Look closely at the laminate around the mast step area. These boats used a cored laminate for stiffness, and if there were any cracks that developed in 40 years,
water will have penetrated the laminate in the way of the mast step and the unremitting pressure it must support. This water will have led to
rot. The solution will be to remove the mast and the outer laminate layer and
rebuild the
core thickness with solid resin &
fiberglass. Any spongy areas in the desk will also need to be addressed, though the optimum
repair can vary.
I had a similar age Bristol 26, and
repairs ranged from filling core space with resin under the mast step, to completely replacing core with
plywood in
cockpit, to drilling 1" center "drying holes," injecting alcohol to promote drying, and injecting resin "posts" in soft side
deck areas.
In the
cabin, don't forget to look under the floor to make sure the
compression path continues all the way to the keel! In my case, the mahogany block that was intended to do this job had come adrift and was lying ten feet astern, probably provoking the original mast step cracks.
Likewise, check all deck fittings. They probably all should be removed, have balsa core reefed out around holes, be filled with
epoxy, and re drilled. Fittings should be bedded with butyl tape.
Fin keel eh? Probably encapsulated ballast in fiberglass. If it found rocks in its
history, check integrity of
repairs.
In your response, you said
Quote:
I am a fabricator and can build most anything.
|
:
You'll have LOTS of opportunities to do that!