Saturday, May 22, 2010

Holed Hull Repair - Part 1

I am going to describe the step by step repair of a hole to the port bow of Pig Pen, FS 812. Clicking on the pictures should enlarge them for a better view. The repair was done by Dave Brooks of Brooks Boatworks in Clearwater FL, 352-398-3048. Dave has 30 (or so) years of experience doing all sorts of boat repairs and restorations. An easy little job like this is nothing for him to tackle.

If you like reading about fiberglass repairs you might like this one; Centerboard Repair which is the first of a three part series.


Hear is the hole made by the stem fitting of another Flying Scot during the 2010 Great 48 at Lake Norman YC



The hole from inside the cabin, light spots are delaminated glass, actually 24oz. roving. Early Scots were made with roving before they switched to a better fiberglass fabric


A jig saw was used to cut out the damaged area



Damaged area cut away ended up about 4 x 6 inches


The two pieces which were cut out


A temporary mold was made out of 2 layers of door skin. The smaller layer was traced (exact shape) from the cut out hole and the second layer was larger to overlap the bottom and both sides. We could not overlap the top due to the outward flare of the hull. It was covered with masking tape then waxed so the resin would not stick to it


The mold is held in place with a strap and masking tape so we can apply glass to the inside. To help the mold conform to the curve of the hull, it was scored vertically with a knife, not shown


The mold from inside the cabin and after the surrounding area was thoroughly sanded with 40 grit. It is a little hard to see the sanded area but the idea is to get through all of the surface texture of the 24 oz roving.


The first layer of 17 oz fiberglass was the exact size of the hole


The next layer of fiberglass was larger to overlap the cut out by about 2 inches all around. Note; the cloth being used has a layer of mat sewn onto one side. Mat is needed to get a proper bond so when using a cloth without the mat you would need to lay in a layer of mat separately


Fiberglass mat was then applied so the end result with be more smooth and finished, this step is optional but what the heck


After the resin cured we removed the mold leaving the fiberglass covering the hole from the inside

This wraps up the work from the inside, I won't be painting it since it is out of sight, for the most part. You can see the rest of the job Hole Repair Part 2

Monday, May 17, 2010

Common Sense and Good Sailors

Last week I was talking to a sailing friend and we got on the topic of common sense. We both more a less agreed that you rarely, if ever, see a good sailor that has no common sense. Not that all sailors are rocket scientists or anything but you don't normally see a really good sailor with no common sense. And so on...

Jump ahead to today;

I was watching Fox News today until the sensationalism got to me and I could stand it no more. I decided to give CNN a shot and was almost ready to turn that off when a promo said that Ted Turner was being interviewed next. Being a great sailor and all, I decided to hang in to see what Ted had to say.

He led off with the statement that he wasn't a very religious person. He then said that he thought God was sending us a message with the Gulf oil spill. Now there is an interesting line of reasoning. He then adds that in addition to the oil spill message God is also sending us a message about coal mining, referencing the 29 miners that died recently in W. Virginia. I guess it was a 2 for 1 special on God messages for Ted.

The lady interviewing him then asked about his energy strategy and he said he likes solar and wind. Most of us like solar and wind so nothing too crazy about that. He then adds that he likes nuclear which has me scratching my head in confusion. I'm thinking that a nuclear power disaster might be a little worse than the oil spill. Visions of the Chernobyl nuke fallout in Russia are popping in my head about now....Call me crazy!

The lady interviewer looked surprised as well and asked him why. His reply was that with coal you know you are going to die and with nuclear you only have a chance of dieing. Therefore, with nuclear since you "only have a chance of dieing" you also have a chance to live! If the lady had a follow up question they didn't air it.

YAY!! We have a chance to live!

My next thought is I can't believe this guy could even win a fleet race...

I guess being the founder of CNN gets you some leeway with the CNN interviews...

The common sense theory is officially shot all to hell!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Tampa Sailing Squadron's Commodores Cup

8 Flying Scots made the trip down to TSS in Apollo Beach for the Commodore's Cup.
Early birds might have thought it was going to be a bust as there was nil wind around 0900. Ah yes, but the wind God decided to test the weak on this day and by the 1230 start it was full hike, full vang, and hang on!
Race # 1 saw Al Thompson and Lisa Hayward jump out to a early lead on the double windward Leeward, but speedy Team Linton ground them down. This was the theme as the Linton's had the passing gear all day. The start or race# 3 saw the wind ramp up to the high teens with some healthy chop, this sent the light teams or teams with youngsters for the harbor. The heavy hitters stayed out for what would be the final race of the day with the Lintons nipping Rocket Ronnie at the finish.

Results: R1 R2 R3 Tot

Jeff and Amy Linton # 4925 1 1 1 3
Al Thompson and Lisa Hayward # 504 2 3 3 8
Ron Pletsch and Barry # 15 6 4 2 12
Dean and Dave Bell # 4156 3 dnf 4 15
Dave and Kim Thinel # 812 5 2 dnc 16
Mark, Stu and Lilly Taylor # 5477 4 6 dnc 19
Andy and Drew Hayward # 2925 7 5 dnc 21
Tom and Drew Taylor #4321 dnc dnc dnc 27

Huge thanks to Pat Austin, Bob Sardo, Eric Eislie and the entire TSS crew for some great races and fine hospitality, Fleet 168 hopes to make this a regular stop on our Spring calender.

Next up is the Lake Hollingsworth Invitational in Lakeland, this is the coolest event of the year. Space is limited due to the size of the trailer/boat parking at the lake so get
your reservation in early to Tom Taylor: edidad@rapidsys.com The post race party is hosted at the Taylor's lovely home just a block from the lake, don't miss this one!

Andy

Monday, May 3, 2010

Great 48 Wrap up

Monday, May 03, 2010

8:30 A little Super 8 breakfast and coffee, quick check o' the oil in the van, and we're off. Note to self: on this exit (Darien GA) Clean Stay USA is a new hotel for $45.00, may be something to check out next time. There are a couple of restaurant options that are a step above fast food, so that is always welcome.

12:30
Short stop on the way home at Houndhaven, (www.houndhaven.org) a rescue organization to pick up our new adoptee, Lexi! She is a 2 year old black Lab who was picked up as a stray.

Lexi busy working a bone
On a sad note, Emily/Whisper developed a fever and was not feeling / acting normally and she and Linda spent most of the night at Emergency Vet. They are still running tests, we're hoping for good news and that the lovely yellow lab will be able to cheer for her new favorite baseball team alongside her new family soon.

Almost home, and back to work tomorrow: (

3:30
We arrive home to start the normal "return home" stuff: phone calls, unpacking, sorting laundry, and making Lexi's new home comfy! Thanks Hound Haven for both of our happy girls, our friends for watching Missy and thanks to LNYC for a great weekend! Can't wait to return for Wife Husband in the fall!


One of the club docks above and the club house below


Last is a link to the results

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Great 48 Day 2

What a great weekend of racing! Really close finishes, lots of place changes (most notable on the beats while crossing tacks), a little shifty, a bit light at times, and some big breeze at other times. Seemed like every condition was out there, just to keep us on our toes, especially today!

Last night, the fajita and margarita party was excellent at the time, but made the 9:30 am start time a little tough to manage this morning (especially for Kim, who really shouldn't have had those last 2).


Dedicated crew hard at work

We had 2 nice races today, long 5 leggers that were a little over an hour long, put us back at the dock around noon. Harry continued the clinic he started yesterday with a first and second on Sunday and first overall. Congratulations to him and Adam Keene.

Harry and Adam picking up the loot

Second was Chris Danilek, third Peter Beam and we moved up to fourth. They had more food and awards, and we were on the road a little after 2-ish.
On route 26, just south of Columbia, we saw an interesting site. We thought, a submarine? Really??

Submarine guy doing about 53 mph! Ugh!!

6:15 entered Hardeeville, finished book (good work, Thorn – save the day, but lose the girl…ah, well), stopped for gas.

7:00-ish, the search for a hotel for the night begins. Exit 94 on I-95 had good restaurants, but none of the hotels looked great, maybe the cops in the parking lot, and the signs saying something like, "Not responsible for stolen items or cars" scared us away.

7:45 Exit 49 wins. Darien's Super 8 will be our home for the night. $50.00-cheap. We'll definitely Priceline something next time…

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Great 48 Day 1

It was a nice day for the 38 boats in attendance, fairly steady breeze in the 10 knot range and comfortable temperatures. We got three 5 leg races in by about 4:30 when it appeared a thunderstorm was soon approaching. It soon skirted to the south and cleared up nicely.

Harry Carpenter is on a roll and leads the pack, two bullets will do that! Chris Danilek is one point behind then there is a bunch who are closely packed in 3 to 7.


Some Piggy carnage right after the start of race three




From the inside


Taped up and ready for Sunday

The damage was to the port bow from a T-bone after the start. This has us feeling pretty good about the decision to bring Piggy instead of the newer boat. We dug out after the collision and ended up 9th in that race which was good considering how deep we were. The 9 drops us down a few spots but there is always tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow there is a little more breeze on the way and Kim had too many Margaritas this evening. Uh Oh...