This type of failure of the hull is occurring with increasing frequency on older fiberglass boats of this general construction. It occurs because the laminate on boats of this era, and this is true of Pearsons in particular, tended to use a layup that was resin rich and included a larger percentage of non-directional reinforcing (mat) than would be used today. Research on older boat hulls has shown that this combination of high resin content and non-directional fabric starts out to be comparatively brittle and tends to be very fatigue prone, therefore more rapidly losing strength over time. Fatigue would take the greatest toll on areas of a boat that are subject to large amounts of flexure, repetitive bending cycles, and point loads. Those areas will show the greatest diminishment in bending strength and impact resistance over time due to this fatigue. Your cracked hull is a good example of this phenomena. The fatigued laminate probably extends pretty far beyond the area where the cracks have shown up. For those who are reading this, I am not sure why polyester and chopped strand was chosen for this repair, but those are both very poor materials for this type of repair. To explain why I say this, it is important to understand how the repair that was made differs from how a fiberglass boat was built to begin with. When a boat is constructed using polyester resin there are almost no secondary bonds (bonds between cured laminate and new laminate). This is done because polyester laminate forms very weak secondary bonds . The way that second bonds are avoided during construction is by using two types of polyester resin; laminating resin and finishing resin. Polyester resin will not fully cure unless the catalyzed resin is isolated from air. Finishing resin includes a waxy material which floats to the surface due to the heat of the catalytic reaction and seals the surface from air so that the resin can fully cure. Laminating resin lacks that waxy material so it does not fully cure until coated with finishing resin. Because of that when the layers of fiberglass are being molded, all of the layers of cloth and resin are laid up with laminating resin so that there is a primary chemical bond between each of the partially uncured layers. Then, a final layup takes place with finishing resin to cause the final cure of all of the laminate layers below. Areas receiving tabbing purposely do not receive finishing resin until the bulkheads are tabbed in with laminating resin so that there will be a primary bond as well. In this case, polyester resin is being asked to form a primary bond with the old fatigued laminate, and that will not result in an acceptably strong bond. Epoxy is much more expensive and is much harder to grind and fair, but it forms a far stronger secondary bond and should have been used in this application. Chopped strand mat was about the worst choice of reinforcing for this repair as well. Again, looking at the difference between this repair and how this boat was built, boats of this era were laid up with woven roving, which is coarsely woven, long strand fiberglass fabric. The coarse weave allows the longer strands to remain intact and remain oriented in two directions. Longer strands are stronger than short strands. Because of the coarseness of the woven roving, layers of chopped strand mat was used between the layers of the roving since it could conform to the irregularities in the surface of the woven roving. The chopped strand mat only plays a minor structural role by building up thickness and distributing bias loads between the adjacent layers of woven roving. Chop strand mat should never be used as a primary structural reinforcing since it lacks the needed strength, tending to have very poor tensile characteristics and be highly prone to fatigue. In testing resistance to impact, it is the chopped strand within the laminate that almost always fails creating what would then be a delamination plane. Beyond the issue of chop strand's lack of strength, this is a particularly poor place to use it since the gap in the hull will tend to concentrate loads and create higher fatigue producing forces, exactly the worst case scenario for chopped mat reinforcing. This repair should have been done with roving and epoxy. Respectfully, Jeff
One other point....Several people suggested that the damaged areas may have been caused by the boat hitting something. That seems unlikely given that the damage is nearly symmetrical from one side of the boat to the other and coincidentally occurred near the location where the water tank touches the hull. The much more likely cause is that the corner of the tank and the bunk flats created hard-spots or point loads on those areas where the cracks occurred. Those hard-spots would be stress risers on the hull. With each roll of the boat, sloshing water in the tanks would create a mini battering ram at these points of contact with the hull. Obviously these loads were not large enough to pierce the hull when new. But over time, the repetitive flexing around these hard spots, caused fatigue that weakened the laminate, and caused the fiberglass to crack. The linear nature of the cracks would appear to parallel the edge of the tank. This type of failure is similar to what happens when you fold a piece of metal back and forth until it snaps. Jeff
Read through your reply with respect! All your reasoning makes sense and is well grounded (no pun intended). I do hope the couple working on this yacht takes it into consideration!
So, Jeff. With ypur information and an attempt at being proactive on my 46 year old 32 foot sloop. Reinforce the bow with your explanation and some timbering of sorts? I do not have a fibreglass bow tank. It is separate. Does not rub or touch the interior. It can easily be removed and discarded in the name of reinforcement. I cant rebuild the hull. I can reinforce the bow on at least 2 planes of modern resin and matting and some bracing. If you have a recomendation my ears are on sir.
@@jeffhalpern9051 I agree with you 100%. You have use woven glass cloth and epoxy slow cure, 0-90 s glass. 10-12 oz glass The slower the cure the stronger the bond. The chopped glass is used as a filler. It supplies no structural strength. You can see what the original glass cloth size when he sanded it down and he noted de-lam. A repair like this has to be done right. Your life depends on it. That hole is HUGE more that one bulk head would be a good idea. A slow cure epoxy(24 hr cure) and when the EPOXY reaches a GREEN CURE (tacky) then layup on inside needs to be done. Both sides have to be bound and cure together. You can't let the outside cure hard and expect it the make good bond with the inside layup. What he should do is call or email West Marine and get a second opinion. Polyester is used because it's cheap and cures fast. It also user friendly to hands and lungs. Some epoxies are user friendly but not West Marine. I recommend take out the bulk head and throw a couple layers of S glass cloth 10-12 oz of zero 90 and West Marine 24 hr cure over the chopped glass on the inside. Rich
@@WESTOFEDEN71 Its hard to provide meaningful advice without seeing the actual condition of your boat. In reality, its hard to know how much flexure and fatigue has occurred in the laminate in this area. As a practical reality if the laminate is sufficiently weakened any supplemental laminate would effectively be like installing a new heart in a 95 year old person. It may extend the life a bit but something else is bound to fail.On the other hand, there were 1960's builders who actually carefully built boats with proper resin ratios, less accelerators a better mix of non-directional to directional laminates and proper fabric handling and those boats probably retain a large portion of their original strength. (Builders like LeCompte and Halmatic come to mind) The real answer probably lies in discussing this with a marine surveyor who is knowledgeable about the builders and life cycle of fiberglass laminate from this era. (Most are not). But assuming that you have your heart set on strengthening your boat and your boat is built like many in the 1960's, the boat would have been constructed with very few internal frames. Typically the only internal framing between the forward cabin bulkhead and the chain locker bulkhead would be the bunk flats and perhaps shelf over the berths. And on many boats these were not fully tabbed in or not tabbed in at all. My best advice would be to add transverse frames that cross the boat between the bunk flats on either side and between the bunk flats and the hull deck line if there is not a glassed in shelf above the berth. These do not need to be much more than a perhaps 2-3 inches deep hat-section. They can be made with a foam core which is easy to fit and do not need any real strength since the strength will come from the layup not the core. The idea is to come across the hull with alternating layers of epoxy saturated roving and cloth and have the laminate turn up onto the transverse frame and then back down to the hull. You can add several additional layers of cloth on the top of the hat section to further stiffen it before the last overall layup. Jeff
Been building boats professionally for 45 years; fiberglass from molds, wood-epoxy-glass one-offs, foam N glass, you name it. Had 22 employees in my boatshop at one point. What a headache! Single-handed the 37-foot cutter I built when I was 19 to the Marquesas and Hawaii, then a bit further, then built a 56-foter of my own design in Hawaii and fished and sailed her for 17 years. So I've got sailing chops too. Early in my career I spent a LOT of time in boatyards fixing just the kind of stuff that scared the crap out of you on this run. Right now, if you intend to continue sailing this same boat; get a really good liferaft and EPIRB if you don't already have them as well as a GALLON size can of "Splash Zone Compound", the "green goo" the fishermen gave you. There's a REASON they had that stuff on their boat, even though it's expensive and they are poor. Stay close to shipping lanes whenever you can. Get some body surfing fins and goggles; if you go down, you're going to spend a lot of time in the water before being rescued, and being able to move around easily will make a lot of difference. Buy and read the book "Adrift" by my friend Steven Callahan (www.amazon.com/Adrift-Seventy-six-Days-Lost-Sea/dp/0618257322 ). His boat sank Mid-Atlantic, and he spent the longest time known by a single person in a liferaft before being rescued; many incredible and valuable lessons there on how to prepare a sinkable boat to go to sea. Here's why: your boat had a huge unknown that could have caused you to sink. Who knows what caused it? Who cares? The fact that it existed means that the entire boat is now suspect, and even a good marine survey could fail to reveal problems, or whether or not you have other hull areas like this one lurking to pop open in just the right sea and wind conditions. Here's why I say this: I've taken apart many other people's fiberglass "repairs" in my boatshop; and often find cosmetically-decent repairs to be a mess of delaminations and poor adhesion to the original surface of the boat underneath the nicely sanded finish. Sometimes these repairs have literally fallen apart in my hands once I got into them a little ways. One of these was a hole nearly 2 feet by 2 feet! And if a professional boatbuilder couldn't see those before he cut into them, you CERTAINLY have no way to determine if any of them exist on your boat, or if this was a once in a lifetime bad day at sea. This is stuff even an experienced marine surveyor can easily miss. As Dirty Harry said in the movie: "How's your luck today?" Love each other, love your dog, get a new boat, whatever it takes. We'll help you however we can (oceanpeople.org/). With Warm Aloha from Hawaii, Tim
13:22 Nothing compares to the feeling of being loved and helped during our times of hardship. Nothing compares to the feeling of being able to love and help someone in a time in need as well. I’m so glad the SAIL continues! You’re such a great couple to watch and follow. Thank you for the time your spend to show us your voyage!!
watched you both go through the crack/leak !!!! two mighty people, two heros. You should be both very proud of your selves. Thats what you call team work.
Wow, that long comment by Jeff is very correct. Chop strand horrible choice for Father Time. and so right on resin, there’s a reason materials have gotten better over the years. You know you stuff Jeff
Oh my word!! That gash was bigger than a head!! The sailing community is very loving and giving. We never know when we may need help from others that we freely give help to others. (hope that makes sense) You two take care of one another. Be happy, be safe.
I'm so sorry that your boat cracked and so thankful that you are safe and fixing the boat and still wanting to sail. You two are amazing keep up the good work!!
I am so glad you spoke to my friend Warren. He is extremely knowledgeable! I’m glad he was able to help. It’s great to see you both back on the water again! All the best to you both!
My option the crack started from a stress concentration from the water tank being in close proximity to the hull and the hull flexing into the tank. The fatigue cycles of many years of flexing around the hard point of the tank initiated the crack which grew and finally breached the hull. The gentleman who suggested a bulkhead in this area provided very good advice.
I was shocked and amazed there wasn't and kind of hull support there, course it has been a few years since I was part of boat building, just very glad you made it
My Gosh, what a nightmare just watching the past two videos. Glad you folks were safe, that was a horrible situation all around, time-consuming, tiresome and nerve-racking as I sit here in my patrol car watching the boat take on water and top speed to land at only 1 knot. Thank God for the fishermen. Peace and Love .. Please be safe out there.
You are living my dream ! So much to learn. Jeff’s rundown was worth a $million to those of us looking at older boats. I guess it’s important to know how your boat was constructed....good or bad, to know the proper materials and procedures to make a repair like that, and to have something tried and true for a middle of the night , middle of the ocean repair !
You are so fortunate that you noticed the leak early. This has convinced me to put a high water alarm in my bilge. I'm also getting high volume back up pump.
Yes, your emotional this is not a mere bost, it is your home!!!! And friends being good to good people!!! YOUR GOOD FOLKS! Thank you for working so much and posting!
Having a heavy duty 8’ x 4’ tarp or sunbrella fabric with tie grommets is great to have on board to drop over the bow and snake down the hull to the hull fracture. Works to reduce water in flow.
This method is called fothering and was used by Captain Cook when the HMS Endeavour ran aground in 1770. The vessel was just under 98 feet long and it allowed the ship to sail for over a week until they could careen her and effect repairs! The excellent British yachting magazine YBW has a brilliant video where they hole their test sailboat and try different methods of stopping leaks. th-cam.com/video/bRhcXBtmPQs/w-d-xo.html
@@jimmarshall5453 was thinking the same thing, its an age old solution from the days sail, the gentleman's comments on GRP make interesting reading, even for someone who has been around fibre glass for over forty years.
I believe you should be using 450 g CSM as a bond layer between the woven roving laminates. The woven rovings laminates are much stronger than the CSM buts unless CSM and I would the grind area which are you bond areas at least 8 inches either side of the cracks. I would also heat the repaired area with hair dryer, By heating it or making the green area too hot to touch you will get the maximim streangth out of the repaired are. Just dont burn it. But by heating the repaired fiberglass area up once it begins to go off or while it is still 'green' or immediatly it has begun to set will in fact not only cure the resin more quickly but more importantly it will 'vastly' increase the streangth factor of the repair( by as much as > 45%), which is substantial and obviouslyvitally important. This heating process has to be done during the innitial curing process and kept at that tempreture for two hours. Some patience and a hairdryer should do the trick .
Great job on the bottom Boaters are helpful and wonderful people always reach out when people need help. I am glad everything worked out. Safe sailing love your videos.
YES! I have been patiently awaiting this video. I am so proud of you guys for making it a quick and flawless repair, you were in and out of that yard in no time. Cheers to always moving forward!
Yeah I think its just an old boat and getting tired. It should be possible to reinforce the areas of most stress to the hull and put in a protective bulk head , a water bladder is a good idea. love you two, Brandy is such a sweet heart and all ways happy. Keep up the good work and dont ever give up because one day it will all fall into place for you.
you are fantastic. From my experience on the older boats - this is another and typical day in the office. It takes a special character to deal with constant maintenance and improvements on a boat. 10% of sailing and 90% of boat work. I have done it for years. Lot's of Love. Capt. Jack. Turning around the airport tip of Grenada it is always a bit scary. next time leave the little island on your starboard. it is deep enough to go to Prickly Bay.
This crack is done from excessive local load, combined with structural weakness of the boat. No pounding, no waves, etc Solution: add more beams, floors, frames. More layers of grp (mat and roving)
Wonderful to see you made it through and back in the water, you have the right idea putting in a bulkhead to give the hull strength in that area as well as stringers.
Much respect. Very interesting presentation of the damage and repair efforts.. Thanks for sharing. Waiting to see a post 3-4yrs analysis of the repair work...please.
I saw one episode and saluted you both enough to subscribe and watch more.. As a boat owner myself a leak or a crack in your boat is one of the most panicking moments you can have.. You both stayed calm and did it like it was easy.. I salute you both
Man that was stressful Brandy you are such a strong lady, there are not a lot of woman made like you, 99.99% of woman would have jumped on a plane and returned to "normal" life after this, Beau dude you are the calmest person I have ever seen your calmness saved the day and your lives and your level thinking in stressful conditions is top notch. You guys are an example example great human beings. I only follow a few sailing toutubes, Uma(Dan and Kika ) and one or 2 others you two are up there with my favourite youtubers. Don't stop what you are doing that boat will be fine.
I'm in my mid seventies and been around boats most of my life and have never seen one split like this. That crossing would not even be considered a test for a cruising sailboat hull. Make sure you completely understand the reason this occurred if possible. I can't help but wonder if the rest of the hull is sound. I've come to love you both from meeting here so am expressing this concern because we all want what's truly best for you. Highest Blessings.
I'm not surprised you got so much help and support. you're in the cruising liveaboard family now and we take care of our own... It's a community of people who look out for each other. Even those we don't know, or just met. The repair looks good. I think that de-lamination has been there for a long time. The fact that cracks were on both sides tells me collision damage was unlikely. I'd be more inclined to believe initial layup of the hull at manufacture is more likely, in that between layers during the build, something went wrong in the bow area, that wasn't picked up before the next layer was applied. In any event, you managed the crisis really well, and you've recovered with a stronger boat, and you fixed it. Mate, life doesn't get better than this...
So glad you are safe, we were worried when we watched the last video. The only place we have ever sailed was around the south point of Grenada. Love the memories of the tree frogs at night. Great video!
Glad you are back on the water. So crazy to see our boat in your video. We took ownership of the Lagoon 42 in front of the chandlery just a few days after you posted this video.
Impressed by the quick repair. FYI GRP doesn't fatigue like metal. Continued flex below if its breaking point will not damage it. It's only when it is flexed past its breaking point that damage occurs and that is catastrophic.
16:50 but there are clouds in the sky ⛅️ lol Just recently found your channel. Completely intrigued with your adventure, guys. Glad to see that you’re both safe, and the boat has been repaired. Keep on adventuring!!
lots of armchair admirals here. You remained calm during the emergency, well done. 👍 The repair looks pretty good to me although I must admit I would have used epoxy. But you can still slap some layers of cloth and epoxy over the repair on the inside to make you feel safer. My boat was a 1963 32' Islander and had to repair several spots in the hull and deck. 15 years later I sold her and the repairs were still as new. And I agree that the water tank's edges were acting as a battering ram against the hull with the water sloshing around in it. Good for you for tackling the problems head-on.
I applaud your lifestyle! As a boat owner I know boats are unpredictable (we unexpectedly spent this last July to October in the boat yard ), but no better lifestyle can be had! Best if luck to you!
Just found your channel, and watching the situation with the leak off-shore as the first episode, I immediately knew that I would follow you guys as long as postings continue. You solved it, and you did it as a great team! You should be proud of how you have handled this, and I know that you have great friends simply because you are great people! Best of luck on your journey, and Merry Christmas from up north in Norway!
Wooohooo floaty mcboaty! What an ordeal! So happy to see you were able to patch up the boat and get a proper bottom barrier and anti-foul paint to boot. Best wishes on the next stage of reinforcing the bow and getting the boat back into proper order. Thanks for the video!
I have had oilcanning problems before so I balsa cored the bow area . That solved the problem and gave me more confidence in the boat. It was like a rock after that.
Ive seen experts (that do this for a living) inspecting boat hulls, go over the hull of a boat using a wooden hammer searching for sound variances (old patches from previous owner).. They, through experience develop and ear for that sort of thing, then give you a recommendation also once the boat dries in dry dock there should not be any damp patches on it (it should of dried evenly).. Good to see it getting attention guys, hope all goes well..
Great job on the repair and I'm so glad the community came together for you, it's heartwarming to see. I would suggest putting up a blog post with detailed information on the incident and its repair. The more detail in the post the better, especially manufacturer, model, year, and nature of the cracks. I don't say this to shame a mfr, but when people are looking to buy a boat they often do a web search on specific models. If this incident gives a prospective owner a way to preemptively inspect a potential problem area, you will have done a great service. Best wishes!
Good job guys! you did the best with the materials available. As a boat builder I think you will be ok. The comments bellow are all true but I think removing the water tank will alleviate the cause. Keep an eye on it for a while and be safe!
I'm very inspired. A month ago I bought a 73' 32 foot challenger sloop been in anxhorage for 2 years. I raise her sails a lot to feel her tug. Staring a lot at the amxhor rope. Ive spent 6 weeks studying sailing basics Most videos I watch say go out and do it
Boats are mechanical devices. They move and twist and flex and bend. Floating is NOT enough. Best advice for these two - buy a better boat. Good ones ARE available at reasonable prices - Follow Captain Q. This boat is a weak, compromised coastal cruiser. PLEASE STOP ENCOURAGING POOR DECISION MAKING!!!!!
@@willywonka8730 Sorry WW... I didn't catch your story. Why don't you share with all of us your sailing background, what kind of boat you're currently sailing on, how you bought and maintain it, etc. Without some background on you experience and knowledge, I'm afraid your comments and advice (both to me and to Beau and Brandy) can come across as nothing more than negative trolling, which I'm sure wasn't your intention. Also, just a reminder that this post is from over a year ago; and the couple has been happily and successfully sailing and living aboard ever since.
@@TheDangerz Not sure what my sailing resume has to do with safety. And I'm really not interested in yours. I'm concerned with young people dying at sea because they are encouraged to do risky things by people who seem to be unaware of the perils of sailing. Giving encouragement and solace to the unwary. These people almost died and have apparently learned very little from their experience. Suffice it to say I've nearly lost 3 masts, run aground several times, performed numerous at sea repairs on rigging and motors. Studied hundreds of boat failures at the knee of Pascoe and in person. I nearly lost a sister in an offshore rally because she failed to understand her communication environment when off shore. This is not a game. These people are neophytes and should be shown the error of their ways as others have done in this discussion. As to the 1 year old date of your post - these errors in judgement are timeless and people read them for years after a post. Thank you for the opportunity to speak out on a subject I am passionate about.
@@willywonka8730 I agree that your resume has nothing to do with safety, but it does distinguish whether you're one of the many armchair quarterbacks who spend their time simply looking for a feed to add negativity to. It seems that's not the case here... but if you were, there would be no sense in having this (or any) conversation. It sounds like you've had several close calls at sea yourself... I presume you know it's impossible to not learn from them. I'm certain many out there would have been quick to tell you after any of those mistakes that you had no place at sea and should stop sailing... but you clearly didn't. We are all neophytes in this world, and sadly for some of us... learning mostly comes by doing. We met this couple because we happened to be anchored nearby when this unfortunate event took pace and were in a place with an opportunity to help them find safe harbor when they needed it. We are now proud to call them friends. I also may not agree with each of their decisions (as I'm sure both they and you would not agree with mine) but have offered my thoughts and support where I can... If your goal is merely their safety, I would have assumed/expected some advice among these comments rather than only a message to me telling me not to support them. I know them well enough to know that they are open and receptive to advice, so if that is indeed your goal please share with them (politely). Yelling (typing in all caps) at me for being supportive of a friend is simply pointless.
I wish I'd seen this before meeting you at Garry and Brookes get together last Saturday.. So much we could talk about with boat building stuff... This scenario is one strong reason why I want to build a trimaran for cruising. Larry
Just discovered you guys, and I am hooked. You guys are now my stay home/stay safe quarantine binge entertainment. 😂 Years ago I lived aboard my 27' Newport, and really miss sailing. So I can now do it vicariously through you. Also would love to purchase a sweat shirt and t-shirt. Congrats on the repairs, and safe sailing. 😎⛵
Hey Dan!! Thanks for watching!! Happy to have you along for the wide ride !! You can check out the shirts here: bit.ly/strong-sailors-tshirt !! thank you for supporting us ⛵
One day someone will invent a marine material or design that can withstand hull impacts like that. The "what could have" being out at sea is truly frightening. Such is life on a boat so far.
That damage is where a screw jack would be placed, I wonder if the screw jack was over loaded by the weight of the hull ? Over time due to the weight and the light construction of the boat the crack formed. With regard to the internal repairs to the hull you should really think about incorporating framing in the hull in this area. If this is not repaired correctly the hull may crack again in this area.
I would still go back and tab in a latitudinal bulkhead from port to starboard across that space where the water tank was to act as a stringer. That will give you the rigidity you need to avoid this problem from recurring. This wouldn't be that hard. I would not just rely on reinforcing the crack area of the hull itself.
Just watching you guys and what was happening, was scaring the crap out of me and I have sailed, but nothing like what you guys were doing. Given the delamination, be sure to check your whole boat.
Great video and so happy you got in for the haul out. You have some fine friends who helped. Some hard work and now back in the water. I like the blue hull!! Good repair, I am very happy for you both. Thanks for the share. Fair winds and followings seas. 👍🇺🇸
Good quick work. GRP is amazing stuff. It's almost infinitely repairable and as long as reasonable precautions are taken in the layup it's pretty reliable. Glad you're back afloat.
Using polyester to repair this damage is cheap and dangerous. I have done polyester lay up over old glass and not had a problem, but in a failure I could have swam ashore, you need to use epoxy.
We recently did a 20+ hr crossing in some serious wind and waves. About 3am our bilge alarms started going off indicating a rapid rise in water. After some searching we determined it was a faulty sensor but for a time we thought we were sinking. We were at a place where help to save the boat would have been impossible and our survival would not be assured although likely. Had we actually been sinking I could only hope we would have acted with the clear minds you both had. Glad to see you back on the water. Cheers
Jacks have to have a bulkhead on the other side of them or you will crack the hull. You don't have one where that crack was unless someone had the silly idea that the water tank is a bulk head (wrong). I would make a good little shelf for the bladder tank to prevent any sliding around. Emergency putty by the fishermen was a god send. Nice show though and keep up the smiles.
Ive been doing fiberglass for 25 years, one tip would have been using a bubble paddle roller which would have assured all the air bubbles were removed.
I just recently stumbled onto your channel, and I must admit, I think what you guys are doing is absolutely AMAZING! It's things like this that make one appreciate the meaning of life, and the fact that you're both doing it together makes it even that much more meaningful. I wish you both nothing but fair seas, smooth problem-free sailing, and joy, health, and happiness in all you do! Kudos to you both, God Speed my friends! From Seward Alaska!
Its a good feeling knowing that there's still good people out there and the fishermen coming to the rescue. Who knows how big that crack could have gotten if it wasn't epoxyed. I know a gallon of that epoxy is about 130 dollars it's good stuff tho 👍
I think Brandy should check out some of her earlier videos. Check the difference in confidence she has since these 2 went out sailing. Unbelievable difference. Kudos from me. Thanks for the video. (from newbies to full members of the full time cruiser club and well deserved) PS Good idea on replacing the water tank with a bladder.
Jeff is an expert. I have sailed for a long time on the Chesapeake bay where we get a lot of logs. I had a couple of thin board/plywood with screws and rubber to fix that, also underwater epoxy..tape will not work. Regards...john AKA Bruce T. Shark PS I grew up on Pearsons, a 26, 30, 10M and 424 and raced my own MP30 on the Ches bay for over 25 years.
WAOW amazing work done !!!! happy you 3 are back on the water! fun part for me is that my mom age 72 asked me couple of time " how are dose 2 doing with boat ", now I can tell her your fine and floating again!! fair winds and warm hug for oona. love from Holland 🌎⛵️☀️💕
Good move removing the tank. Having the weight of the water right up front will not have helped the stresses or the motion of the boat. Moving that water to a point closer to the centre of rotation of the boat is a great idea and will help a lot.
I think you should check the other side as well. For you solar solution. Buy some florescent light screen that is used in office building. Place it over your solar panel and check the voltage output.
Hi .. I live on the sea year round on a Morgan O I 415 in Portland Maine and work on boats as well and I can say that boats that have been on the hard on stands and get a big snow load on the foredeck causing the front stands to settle in and cause the pucker which pops back out usually but starts the delamination similar to yours. . Cheers... To fair winds and following seas.
Wow, yall got a ton of stuff accomplished in 23 minutes. I'm helping a guy splash his boat at River side Boat yard this week. He's going to the Inlet marina. There are no more livaboards allowed at the boat yard. Prolly a good thing since he would have been there many more years fixing his boat. Of course everyone has dreams of sailing but yall are actually doing it !!!!!
This type of failure of the hull is occurring with increasing frequency on older fiberglass boats of this general construction. It occurs because the laminate on boats of this era, and this is true of Pearsons in particular, tended to use a layup that was resin rich and included a larger percentage of non-directional reinforcing (mat) than would be used today. Research on older boat hulls has shown that this combination of high resin content and non-directional fabric starts out to be comparatively brittle and tends to be very fatigue prone, therefore more rapidly losing strength over time. Fatigue would take the greatest toll on areas of a boat that are subject to large amounts of flexure, repetitive bending cycles, and point loads. Those areas will show the greatest diminishment in bending strength and impact resistance over time due to this fatigue. Your cracked hull is a good example of this phenomena. The fatigued laminate probably extends pretty far beyond the area where the cracks have shown up.
For those who are reading this, I am not sure why polyester and chopped strand was chosen for this repair, but those are both very poor materials for this type of repair. To explain why I say this, it is important to understand how the repair that was made differs from how a fiberglass boat was built to begin with. When a boat is constructed using polyester resin there are almost no secondary bonds (bonds between cured laminate and new laminate). This is done because polyester laminate forms very weak secondary bonds .
The way that second bonds are avoided during construction is by using two types of polyester resin; laminating resin and finishing resin. Polyester resin will not fully cure unless the catalyzed resin is isolated from air. Finishing resin includes a waxy material which floats to the surface due to the heat of the catalytic reaction and seals the surface from air so that the resin can fully cure. Laminating resin lacks that waxy material so it does not fully cure until coated with finishing resin.
Because of that when the layers of fiberglass are being molded, all of the layers of cloth and resin are laid up with laminating resin so that there is a primary chemical bond between each of the partially uncured layers. Then, a final layup takes place with finishing resin to cause the final cure of all of the laminate layers below. Areas receiving tabbing purposely do not receive finishing resin until the bulkheads are tabbed in with laminating resin so that there will be a primary bond as well.
In this case, polyester resin is being asked to form a primary bond with the old fatigued laminate, and that will not result in an acceptably strong bond. Epoxy is much more expensive and is much harder to grind and fair, but it forms a far stronger secondary bond and should have been used in this application.
Chopped strand mat was about the worst choice of reinforcing for this repair as well. Again, looking at the difference between this repair and how this boat was built, boats of this era were laid up with woven roving, which is coarsely woven, long strand fiberglass fabric. The coarse weave allows the longer strands to remain intact and remain oriented in two directions. Longer strands are stronger than short strands. Because of the coarseness of the woven roving, layers of chopped strand mat was used between the layers of the roving since it could conform to the irregularities in the surface of the woven roving. The chopped strand mat only plays a minor structural role by building up thickness and distributing bias loads between the adjacent layers of woven roving. Chop strand mat should never be used as a primary structural reinforcing since it lacks the needed strength, tending to have very poor tensile characteristics and be highly prone to fatigue. In testing resistance to impact, it is the chopped strand within the laminate that almost always fails creating what would then be a delamination plane.
Beyond the issue of chop strand's lack of strength, this is a particularly poor place to use it since the gap in the hull will tend to concentrate loads and create higher fatigue producing forces, exactly the worst case scenario for chopped mat reinforcing.
This repair should have been done with roving and epoxy.
Respectfully,
Jeff
One other point....Several people suggested that the damaged areas may have been caused by the boat hitting something. That seems unlikely given that the damage is nearly symmetrical from one side of the boat to the other and coincidentally occurred near the location where the water tank touches the hull. The much more likely cause is that the corner of the tank and the bunk flats created hard-spots or point loads on those areas where the cracks occurred. Those hard-spots would be stress risers on the hull. With each roll of the boat, sloshing water in the tanks would create a mini battering ram at these points of contact with the hull. Obviously these loads were not large enough to pierce the hull when new. But over time, the repetitive flexing around these hard spots, caused fatigue that weakened the laminate, and caused the fiberglass to crack. The linear nature of the cracks would appear to parallel the edge of the tank. This type of failure is similar to what happens when you fold a piece of metal back and forth until it snaps.
Jeff
Read through your reply with respect! All your reasoning makes sense and is well grounded (no pun intended). I do hope the couple working on this yacht takes it into consideration!
So, Jeff.
With ypur information and an attempt at being proactive on my 46 year old 32 foot sloop.
Reinforce the bow with your explanation and some timbering of sorts?
I do not have a fibreglass bow tank.
It is separate.
Does not rub or touch the interior.
It can easily be removed and discarded in the name of reinforcement.
I cant rebuild the hull.
I can reinforce the bow on at least 2 planes of modern resin and matting and some bracing.
If you have a recomendation my ears are on sir.
@@jeffhalpern9051 I agree with you 100%. You have use woven glass cloth and epoxy slow cure, 0-90 s glass. 10-12 oz glass The slower the cure the stronger the bond. The chopped glass is used as a filler. It supplies no structural strength. You can see what the original glass cloth size when he sanded it down and he noted de-lam. A repair like this has to be done right. Your life depends on it. That hole is HUGE more that one bulk head would be a good idea. A slow cure epoxy(24 hr cure) and when the EPOXY reaches a GREEN CURE (tacky) then layup on inside needs to be done. Both sides have to be bound and cure together. You can't let the outside cure hard and expect it the make good bond with the inside layup. What he should do is call or email West Marine and get a second opinion. Polyester is used because it's cheap and cures fast. It also user friendly to hands and lungs.
Some epoxies are user friendly but not West Marine.
I recommend take out the bulk head and throw a couple layers of S glass cloth 10-12 oz of zero 90 and West Marine 24 hr cure over the chopped glass on the inside.
Rich
@@WESTOFEDEN71 Its hard to provide meaningful advice without seeing the actual condition of your boat. In reality, its hard to know how much flexure and fatigue has occurred in the laminate in this area. As a practical reality if the laminate is sufficiently weakened any supplemental laminate would effectively be like installing a new heart in a 95 year old person. It may extend the life a bit but something else is bound to fail.On the other hand, there were 1960's builders who actually carefully built boats with proper resin ratios, less accelerators a better mix of non-directional to directional laminates and proper fabric handling and those boats probably retain a large portion of their original strength. (Builders like LeCompte and Halmatic come to mind) The real answer probably lies in discussing this with a marine surveyor who is knowledgeable about the builders and life cycle of fiberglass laminate from this era. (Most are not).
But assuming that you have your heart set on strengthening your boat and your boat is built like many in the 1960's, the boat would have been constructed with very few internal frames. Typically the only internal framing between the forward cabin bulkhead and the chain locker bulkhead would be the bunk flats and perhaps shelf over the berths. And on many boats these were not fully tabbed in or not tabbed in at all.
My best advice would be to add transverse frames that cross the boat between the bunk flats on either side and between the bunk flats and the hull deck line if there is not a glassed in shelf above the berth. These do not need to be much more than a perhaps 2-3 inches deep hat-section. They can be made with a foam core which is easy to fit and do not need any real strength since the strength will come from the layup not the core. The idea is to come across the hull with alternating layers of epoxy saturated roving and cloth and have the laminate turn up onto the transverse frame and then back down to the hull. You can add several additional layers of cloth on the top of the hat section to further stiffen it before the last overall layup.
Jeff
Been building boats professionally for 45 years; fiberglass from molds, wood-epoxy-glass one-offs, foam N glass, you name it. Had 22 employees in my boatshop at one point. What a headache!
Single-handed the 37-foot cutter I built when I was 19 to the Marquesas and Hawaii, then a bit further, then built a 56-foter of my own design in Hawaii and fished and sailed her for 17 years. So I've got sailing chops too.
Early in my career I spent a LOT of time in boatyards fixing just the kind of stuff that scared the crap out of you on this run. Right now, if you intend to continue sailing this same boat; get a really good liferaft and EPIRB if you don't already have them as well as a GALLON size can of "Splash Zone Compound", the "green goo" the fishermen gave you.
There's a REASON they had that stuff on their boat, even though it's expensive and they are poor. Stay close to shipping lanes whenever you can.
Get some body surfing fins and goggles; if you go down, you're going to spend a lot of time in the water before being rescued, and being able to move around easily will make a lot of difference. Buy and read the book "Adrift" by my friend Steven Callahan (www.amazon.com/Adrift-Seventy-six-Days-Lost-Sea/dp/0618257322 ). His boat sank Mid-Atlantic, and he spent the longest time known by a single person in a liferaft before being rescued; many incredible and valuable lessons there on how to prepare a sinkable boat to go to sea.
Here's why: your boat had a huge unknown that could have caused you to sink. Who knows what caused it? Who cares?
The fact that it existed means that the entire boat is now suspect, and even a good marine survey could fail to reveal problems, or whether or not you have other hull areas like this one lurking to pop open in just the right sea and wind conditions.
Here's why I say this: I've taken apart many other people's fiberglass "repairs" in my boatshop; and often find cosmetically-decent repairs to be a mess of delaminations and poor adhesion to the original surface of the boat underneath the nicely sanded finish. Sometimes these repairs have literally fallen apart in my hands once I got into them a little ways. One of these was a hole nearly 2 feet by 2 feet!
And if a professional boatbuilder couldn't see those before he cut into them, you CERTAINLY have no way to determine if any of them exist on your boat, or if this was a once in a lifetime bad day at sea. This is stuff even an experienced marine surveyor can easily miss.
As Dirty Harry said in the movie: "How's your luck today?"
Love each other, love your dog, get a new boat, whatever it takes. We'll help you however we can (oceanpeople.org/).
With Warm Aloha from Hawaii, Tim
That was such a huge crack, I can't believe ya'll didn't sink. What a miracle! So glad it's floating again!
We are very fortunate and grateful!
13:22 Nothing compares to the feeling of being loved and helped during our times of hardship. Nothing compares to the feeling of being able to love and help someone in a time in need as well.
I’m so glad the SAIL continues! You’re such a great couple to watch and follow. Thank you for the time your spend to show us your voyage!!
watched you both go through the crack/leak !!!! two mighty people, two heros. You should be both very proud of your selves. Thats what you call team work.
Thanks so much!!
Wow, that long comment by Jeff is very correct. Chop strand horrible choice for Father Time. and so right on resin, there’s a reason materials have gotten better over the years. You know you stuff Jeff
💜so happy you made it safe to land
Oh my word!! That gash was bigger than a head!! The sailing community is very loving and giving. We never know when we may need help from others that we freely give help to others. (hope that makes sense) You two take care of one another. Be happy, be safe.
I'm so sorry that your boat cracked and so thankful that you are safe and fixing the boat and still wanting to sail. You two are amazing keep up the good work!!
I am so glad you spoke to my friend Warren. He is extremely knowledgeable! I’m glad he was able to help. It’s great to see you both back on the water again! All the best to you both!
Warren's advise is sound advise. I would also suggest you speak with Dan and Kika from Sailing Uma since they have structural repair experience.
My option the crack started from a stress concentration from the water tank being in close proximity to the hull and the hull flexing into the tank. The fatigue cycles of many years of flexing around the hard point of the tank initiated the crack which grew and finally breached the hull. The gentleman who suggested a bulkhead in this area provided very good advice.
I was shocked and amazed there wasn't and kind of hull support there, course it has been a few years since I was part of boat building, just very glad you made it
My Gosh, what a nightmare just watching the past two videos. Glad you folks were safe, that was a horrible situation all around, time-consuming, tiresome and nerve-racking as I sit here in my patrol car watching the boat take on water and top speed to land at only 1 knot. Thank God for the fishermen. Peace and Love .. Please be safe out there.
You are living my dream ! So much to learn. Jeff’s rundown was worth a $million to those of us looking at older boats. I guess it’s important to know how your boat was constructed....good or bad, to know the proper materials and procedures to make a repair like that, and to have something tried and true for a middle of the night , middle of the ocean repair !
You are so fortunate that you noticed the leak early. This has convinced me to put a high water alarm in my bilge. I'm also getting high volume back up pump.
Hi William,
How did you achieve the high level alarm? Did you install a level switch
Smart thinking
Yes, your emotional this is not a mere bost, it is your home!!!! And friends being good to good people!!! YOUR GOOD FOLKS! Thank you for working so much and posting!
Having a heavy duty 8’ x 4’ tarp or sunbrella fabric with tie grommets is great to have on board to drop over the bow and snake down the hull to the hull fracture. Works to reduce water in flow.
This is the correct emergency temp fix. After calling the SOS ofcourse.
I was thinking they might even use some sail material the same way as a temporary way to cut down on the water flow.
This method is called fothering and was used by Captain Cook when the HMS Endeavour ran aground in 1770. The vessel was just under 98 feet long and it allowed the ship to sail for over a week until they could careen her and effect repairs! The excellent British yachting magazine YBW has a brilliant video where they hole their test sailboat and try different methods of stopping leaks.
th-cam.com/video/bRhcXBtmPQs/w-d-xo.html
@@jimmarshall5453 was thinking the same thing, its an age old solution from the days sail, the gentleman's comments on GRP make interesting reading, even for someone who has been around fibre glass for over forty years.
I believe you should be using 450 g CSM as a bond layer between the woven roving laminates. The woven rovings laminates are much stronger than the CSM buts unless CSM and I would the grind area which are you bond areas at least 8 inches either side of the cracks. I would also heat the repaired area with hair dryer, By heating it or making the green area too hot to touch you will get the maximim streangth out of the repaired are. Just dont burn it. But by heating the repaired fiberglass area up once it begins to go off or while it is still 'green' or immediatly it has begun to set will in fact not only cure the resin more quickly but more importantly it will 'vastly' increase the streangth factor of the repair( by as much as > 45%), which is substantial and obviouslyvitally important. This heating process has to be done during the innitial curing process and kept at that tempreture for two hours. Some patience and a hairdryer should do the trick .
Great job on the bottom Boaters are helpful and wonderful people always reach out when people need help. I am glad everything worked out. Safe sailing love your videos.
They truly are! We are lucky to be a part of something so amazing. And thank you so very much for watching and supporting us as well!! ⛵️☀️
YES! I have been patiently awaiting this video. I am so proud of you guys for making it a quick and flawless repair, you were in and out of that yard in no time. Cheers to always moving forward!
Yeah I think its just an old boat and getting tired. It should be possible to reinforce the areas of most stress to the hull and put in a protective bulk head , a water bladder is a good idea. love you two, Brandy is such a sweet heart and all ways happy. Keep up the good work and dont ever give up because one day it will all fall into place for you.
She’s blue ! She looks great with the new bottom paint !
Wow ! I am so glad you made it to shore and those fishermen that helped you out at sea !
Glad you two survived the leak. And now you have a slippery bottom.
So glad you guys were able to save the boat
Glad everything worked out and you had support from everyone. That make's life so much better when that happens.
you are fantastic. From my experience on the older boats - this is another and typical day in the office. It takes a special character to deal with constant maintenance and improvements on a boat. 10% of sailing and 90% of boat work. I have done it for years. Lot's of Love. Capt. Jack. Turning around the airport tip of Grenada it is always a bit scary. next time leave the little island on your starboard. it is deep enough to go to Prickly Bay.
This crack is done from excessive local load, combined with structural weakness of the boat.
No pounding, no waves, etc
Solution: add more beams, floors, frames.
More layers of grp (mat and roving)
Wonderful to see you made it through and back in the water, you have the right idea putting in a bulkhead to give the hull strength in that area as well as stringers.
Much respect. Very interesting presentation of the damage and repair efforts.. Thanks for sharing. Waiting to see a post 3-4yrs analysis of the repair work...please.
I saw one episode and saluted you both enough to subscribe and watch more.. As a boat owner myself a leak or a crack in your boat is one of the most panicking moments you can have.. You both stayed calm and did it like it was easy.. I salute you both
Glad you guys are fixing the ship. It looks like you did an awesome jog on the repair. Sail on!!!!
Thank you Fred!
Love your positive attitude. It's one of the toughest things to maintain onboard.
Pleased all well and you had a good grind/check ,paint so all good and dry ,Thank goodness
Man that was stressful Brandy you are such a strong lady, there are not a lot of woman made like you, 99.99% of woman would have jumped on a plane and returned to "normal" life after this, Beau dude you are the calmest person I have ever seen your calmness saved the day and your lives and your level thinking in stressful conditions is top notch. You guys are an example example great human beings. I only follow a few sailing toutubes, Uma(Dan and Kika ) and one or 2 others you two are up there with my favourite youtubers. Don't stop what you are doing that boat will be fine.
I'm in my mid seventies and been around boats most of my life and have never seen one split like this. That crossing would not even be considered a test for a cruising sailboat hull. Make sure you completely understand the reason this occurred if possible. I can't help but wonder if the rest of the hull is sound. I've come to love you both from meeting here so am expressing this concern because we all want what's truly best for you. Highest Blessings.
You are so sweet, thank you for always having our best in your heart. We are making sure she is good all over! 💜
yeah, i'd not trust the rest of the hull after a random stress fracture appears anywhere.
I'm not surprised you got so much help and support. you're in the cruising liveaboard family now and we take care of our own... It's a community of people who look out for each other. Even those we don't know, or just met. The repair looks good. I think that de-lamination has been there for a long time. The fact that cracks were on both sides tells me collision damage was unlikely. I'd be more inclined to believe initial layup of the hull at manufacture is more likely, in that between layers during the build, something went wrong in the bow area, that wasn't picked up before the next layer was applied. In any event, you managed the crisis really well, and you've recovered with a stronger boat, and you fixed it. Mate, life doesn't get better than this...
So glad you are safe, we were worried when we watched the last video. The only place we have ever sailed was around the south point of Grenada. Love the memories of the tree frogs at night. Great video!
It’s absolutely gorgeous here! The frogs singing are so sweet. Thanks for watching!
Glad you are back on the water. So crazy to see our boat in your video. We took ownership of the Lagoon 42 in front of the chandlery just a few days after you posted this video.
I just started watching you both ❤️. I want to say that I love how you both work together and good job on the repair.
Impressed by the quick repair.
FYI GRP doesn't fatigue like metal. Continued flex below if its breaking point will not damage it. It's only when it is flexed past its breaking point that damage occurs and that is catastrophic.
16:50 but there are clouds in the sky ⛅️ lol
Just recently found your channel. Completely intrigued with your adventure, guys. Glad to see that you’re both safe, and the boat has been repaired. Keep on adventuring!!
lots of armchair admirals here.
You remained calm during the emergency, well done. 👍
The repair looks pretty good to me although I must admit I would have used epoxy. But you can still slap some layers of cloth and epoxy over the repair on the inside to make you feel safer. My boat was a 1963 32' Islander and had to repair several spots in the hull and deck. 15 years later I sold her and the repairs were still as new.
And I agree that the water tank's edges were acting as a battering ram against the hull with the water sloshing around in it.
Good for you for tackling the problems head-on.
I applaud your lifestyle! As a boat owner I know boats are unpredictable (we unexpectedly spent this last July to October in the boat yard ), but no better lifestyle can be had! Best if luck to you!
Glad y’all are okay! People are amazing!
Just found your channel, and watching the situation with the leak off-shore as the first episode, I immediately knew that I would follow you guys as long as postings continue.
You solved it, and you did it as a great team! You should be proud of how you have handled this, and I know that you have great friends simply because you are great people!
Best of luck on your journey, and Merry Christmas from up north in Norway!
Thank you so very much Ole! and welcome! Merry Christmas to you!!
it is good to see you got the boat fixed so fast ! hope Andy helped his videos are grate! good sailing God be with you don
You guys make a great team don't ever forget that!
Wooohooo floaty mcboaty! What an ordeal! So happy to see you were able to patch up the boat and get a proper bottom barrier and anti-foul paint to boot. Best wishes on the next stage of reinforcing the bow and getting the boat back into proper order. Thanks for the video!
TOTALLY STEALING that ...floaty mcboaty 🤣😂 thanks for watching. More repairs coming soon! more fiberglass...YAY 🤪
Well done guys, all your hard work paid off.👏👏👏
Thank you so much 😁
I have had oilcanning problems before so I balsa cored the bow area . That solved the problem and gave me more confidence in the boat. It was like a rock after that.
Ive seen experts (that do this for a living) inspecting boat hulls, go over the hull of a boat using a wooden hammer searching for sound variances (old patches from previous owner).. They, through experience develop and ear for that sort of thing, then give you a recommendation also once the boat dries in dry dock there should not be any damp patches on it (it should of dried evenly).. Good to see it getting attention guys, hope all goes well..
We did that before we bought our boat, luckily there were no soft spots unlike our race boat that we had to recore last week!
@@sailingavocet Well done, cheers.
Great job on the repair and I'm so glad the community came together for you, it's heartwarming to see. I would suggest putting up a blog post with detailed information on the incident and its repair. The more detail in the post the better, especially manufacturer, model, year, and nature of the cracks. I don't say this to shame a mfr, but when people are looking to buy a boat they often do a web search on specific models. If this incident gives a prospective owner a way to preemptively inspect a potential problem area, you will have done a great service. Best wishes!
Incredible stuff,, Incredible journey, Safe Sails....
Guys i think you did an outstanding job saving the boat then fixing it! Great, Great job! GOD bless you three. JC
Well that’s a sigh of relief! So glad you are back on the “soft” leak free”!
Good job guys! you did the best with the materials available. As a boat builder I think you will be ok. The comments bellow are all true but I think removing the water tank will alleviate the cause. Keep an eye on it for a while and be safe!
Beautiful place to work on a boat. Stay positive. All is good
Always trying to see the positive!! 🌈⛵️
Looks like a good repair. Perhaps the water tank on the move is the cause. Makes sense because the tank is a massive object if full of water.
You two did a great job. Thanks for the video
I suggest definitely finding out where that paste came from and taking a big bucket back out to passage with you!!
Hi can you find out the make of that past regards Debbie a new friend x
Best wishes on the fix so u guys can continue your great adventures! That was a lot of work u guys done, great happy dance at the end!!♡
Thank you! Waiting for that dance time, it’s going to be GOOD!
I'm very inspired. A month ago I bought a 73' 32 foot challenger sloop been in anxhorage for 2 years.
I raise her sails a lot to feel her tug.
Staring a lot at the amxhor rope.
Ive spent 6 weeks studying sailing basics
Most videos I watch say go out and do it
Best part... "We have a floating boat!!!" =)
So good! What a happy day to have you back on the water!
Boats are mechanical devices. They move and twist and flex and bend. Floating is NOT enough. Best advice for these two - buy a better boat. Good ones ARE available at reasonable prices - Follow Captain Q. This boat is a weak, compromised coastal cruiser. PLEASE STOP ENCOURAGING POOR DECISION MAKING!!!!!
@@willywonka8730 Sorry WW... I didn't catch your story.
Why don't you share with all of us your sailing background, what kind of boat you're currently sailing on, how you bought and maintain it, etc.
Without some background on you experience and knowledge, I'm afraid your comments and advice (both to me and to Beau and Brandy) can come across as nothing more than negative trolling, which I'm sure wasn't your intention.
Also, just a reminder that this post is from over a year ago; and the couple has been happily and successfully sailing and living aboard ever since.
@@TheDangerz Not sure what my sailing resume has to do with safety. And I'm really not interested in yours. I'm concerned with young people dying at sea because they are encouraged to do risky things by people who seem to be unaware of the perils of sailing. Giving encouragement and solace to the unwary. These people almost died and have apparently learned very little from their experience. Suffice it to say I've nearly lost 3 masts, run aground several times, performed numerous at sea repairs on rigging and motors. Studied hundreds of boat failures at the knee of Pascoe and in person. I nearly lost a sister in an offshore rally because she failed to understand her communication environment when off shore. This is not a game. These people are neophytes and should be shown the error of their ways as others have done in this discussion. As to the 1 year old date of your post - these errors in judgement are timeless and people read them for years after a post. Thank you for the opportunity to speak out on a subject I am passionate about.
@@willywonka8730 I agree that your resume has nothing to do with safety, but it does distinguish whether you're one of the many armchair quarterbacks who spend their time simply looking for a feed to add negativity to. It seems that's not the case here... but if you were, there would be no sense in having this (or any) conversation.
It sounds like you've had several close calls at sea yourself... I presume you know it's impossible to not learn from them.
I'm certain many out there would have been quick to tell you after any of those mistakes that you had no place at sea and should stop sailing... but you clearly didn't.
We are all neophytes in this world, and sadly for some of us... learning mostly comes by doing.
We met this couple because we happened to be anchored nearby when this unfortunate event took pace and were in a place with an opportunity to help them find safe harbor when they needed it. We are now proud to call them friends.
I also may not agree with each of their decisions (as I'm sure both they and you would not agree with mine) but have offered my thoughts and support where I can... If your goal is merely their safety, I would have assumed/expected some advice among these comments rather than only a message to me telling me not to support them.
I know them well enough to know that they are open and receptive to advice, so if that is indeed your goal please share with them (politely).
Yelling (typing in all caps) at me for being supportive of a friend is simply pointless.
I wish I'd seen this before meeting you at Garry and Brookes get together last Saturday.. So much we could talk about with boat building stuff... This scenario is one strong reason why I want to build a trimaran for cruising. Larry
Aww well we are all ears still! It was so nice meeting you!
Just discovered you guys, and I am hooked. You guys are now my stay home/stay safe quarantine binge entertainment. 😂 Years ago I lived aboard my 27' Newport, and really miss sailing. So I can now do it vicariously through you. Also would love to purchase a sweat shirt and t-shirt. Congrats on the repairs, and safe sailing. 😎⛵
Hey Dan!! Thanks for watching!! Happy to have you along for the wide ride !! You can check out the shirts here: bit.ly/strong-sailors-tshirt !! thank you for supporting us ⛵
No advice. But so glad you made it to the yard. God Bless.
You guys are legends!
One day someone will invent a marine material or design that can withstand hull impacts like that. The "what could have" being out at sea is truly frightening. Such is life on a boat so far.
They have but it is still in the testing stage. It's called......
" Super Duper Industrial Strength Heavy Duty FLEX-TAPE "
Hehe
That damage is where a screw jack would be placed, I wonder if the screw jack was over loaded by the weight of the hull ?
Over time due to the weight and the light construction of the boat the crack formed.
With regard to the internal repairs to the hull you should really think about incorporating framing in the hull in this area.
If this is not repaired correctly the hull may crack again in this area.
Yes. It's all speculation, but we think that over time that is what caused this crack. Already added extra support in the bow!
I would still go back and tab in a latitudinal bulkhead from port to starboard across that space where the water tank was to act as a stringer. That will give you the rigidity you need to avoid this problem from recurring. This wouldn't be that hard. I would not just rely on reinforcing the crack area of the hull itself.
Really like that you got right to the point in the first minute.
No time to mess around. Straight to work.
Beau did a great job
Glad you are floating, I just did a keel joint on the last haul out. I wasnt leaking as bad as you but I could see it coming in one of the keel bolts.
Just watching you guys and what was happening, was scaring the crap out of me and I have sailed, but nothing like what you guys were doing. Given the delamination, be sure to check your whole boat.
Very nice video! Great Job! I hope y'all can get a good patch of luck going! Dee and Deb
Thank you!
Great video and so happy you got in for the haul out. You have some fine friends who helped. Some hard work and now back in the water. I like the blue hull!! Good repair, I am very happy for you both. Thanks for the share. Fair winds and followings seas. 👍🇺🇸
Good quick work. GRP is amazing stuff. It's almost infinitely repairable and as long as reasonable precautions are taken in the layup it's pretty reliable.
Glad you're back afloat.
Using polyester to repair this damage is cheap and dangerous. I have done polyester lay up over old glass and not had a problem, but in a failure I could have swam ashore, you need to use epoxy.
We recently did a 20+ hr crossing in some serious wind and waves. About 3am our bilge alarms started going off indicating a rapid rise in water. After some searching we determined it was a faulty sensor but for a time we thought we were sinking. We were at a place where help to save the boat would have been impossible and our survival would not be assured although likely. Had we actually been sinking I could only hope we would have acted with the clear minds you both had. Glad to see you back on the water. Cheers
Oh man! We don’t wish that feeling in anyone! Happy to hear it was just the faulty alarm! Phew!
Glad you guys worked this out so quickly!
Jacks have to have a bulkhead on the other side of them or you will crack the hull. You don't have one where that crack was unless someone had the silly idea that the water tank is a bulk head (wrong). I would make a good little shelf for the bladder tank to prevent any sliding around. Emergency putty by the fishermen was a god send. Nice show though and keep up the smiles.
Better keep some of that "Flex Tape" on board. It can tape a boat together. It must be true, it was on TV! :-) Glad you are safe.
😂🤦♂️🤣
They need that green goop and patch.
Flex seal is better. Take a couple screen doors and make a boat
Great video
Ive been doing fiberglass for 25 years, one tip would have been using a bubble paddle roller which would have assured all the air bubbles were removed.
It’s called a Fin Roller
@@iamblaineful That is exactly what the guy repairing a hurricane damaged catamaran used.
I just recently stumbled onto your channel, and I must admit, I think what you guys are doing is absolutely AMAZING! It's things like this that make one appreciate the meaning of life, and the fact that you're both doing it together makes it even that much more meaningful. I wish you both nothing but fair seas, smooth problem-free sailing, and joy, health, and happiness in all you do! Kudos to you both, God Speed my friends!
From Seward Alaska!
I would also advise an extra pump or two and a big batch of the green stuff
Great job happy you both made it back safely.
Its a good feeling knowing that there's still good people out there and the fishermen coming to the rescue. Who knows how big that crack could have gotten if it wasn't epoxyed. I know a gallon of that epoxy is about 130 dollars it's good stuff tho 👍
I think Brandy should check out some of her earlier videos. Check the difference in confidence she has since these 2 went out sailing. Unbelievable difference. Kudos from me. Thanks for the video. (from newbies to full members of the full time cruiser club and well deserved)
PS Good idea on replacing the water tank with a bladder.
So glad you're safe and on the mend!
Thank you! We are happy to be floating again!
So love Beaus ppe. Great work 😀
Jeff is an expert. I have sailed for a long time on the Chesapeake bay where we get a lot of logs. I had a couple of thin board/plywood with screws and rubber to fix that, also underwater epoxy..tape will not work. Regards...john AKA Bruce T. Shark PS I grew up on Pearsons, a 26, 30, 10M and 424 and raced my own MP30 on the Ches bay for over 25 years.
WAOW amazing work done !!!! happy you 3 are back on the water! fun part for me is that my mom age 72 asked me couple of time " how are dose 2 doing with boat ", now I can tell her your fine and floating again!! fair winds and warm hug for oona. love from Holland 🌎⛵️☀️💕
lots of hugs to oona bear from you!! And give some hugs to your momma! That’s so sweet of her. Thank you always for being so kind!
Good move removing the tank. Having the weight of the water right up front will not have helped the stresses or the motion of the boat. Moving that water to a point closer to the centre of rotation of the boat is a great idea and will help a lot.
The blue looks great.
Don't forget to buy a ton of that Green Slime stuff, just in case. Also get some fiber cloth to go with it so a patch doesn't crack next time.
I think you should check the other side as well. For you solar solution. Buy some florescent light screen that is used in office building. Place it over your solar panel and check the voltage output.
we did check and strengthened that as well. we will DEFINITELY check that out.
Hi .. I live on the sea year round on a Morgan O I 415 in Portland Maine and work on boats as well and I can say that boats that have been on the hard on stands and get a big snow load on the foredeck causing the front stands to settle in and cause the pucker which pops back out usually but starts the delamination similar to yours. . Cheers... To fair winds and following seas.
Wow, yall got a ton of stuff accomplished in 23 minutes. I'm helping a guy splash his boat at River side Boat yard this week. He's going to the Inlet marina. There are no more livaboards allowed at the boat yard. Prolly a good thing since he would have been there many more years fixing his boat. Of course everyone has dreams of sailing but yall are actually doing it !!!!!
Great Job, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, I guess.
110% Also, if it doesn't kill you and you KEEP doing it, then you must really love what you are doing !!