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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 75 total)
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  • steve13003
    Participant

    The set up you have is typical for all types of through deck sheeting used on fibreglass boats from all manufactures.  The recommended sheet diameter for through deck sheeting is 6mm, but my crews find that although the 6mm rope runs through the bocks it is not very kind on hands!!  8mm sheets are nice to handle but dont run through without friction in the blocks, so we compromise with 7mm sheets which do run through and are easy to handle.  If you want to use 8mm sheets you should consider changing the lazy block for a larger size to give the rope more room.  My current SP1 boat has 20mm lazy blocks, when I fitted through deck sheeting to my Series 1 Duffin I used 37mm Harken blocks to allow the 8mm sheets to run with minimum friction.

    • This reply was modified 5 months, 3 weeks ago by Oliver Shaw. Reason: Typo correction
    in reply to: Boat Repairs – MK1 #26381
    steve13003
    Participant

    Hi having owned 4 Series1 wooden GPs I have on several occasions needed to make repairs to hulls, fortunately not due to rot just after accidents.  When replacing hull ply wood I always cut back any damage to the nearest frame or stringer if possible, this gives a clean support for the new plywood and if the inside is still varnished the new piece is less obvious.  If a frame or stringer is not easy to cut to, as if damage forward of the buoyancy tank bulkhead, if still in place, damage is cut out to a pre cut piece of ply and the inside of the prepared hole is backed with support pieces for the patch.

    i have also replaced the bow section forward of frame 1 following the ply being damaged by a fire.  After cutting the old ply out to the frame, keel and stringer, I managed to fit a new piece of ply to the correct curves! A bit of persuasion was needed in the form of two struts from the adjacent garage wall to hold the new piece in place until the epoxy set.  A bit of careful filling and sanding resulted in a repair that can not be seen.
    No need for scarf joints simple but joints with supports for the edges will always work with some filler.  Always coat ply with an epoxy coating to ensure long life.  My last Series 1 boat (13003) was epoxy coated inside and out when new and is still down to or below the minimum class weight.

    in reply to: What cover for an FRP GP? #26081
    steve13003
    Participant

    Re the type of cover I was advised by Steve Parker, Elite Sails & SP Boats that GRP boats are best under a breathable cover as they still sweat under a PVC over.  Yes open hatches or leave bungs out.

    The feeling that the boom is too low, have you previously sailed an older Series 1 boat without under floor bouyancy?  Presuming that your boat 13114 has under floor bouyancy, in which case the floor will be higher an hence the under boom clearance is reduced, meaning a bigger duck is needed when tacking or gybing.

    in reply to: Spinnaker downhaul take-up #25913
    steve13003
    Participant

    A difficult question to answer as there is no standard set up.  With one of the GRP boats by Speed, SP or Winder find one in your local club dinghy park and copy what you find.  Much the same for a wooden boat either Series 1 or 2 look at one or more other boats.  Normally a shock cord running across the boat through an eye on each side stringer with a block tied to each end of the shock cord, the down haul is threaded through the blocks in turn, then through a block on the mast step, then to a cleat where ever you want in the boat.

    in reply to: Timber for mast step #25002
    steve13003
    Participant

    As noted above I always say that best source of wood for the modified mast step is to use the old thwarts, but if these have already been removed you need to look elsewhere.  If you can find someone who is scrapping an old GP due to rot in the ply wood or keel they may be willing to sell you the thwarts or the center board case – these rarely rot and should be cheaper and more environmentally friendly than new timber.  Looking on Ebay there are several adds selling old plywood pieces – would be worth contacting these sellers to ask if the solid timber parts are available.

    I have carried out three mast step conversions using thwarts as a source, treating and fixing with SP Epoxy resins and fillers has always resulted in a strong and solid mast step

    in reply to: First time at the RYA Dinghy Show #23425
    steve13003
    Participant

    Hi,

    Another reason for having the hatches is to ensure that on hot days the expanding air in the tanks will pressurise the tanks can result in failures of joints.  When leaving a boat one should remove one hatch in each tank to prevent any build up of pressure.

    Steve

    in reply to: question on my Speed Sails GP14 No.13945 #23314
    steve13003
    Participant

    Hi,  If you need to remove the centre board from your boat this done by having the boat on its side, remove the slot gasket then you will see a plate over a wedge secured by two screws – usually very tight!!.  Once the plate and wedge are removed you can lift the CB up from the captive pivot and out of the boat and then make and changes to the friction device as needed.

    in reply to: Jib / Genoa wire halyard diameter #22915
    steve13003
    Participant

    Hi,  Having used HyField leavers on a number of older GPs and had a few near misses with fingers when releasing the tension I would suggest that using a muscle box rather than the Hyfield is safer and is jus as easy to set up the tail from the muscle box can be cleated off on the mast.  If planning to use a wire halyard it is normal to exit from the back of the mast above the leaver, if you use a low stretch (Dynema or Spectra) rope this can be lead up to the leaver or muscle box from the normal sheave at the bottom of the mast.  The problem with this will be how to have a loop that will pass through the sheave box.

    Preference use a wire halyard, muscle box with hook at top, exit for wire halyard and rope tail from hole in back of mast (if an internal halyard Super Spars or Proctor mast) or if an old IYE gold mast with the halyard in the sail track – open up the track so that the halyard can exit above the hook, take the tensioning rope to a Clamcleat fixed to the mast below the muscle box.

    I use a hand swaging tool, two pieces of steel with bolts to clamp the ferule around the wire,  it has 3 or 4 different size holes for the normal wire / ferule sizes.  End results are not as neat as the professionally swaged wire but never had one fail and as it is portable has been useful for running repairs when travelling to Open Mtgs etc.  Copper ferules and hard eyes available on eBay.

    in reply to: Speed converstion to under deck genoa sheeting #21982
    steve13003
    Participant

    I would agree with Chris – it is virtually impossible to retro fit through deck sheeting to an early Speed GP, fitting through deck sheeting to a wooden hull either Series 1 or 2 is possible and much easier.  If buying a Speed boat with through deck sheeting make sure the plywood under the deck is in good condition as it can rot and is very difficult to replace. See my article in Mainsail 2 years ago about plywood rot in Speed boats.

    steve13003
    Participant

    Hi,

    Taking this in easy steps,

    R W Davies was a boat builder and repairer based in Westcliff on Sea, Essex.  His son Ray sailed a wooden GP at Leigh on Sea Sailing Club late 1960’s to early 1970’s now lives near Brightlingsea, but he never did any serious work in the family boat yard.

    I didnt ever remember RWD moulding GPs I think they bought part finished hulls from Thames Marine on Canvey Island and finished them.

    Do the side bouyancy tanks run full way to the transom? that would be Mk2, or do they stop just before the stern deck? with a full width tank under the stern deck? which would be Mk1.

    If there is registered number it will be on a plate mould or fixed to the inside of the keel just aft of the plate case, will be beneath any floor boards.  The number 8866 would be correct for an early MK2 GRP hull.

    When you open up the transom flap holes you will need new hinged flaps – perspex or other stiff plastic and shockcord to hold shut.

    Hope that helps

    Steve GP14197

    in reply to: Spinnaker rigging #21584
    steve13003
    Participant

    In first instance I will try to describe the current spinnaker halyard set up in my SP Mk1 No 14179 – you should be able to use this set up in most GPs.

    1 The spinnaker halyard is in two parts – the first part runs up the mast, one end is tied to the head of the sail, exits the mast from the starboard side through a floating block and is tied off to a deck eye near to the bow buoyancy tank just to the starboard side of the centre line.  The length of this part will need to be adjusted so that sail is in the correct position when hoisted.

    2. The second part of the halyard runs along the starboard side of the plate case, one end is tied to the floating block on the first part of the halyard where it exits from the mast.  This second part is taken to a check or swivel block fixed on the transom knee, it then runs forward to a jamb cleat about 3000mm aft of the back of the platecase, finally through a swivel block just in front of the jamb cleat.

    If you want to use a pump action cleat this goes in place of the final jamb cleat.

    It is also possible to have a split halyard running up the forestay, was popular up to about 15 years ago but most recent boats have been rigged with the internal 2 to 1 system described – but that is another story.

    Hope that you can follow the description

    in reply to: New Halyards for old boat #21530
    steve13003
    Participant

    Hi,

    For the main halyard dont bother with wire use Spectra or similar make off on to a standard wrap around cleat.  Genoa Halyard must be wire with a rope tail spliced if a 3 plat rope or overlap and sew to make a loop.  For the kicker again ditch the wire and use Spectra or Dynema core rope, if you are using a cascade system the rope can be simply tied to the blocks and the mast loop with bowline knots – it is just a matter of setting lengths with the mast and boom in the boat.  For other kicker systems such as a lever – use wire between lever , boom and mast; or multi sheeve blocks Spectra or Dynema.

    You say you have an old gold IYE mast – make sure the mast is free from corrosion main areas where these masts suffered are around the genoa sheave box, the spinnaker sheave box / some had tube to lead halyard to the mainsail track rather than having the halyard inside the main tube part of the mast, also if spreaders are fitted check the areas around the spreader bracket, as these were often fitted after the mast left IYE anti corrosion paste was normally used.  To clean the mast I would use a pressure washer, followed by a car body cleaner T-Cut or similar and finally a good coat of wax polish.

    Steve Corbet

    in reply to: Speed 13954 more problems #21402
    steve13003
    Participant

    Paul,

    Having just written last thoughts I remembered the final problem I had  solved was the leak into the main buoyancy tank under the cockpit floor, one of the self bailers had not been sealed and after every sail we had several litres of water to drain out, this was keeping the wood in the under cockpit area wet!

    in reply to: Speed 13954 more problems #21400
    steve13003
    Participant

    Oliver,

     

    Good advice if access to the wood to be treated is easy, but on a Speed GP14 the bare plywood is hidden away and is difficult to see let alone access to apply any coating.  The areas that Paul is considering are the vertical piece of plywood inside the transom to which the rudder fittings are bolted – access is through the inspection hatch on the port side of the stern knee, it is just possible to get your hand through the hatch to the rudder fitting bolts but you cannot see what you are doing, it is feel only – and coating would need to be sprayed on, so an epoxy would not be possible unless applied with a squirty bottle.  The other areas are the pieces of plywood bonded to the underside of the deck to support the under deck genoa tracks and first turning block – these are best accessed with the boat upside down with the boat supported on high supports so that the work can be carried out from under the boat, to avoid getting the coating into the genoa blocks and tracks these would need to be removed and the bolts taped over then an epoxy or other coating could be applied.

    Other areas of plywood tat gave me problems had been coated or bonded in during building the boat but due to poor workmanship the bonding layers had failed and water penetrated the plywood – plywood under the side thwarts, turning block pads all needed repairs.  The other main problem area was the pad under the mast foot track which was between the cockpit floor and the hull, once this is wet and rotten only way to repair is to cut a hole in the outer hull, replace the wood and then make good the hull, trying to coat this insitu would be spraying something through the two inspection hatches in the cockpit floor and then it would be very hit and miss as it is not possible to see what you are actually doing!!

    Sorry this is negative but access to the bare plywood fitted to the Speed GP14s is very difficult and needs professional repairs if rot is found.

    Steve

    • This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by steve13003.
    in reply to: Speed 13954 more problems #21377
    steve13003
    Participant

    Paul,

    Hope you dont find any rot in the ply wood bits in your boat, other places to check are the plywood pads bonded to the sides of the hull for the genoa sheet turning blocks and finally the pads bonded to the hull for the shroud plates.  The genoa sheet pads debonded on 13954, the shroud plates seemed to be sound but I had had enough and part exchanged her with SP Boats for an SP1 boat No 14197 which Steve Parker assured me would not rot – so far it has been a great boat to sail.  Just want to get back on the water once lockdown is over.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 75 total)