1965 Alcort Sunfish WAVE 27 MAR 20 Flotation Foam, Rudder and Trim

27 Mar 20:

WAVE had a loose XPS (Exxrtuded PolyStyrene) foam floatation block, so we decided to hold it back in place by adding more 2 part marine-grade flotation foam.

The block is on the starboard side, bow end.

We chose TotalBoat marine grade, 2 part foam that adds 2 lbs of buoyancy per cubic foot. The rubber mallet was used to tap the block into place. The foam is very sticky so wear a long sleeve shirt.

We put WAVE on the hoist and turned her on her side, so we could pour the foam downhill. Poured the hull side first, then the deck side next.

Foam is drying, time for some small jobs. Reinstalled the drain plug.

Took the tape off of the bailer hole. WAVE did have a half broken bailer in there, we removed that. We epoxied it closed, an if we ever need to install a bailer we can drill a new hole.

Here's how a blind patch for a fiberglass repair looks from the inside. We can also see the remnants of the wood block for the keel hardware and hang fiberglass hanger that holds it in place.

1965 WAVE had the old style rudder, and we converted it a few years back. That style hull with the notch requires a special gudgeon backer plate.

We'll be looking for trim rivets next, reinstall the trim and install the gudgeon.

Log of WAVE.

1965 Alcort Sunfish WAVE 12 Jul 19 Repair Supplies

12 Jul 19:

Jamestown Distributors sent us some TotalBoat products for WAVE's repair, she needs a few things done. We are Ambassadors for the brand and get the supplies free, but before we came Ambassadors we happily paid for them. We have been happy with the products and especially Jamestown Distributors excellent Tech Team and website. We only put products on our boats that are going to last, and so far that has been experience. JD also sells other brands that we have enjoyed using in the past, Interlux and Pettit and also some RustOleum Topside.

Ding dong!

WAVE needs some fiberglass repairs, we will use THIXO (Thickened Epoxy) to bed the fiberglass cloth into a backer patch and build up repair areas.

The regular epoxy will be used to wet out the fiberglass cloth.

We have several old fiberglass repairs on the hull to clean up, once the fiberglass is repaired we will fair, prime and paint WetEdge BlueGlo White.

The other repair is internal, one of the foam blocks has come loose, we will reset it and fix it in place with flotation foam, it is a tenacious adhesive.

Log of WAVE.

Alcort Catfish SMEDLEY 05 Apr 18 Bilge Flush

05 Apr 18:

At one point someone stored SMEDLEY on the ground and there was mud in the bottom of both bilges. We decided to see how much today, so we used a garden hose to give the bilges a fresh water rinse. We're not sure why the transom drain holes are so big but they came in handy today. We rinsed out the aft section first, then lowered the tongue of the trailer to get water up front. Raised the tongue and a little more mud came out from ahead of the flotation styrofoam that is just behind the centerboard trunks.

Caution: Viewer Discretion is advised, disturbing images follow :)

This little fiberglass hanger fell off of a backer block/plate somewhere, we'll try to figure that out and make sure the backer plate/block is still intact. That strip is used to hold the plate in place inside the hull while fasteners are being driven.

Here's a shot of the flotation foam, just behind the centerboard trunk. It has a nice linber hole carved into the bottom so water can drain aft.

Log of SMEDLEY.