david's Blog

Adding Bulwarks to the B29

Finished glassing in the port bulwark today: http://bristol29.com/Projects/bulwarks/bulwarks2.htm

Here is the almost finished starboard bulwark: http://bristol29.com/Projects/bulwarks/bulwarks.htm

What a pleasure to be rid of that tiny little teak toerail.

David

Re: Blisters maybe???

Greg:

In the photos it looks like you have a small air pocket under the blemish in the gelcoat. The mat appears under catalyzed and the lack of enough resin may have been an air bubble that was not squeegeed out when the mat was laid over the gelcoat. The result is gelcoat trying to stick to mostly nothing and since gelcoat has no inherent strength the result is a crack. 

If you don't fix them properly I can see it weakening the barrier coat in these areas, if for no reason than you are putting a bubble of air under pressure below the air pressure of the water level and I would guess you "might" get cracks at those spots in the barrier coat. Now, maybe not. The epoxy is many times stronger than the gelcoat and will tie everything together. 

However, I don't see the spots as a structural weakness in the bottom. You could dish out and fill the ones that you have opened and and the ones that seem obviously cracked and just leave the rest. At the next haulout in three years of so, inspect carefully and if you see any signs of cracking, then go over the bottom, dishing each one out and filling. If you do it now you won't have to re-barrier coat those small areas in the future, but either now or sometime in the future you will "probably" have to do them.

Dave

Re: Chainplates

Yes the gmail is correct now. The old one no longer works. Feel free to email me if you want.

Dave

Re: Chainplates

Greg,

Everything is Marelon on the boat. You will sleep much sounder with everything replaced.

Dave

Festool Domino joiner

Well I bit the gold bullet and ordered a Festool Domino. It is indecently expensive, but will allow me to accurately edge glue the boards needed for the coamings and cockpit covering boards, and the scarf box joints for the caprails. I can also use it to build the cabinet doors, drawers (instead of messing with dovetail jigs) and I'm sure other tasks on the boat.

You can read more about the Domino system here:
http://www.festoolusa.com/products/domino-joining-system/domino-df-500-joining-system-574307.html

Re: Chainplates

Greg,

I am extremely happy with the Forespar Marelon thru-hulls. The are not affected by stray current corrosion from miswired marinas; they are not affected by galvanic corrosion, they are inert, you can thread a bronze seacock onto them or a Marelon seacock, and they are extremely strong. I cut one off with a brand new japanese saw and it took a long time to cut thru it. I plan to add one new thru-hull to the boat for the head outlet and it will be Marelon like the rest. The thru-hulls give me peace of mind and no worries mate!

Dave

Re: Chainplates

If you are replacing them, I would go ahead and remove them prior to sanding those areas, then do all the finish work and barrier coating, then install the new thru-hulls and then do the primer. I would not put the Primocon on the thru-hulls IF they rae bronze--reason being I think the Primocon has metal flake in it, probably aluminum, but something and i would be concerned with a galvanic reaction to the bronze. Instead I would sand into the bronze unthickened epoxy tinted white--several applications. Then protect the epoxy from UV until you apply bottom paint with some tape. The epoxy with protect the bronze from reacting with salt water and reacting with the copper in the bottom paint.

It the thru-hulls are marelon, you can go ahead and paint them with the primer along with everything else.

Dave

Re: Chainplates

Greg,

I went with thicker chainplates as well. for all but the back stay I bought new chain plates from Schaefer, a solid 1/4" thick. Even though the Schaefer chain plates are 304 stainless, I think the will be protected enough that it will not be an issue. For the back stay I needed a longer chain plate becuase I added 3 inches to the taffrail as a stern bulwark so I bought 1/4" thick 316 stainless from Onlinemetals.com.  I'm going to have Embree Welding (727-321-8771) in St Pete do the work on the chain plate. I will post a photo when I get it back from them.

I've never been disappointed by anything I have ordered from McMaster other than the mixup on stainless so I would recommend buying tubing from onlinemetals instead. If you are redoing your stanchions, you might consider Garhauer. They do beautiful work and are very reasonable (http://garhauermarine.com/catalog.cfm)

Re: Chainplates

Greg,

I had a bad experience buying stainless from McMaster and would not recommend them. They sent me ferrous metal instead; I sent it back and told them it was not stainless, they apologized and sent me MORE of the same ferrous metal.
Instead, I would suggest buying Stainless 316L from Online Metals:
http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?step=2&id=27

Dave

West Six 10 epoxy

This is a new formula of epoxy by West System. It comes preloaded in caulking tubes with a clever mixing tip you screw on. As you pump the gun the resin and hardener are dispensed mixed and ready to use. The extruded epoxy is very thick and sticky and can be used overhead without it running or peeling off. It takes quite a lot of effort to pump the marterial out with a standard hand-operated caulking gun--in cooler weather I can see it being very tiring or almost impossible without turning to an electric or pnumatic gun.
I used it for the first time this past weekend. I like the epoxy a lot, mostly because it has a long pot life--probably an hour at 80 degrees--and it saves me from having to hand load caulking tubes. It is relatively expensive--about 20.00 per tube, but convenience always costs, right?
You can find the new epoxy product at Jamestown Distributors, and you can buy extra tips as well so you can store and reuse the remaining epoxy in the tube.

David

Re: Remember to Lube the Rudder Pintel and Gudgeon

Hi Greg,

Thanks for checking in. I know what you mean about bottom jobs. It's just nasty work no matter how you slice it. It will feel great to get the barrier coat on her.

Good luck!

Re: Opening up the starboard lazarette

Sounds like a good waterproof soultion you have there. Good luck with it and please keep us all posted.

David

Re: Opening up the starboard lazarette

Fish,

Welcome aboard!

An interesting mod. It could help with installing and removing things like water heaters, batteries, etc as well. Have you considered one or more Bomar aluminum watertight cockpit sole hatches instead (like this one)? http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/browse.cfm/ventilation-heating/hatches-screens/hatch-bomar-inspection----15-3/4x-13-9/16-w/t-hdnl-104622-/4,133.html

Best,

David

Bristol 29, in Onancock VA, for sale on eBay

This is a beautiful model that just went up on eBay for a 10 day auction--no reserve. Lots of goodies included. If you are looking for a B29 to start sailing right away, jump at this one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170395051735&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:MOTORS:1123

Remember to Lube the Rudder Pintel and Gudgeon

How to Lube the Rudder Pintel and Gudgeon

The pintel will tend to wear in the gudgeon simply from hanging all these years. If you don't tie off your rudder so it moves with the current, add a little sand or mud from a close call grounding and the pintel can be ground away. The best advice I have is to lube it. Here's how:
 
1. Buy a pinpoint grease injector needle from McMaster Carr, like this one:

and attach it to your grease gun (I bent the needle slightly to give me a better angle). If you have an air powered gun, all the better. I used Mobil One synthetic wheel bearing grease because that's what I had in my gun. Any waterproof grease would work fine, I think.

2. Lift your rudder up to expose the Pintel. Place some blocking under it so the rudder can't slip back down. You should be able to expose almost all of the pintel.

3. Inspect the pintel for wear and corrosion. Assuming it looks ok, insert the needle into the gudgeon cavity and pump it full of grease.

4. Remove the blocking and ease the rudder back down and rotate it from side to side to distribute the grease evenly. Clean up the extra that squeezed out.

5. Do this at each haulout when you repaint your bottom.

To eliminate the wear of the base of the rudder against the top of the rudder shoe at the keel, I took a thin sheet of Teflon, cut a hole in the middle the size of the pintel and trimmed the outside edge to match the rudder shoe--eliminating any wear of fiberglass against fiberglass.
 
To prevent the rudder from lifting off the pintel, follow these steps:
 

!. Build a teak collar base under the cockpit sole at the tiller head bearing that is a wedge the angle of the rudderpost.

2. Split the collar base and mount to the underside of the sole around the rudderpost.

3. Attach a 1-1/4" collar zinc to the rudderpost positioned 1/4" below the base. The zinc will prevent the rudder from lifting.

Diesel leak puzzle

For several years I would find that diesel had leaked onto the starboard engine bedlog after sailing. I would tighten all the fitting sof the fuel lines, run the engine to check for leaks and continually find no leaks. What gives? Where is the fuel coming from.

To make a long story short. The hose clamp securing the fuel filler hose to the cockpit sole fuel fill was loose. When the boat heals to starboard in a big wind with the tank full, diesel would spill out the loose connection and run down to the bedlong. I would discover it at the end of the sailing day and wonder where it came from. That hose clamp is very difficult to see..you must really adjust it by feel only.

David

Re: Blue Water in B29

Chase,

I wish I did. I tried to sell them but no takers so I finally threw them out.

David

Re: Blue Water in B29

Chase,

If you copied the existing doghouse port frames in stainless steel they would be plenty strong and eliminate the inherent problems with the aluminum frames--the fasteners corroding and/or stripping out the threads. The basic design of the frames is fine..they squeeze the cabin sides, bolt from the inside into blind threaded bosses in the outside frame. 

There is no plastic see-thru port material stronger than polycarbonite / Lexan. IF you doubt this, buy some scrap of 1/4" Lexan or any polycarbonate and try to break it with a hammer. One quarter inch thick would be plenty strong, stronger than the cabin sides. Polycarbonite is all sold with optional anti-scratch coatings on the outside. It is well worth the additional cost. You can reduce scratching and haze by regularly polishing the outside of the Lexan with Pledge furniture polish.

To mount shutters, cut the Lexan to the outside dimension of the frames, drill thru the frames every 4 to 6 inches all the way around, spacing between the existing fasteners, and tap those holes. Then mount the corresponding holes you drilled in the shutter, and screw it in place with a 1/4" threaded fastener. Add a washer and nut to the inside for good measure. The shutter will rest against the outside frame, and stand off from the portlite by about 1/4" protecting it. When not in use, run a shorter threaded screw thru each of the mounting holes. Be sure to coat the threads liberally with Lanocote to prevent dissimilar corrosion between the stainless screws and the aluminum frames.

Please let us know what you decide to do.

Best regards,

David

Re: Blue Water in B29

Hi Chase,

What a great question and how appropriate since I am preparing my B29 to long distance sailing as well. Here are the bare minimum mods I think the boat needs to sail seriously offshore and in order of importance:

1. Replace the existing spreader sockets. You can buy new replacements from Rigrite.com.
2. Replace the masthead box with one that prevents the halyards from jumping their sheaves. A secondary benefit is an enclosed box will prevent rain water from getting into your mast and eventually down into your maststep.
3. Replace at least the lower swagged terminals on the standing rigging with mechanical terminals. If the swags are original, some will be cracked by now. Better yet, replace all the swagged terminals. If the wire is original, replace at least the forestay, backstay and main shrouds with new wire one size larger (9/32" instead of 1/4").
4. Inspect all of your chainplates and fasteners. Replace if you find any suspect.
5. Add two additional 1-1/2" cockpit drains.
6. Inspect your fresh water tank for pin hole leaks and repair or make other arrangements for fresh water if you find leaks.
7. Inspect your rudder's pintel and gudgeon for excessive play. Repair if necessary. Replace the original bronze rudder head.
8. Add a lower life line. This could be low stretch synthetic line, but an additional line is needed.
9. Add locking latches to all doors, drawers, and cabin sole hateches.
10. Cut polycarbinate storm shutters for the four large portlites in the doghouse.

Chase, this is the minimum I think is needed. There are no inherent weaknesses in the design or construction of the boat for offshore sailing.

David

Bristol 29 for sale in Port Canaveral, FL

Bristol 29' sailboat - $7000 (Cape Canaveral)

Date: 2009-09-18, 9:25AM EDT
Reply to: sale-fgdqf-1380337960@craigslist.org ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

• Location: Cape Canaveral
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Removing the old traveler base on my Bristol

I cut it off today using my Fein Multimaster. Here are the details.

http://bristol29.com/Projects/Deck%20Projects/Deck.htm#Removing_the_Old_Traveler_Base

David

Re: Marine Myths

Greg,

Sounds like the Bosch worked really well for you. I have a PC and never really liked it for hard work, only for finished sanding because the RO was not geared as you say.  The condition of your bottom at this point, prior to barrier coating should be the gelcoat is roughed up with the 60 grade paper consistently, and wiped down with acetone. The spider cracks are not to worry about unless the cracks appear opened to the substrate below it. If the crack appears opened, the widen the crack with the edge of a grinder into the fiberglass layup, paint the opening with unthickened epoxy and fill with thickened epoxy. You can thicken the epoxy with the 422 barrier coat filler for this work. For gouges into the gelcoat, paint follow the same procedure. I found the roll and tip method very effective for the barrier coats.

As to the centerboard, it looks like your boat can be slung under the hull and not be restricted to the keel only. If you are at a yard with a travellift, your best bet is to pay the yard to lift your boat in the lift at the end of a Saturday's work, and leave it unti Monday. Lift it high enough that you can drop the board all the way down, and that will give you enough time to jump under there, sand it down the way you did the bottom, barrier coat it, and check the condition of the pendant and pivotting hardware.

Dave

Re: Marine Myths

Hi Greg,

Festool abrasives: Use the Titan series for fiberglass and epoxy sanding. 40 grit is very aggressive, 60 is probably what you would want for the bottom; maybe even 80. Generally I will start with 60 and finish with 80 for fiberglass. For finishing the topsides, deck or cabin top, I paint on a coat of unthickened epoxy to seal the fiberglass and go over it with 120 or 180 grit Brilliant and the surface comes out as smooth as if it were wet sanded. Here is an example (I wet it with a hose so you could see how smooth it is and how perfect the reflection)

Not much work for me right. Tinkering around and looking to get started soon on the portside bulwarks. Then cockpit and painting everything exterior as winter gets here. I check this forum everyday, so feel free to throw questions this way for us.

For barrier coating, I don't think you can get any better than using West's barrier coat system. Just put on as many coats as West specifies. Then be sure to either put on bottom paint, or if you are not yet ready to launch, use a primer to protect the epoxy from UV degradation.

Good luck!

Re: Marine Myths

Hey Greg,

Tell me about this hatch or coaming you are building in this photo:

Re: Where to mount the ladder.....

Hi Jerry,

Tell me a little more about your ladder. I'm assuming this is not a permanent ladder but one that mounts in the keyhole clamps when it is needed. If that is the case I would figure on mounting it at one of the two gates in your lifelines. That way you can stow it below or somewhere out of the way when you are sailing. If it is a permanent ladder, I think the stern is the best place, as I did on my Bristol. Ideally you would want to cut the pushpit rails to make a gate for it like I did--and it would indeed require longer standoff legs.

http://bristol29.com/mods/boarding_ladder/boarding_ladder.htm

Do you still have your 27? 

My boatwork is mostly stalled for the summer, but I am tinkering with a few things. When the temps drop a bit and we start having rain-free days I will get back to work on her. Love to drive over your way and meet you and see your boat.

Best regards,

David