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Cpt Pat · 01-07-2014, 09:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by durango

It looks like the stringers are already there . On my factory finished boat, there were storage areas between the stringers. It just looks like they covered them up in your boat.

Unless the stringers are embedded in the hull (I've never heard of anyone doing that), which would require X-raying the hull to verify, then there are no stringers. There is only smooth glass and resin on the entire inside of the hull. Also, the bulkheads aren't tabbed in, which creates hard spots wherever the bulkheads meet the hull. I could try retrofitting those structures, but getting a good bond to very old resin won't be likely, and there should be a small gap between the bulkhead and the hull at the joint - so only the tabbing joins the junction to prevent a hard point. I can't achieve that by just adding tabbing. A few good wave strikes abeam, and any stringers I add are likely to just pop off the hull.

I hate to pass up this boat, because it is now an estate sale and if no one hauls it away, it will be chopped up in place -- an inglorious end to a rare and beautiful boat. But it appears that some critical steps were skipped in the hull construction that will now be difficult to correct.

I still haven't made up my mind. Can anyone offer some encouragement that this boat can be salvaged and made seaworthy?

durango · 01-07-2014, 10:40

Spec sheet

Cpt Pat · 01-07-2014, 11:21

Thanks Durango.

I see nothing in the specs about stringers, although Bob Perry's narratives state there are both horizontal (longitudinal) and vertical stringers. The specs do say that the bulkheads are joined using compression foam - which is absent in this boat.

This may be the last FWM to ever leave the mold, and the manufacturer must have skipped those little details.

Is it worth even trying to resurrect the boat? I don't know....

gah964 · 01-07-2014, 11:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cpt Pat

I have an opportunity to acquire a Fairweather Mariner 39. It may be the last FWM to come out of a mold.

The boat is bare hull and deck. It has been in that condition for well on 20 years -- tucked away in someone's back yard.

After inspecting it, I have qualms because it lacks stringers inside the hull. The descriptions I've seen describe the hull having both horizontal and vertical stringers. I could add stringers, but getting a good bond to 20-year-old resin might be next to impossible.

Attached is a photo of the forward inside hull. Does anyone know the story on the supposedly missing stringers?

Thanks!

if its solid glass why would stringers be important sound like a lot of trouble to install them on a sailboat that is made to sail not pound 20 knots in waves no sailboat that was built pre 90's shouldn't even need stringers what am I missing here, please feed me with your knowledge

Brrabbit · 01-07-2014, 11:35

There were 25 FWM39 boats from Taiwan imported into the US. I confirmed this recently by accidentally contacting the previous owner of #25, and he confirmed that the importer told him it was the last one. If any came in as incomplete kits it's news to me. The deck details will tell. Post pix of the deck, esp. the cockpit area. This boat is more likely one of the few kits that Westsail produced stateside before the final bankruptcy. I own FWM39 hull #8 of the 25 boats produced.

durango · 01-07-2014, 11:50

Considering you can by a nice example of a factory finished boat for less than 90k, it does not seem worth it to try and finish out one yourself. I can only imagine how much it would cost to replicate just the woodwork alone in an fwm39.

Cpt Pat · 01-07-2014, 12:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by gah964

if its solid glass why would stringers be important sound like a lot of trouble to install them on a sailboat that is made to sail not pound 20 knots in waves no sailboat that was built pre 90's shouldn't even need stringers what am I missing here, please feed me with your knowledge

To make the fiberglass in a larger boat stiff enough to not undergo continual bending and flexing in ocean swells, it would have to be so thick that the vessel wouldn't float.

My 1963 Pearson Ariel (26 foot sloop) has two aluminium longitudinal stringers. They are essential to prevent bending and twisting of the hull. As the hull length increases, the stiffness provided by stringers becomes increasingly important. Otherwise, you get, progressively: cracked gellcoat, broken toe rail trim, cracked resin below the water line with osmotic damage to the hull, doors that won't open or close in the cabin, breaks in the hull-to-deck joint, and in extremis: hull failure.

I've been in cheap (without naming the brands) sailboats that claim to be seaworthy, where you can see the sides of the hull breathing from swells, and they all had stress cracks in the port light frames, deck surface, and around corners where stresses accumulated. I would never consider taking one of those boats offshore.

A 39 foot boat really needs stringers if you intend to operate it anywhere but a lake or protected bay. Bob Perry specified them for the FWM, and I suspect the manufacturer just omitted them.

Cpt Pat · 01-07-2014, 12:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by durango

Considering you can by a nice example of a factory finished boat for less than 90k, it does not seem worth it to try and finish out one yourself. I can only imagine how much it would cost to replicate just the woodwork alone in an fwm39.

That is a definite thought of mine too. Even though the boat is essentially free, the cost to outfit it (it has no mast, no rigging, no interior) would be very high. The missing stringers and tabbing are just pushing me over the edge in my decision.

Cpt Pat · 01-07-2014, 12:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brrabbit

There were 25 FWM39 boats from Taiwan imported into the US. I confirmed this recently by accidentally contacting the previous owner of #25, and he confirmed that the importer told him it was the last one. If any came in as incomplete kits it's news to me. The deck details will tell. Post pix of the deck, esp. the cockpit area. This boat is more likely one of the few kits that Westsail produced stateside before the final bankruptcy. I own FWM39 hull #8 of the 25 boats produced.

Thanks for your help! Here are some pics. I'm sorry I don't have a good one of the cockpit.

The hull number begins with "CFZ" which I understand means a kit boat, possibly manufactured by P & M Worldwide in California.

**Jim Cate** · 01-07-2014, 13:42

Pat, why don't you call Bob Perry? He is available by phone and offers consultancy at very reasonable cost. He might be willing to answer questions like yours for free... he's a good chap!

Jim

Cpt Pat · 01-07-2014, 14:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Pat, why don't you call Bob Perry? He is available by phone and offers consultancy at very reasonable cost. He might be willing to answer questions like yours for free... he's a good chap!

Jim

Thank you Jim!

I just sent him a message.

Terra Nova · 01-07-2014, 17:12

These are beautiful boats. One I worked on had the mast step collapse due to poor construction. Accessing that required some unauthorized modifications.

**Jim Cate** · 01-07-2014, 17:15

FWIW:

Many years ago we contemplated buying a FAirweather 39/Westsail 39. Happened that we visited the boat in a downpour (what a good thing to do!). EVERY port and hatch was leaking. No idea why, don't remember if it was a factory boat or not, but we were not well impressed with the construction.

Quite possibly not a generic fault, but something to check carefully.

Jim