More hull repair questions.

[Webfoot]

Repairing a fish a coworker gave me. Bottom of hull has spider webs and one quarter size spot where it looks like the cockpit tub pushed through the bottom of hull. I chipped away the gel coat with a exacto knife. There is a hair line crack in the fiber glass, do I leave as-is and reinforce from inside or cut out the affected area and patch?

One side of the hull flexes under the tub, the other side does not. Where there two strips of foam that ran under each side of the cockpit tub?

Missing the screw for the rudder strap under the hull. I'm guessing there was a brass counter sunk wood screw that screwed into a wooden block?

What white pigment product do you mix with epoxy to make a gel coat.

Anyway, this is my second fish. First was one in the eightys that was far from water tight. There was always lots of water sloshing around inside. Still sailed good. Also got a O'Day Sprite that WILL NOT tack into the wind. Unlike a sunfish, it needs a trolling motor to go anywhere other than down wind.

Thanks

 

[DanB]

There is a hair line crack in the fiber glass, do I leave as-is and reinforce from inside or cut out the affected area and patch?
That sounds like it got hit or dropped on a rock at that spot.


One side of the hull flexes under the tub, the other side does not. Where there two strips of foam that ran under each side of the cockpit tub?
All the Sunfish I’ve worked on the tub sat right against the hull. Is this the same side as the impact crater? Pictures would be a big help so we don’t just stand around the water cooler going off on tangents that might not be relevant.


Missing the screw for the rudder strap under the hull. I'm guessing there was a brass counter sunk wood screw that screwed into a wooden block?
Don’t recall if it’s countersunk. Is the hole in the lower plate countersunk? But, yes it is a wood screw that was used.


What white pigment product do you mix with epoxy to make a gel coat.
Gelcoat is polyester resin. You can mix up an epoxy equivalent. System Three Epoxy makes color paste for tinting epoxy ( http://www.systemthree.com/members/literature/STR_Epoxy_Catalog_2003_web.pdf ) Look on page #17


Also got a O'Day Sprite that WILL NOT tack into the wind. Unlike a sunfish, it needs a trolling motor to go anywhere other than down wind.
Within the normal points-of-sail limitations, your O’Day should perform like any other sailboat. The problem could be anything from mast rake to a blown out mainsail. Sounds like it could be an issue with too much lee helm. Does the boat get squirrelly and veer away from the wind whenever you try and point higher than a broad reach? Have you checked your mast setup with the specs? Is your sail shape still adjustable as a sailing foil?

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[mike4947]

The Sprite has a couple of issues that can keep it from anything but a broad reach or downwind. It's only a little over 10 foot so weight location plays a big part in it's ability to saile upwind. Also it's jib does as well. A little to tight or loose on the jib sheet destroys flow over the main sail and it's upwind ability.
Not to mention it's slow http://www.ussailing.org/portsmouth/tables08/tables08cb-I.asp so don't plan on racing even a recreational Sunfish...LOL

 

[Webfoot]

Just cut two inspection holes in the fish. Fiberglass is soaked, got a light bulb in it drying.

Tub seems to be sitting on bottom of hull, can't figure out why one side of hull under cockpit is flexible. Maybe the cockpit floor is broken. There is gravel in the hull, some might have got under the tub and make a reverse impact crator? Anyway, kind of hate to cut into bottom of hull to fix flex problem.

O'day Sprite has battens that don't come to the trailing edge of sail. Edge sort of flops over, maybe it affects performance? Jib does not seem to do anything. Too small or maybe needs to be a cotton sail instead of Dacron? I know the Sprite is a Frostbite class boat, perhaps for that reason the sail area is conservative? Never is able to become Close Hauled.

 

[DanB]

O'day Sprite has battens that don't come to the trailing edge of sail. Edge sort of flops over, maybe it affects performance?
No doubt. Batten stock is dirt cheap. Just cut the correct lengths.


Jib does not seem to do anything. Too small or maybe needs to be a cotton sail instead of Dacron?
Highly doubtful regressing to cotton is the solution. As Mike suggested, a light touch and hightened awareness is more likely all that's needed. Stick some tell-tales on both sails.


I know the Sprite is a Frostbite class boat, perhaps for that reason the sail area is conservative? Never is able to become Close Hauled.
Wonder if the O'Day groups have some ideas for mastering this boat? ( http://oday.home.att.net/odaysite.htm )

 

[Webfoot]

Probing the bottom of the tub and a thumb sized chunk dropped through. Well, that answered one question. There is no expanding foam or whatever they put between the hull and tub bottom. There is a hole in the other side of the tub and I can see the gap is filled with something. What type of expanding foam should I pour into the hull and how much? I was thinking it might be possible to over do it and force the tub upward. Should I tip the hull on its side during the process?

Found a nifty was to inspect the hull. Drop a light bulb in at night and turn off the overhead lights. Shows every crack and flaw in the fiberglass.

 

[BrainCorrel]

Yes, The light in the hull is a great way to find cracks and pin holes. Much better than pumping air into your boat and breaking the bonds between the foam supports.

It is pretty cool when your boat is glowing. Maybe some resturant will figure this out and use it as a display, though that would be a pretty poor use of a SF.

 

[Porpoise2]

"...Also got a O'Day Sprite that WILL NOT tack into the wind. Unlike a sunfish, it needs a trolling motor to go anywhere other than down wind..."

I caught up to an O'Day Sprite one day with my Porpoise-II. (Porpoise is equal to my Sunfish only on a straight downwind leg).

I asked about the lateen sail he had, and he said it was from a Snark! (The stylized "S" on the sail threw me off). With two aboard, his boat was going faily well to windward.

It may be technique: Many sailors make the error of "over-sheeting" the main. If you do that with your tiny jib at the same time, your progress will be frustrating.

As Dan advised, add tell-tales, but place them carefully: location is critical.

I've gone one step further after trying regular yarn as a sensitive tell-tale. I found that a 11" thread from a shredded blue mylar tarp is extremely sensitive to the wind. (Pictured to the right, below) I put one on the boom at the bottom of a short chain as pictured, and use it all the time. (Saves on craning the neck upwards, too).

Even further, I split the end 2" with scizzors. In the photo, you can see one thread from the tarp is blurred, and this photo was taken on a fairly calm day!

 

[Webfoot]

Well, to answer my own question, I've learned that between the hull and the bottom of the tub were glue disks. That would explain the evenly spaced circular spider cracks on the bottom of the hull from beam to beam. Injected foam under the tub using expanding foam in a can which I learned afterwards is a big no-no. Luckily, the size of the damaged area I cut out was big enough to let the foam expand out of and relieve some of the pressure. Stopped some of the hull from flexing near the keel but still flexes away from the keel closer to edge of hull. Going to live with it and stop injecting foam while I'm ahead. Only this that give me pause it the way the mast tube is secured to the bottom of the hull. They did not seem to have extremely heavy winds in mind when they built these Sunfish. Seems to be a light to medium wind boat only, more than that and the dice starts rolling on when the mast rips loose.

Never sailed a Red Decked Sunfish before, don't know what I'll do about the sun heated deck problem. Kind of takes the fun out of sailing if you butt is on a hot-plate.

You've given me a good idea, I could cobble the sunfish sail rig onto the Sprite just to see what happens. As you know, the Sprite has two locations to step the mast. All the early sails brochures show the Sprite without the Jib and what I assume to the the mast located in the forward position. I think I always used the rear step and jib when I sailed the boat.

It could very well be a result of how I am trimming the sail. What I really need is some time to fart around with the Sprite and have a compass with me figure this out. I'm going to put a inspection hatch in the rear and forward seats to dry out the foam blocks. Thanks for the tell-tail advice. My father had installed some ribbon strips on the mast stays.