Fitting the Bulkhead Foot

The 2 x 6 I used to form the bulkhead foot was transfered to two 3/4" x 8" Red Oak planks. These were laminated together with thickened Epoxy resin and shapped with a grinder sanding wheel to fit. You will see that I had to cut 2 windows in the seats in order to actually see the foot where it meets the hull. I did this also so I have access to clean the hull surface in order to seat the bulkhead foot in resin. These will be put back later. 

Transfer from 2x6 to Oak boards:

Bulkhead Construction / New used Motor

Update:  

Note: you can click on the photos to enlarge.......

I traded my old Johnson 6 hp 2 stroke for a Honda 7.5 hp 4 stroke. If you need an outboard call Jim at 602-689-8336. He is on McClintock just south of the 202 in Tempe, AZ.

Outgoing:

                           Incoming: 

The hole in the forward floor has been patched and the ongoing construction of the bulkhead is underway. 

Cardboard template:

Ready for glassing over:

The Shop:

Knotmeter

The boat was fitted out with a depth & knot meter. I have a Garmin GPS Oregon 650t for hiking, road trips in my Porsche & trips in the boat. I also have no intention of sailing this boat out of site of land so I really have no need of either the depth or knot meter. So........I removed the depth transponder and the knot paddlewheel. The transponder was simply siliconed to the inside of the hull and came right off but the paddlewheel was mounted through the hull. So after removing it, I patched the hole in the usual way, solid patch on the inside & a build up of patches on the outside of the hull.

This boat is known for being unsinkable due to styrafoam under the cockpit and under the forward birth. The foam blocks are secure under the cockpit. The hold under the forward birth had smaller blocks and various trimmed blocks of styrafoam stuffed in it. They fit OK but I pulled them all out with the intent of filling that space with spray closed-cell foam. I also intend to line the hold with plastic sheeting so the foam will not stick to the hull. In this way, if I ever have to patch that portion of the hull, I will not have to fight the foam from the outside (I can get a patch into the hold from the outside between the hull and plastic sheeting). 

Now to the problem of the bulkhead. This boat has the advantage of an interior bulkhead rather than a compression post to support the deck and mast tabernacle. A great idea but less inconvenient than one might think.  The mast side stays are secured to the bulkhead through the side deck. The problem is, when the fitting leaks, the bulkhead receives the water and will rot as did this bulhead on the port side. 

So I have removed the bulkhead. As it was installed prior to the deck unit being fixed to the boat, I had to cut it up to remove it. It showed the weakness of the instalation as it went to the keel between the forward and rear seats. The bulkhead was made of 3/4 inch plywood (not glassed) and was in a slot 2 inches wide. It also, in order to support the front of the keeltrunk, had to be stepped over to access the forward area. I will suport the keeltrunk by reinstalling the lower portion of the bulkhead with a 2 x 6 and the upper bulkhead with 3/4 inch fiberglassed plywood set on the lower 2 x 6.

In reading about this boat and spending time in the cabin, it becomes obvious that this was a well designed inexpensive family starter sailboat. Though it may seem a bit small for cruising, I know how this boat handles. I had the same boat with a fixed keel back in 2005. I intend to glass over the cabin plywood that has only been painted and make an inland lake & delta cruiser. With the boat in very good exterior condition and the interior being sound, I am looking forward to refurbishing the boat to be a strong, quality day sailer & weekend/week cruiser. Following pic is the previous boat.

General clean in prep for cabin glassing

Yesterday & today I have started stripping out and cleaning the inside of the Windrose. I am going to set to it in earnest and let the Aluminum dinghy go for a few days. The inside was a mess but I think I got most of all the junk out including the shag carpet. The boat is a 1976 so I guess shag was in fashion then. It had been stapled down with a million staples but I got them all out. Have vacumed out the cabin and tomorrow will wash thouroughly in prep for a general sanding. Then I will glass in all the plywood that was only painted but never glassed.

Halloween 2017

I can hardly believe that it has been 1 1/2 years since my last post. many updates to post. First I have been officially retired now for a month and am just getting used to waking to a long morning coffee with no need to hurry off to work. Motivation is slow to emerge but is coming daily in small spurts and that includes my work on boats.

I have changed my tack once again in my intention with boats. I came across a 1978 Laguna Windrose 18, the same boat I took to Kansas with me, the boat I should never have let go of. Well, I had a second chance so I bought it in February of this year, 2017. This boat though has a retractable keel. This will allow me to go into shallow bayous (or sloughs depending on which State I am in). And the 18 foot with a cabin will suit me at this stage of the sailing game. I can handle it easy enough. It could be sailed straight away but as with most things, I want to bring it back to excellent condition so have set it aside for the time being. Time I now have and never really acknowledging deadlines in my life, I am not bothered by how long it may take. 

I have gutted the electrics as they were so far out of date. It also had a mechanical Knott meter and depth transponder that I will completely remove. I have a handheld Garmin GPS unit, Oregon 650, which will do just fine for the inland lakes and deltas that I plan to sail. The boat weighs about a ton so my 2005 Porsche Cayenne pulls it without any problems.

The Other two boats have gone without further work. I sold each to coworkers for a bottle of spirits, one Scotch and one Irish Whiskey. One came back to me as the family that had it decided to get a larger ski boat so I sent that one to my son in Northern California. It suffered some damage in the transport so he sold it off to another sailor with a Lido 14 for parts & trailer.

So I am now in possession of the Windrose and had planned to devote my immediate retirement energies to restoring it. BUT........as usual, another boat entered the scheme of things. A friend had a 12 foot aluminum row boat that had been sitting, upside down, in the yard for 13 plus years and all the wood (gunnels, seats & transom) had rotted away. So I agreed to take it on as a project of restoration.

I removed all the wood, excess rivets and am in the process of removing the paint. 2 applications of stripper and there is still a layer, or two, clinging to the floor. So I am using a grinder with a 4" wire brush cup to clean the inside. It is pretty tough going but the results are so good, I am motivated to continue. Once the boat is cleaned, we will need some professional welding done to the outside. I have tried MAPP Gas/Oxygen & Acetylene/Oxygen but to no avail. Time for a Professional Welder.

Then I will fit the wood and we should be good to go.

As far as the Windrose goes, I am going to take it to Lake Pleasant Sailboat Shop yard (North of Phoenix, AZ) to lift it off the trailer so as to drop the keel. I want to clean it and repaint it. Other than a few repairs (the bulkhead inside the cabin that supports the mast has a small part rotted out and must be replaced), I hope to have it in the water in the spring of 2018.

In the meantime I am still playing music and am part of a trio these days. We have taken the rest of the year off but are still rehearsing some and hope to book gigs for next spring!

                                   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUQ6y9zOOtc

Happy Halloween 2017!!