Gotta new boat!

T

Tortuga

New member
OK... it's an old boat -- a 1973 Force 5 sailing dinghy. Before I let my boys use the 'big' boat they'll need to learn the basics of seamanship, currents, wind, etc. The Force 5 is perfect.

F5.sized.jpg

The problem is it appears to be sinking... takes on about 10 gallons of water in the hull over a couple of hours. I've tracked the leak to the drain plug and the bailer port (essentially a hole in the boat that used to have a small pump).

I'll be filling the drain plug hole and redrilling, and simply filling the bailing port. But... what to use?

If this were Tortuga I'd probably use the West epoxy materials. But, as that adds up quickly, and as the Force 5 only cost a few hundred bucks, I'm trying to stay on the cheap. I can go with Formula 27 polyester filler.

In short... I am open to suggestions. What would you use if you wanted to keep an old dinghy afloat?

Matt
 
Oh, wait a minute you must be talking about the boat. I don't know what size holes you are talking about, but wooden plugs can be shaped an epoxied and painted pretty cheaply and easily.
 
Hi Matt,
Force 5 is a great choice for your boys, much more hotdog than a Laser, if they are big enough to hold her down. In my early 30s, in the early 1970s, I bought one from a man who was simply too small for the boat. If I recall correctly, the bailer was a lift up kind of flap that sucked the cockpit dry when underway. I don't remember what the hole looked like on the outside. A rubber stopper might work for the plug, and they are easy to handle and softer than the fibreglass.
On a different note, if you trailer (or maybe just store for long out of water?), the builder required you to support the hull behind the cockpit and in front of the rudder. I guess they underbuilt it, and it flexed. I often wondered if one could fill the interior, through the drain hole, with expanding foam to firm up the hull-bottom and exclude water leakage at the same time. Never tried it, just added a wooden saddle to the trailer and padded it.
Good on them.
Rod
 
Great training boat. I would pull both the drain plug and the bailer (my recollection was that it was one of the square ones, which would open when on a plane, and could be closed by pulling up on a lanyard. You may want to check sealing of the plug/bailer itself as well as its attachment.

I always keep some epoxy or marine tex for these type of repairs. The polyester materials just don't give a strong enough bond.

Also one of the other "famous" places for these boats to leak is around the board trunk....check for cracks or areas of where the laminate has opened up there. Again a little epoxy will go a long ways!
 
Thanks for the suggestions -- today I drilled out and epoxied in a new drain tube -- and I dimantled, dried and filled the bailing port. Just solid resin and glass now. The next step will be to work on the hull -- there are many cracks in the gelcoat -- I'll dremel them out and fill with resin. Not too worried about the cosmetics.

I agree with you Bob re the centerboard trunk -- I'll get some resin on that as well.

The standing and running rigging are in good shape -- though the sail is blown out. I'll cut it down to be used as a Jr sail (using only 2 of the 3 mast sections). That should be good for the boys -- until they get comfortable. And, I'll probably buy a new full size sail for me... I mean for the boys as they become better sailors.

The biggest problem are the centerboard and rudder -- both are very badly weathered, and poorly repaired over the years. I plan to strip them both and fill and fair as necessary -- then cover in multiple coats of resin.

I'll let you know how it goes! It's giving me the bug for a sailboat... wonder if my old Ranger 26 is still afloat?

Matt
 
Tortuga":1l34f8vg said:
I plan to strip them both and fill and fair as necessary -- then cover in multiple coats of resin.

Matt
Click to expand...

Matt, would highly recommend a layer of thin FBG fabric in with that resin, not just resin. Use Epoxy if you can afford it, not Polyester.

Charlie
 
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