Ever wonder what's really inside the CP 16?

[Gil Weiss]

Foam flotation is closed cell foam so I don't understand how it would act as a wick relative to water. It should resist water. On the other hand, open cell foam, like what is in the bunk cushions, sucks up water like a sponge.

[Yairi1]

I'm not sure if the under-berth flotation is open or closed cell, but it was very wet and so was the adjacent plywood and fiberglass.  I would recommend pulling all of this out and replacing it.  Not sure what to replace it with, though.  

My forepeak structures feel dry and solid (through the inspection port), so I'm not touching them.

I will get photos up soon.

-Jonathan

[Rick Evans]

Jonathan,

   My 27 year old CP 16 sat with water filling the cabin like a bathtub for ten years. You can imagine what the insides were like.  The wood was all still there but the consistency of wet paper towels.  It just shredded apart.  I ripped it out and made a template by which to fit new marine grade plywood in place.  You probably are going to find that you won't be able to make the berths as long as they originally were.  There just isn't enough room to slide in a piece of plywood over 8 feet long.  I think the best I could do was something like 93 inches or thereabouts.  It left it about 10 inches short in the aft section which, in my view, is meaningless.  I'm 6'2" and still have much more than enough room to stretch out.  

I used pressure treated 2 x 4s running down the cabin sole on either side of the berths to support them.  They went on either side of the cement bilge.  Unlike the original CP16 in which the berths come to a V shaped point forward, mine are cut straight.  You can see pictures of them on the owners gallery web site under Sweet Laraine.  Cutting the berths straight really opened the cabin considerably.  I can also slide a cooler forward whereas before the V shaped precluded that.   Another "improvement" was that I cut out square holes in the plywood to have an inspection port under the berth. In case water gets it, the holes are cut over the lowest part of the hull so I could use a bilge pump to get it out.  I also provides great storage.  I saved the piece I cut out and fitted it to cover the hole  using 1 x 2s under the plywood to hold it in place and provide extra stiffening.  Then I used contractors foam and squirted it inside the berths to provide the flotation ComPac originally intended.  It's not as extensive as the original flotation but is spread out over a greater area and should provide equivalent flotation.  

Like you, my forepeak area was in pretty bad shape and, frankly, should have been completely replaced.  However, enough of it was salvagable that I was able to do just that aided by lots of epoxy resin & fiberglass which is pretty easy to apply.  Both berths and the forepeak are covered in a flat nap indoor outdoor carpet.  It's still comfortable and sound deadening without adding the extra height of the cushions.  I'll be posting some more pictures of Sweet Laraine today so you'll have a better idea of the finished project.  Let me know if I can help.

[Rick Evans]

I'm about 90% done with the restoration of Sweet Laraine thanks to all the help and input you've all given me.  I posted a bunch of new pics on the owner's gallery today under Sweet Laraine if you'd like to see how she's shaping up.  The transformation has been pretty remarkable.  My latest project which I finished yesterday afternoon was to install CFI roller furling.  That proved to be the hardest job of all since none of the original CP rigging would fit the roller furling.  I had to cut the forestay, re-swage it and add various turnbuckles & plates to make it work but the effort was worth it.

[Skeebump]

Rick, did you find your sails?  The best place to get them is Sailnet, www.sailnet.com. They have all the proper measurements.  I am not sure what the retail price is from them.  I have discovered that Sailnet will posibly send them to you quicker than ordering after market from Woody. (this is me incognito)

[Craig]

Please note that the "P" measurement that has been published for the 16 is incorrect.  It usually appears as 16.25 feet and it really is 15.25 feet.  Measure carefully before you order!

Craig

[Rick Evans]

I did, in fact, get the sails from National Sail in Florida.  Dirk was incredibly helpful and had the proper measurements.  They've arrived and are as crisp as a cotton shirt fresh from the laundry.  The genoa is designed for the CFI roller furling and therefore isn't a hank on type but instead feeds up the foil.  Trying to make the foil fit the original forestay rigging is a story and 6 pack of beer in itself.  But, after a half dozen trips to West Marine and multiple designs, I've got one that works great now.  The main feeds into the luff track by slugs which I have to admit I prefer over the rope feed.  Much easier to flake.  At least in my driveway.  Sweet Laraine still hasn't seen water for over a decade apart from that left standing in her cabin all those years.

[Rick Evans]

Sweet Laraine is all but finished.  The only major project left is an epoxy bottom job.  Here's my question on the eve of her maiden voyage.  When trailering distances of less than an hour, can I keep the base of the mast attached to the cabin tabernacle or must it all be unstepped. I've built a mast crutch to hold the mast at the stern but would like to avoid having to take the mast off the tabernacle.  It doesn't seem like it would be too much strain on the cabin roof but I must defer to those with experience.  What's the collective wisdom out there?

[Skeebump]

Rick, disconnect the mast.  It is worth the few minutes it takes to disconnect/reconnect the mast to avoid a much bigger problem which could arise if not. By no means would I suggest keeping it attached for transport.

[Rick Evans]

I was afraid you'd say that Margie.  And it makes sense.  The extra few minutes saved by not disconnecting the mast isn't worth the risk to weakening or ripping out the cabin roof.  I guess I was just looking for a simple way out.

One other question if anybody knows.  I've got a long shaft outboard motor.  Is that okay?  The Com Pac literature recommends a short shaft for the CP16 but I would think long shaft couldn't hurt and, in choppy seas, would actually be better.

[Gil Weiss]

Most CP 16 sailors I know, including myself, use long shaft outboards. With a short shaft you would need to lower the motor mount to probably its lowest position. It is much easier not to have to do that and it is easier to use the motor when the head is higher and closer to the operator.

Long shafts are fine!

[bro t]

Hi Rick, the mast crutch is great to have anyway, to carry the aft end of the mast, the fore end resting on the pulpit rail.  This distributes the mast weight nicely to avoid stressing the mast, keeps it off of the hatch, and also keeps the mast out of the tailgater's windshield, which is good, because accidents happen, idiots drive, and one bent mast can ruin a lot of good sailing days!  I thought a longshaft was necessary for a cp16, and didn't know short was an option, but will guarantee that the long is nice in a choppy sea, and can also still get cooling water even when the motor mount is up (I know this because I've done the motor her off the rock into a headwind thing, which does NOT work with propellor on the rock).  Also, the long shaft has an advantage of putting the prop below the rudder bottom, avoiding sub-hull conflicts in tight turns.  Happy New Year and joyous maiden voyage in new Sweet Laraine!
bro t. from Upwest Maine

[Craig]

Rick,

Take the mast off for transport.  It is simple to build a holder for the mast to rest on the pulpit.

And, I have a short shaft outboard on my 16.  Works fine.  The advantages of the long shaft have been noted.  The advantage of the short shaft is the ease to clear the prop from the water when sailing.  Yes, I have to lower the motor mount to get the prop in the water, but with a 14 lbs 2 stroke it's not hard, and I have never had any problem with the prop pitching out of the water nor getting the water intake sufficiently submerged.

The greatest advantage of the long shaft for you is that you already own it.  As long as it runs good don't replace it, just use it!

Craig

[Rick Evans]

What do you know about blisters?  Sweet Laraine's bottom is littered with them.  Nothing soft or mushy but small, almost invisible bumps here and there.  Some quite small and some about the size of a quarter.  She obviously has spent some extended time in the water in her prior life since blisters typically never form on boats who live on the trailer in between weekend trips to the lake.  I've heard two sides to the story.  Some say blisters are cosmetic only and really not a cause for concern unless deep and mushy.  Others act as if a blister were the equivalent of a cancer diagnosis complete with horror stories about delamination or worse.  Anybody with experience with them?  

What I did was sand them along with the entire hull below the waterline.  Then, I put on three coats of Interlux Micron CSC which is one of those anti foulings which you can use on boats hauled and relaunched (unlike other anti foulings which lose effectiveness when exposed to air and therefore once applied must stay immersed).  By the way, the color charts by Interlux aren't exactly reliable.  I bought Shark White thinking, naively, that it was white.  That belief was fortified by their color chart which shows a nice, bright white color.  I was a little worried when it was gray.  I thought I mixed it wrong, that it was an old can of paint, or something.  I called them up and learned that white is gray in their world.  Anyway, do you all think this treatment is all that's necessary?

[Craig]

Rick,

I have small blisters that run down the port quarter from the hull to deck joint to below the waterline. I haven't done anything with them an they have not changed in the 6 years I've owned the boat.  I've read one surveryor's opinion that blisters are caused by voids in the laminate from the fiberglass not being fully wetted out with resin.  The Cape Dory 14 I had was truly poxed, but the underlying laminate was strong as the day it was laid up.

The only suggestion I have is next time you do the bottom add a layer of epoxy barrier coat before you put on the antifouling paint.  This will help eliminate osmosis that gets water between the gel coat and the fiberglass and forms blisters.

Craig