Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[MickK]

Hi all,
I have just acquired a Sea Commander, built about 50 years ago by a gentleman who has now passed on to the Great Modelling Shop in the sky.
It looks to have been built to a good standard, nothing flash in the finish, just good and robust, as these boats were and still are.
There is no motor or RC gear, but the last motor seems to have been an I.C of some sort, the cooling tubes are still in place in the boat.
When I put it in the bath, it leaked!!!!
Not a major problem, some time with sand paper and epoxy etc should fix it.
The problem is that the cabin floor (between bulkheads 4 and 5)  is fixed, I think that it will be necessary to cut it out so I can get access to the keel from the inside.
But at the front, between Bulkheads 1 and 2, where the cabin roof is fixed to Bulkhead 2, there doesn't seem to be any way to get access to the void between B1 and B2, except by cutting holes in the cabin top, which would look extremely tacky.
Not to mention the void between B1 and the bow!
Does anybody have experience in making access to these areas?
I would like to keep the boat as close to original possible, in deference to the family of the Gentleman.
Thanks
Mick




 

[cdsc123]

Before cutting try pouring resin in and turning the hull until the inner surfaces are covered, then pour out the excess from that compartment into a container and into the area under the cabin floor through funnel stuck into a drilled hole, and drain the excess again. It depends on the state of the surfaces, it should work if it is onto bare wood or at least a matt finish paint/sealer in good dry condition. I just did the inside of the petrol tank of my bike that way it came out surprisingly well, having prepped the inside surfaces by part filling it with a few handfuls of smallish gravel and shaking it about. Sand down the outside and paint the whole thing with resin on the outside too if you want added protection.

[MickK]

Thanks Christian,


I intend to sand the outside and 2 pot epoxy the hull up to the gunnels.


Pouring epoxy into the inside of the boat on a new build is fine because it is easy  to get to.


Because the boat was built 50 yrs ago, and every thing is going to be a retro-fit, it's not that easy!


There are 3 compartments that I can't see into, to have a look at the condition of the paint, or whatever is hiding in there!


Under the cabin, I should be able to cut out the floor, and  maybe between B1 and B2, I will be able to cut the bulkhead and get into the void that way, but there is the cabin-top to contend with,and my fingers are only a standard length!


This could turn into a bit of a nightmare!


Thanks


Mick

[Steven.T]

Sounds like your in the same boat as me (pun, sorry!!) Mick with regards to the epoxy. I'm refurbing my crash tender that had sprung a leak.
I'm going to epoxy and cloth the outside hull, but pouring some good waterproof wood glue into the cracks I've found first. The insides are a bit of a no go area, especially the bow!


Good luck!
Steven

[MickK]

Thank's Steven,


I'll try and post a few pics as I go along.


Mick

[MickK]

Hi, I've started on the easy bit, re-laying the decking where water has got under the veneer.. Seems the gent used plenty of nails to hold the toe-rail down.
 
I thought that the decking was going to be some sort of exotic timber, in the 2nd photo it is clear that is a plain timber with a stain applied to it. Does anyone have any idea of what stain would have been used 50 years ago? And what glue he would have used?


I intend to use either PVA or medium cyno type glue, but matching the stain to the rest of the deck could be a problem.


Mick