okay time for some work, need pointers

[scotty]

the list of work in order of importance
boat early 80's hunter 28

-repair hull damage, i can do glass work no real help needed
-repair transom ( hull to deck ) see below
-replace a few thru hulls, need suggestions, they are all plastic and smaller ones about 1/2 inch id
-replace starboard standing rigging cable ( the one over the spreader ), best cheapest way, pointers would be great ( i have access to a mast climber )
-straighten bow railing thing and reweld ( i have a tig )
-new alt for the motor its a yanmar (IIRC) diesel the alt says hitachi on the back, nest place to get it
-the bolt on cap on the bow is cracked i can just repair the glass
-repair gelcoat on transom, tips tricks welcome
-replace companion way boards ( i am going to do tinted 1/4 lexan )
-replace bilge cover boards ( about 3 foot square ) x2
- do some painting, i dont want the highest priced stuff there is, just something i can brush or roll on and have it hold up ( blue paint )


okay, the transom got damaged by hitting the pier. the toe kick got ripped off and the deck glass ( solid about 1/2 ) got a little mushed ( not cored and sorry for the techy term ). what i want to do is get some glass and stuff some in the joint, then get a piece of slotted AL toe kick like the rest of the boat and bolt it down. caulk the bottom of the toe rail on the transom. then one at a time pull the screws for the toe rail out and fill the whole joint with thin epoxy and make it all solid. does this sound feasable ?

[captjcook]

Hi Scotty,
Sounds like you have a bit to do! If you replace thru hulls with plastic use only Marelon, other types of plastic don't hold up and are dangerous! Straighting rails, screw two short 2x4's to plywood a bit wider than rail and patiently work out bends. I have excellent luck finding equipment like alternators on ebay. For your companionway hatches I build them as teak style/ rail/ acrylic panel construction, slotting the styles/rails to receive the acrylic panel, using end grain splines for corner gluing. Remember to provide overlap joint between panel to keep water out. (biscuits/ biscuit joiner another choice) In my experience as a mechanical engineer and long time sailor lexan/ polycarbonate does not hold up well in sunlight (crazing) even the uv stuff. I prefer awlgrip to brightside which I also use, initial cost definately more (approximately $100.00 retail $70 wholesale quart kit) but long term labor savings always outweigh initial cost. Not seeing a picture of the damage on your transom my guess would be dig out damage fill with chop strand/ resin or cabosil (silica/ resin) and lay at least one layer glass or biaxial over your fill. use a backing plate or fender washers under your toerail.
Like my Dad always said "I never paid too much for a good tool...but i have certainly paid too much for a poor one"
Jim

[Bradley]

captjcook

what do you suggest in lieu of lexan.

[Weyalan]

Originally Posted by Scotty

-replace a few thru hulls, need suggestions, they are all plastic and smaller ones about 1/2 inch id

I would recommend replacing your plastic thru-hulls with either bronze or stainless. You can cut out the old ones using a hacksaw blade in the through-hole.
Replace them with the same size stainless (or bronze) fitting. Clean up the hull surface (inside and out) before fitting. Use an appropriate sealant (I use Sikaflex 291).

Originally Posted by Scotty

-replace starboard standing rigging cable ( the one over the spreader ), best cheapest way, pointers would be great ( i have access to a mast climber )

Best get a mast rigger to assist you here. Accurately measure the finished length and wire diameter... ideally use the old one, if you have it, otherwise measure the port side equivalent.