Boat Changes shape on the hard?

[CaptRory]

Originally Posted by JDeachman

Similar question. I purchased a boat that was on the hard for several years. After launch, in the quiet evening I could hear little crackling noises from the hull. I assumed it was a termite problem. Would a fiberglass hull make this kind of noise while "settling"?

I don't know what part of the world you are in...but it you are anywhere near the tropics, you might have been hearing shrimp. They do a little sonic snap to zap their prey and it sounds like crackling in the hull.

[JDeachman]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Almost certainly it's some kind of little shrimp making that noise.

So, tell the exterminator to forget about the termites and get those damn shrimp!

[astokel]

I had a friend who had a C&C 30. You couldn't close the head door if it was heeled over more than about 5 degrees. Then again, the head wasn't gimbaled so...

[ontherocks83]

I know on newer Catalina's the manual says you need to check the prop shaft alignment after you make adjustments to the mast stays.

[Souzag818]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Honestly, it's kind of hard to say, so long after the event. Most likely the crackling you heard after re-launch was baby shrimp. However, if you heard crackling when the boat was set on its keel, that is a way different matter, and it can be fiberglass breaking. If that happened, then, when the boat was picked up again, it would also crackle then, and might continue to do so in the water. Eventually to be followed by water coming in, and repairs.

Ann

Ann, you're scaring the poor guy. Now he's gonna be worried about his keel falling off...

[dlymn]

I "tuned" all of the stays on the mast and all of the cabin doors jammed shut. Had to loosen the stays a little to get into the cabins.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by dlymn

I "tuned" all of the stays on the mast and all of the cabin doors jammed shut. Had to loosen the stays a little to get into the cabins.

It's not at all uncommon for wood to swell, especially in the (damp) marine environment. So if the doors stick, but the rig's properly tuned, plane off a bit of the door's edges. I've done as much on a boat or three.

Edit: Note that if the boat's changing shape a lot with rig tension, then it never hurts to measure the deflection & then compare notes with the designer, or a good rigger. And often times class/owner's associations keep notes on such things, which provide a lot of good info for owners new to such designs.

[hamburking]

[QUOTE=UNCIVILIZED;2310766]It's not at all uncommon for wood to swell, especially in the (damp) marine environment. So if the doors stick, but the rig's properly tuned, plane off a bit of the door's edges. I've done as much on a boat or three./QUOTE]

On my boats (8 so far) I remove all the doors...all they do is clang about when the waves get high, or jam up like described above. Who needs em? Doors impede ventilation, extra weight, and one more thing to bonk my noggin on. Keep them to give to the next owner, along with the old sails you will never use.

The wife complained about privacy in the head without a door. She quickly made up a privacy curtain. To h*ll with that, just don't dump on my boat! Its a sailboat, not a floating toilet.

[dlymn]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

It's not at all uncommon for wood to swell, especially in the (damp) marine environment. So if the doors stick, but the rig's properly tuned, plane off a bit of the door's edges. I've done as much on a boat or three.

Edit: Note that if the boat's changing shape a lot with rig tension, then it never hurts to measure the deflection & then compare notes with the designer, or a good rigger. And often times class/owner's associations keep notes on such things, which provide a lot of good info for owners new to such designs.

Before the tuning session one of the doors was jamming and so I planed it down. Ater tensioning the stays, all the doors jammed. After loosening the stays a little, alldoors opened. Now the original jammed door is lopsided.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Some boats way more than others, my old design full keel doesn't change noticeably.
Some of the more modern designs you have to be very careful how to shore up as they flex so much that if not adequately supported there will be damage,
Example you can align your mounts on the hard, but I wouldn't bother connecting the shaft to the transmission, cause after she is floating overnight, likely there will be enough difference that your re-adjusting.

Well stated. I didn't want to say anything but...My HR has 2, 2"X4" hollow stringers running the entire length of the hull, 2ft.apart from one another. My bulwarks are 4"s high and 1 1/2"s thick. This is also a stringer. Plus it is a 3/4 full keel. My boat does not flex...at all.
A modern fin keel boat usually has two thin skins (inner and outer with a core for stiffness and a floor grid to help. But on the hard these boats tend to "hog" (ends drooping).

[neilpride]

Its a Beneteau 38, sure it flex in the hard and loose shape as many others, quite normal , and retain the OEM shape after a while in the wáter, those boats are very sensitive to jackstands placement, i see fews damaged by wrong keel and jackstands placement, i would not worry as many boats need some days to gain the shape again in the wáter....

[capt jgw]

On my boat sometimes the head door jams when on the hard. First time it happened I was afraid I was going to pull the doorknob off trying to get in to winterize. Now I make sure its propped open before hauling. I prop all the doors open during winter for ventilation anyway.

[Cadence]

I just can't believe adjusting shrouds? It would seem correct blocking makes more sense?
JMHO

[a64pilot]

Some boats don't change much, I have detected nothing on my IP, but she does sit on the full keel too, and I guess that supports her pretty well. The jack stands just keep her from falling over when the wind blows.
It will also show up in driveshaft alignment, most boats don't even bother until it's been back in the water for a day

[motion30]

I have a friend who works on Mega yachts. He tells me they do not attempt to align the prop shaft on these boats two after the boat is put back in the water for at least 2 weeks