails. I forget the name of his boat, but I remember its hailing port ... Galesville MD.!!
We made it to our anchorage (aptly called "Still Pond") several hours later and anchored just as a thunderstorm with 45 knot winds and hail struck.
What a day! We had beef stew and a scotch and slept very soundly.
screws in fiberglass, a seamly problem
Just wanted to close the loop on the rubrail and anything attached with screws on a fiberglass boat.
When you think of it, if you are attaching something to laminate, you have one shot getting the screw into the hole. If you back the screw out you now have a hole bigger than the screw size. Glass shatters and plastic is brittle. Even a carefully sized predrilled hole for the fastening in fiberglass will not keep the material from disintergrating when the threads are driven in. When you back the screw out you are clearing the hole.
Therefor the rubrail leaks thru the fasteners if it has ever been removed. Care to guess how many screws are doing the holding vs how many are letting water in?
If you carefully refill the holes with epoxy etc, and you're putting the rail back where it originally was, you are right back with the one shot deal. IMCO if you are sure you can get 5200 or 1A DEEP into each hole and let it cure so that when you reattach the rail you get some bite to hold and press the rail tight to the boat you have a better chance at stopping the leaks. You may have to predrill a small hole for the screw in the rubber. Have to feel each fastening, but predrilling a tiny starter might seat the screw without the danger of drilling thru the joint and making another potential leak. My opinion only.
Whether you use the same material to bed the rail on is your call. I don't think glueing the rail on forever with polyurethane rubber will strengthen the hull/deck joint. Polysulfide would be my choice. It weathers better, lasts longer, and allows removal.
Point is, screws are almost the worst fastening you can use on fiberglass.
Hope the rub rail won't have to be removed again for another 40 year.
Down the path of no return......
In what has begun as a minor re-fit, 'Faith' has now had the hull to deck joint glassed over from the inside across the transom, and inside the lazarette.
I filled the joint with epoxy on the outside.
I actually purchased the 5200 to re-caulk the joint, as per the manual but have discovered that the screws were replaced by larger, longer screws that have gone on through into the cabin.
I am now working forward, the rest of the way around. I will epoxy 1" band of fiberglass, and fill and fair the outside.
Would not be so bad, but have also undertaken the ice box rip out, topside repainting, brightwork refinishing, belowdecks fuel storage, and a myriad of other projects at the same time.
It is hopeless. I can not stop myself... I must seek help.