She's dead, Jim! Or...another reason why NOT to separate the deck from the hull.

[_JP_]

Posting this in the hopes it might help others with a lesson I learned the hard way! I've picked up from multiple authors over the years who've stated that building a boat from scratch is easier than refurbishing (George Buehler comes to mind here). Starting to think they were on to something.....

So some background - '79 CP16, bought as a project, knowing the whole interior would need to be replaced before it'd be launched. I did my research and dove in head first. I'm experienced with woodworking and fiberglass, what could go wrong?

Removed the deck, and over the last 7 months glassed in new stringers, bunks, and everything else inside the hull. Chipped out loose ballast and repoured concrete. Made it "bulletproof", with all new work being epoxy and cloth encased, and tabbed to the hull to make it super rigid and indestructible. Refinished tiller, rudder, brightwork.

After a month+ of waiting for the ballast to cure, paint followed and the end was in sight. After all these long hours of work, sweating away last summer, and freezing this winter, I might get to finally launch this spring.

Got the sealant, rivets, pneumatic rivet gun and lowered the deck onto the hull. Started at the rear stbd corner, and used the factory rivet holes in deck and hull so everything would line up.

Then came the heartbreak......

The last few holes at the bow were off by about an inch, and wouldn't budge. Checked aft corner where I started and fasteners had pulled free there. Crowbars and straps couldn't get the bow lined up, fiberglass cracked as I tried my hardest to wedge it true, but no dice. Somehow, despite never moving the hull off the trailer, she twisted ever so slightly during the rehab (maybe from when the deck was first removed). All the new work tabbed to the hull had made her super stiff, and now she'll never be true again.

Sigh...... maybe it's for the better. The deck needed a lot of work anyhow, lots of gelcoat chips, holes to fill, and a questionable gunwale repair by the previous owner (bondo!). Some people pay good money for an education. Here, the cost of the lesson was fairly cheap: the low original purchase price, materials, and my time. Not life-ending and I sure did learn a lot.



SO... I'm thinking my options now are:

1) Maybe there's another soul out there who thinks she can be fixed. Sell for cheap, giving full disclosure to the new buyer. If no takers, haul deck and hull to the dump, sell remaining bits and trailer to recoup losses.

2) I've been wanting to build a boat for a while, but wouldn't until this one was finished. Here I have a hull and trailer that's ready to go. Build new deck out of plywood (thinking... Badger style, flush foredeck, large cabin, small cockpit). Unstayed mast, junk rig! She's basically worthless in her present state, so why not?

3) Or, any other suggestions? ?  What would you do here?

[Cats Paw]

Add Bench Seat and oar locks.

[Eddie C]

Looks like beautiful work you have done! Your attitude is admirable. I have no boat building experience and no right to venture an opinion (but that never stopped me before). I would consider securing the stern corners and the bow, allowing some offset wherever. Bolt what you can then fiberglass the rest of the hull to deck seams. There have been successful production sailboats that were not completely symmetrical. Best of luck. Eddie C.

[crazycarl]

You could build a new deck.  I always thought the Compacs would look a bit nicer with another 4" of cabin height. 

I know how you're feeling.  I completely refurbed a boat only to have the deck destroyed in a storm.  I didn't want to go through it again with that boat so I sold off all the bits and pieces.  I made more money from selling the parts than I paid for the boat and trailer!  Then I got a check from the insurance company for a little over twice what I had into her.  I ended up way ahead of the game.  I delivered the hull to the dump, and 2 weeks later another sailor offered to buy it to make a trawler from it.   

[rogerschwake]

  If your thinking about building a boat you have a great start with the hull you have. I would add a deck and cockpit and you'd  have a great day sailor. Just my idea will I'm setting her in Iowa waiting for the snow to turn to water so I can sail on it.

ROGER

[Cats Paw]

Possible to separate the bunks from where they attach to the hull around the perimeter with a roto zip to give relief to the improper set? Remove the new build complete as its own structure. Place deck back on top to reset proper form. This point add temporary cross stringers to hold shape as deck top removed. Place bunk structure back in position adjusting fit for tabs. I know this is a lot of input from the key board side. Hope you can save her.

[wes]

JP - this is heartbreaking! Your work on the boat is beautiful.

If there's a lesson here, it is that fiberglass hulls are surprisingly flexible. Took me a while to realize that when the rigging on my 19 was properly tensioned with the boat in the water, it was guitar-string taut when the boat was on the trailer. Gravity alone deformed the boat out of the water enough to allow the deck to sag and pull the rigging dangerously taut.

Probably you would have been better off reattaching the hull to deck joint earlier in the process when it would been easier to bend it into position. But I wouldn't have thought to do that either. Maybe your bad luck will save someone else from this experience.

Wes

[_JP_]

Looks like beautiful work you have done! Your attitude is admirable. I have no boat building experience and no right to venture an opinion (but that never stopped me before). I would consider securing the stern corners and the bow, allowing some offset wherever. Bolt what you can then fiberglass the rest of the hull to deck seams. There have been successful production sailboats that were not completely symmetrical. Best of luck. Eddie C.

Good idea. Had I thought of that while the adhesive was still wet, I would've attached the bow first and made a 2nd attempt.

However, only two of the three corners will line up. It's a slightly skewed triangle now.

[_JP_]

Possible to separate the bunks from where they attach to the hull around the perimeter with a roto zip to give relief to the improper set? Remove the new build complete as its own structure. Place deck back on top to reset proper form. This point add temporary cross stringers to hold shape as deck top removed. Place bunk structure back in position adjusting fit for tabs. I know this is a lot of input from the key board side. Hope you can save her.

Thanks for the suggestion.

That's a possibility, but also means I'd basically have to demo some heavy glass work and start over. Bunks are tabbed to the hull with three layers of cloth tape, with epoxy based filler in between. It's way thicker than the hull now. Yeah I could cut it all out, but... what a job.

[_JP_]

Thanks everyone for ideas (and, support). Keep 'em coming.

Just sitting here at my work desk on a rainy Friday morning, daydreaming instead of working (I'm certainly not the first to do this!)

For cabin ideas, here's Badger, Auklet, and a sketch I did two years ago in paint using the 16's hull profile.

Auklet is a Phil Bolger "Glasshouse Chebacco" (19.5'). Its sheer line and plumb bow is similar (in my eye) to our ComPac 16 hulls.

Badger, of Pete and Annie Hill fame, is a Jay Benford double ended dory. Maximum interior room was a major design criteria, as this was their home.

[Cats Paw]

Thanks everyone for ideas (and, support). Keep 'em coming.

Just sitting here at my work desk on a rainy Friday morning, daydreaming instead of working (I'm certainly not the first to do this!)

For cabin ideas, here's Badger, Auklet, and a sketch I did two years ago in paint using the 16's hull profile.

Auklet is a Phil Bolger "Glasshouse Chebacco" (19.5'). Its sheer line and plumb bow is similar (in my eye) to our ComPac 16 hulls.

Badger, of Pete and Annie Hill fame, is a Jay Benford double ended dory. Maximum interior room was a major design criteria, as this was their home.

Look at it this way... you have repaired the keel and cleaned up the internal part of the hull.  If you remove the bunks they can be cleaned up for reuse.  Rest of the boat is ready to finish the restoration. If you give up now its a total loss.

[Chris D]

I sort of did the same thing. Cut my boat in half re did everything. Glassed in all the wood before re-seating the deck. Started to get a hint of worry as I thought about putting it back together.
When I sat the deck on the hull and clamped them together, it wasn't a perfect fit.
I started by lining up the bow and clamping back from there.
It was a bit wonky, I had to shove a coerce the flanges to line up, eventually they did. Problem was the stern deck was almost an inch proud of the transom.
Devastated.
My thought was that without the deck on the hull when I glassed everything back in, the hull had widened, and thus, shortened the length.
Well, I drilled the holes for the bolts on the sides, and I thought about my problem and all the possible solutions, but first I tried something simple.
With my wife's help, I stuck a screwdriver in the gudgeon and cranked that sucker. It pulled in the too wide back corners and evened the aft edge between the deck and hull.
Clamped and drilled.
It all worked out.
Maybe if you start at the bow and work backward it could work.
I know how much effort goes into rebuilding these beautiful works of joy, so I would hate to see it end in heartbreak for you.
Feel free to message me to ask any questions.
Chris

[Chris D]

I also used ss bolts instead of rivets. They were either 1 1/4" or 1 1/2". This allowed me to leave about a 3/4" gap between the deck and hull in which I was able to apply 5200 and not stress. Afterwards I snipped them down with a bolt cutter and installed the rub rail.
The tension between the deck and hull allowed the gap to maintain itself so I could apply the sealant adhesive.
You've put so much work into her already, I would hate to see you give up on her.

[Bob23]

Jim:  Don't give up! You have a rare opportunity to start with a clean slate, cabin and deck wise. Sit back, mix yourself a nice Dark and Stormy and think about the possibilities!!
Bob23

[Whisper]

Hi Jim ,
I built f/glass yachts back in the 70s and because we were experimenting I guess the hulls were laid up thicker and stronger and yours I guess would be the same .
Unfortunately as soon as they come out of the mould they are quite floppy and I know that?s not helpful.
But because the Hull and decks were joined after coming out of the mould we put full length stringers and bulkheads in the hull to help hold the shape but even then the deck alignment wasn?t easy .

I think Jim in your case I would take the deck back off an start putting it back on at the bow , then I think I would cut the transom down the centre line to the top of what looks like a reinforced section and you may be able to splay the sides of the boat out if that doesn?t give enough flex then yo may have to cut the stern out leaving a small flange to redo the transom .
I don?t think you would notice the stern being out of square so to speak ,but if you cut the bow down ,I think it will look terrible and be out of alignment and will spoil the look of the boat.
You have done a great job and I think you will get the deck on with a bit of perseverence.
Good luck
Des