Jill / Mike Trude
Hermon N.Y.
Boat Name: Chickadee
Model/Year: 1975 Catalina 22
Hull No. 6285
Hailing Port: Henderson Harbor, N.Y. |
 09/10/2006 12:04 PM Pacific Time
Hello we just purchased a 1975 Catalina 22. in the process of cleaning it I have found the following, In the area near the winch cable "volcano" ,the fiberglass deck is soft feeling. In investigating by chipping some of the surface material, the fiberglasss mat is wet. The foam flotation under the galley area has water under it. The boat appears to have been open to the elements and has a descernible waterline in the cabin area. What should we do? Does the flotation need to be removed? Can I dry the fiberglass mat? There is a steady drip of water from the drain hole in the keel slot? This is the first of many questions I am sure. Thanks Mike |
Uwe Behrendt
Rutland Vermont
Boat Name: Joyful
Model/Year: 1977 C22
Hull No. 7200
Hailing Port: Plunder Bay Orwell VT |
09/11/2006 3:02 AM Pacific Time
emty her out
let everything dry
pour some bleach in with the water and then get rid of all the foam that is soaked thru.
once this is done there are many other steps you can take to make this a good boat. But that is first. A good winter project
Uwe |
Chris Hadden
Newfane, Vermont, USA
Boat Name: no name
Model/Year: 1974 Catalina 22
Hull No. 3439
Hailing Port: Vermont |
09/11/2006 4:37 AM Pacific Time
You need to dry the boat out first. I would keep it covered with a tarp or you will fight a losing battle. The water dripping out of the keel slot should be coming from the cockpit. As far as the "soft area" near the volcano. I do not know where you are speaking about. Fiberglass can easily be dried out but if you have an area that is soft because it is cored with plywood (which has rotted) that is a whole other issue. Everything on this boat can be fixed, but some things require a lot more work then others. You should also join the e-mail list at http://www.chipford.com/ there are a lot more people over on that list. Good luck |
Chad Vicknair
New Orleans, LA
Boat Name: Hope Floats
Model/Year: 1975
Hull No. CTYH66727M76L
Hailing Port: Lake Pontchartrain, New Orleans |
09/11/2006 6:10 AM Pacific Time
Hi Chris,
I also have a 74 and had the soft bilge problem as well. The top layer of luann plywood used to build the core of the sole had been breached by water and delaminated. I feared the trapped water would continue to react with the resin creating acid and eventually ruin the hull through internal blistering. My solution was to cut out the liner from the companion way.... down both sides.... and forward to just before the mast support on the keel trunk. Then I completely removed the sole all the way down to the hull. The composition was top down: matting, plywood, matting, plywood and then a thick layer of some sort of filler resin. I did the removal and prep myself, and had a glass shop lay in the new sole and glass the liner back in. Much to my dismay the yard did not use epoxy resin as I requested, but it came out great anyway and gives me a piece of mind. In hind-sight, it probally would have been good to stop at the first layer of plywood or even have been fine to leave it and sail it as was. It was my first boat however and I enjoyed learning the ins and outs of its structure. ..... chad |
Aaron M Benham
33a Loomis Hights
Boat Name: Tidely-Idley: The never ending project
Model/Year: 1978 C22
Hull No. 8070
Hailing Port: |
09/11/2006 12:28 PM Pacific Time
Wet/rotten hull stringers are a common problem with these boats. There are dozens of posts on this site which address the problem ranging from doing nothing to the extream repair that Chad undertook. It is one of the many repairs that I have been dealing with.
First of all, while fiberglass does absorb water, if properly saturated wit resin, it doesn't get "wet". You should start by removing anything and everything that is wet that can be removed. Next, all the water must be removed from the area. A wet/dry vac is the thing to do that with. I used an old Bissel carpet cleaner that I found at the dump. Vacume it out and dry it completly. Now you need to see how saturated the plywood hull stringers are. To do that, look in the area on either sie of the volcano. That raised area directly on either side is where the plywood is. runs forward as far as the compression post on either side of keel trunk. Drill a hole just deep enough to get through the top skin. USE A CORDLESS OR HAND DRILL FOR THIS...DO NOT USE ONE THAT PLUGS INTO THE WALL!! Water will probably come gushing out. If it does, it will not dry out on its own. You must do something to dry it out. Its not that difficult to remove with the wet/dry vac but it can take quite a bit of time. Using a hole saw WITH A SHORT PILOT BIT, bore 3-4 holes which are the same diameter as the hose on the wet vac along the length of each stringer again just deep enough to expose the wood. Two layers to bore through on the port side (the liner and the floor). Now tape the hose from your vac in the first hole and let her rip. Let it run as long as possible in each hole. Now, open all of the hatches. Take a gallon of acetone and pour as much of it as you can in each hole. The acetone will displace the water causing it to flow out of the holes. NO SMOKING! Now repeat the process with the wet vac making sure that you keep it outside of the cabin. Don't breath while you place your hose. This should completly dry the stringers in an afternoon.
If the plywood is rotten, there are several epoxy products for repairing that that don't require cutting out your liner. See www.rotdoctor.com Gitrot. Look for the other posts on the subject. |
Aaron M Benham
33a Loomis Hights
Boat Name: Tidely-Idley: The never ending project
Model/Year: 1978 C22
Hull No. 8070
Hailing Port: |
09/11/2006 12:30 PM Pacific Time
That is... rotdocto.com OR a product called Gitrot. |
Aaron M Benham
33a Loomis Hights
Boat Name: Tidely-Idley: The never ending project
Model/Year: 1978 C22
Hull No. 8070
Hailing Port: |
09/13/2006 6:16 PM Pacific Time
And one more thing.... I see that you live in New York State where it can get mighty cold in the winter. Make sure you have it dry before the cold weather comes. Water freezing inside your hull, especially in the enclosed space where the strigers are can crack the hull. |
Jill / Mike Trude
Hermon N.Y.
Boat Name: Chickadee
Model/Year: 1975 Catalina 22
Hull No. 6285
Hailing Port: Henderson Harbor, N.Y. |
09/22/2006 8:31 AM Pacific Time
Hello, and thanks for the replies. The "volcano" I speak of is the tube or riser that the keel cable goes through. After some research I have taken the following action,I drilled some 1/8 holes in the top layer of fiberglass in the bilge area, and could get water to squirt up by pushing on this area. I then elevated the tounge of the trailer so that the bilge area became the lowest part of the hull. After doing this, I could expect on a daily basis water (a pint or less) to pool in the bilge area. After a couple of days of this I took Arons advise and using a 1 1/4 hole saw cut two holes in the liner near the volcano, through the topmost layer of gelcoat/fiberglass, and the plywood underneath. The plywood cookies were still solid, but wet. Using a wetvac I stuck the hose in the holes and extracted less than 1/2 gallon of water. Two days later one of the holes is wet again but nowhere near as when I started. I intend to repeat the vacumming for a couple of days along with raising or lowering the trailer tounge to try to move any other water to this area. I am going to try to make a seal that will hold the vaccum hose at the top of the hole (the hose will suck down to the bottom)to see if that will draw any water from between the mat and wood. I like the idea of using something to displace the water, but Im spooked by the fumes/flash point of acetone, would alcohol or drygas work? More questions on the way Im sure, Thanks, Mike |
Vernon
Chicago Illinois
Boat Name: Breakin' Wind
Model/Year: 1982
Hull No. 10614
Hailing Port: Anywhere I can lower my Keel |
09/22/2006 9:25 AM Pacific Time
Jill/Mike
To answer your question on the drygas/alcohol--no it will not work in the same manner as the Acetone. The drygas is Methanol (Methyl Alcohol) and both Methanol and Alcohol (ethyl Alcohol) will absorb water to a saturation point. The wood will also absorb the alcohol wich will only add to the amount of fluid that you will need to extract. The Alcohol/Methanol has a lower boing point than water so the solvents will eventually fume off leaving the water behind.
I would suggest getting an extention hose for your wet vac, most hardware stores carry sump pum hoese in the diameter of 1.5 inches which you should be able to rig up to your wet/vac maybe with a piece of PVC. Then you will be able to set the vac out side of the boat and start the evacuation process. This is safer than having it in the boat. Also use an appropriate repirator and venilate the area well. A fan over the front hatch (if you have one) should help defuse the fumes and give you a little piece of mind. Be careful any of these liquids can be explosive and I doubt the wet/vac has an explotion proff motor. But because it is a WET/vac it will hopefully have a sealed motor.
Vernon |
Aaron M Benham
33a Loomis Hights
Boat Name: Tidely-Idley: The never ending project
Model/Year: 1978 C22
Hull No. 8070
Hailing Port: |
09/22/2006 7:04 PM Pacific Time
The acetones volitility, density in incompatability with water are what make it work so well to dry that wet "core"out. It gets under the water and raises it to the surface without mixing with it. This allows you to get all of the water out and get that wood completely dry. The low flash point of the acetone lets it evaporate quickly even from the enclosed stringer area. When I did it, I found that the fumes did not accumulate inside the cabin nearly as much as I thought they would. I guess the fumes get trapped under the top fiberglass skin andunder the trapped water. I left the vacume in the cockpit as far to stern as the hose would allow. I did expect my vacume to burst into flames, but it didn't.
Do the acetone treatment with healthy respect but not fear. Use as much as the area will hold. Pick one of those nice, crisp, BREEZY fall days that are about to come there in New York State. Its the only way you will be able to get ALL of the water out in a timly fashion.
Be sure to inspect the exterior of the hull in the area of the stringers for possible damage. I found a that a PO had "repaired" a crack in my hull that allowed the port stringer area to fill with seawater. As I strip the bottom paint, I find more and more bogus PO repairs that have to be redone. Its amazing what you can cover with a nice thick layre of blue paint. |
