Inspecting the Aging Sailboat (INTERNATIONAL MARINE-RMP) - Softcover

Casey, Don

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0071445455 ISBN 13: 9780071445450

Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press, 2004

Synopsis

". . . the perfect place to begin, or continue, your education."
--Sailing

Whether you are shopping for a used fiberglass boat or prioritizing maintenance tasks on the one you already own, this book saves money--and perhaps even disaster. With clear step-by-step drawings and instructions, Don Casey explains how to recognize problems--both surface and hidden--and how to separate cosmetic flaws from serious faults.

About this title

About the Author

Don Casey abandoned his career in banking in 1983 to devote more time to cruising and writing. His work combining these two passions soon began to appear in many popular sailing and boating magazines. He is the author of the best-selling This Old Boat, and six other International Marine titles. He and his wife, Olga, are currently cruising and living aboard their boat. HOMETOWN: Miami, Florida

From the Back Cover

Become an Expert Judge of Used Sailboats

Step by step, the author of the bestselling This Old Boat shows you how to evaluate the condition of an older fiberglass sailboat--the one you own or the one you'd like to purchase. Don Casey's expert advice helps you:

• Assess the condition of a used sailboat in 30 minutes
• Prioritize maintenance and repair tasks for a boat you already own
• Catch potential problems early
• Know where to look and what to look for (and how to interpret what you see)

A professional survey is recommended before purchasing a boat--and usually required for financing--but with Inspecting the Aging Sailboat, you can consider and reject any number of boats before settling on "the one." This book will streamline your used-boat shopping while saving you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in professional survey fees.

"The perfect place to begin, or to continue your education. . . . As a reviewer of both new and used boats, I own many books filled with advice. I strongly suspect that Inspecting the Aging Sailboat is the one I will consult most."--Sailing

"A complete reference for the boatowner or prospective boat buyer on evaluating the condition of fiberglass sailboats using common sense and proven advice."--GAM on Yachting Magazine (Canada)

Don Casey is one of today's best and most trusted do-it-yourself boating writers. His nine books include the bestselling This Old Boat and Sailboat Electrics Simplified. He writes the long-running "Ask Don Casey" column for BoatUS.com and is a monthly columnist for Sailnet.com and a regular SAIL magazine contributor.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

INSPECTING THE AGING SAILBOAT

By DON CASEY

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Copyright © 1997 International Marine, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-07-144545-0

Contents

Introduction
Hull
Deck
Rig
Interior
Engine and Steering
Electrical System
Other Considerations
Boat-Buyer's 30-Minute Survey
Appendix: Hiring a Professional
Index
Copyright page

Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

HULL

The hull is the most important component of any boat. It keeps the water out andthe boat afloat, and it provides the foundation for all other components. Acondemned mast, engine, or deck can be replaced, but a condemned hull dooms theboat. Always start your survey with the hull.

A fair number of wood hulls are still around, but the number gets smaller everyyear. While well-cared-for wood hulls are remarkably long lived, such care issadly rare. An aging wood hull is infinitely more likely to have seriousproblems than one constructed of fiberglass. Effectively surveying a wood hullrequires specialized techniques not covered here, but some guidance in probingwood for rot can be found in "Interior."

Metal is primarily a custom boat material in the United States, but a number ofEuropean production boats have been constructed of steel or aluminum. The mainrisk with metal hulls is corrosion. Determining their condition essentiallyrequires examining every square inch for telltale signs—pitting andscaling, bubbled paint, or a powdery coating. A surveyor will bang suspiciousspots vigorously with a hammer.

Fiberglass is the construction material of virtually all production sailboatsbuilt in the United States. If you own a sailboat or are looking to buy one lessthan 35 years old, there is an overwhelming likelihood that the boat's hull willbe fiberglass. Unlike wood or metal, the troubles found in fiberglass hulls arerarely natural decomposition. More often they stem from poor constructiontechniques or impact damage.

Determining with a high degree of certainty the condition of a fiberglass hullrequires little more than good observation skills and a basic understanding ofthe conditions you're looking for. Laboratory tests to determine the internalcondition of the laminate are rarely employed, even by professional surveyors,because they rarely reveal conditions inconsistent with the surveyor's fieldobservations.

Look, listen, and wonder. Sharp eyes, sensitive ears, and a deductive mind arethe most important tools in the fiberglass-boat surveyor's kit.

FAIR AND TRUE?

Fair means smooth and regular—without humps or flat spots. True meansaccurately shaped—true to her designed lines. Both are good indicators ofquality and may also reveal repairs.

HULL SIDES

Standing at the stern, position your eye near the hull, then slowly movesideways so you see more and more of the hull. Concentrate on the "horizon" ofthe hull, watching for it to jump or dip instead of move away smoothly. Glossyhulls are more revealing; wet the hull if it is dull, but don't confuse waves inthe layer of water with irregularities in the hull. A flexible batten can helpyou position a flaw precisely.

Hardspots. Hardspots reveal themselves as bumps or ridges in the hull. Insidethe boat you will generally find a bulkhead or other structural member at thehardspot. The hardspot is caused by the hull flexing over the rigid member. Mostboats reveal hardspots to the observant eye, but if the bump is pronounced, thehinging may have broken the glass fibers. Suspect some weakening of the hull.

Flat spots. Because thin fiberglass depends upon curvature to make it stiff,designed flat areas of the hull will be thicker and/or stiffened to compensate.Flat spots in the curved parts of a hull indicate trouble. They occasionallyoccur because the manufacturer removed the hull from the mold too soon, but moreoften they indicate weakness, damage, or a poorly executed repair. Riggingtension can dimple a flimsy hull around the chainplate attachment points. A weakhull may permanently deflect if stored in a cradle or supported by screw standsfor a long time. Any impact that flattens the hull has broken or delaminated thefiberglass. Amateur repairs often "bridge" a hole rather than matching theoriginal contour of the hull. All of these require corrective measures.

Print-through. Often the weave of the underlying fabric is visible in thesurface of the hull, especially if the gelcoat still has its gloss. Dark colorsshow print-through more. A light print-through is probably not serious, butanything more than that suggests poor layup technique. Hull construction beginswith a layer of gelcoat sprayed into the polished mold, then one or two layersof chopped-strand mat (CSM) begins the laminate schedule. Mat is importantbecause it is the most watertight fabric and it provides the best foundation fora strong gelcoat bond. That it also yields the smoothest surface is an ancillarybenefit, so if you see significant print-through, the manufacturer failed to putsufficient mat between the woven fabric and the gelcoat. Premature gelcoatfailure is a likely consequence.

LINES

Walk (or row) away from the hull, then circle it slowly, looking at the shape ofthe hull.

Symmetry. From directly forward and astern, the hull should appear symmetricaland the keel perpendicular to the deck. Sighting the hull through the gridworkof a plastic plotter simplifies this determination. Any detectable differencefrom one side to the other suggests major trouble.

Distortion. From either side, look for any change in the flow of the sheer.Overtight stays can permanently distort the hull, revealed by a break in thesheerline, usually at the mast station. Improper support during storage can alsocause permanent hull distortion.

SCANTLINGS

Older fiberglass hulls are generally of consistent thickness, but hulls built inthe last 15 years are likely to be thinner above the waterline than below. Thislowers costs and may improve performance, but it makes a weaker hull. Currentmodels may be more than 1 inch thick near the keel and less than ¼ that at therail. Whether or not the loss in strength matters depends on how the boat willbe used.

Without special equipment, you need a hole in the hull to determine itsthickness. Any through-bolted hardware on the hull provides an opportunity toobserve the hull thickness because you can extract a bolt. You can measure thethickness at through-hull fittings by dismantling just the hose connection.Hulls sometimes have extra thickness at through-hull locations, but you shouldbe able to determine this by examining the inside of the hull around thethrough-hull. Except in extreme cases, determining the hull thickness haslimited absolute value, but comparative hull thicknesses can be useful inevaluating boats from different manufacturers.

SIGNS OF STRESS OR TRAUMA

Fiberglass generally reveals stress problems with cracks in the gelcoat. Thecracks can be very fine and hard to see; get close to the hull and lay yourfinger against the spot you are examining to ensure that your eyes focusproperly. A dye penetrant such as Spot Check (available from auto-partssuppliers) can highlight hairline cracks.

Don't confuse stress cracks with surface crazing; crazing is a random pattern ofcracks—something like the tapped shell of a boiled egg just before youpeel it—that occurs over large areas of the boat. Stress cracks arelocalized and generally have an identifiable pattern to the discerning eye.

IMPACT DAMAGE

A collision serious enough to damage the hull usually leaves a scar, butsometimes the only visible record of the event is a pattern of concentric cracksin the gelcoat. Impact with a sharp object, like the corner of a dock, leaves abull's-eye pattern. Impact with a flat object, like a piling or a seawall, tendsto put the stressed area in parentheses. Tap the hull with a plastic mallet or ascrewdriver handle in the area of the impact and listen for any dull-soundingareas, which indicate delamination. Examine the hull inside for signs that theimpact fractured the glass.

PANTING

Panting occurs when poorly supported sections of the hull flex as the boatdrives through the waves. This problem is also called oilcanning, taking itsname from the domed bottom you push in and let spring back on a small oilcan.Panting usually occurs in relatively flat areas of the hull near the bow, but itmay also occur in flat bilge areas and unreinforced quarters. The classic signis a series of near-parallel cracks, sometimes crescent shaped, in the gelcoat.If you can move any portion of the hull by pushing on it, the hull lacksadequate stiffness. Left unchecked, panting can result in fatigue damage to thelaminate and eventually a hinge crack all the way through the hull.

TRANSVERSE DAMAGE

An impact on one side of a boat often results in damage to the opposite side asthe force is transferred by some rigid member or just by the boxeffect—push on one corner of a box and all corners are distorted. Becausehulls are designed to resist outside assault, the damage to the nonimpactedside—where the stress is applied from inside the hull—is oftengreater than to the impacted side. When you find any evidence of impact damage,always check the opposite side of the boat for collateral damage.

WEEPING

Any spot on the hull that remains damp more than a few hours after the boat ishauled indicates water has penetrated the surface of the hull. Scrape away paintand you are likely to find a crack that requires repair. Weeping from anencapsulated keel can indicate a serious problem if the ballast is iron; waterincursion causes the iron to rust and swell, distorting and even bursting thefiberglass. Examine the bottom of the keel and the rudder most carefully forsigns of weeping.

REPAIRS

Done well, a repair is almost impossible to detect, but this is not a concernbecause a proper repair will be just as strong as the original laminate.Inferior repairs are generally easier to detect. We have already mentioned flatspots. Also look for variations in the color and texture of the hull surface. Itis hard to match gelcoat exactly, and careful observation will usually revealany patching. Gelcoat paste used in a repair can also develop a porous lookcompared to the billiard-ball smoothness of the original gelcoat. If the hullhas been painted, look for a crescent-shaped ridge that will mark a less-than-perfectly-sandedpatch.

Repairs are more visible inside the hull. Any signs of lifting around the edgeof a patch suggests grinding—essential for a strong repair—wasinadequate. The repair shouldn't be trusted. Where you find evidence of arepair, sound the hull in a regular pattern over the entire repair area todetect voids or delamination.

DELAMINATION

Delamination in fiberglass is the functional equivalent of rot in a wooden boat.Well-constructed solid-fiberglass hulls (meaning not cored) almost neverdelaminate unless they have suffered impact damage or unless water haspenetrated the gelcoat (see the next section). This is because proper hull-constructiontechnique—adding each layer before the previous one hascured—results in the resin linking chemically into a solid mass.Occasionally a manufacturer defeats this by leaving an uncompleted hull in themold over a weekend; but most know—and do—better.

Introduce core into the formula and the likelihood of delamination increasesdramatically. A core divides the hull into three distinct layers—the outerskin, the core, and the inner skin—with the bond between them strictlymechanical. Polyester resin adheres chemically to itself with amazing tenacity,but it has never been very good at adhering to other materials. At the slightestprovocation it will release its grip on the core material, regardless of what itis.

PERCUSSION TESTING

Tapping a fiberglass hull is akin to spiking a wooden one. Use a plastic malletor the handle of a screwdriver to give the hull a light rap. If the laminate ishealthy, you will get a sharp report. If it is delaminated, the sound will be adull thud. Your hull is sure to play more than two notes, but map all suspectreturns; then check inside the hull to see if a bulkhead, tank, or bag of sailis responsible. If not, it is the laminate.

It is essential to do a thorough evaluation of a cored hull because coredelamination is unfortunately common and robs the hull of much of its designedstrength. Tap every 2 or 3 inches over the entire surface of the hull. Beespecially suspicious of the area around through-hull fittings and near signs ofskin damage or repair. Percussion testing can also reveal filler patches.

GELCOAT PROBLEMS

Most gelcoat problems are cosmetic, but a few suggest underlying structuraldefects.

CHALKING

Well-applied gelcoat will last a decade with little or no maintenance, perhapstwice that long if protected with a regular application of wax. Eventually theexposed surface erodes and the gelcoat loses its gloss. To determine whether thegloss can be restored, buff an inconspicuous area with rubbing compound(formulated for fiberglass). If the gloss returns before the gelcoat becomestransparent, you may get a few more years from the surface; otherwise, paintingis the preferred way to restore the gloss.

SCRATCHES

If scratches don't penetrate the gelcoat, they can usually be buffed out withrubbing compound. Deep scratches are easily repaired with gelcoat putty.

CRAZING

Close examination of the gelcoat, especially on boats built in the '60s and'70s, may reveal a random egg-shell-like pattern of fine cracks which is usuallycaused by temperature expansion (and contraction) of the hull. It is prevalentin older boats because the gelcoat was thicker and thus less flexible.Correcting this condition requires filling the cracks with epoxy and paintingthe repaired surface.

STRESS CRACKING

Unlike crazing, stress cracks are usually localized and exhibit a discerniblepattern. As previously mentioned, stress cracks can indicate impact damage orpanting. They are a valuable clue for a number of other conditions detailed inthis chapter. If you find cracks in the gelcoat, figure out why they are therebefore moving on.

VOIDS

The reluctance of glass fabric to take a sharp bend causes it to pull away fromthe gelcoat on inside corners during the layup process, creating voids. On ahull, this condition is generally confined to the stem, the corners where thehull sides intersect the transom, and the turn of the hull flange. Percussiontesting reveals voids and may break them open. Voids are a cosmetic flaw andeasily repaired with gelcoat putty.

BLISTERS

Blisters reveal themselves as bumps in the surface of fiberglass and are easilydetected by simply examining the hull. A blister can be as small as a ladybug oras big as your hand.

GELCOAT BLISTERS

Blisters occur because free water-soluble chemicals inside the laminate exert anosmotic pull on water outside, and some water molecules find a way through theslightly permeable gelcoat. As more water is attracted into the enclosed space,internal pressure builds. The water molecules aren't squirted back out the waythey came in because they combine with the attracting chemicals into a solutionwith a larger molecular structure. Instead, the pressure pushes the coveringgelcoat into a dome—a blister.

Break a sample blister to assess the condition. Wear goggles because pressurescan exceed 150 psi and the liquid that comes spraying out is acid. Scrub out theblister with water and a brush and examine the underlying laminate. If thelaminate is perfect—the usual finding—the blister is primarily acosmetic flaw, although taking steps to prevent water from reaching the laminatemay be prudent.

LAMINATE BLISTERS

If the laminate is damaged, repairs will be more extensive, but this is stillnot a dangerous condition as long as the number of blisters is small. Use aknife point to find the depth of the damage. Laminate blisters most often occurbetween the initial layer(s) of mat and the first layer of wovenroving—probably because the manufacturer was religious about getting theinitial mat laid into the mold while the gelcoat was still chemically active,but was less exacting about the timing for completing the layup. Or it may bedue to a failure to roll the roving sufficiently against the resin-stiffened matto eliminate all voids. Whatever the reason, laminate blisters below the firstlayers of mat are no more dangerous than gelcoat blisters.

If additional layers of the laminate are involved in the blister, the area willhave to be treated like any other delamination. How serious the problem isdepends on the number and size of the laminate blisters.

POX

For pox, examine the bottom as soon as it comes out of the water. In the earlystages blisters can shrink and even disappear altogether. If the bottom iscovered with hundreds of blisters, the boat has pox. Boat pox is a much moreserious condition than a handful of blisters scattered over the bottom of a 15-year-old hull. It is a systemic condition and will only worsen unless remedialaction is taken.

To cure boat pox you must grind away all the gelcoat below the waterline. Justopening and filling the blisters won't do because a hull with pox is saturatedthroughout and won't dry out unless the gelcoat is removed. Once the hull isdry, which can take several months, the usual process is to apply a new barriercoat of epoxy. The cost to have this done professionally is between $300 and$400 per foot of boat length. Most of this is labor, so the cost if you do ityourself is much more modest, but it is a nasty job at best.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from INSPECTING THE AGING SAILBOAT by DON CASEY. Copyright © 1997 by International Marine, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies. Excerpted by permission of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0071445455
• ISBN 13: 9780071445450
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 150