- Edit* I removed this from the other thread.. as it is a different topic from the rudder
got some more Carbonfibre work done to the boat. Got the trailing edge of the keel all sealed up again after cutting it off.
After cutting out the slot that the rudder 'sits' in when in the straight ahead position.. I then ground everything down smooth and below the gelcoat.
Then I made up a replacement part out of half a cardboard tube and after putting several layers of resin and letting it harden, applied one final coat of Carbonfibre to it, leaving 6 to 8 inches on either side before putting it into the slot I cut into the keel and resining into place, wrapping the loose fabric around the hull over the freshly ground down areas to make a good chemical bond.
I still need to do some more at the top and bottom of the slot and then work from the inside to properly seal and bond the repair to the hull.. but when all is done and faired in, Flirt should have one strong keel
Flirt's Blog
I've hear that using carbon is a bad idea on boats that may see rocks, stumps, shell beds or even long exposure to sunlight because it is brittle and unless it is covered, can degrade due to UV.
I'm not saying you are making a mistake at all- instead, I want to hear your view (because I've thought of doing this myself).
I have actually found the C/F is less brittle than Glassfibre. Even so, I will be covering all of it in both a barrier coat (to seal it from water) and bottompaint.. so UV is not a concern. As this is also a heavy full keeled sailboat.. beachings are something to be avoided.
As for Rocks and stumps.. I am pretty sure that is what sent Flirt to the bottom before.
Something about boats that have sank creeps me the berkeley out.
When I worked for Mastercraft we had one come through that had sank or been sunk, never got the full story. Either way it gave me the heeby jeebys and I had nightmares about lake testing it and it pulling me under. No thanks man, once they get a taste of the bottom they want to go back. That boat is now Davy Jones precious, he will be coming for it.
Nick_Comstock wrote:
Something about boats that have sank creeps me the berkeley out.
When I worked for Mastercraft we had one come through that had sank or been sunk, never got the full story. Either way it gave me the heeby jeebys and I had nightmares about lake testing it and it pulling me under. No thanks man, once they get a taste of the bottom they want to go back. That boat is now Davy Jones precious, he will be coming for it.
It's bad luck to be superstitious!
You're a madman, this thing isn't even mine and I think its a lot of work, and it already floats reasonably well, motors great(most of said work) and sails OK. Topping off the diesel before sailing completely around Grosse Ile(the most adventure it's seen in years).
In reply to dculberson:
I'm not superstitious at all. I wouldn't get on that boat.
In reply to Nick_Comstock:
The one I play with has been sunk 3 times, once while on land.
Aforementioned circumnavigation of Grosse Ile was done with a questionable (loose backing plate) thru hull, the cranking battery held down with the gravity method, and the house battery sitting on the cabin floor. Also, the depth sounder only works on one channel, check out a chart of that area(ours is from 1997) for why that's worth mentioning.
I find it funny in a place where Miata and Yugos are worshipped and some of the worst cars are made into the best projects that I am called "mad" here... I guess I live up to my name 
to be honest, while boats -are- expensive to play with. anybody with any kind of mechanical aptitude and knowhow can certainly cut that down to a reasonable cost. I hear of people spending thousands of dollars in labour to 'repower' a sailboat.. when if you have a block and tackle and some know know, it is easier to pull an engine from a boat than a car (well some boats the engine is almost inaccessible) and most everything I am doing now I learned from working on cars... and so far has been relatively cheap
Kenny_McCormic wrote:
In reply to Nick_Comstock:
The one I play with has been sunk 3 times, once while on land
There's a story hiding in there somewhere...
bluej
SuperDork
9/3/14 4:17 p.m.
Nick_Comstock wrote:
Something about boats that have sank creeps me the berkeley out.
Agreed. Sorta like cars in the yard w/ fire damage. Nopenopenooope.
Kenny_McCormic wrote:
In reply to Nick_Comstock:
The one I play with has been sunk 3 times, once while on land.
Kinda proves my point, the bottom is beckoning, she wants to go down.
In reply to Nick_Comstock:
Nah that's just gravity doing its thing. IIRC two of these events were caused by thru hull failure(I think I broke the last original cheap and poorly installed one Hunter built it with), at the dock, in shallow water, so it only took on a few feet before it hit bottom or somebody else at the club noticed. The other time (on land) somebody forgot to pull the drain plug and the cockpit drains got clogged in the fall, filling the boat with water.
You've gotta be pretty stupid to actually sink a boat of this size, even in fairly shoal and obstruction heavy areas like the south end of the Detoit river(if you're smart you stay in the shipping lanes when possible), as in completely ignore your instrumentation and not keep studying the chart periodically to check for rocks and whatnot. Even then(gash in the hull) you have good odds of patching it well enough with cushions inside and tarps thrown over the outside to get it back to the nearest boat lift.
