Gulf Coast 18 Fiberglass Repair and Other Refitt Tasks

[M.B. Naegle]

Another shot of the deck, halfway done painting.

[M.B. Naegle]

Rebuilt the portside window. The 3/16" plexiglass was cracked in half and both windows have yellowing and micro cracks from the sun (the starboard window is getting rebuilt too). I'm not sure how "standard" this window design is, but luckily thus one just needed a good cleaning and the plexiglass. The seals are a little stiff, but no damage or cracks so I reused them.

I happened to have some 3/16" plexi remnant left over from a machine we rebuilt at work. Used the old piece for a pattern, cut it out on the band saw, used the belt sander to trim up the corners, and then a cloth buffing wheel to polish the rough edges away. The top and bottom halves of the frame are pop riveted together with the plexiglass and its channel seal snuggly fitting between them. There's another rectangular seal on the inside that seems more of a gap filler than a seal. It's held in place with yellow 3M weatherstripping adhesive and I'm using the clamps to hold its shape while the glue sets. You can clean that stuff with acetone or thinner a lot easier while it's still wet.

The frame drops into the boat hole with a ring of silicone caulk to seal it and the inside rim pulls it in tight with a bunch of sheet metal screws.

I'm thinking before I put it in, I'll buy or make some little bitty D rings to put in under the screws at the 4 corners, then later I can sew up some curtains to tie over the windows for privacy and sun shade. Probably going to get some really gaudy doily stuff.

[M.B. Naegle]

I was in the area the other day and stopped by Boaters Resale down in Kemah. Cool place with lots of neat used hardware. They unfortunately didn't have a Genoa the right size, or a companionway cover, but I did find a solid wood tiller and a Nicro PVC cowl vent that was the perfect size for the hole in the bow. It was a little yellow, but some paint helped it out. It also looks like Nicro makes an insect screen that fit these, so I'll be on the lookout for one of those. The tiller needs some new finish and one hole drilled and it'll complete my rudder assembly.

[Spot]

Nice finds at the resale store.
Here are some wood refinishing notes from a Sunfish forum:
https://sailingforums.com/pages/Sunf...%20daggerboard

I would mount the cowling opening facing the stern so a wave over the bow has to work harder to get in.

Are you thinking of a sliding fiberglass companion way cover and wooden hatch boards on the bulkhead? I saw the old pictures show some hatch boards of sorts. My boat has a fiberglass cover for each but the vertical one is less practical- harder to stow and there is a gap for rain and wasps to get in. I was thinking about adding a track for hatch boards and then 'accessorizing' one of them with portlights and venting.

A couple picss of my as-is companionway. Pardon the mess, been working on the cast iron swing keel (dropping, sanding, epoxy, paint) before I hang and reseal it to the bottom of the hull.

[M.B. Naegle]

Originally Posted by Spot

Nice finds at the resale store.
Here are some wood refinishing notes from a Sunfish forum:
https://sailingforums.com/pages/Sunf...%20daggerboard

I would mount the cowling opening facing the stern so a wave over the bow has to work harder to get in.

Are you thinking of a sliding fiberglass companion way cover and wooden hatch boards on the bulkhead? I saw the old pictures show some hatch boards of sorts. My boat has a fiberglass cover for each but the vertical one is less practical- harder to stow and there is a gap for rain and wasps to get in. I was thinking about adding a track for hatch boards and then 'accessorizing' one of them with portlights and venting.

A couple picss of my as-is companionway. Pardon the mess, been working on the cast iron swing keel (dropping, sanding, epoxy, paint) before I hang and reseal it to the bottom of the hull.

The cowl is the kind that you can pull off and reposition any which way, so likely I'll be moving it around based on needed air circulation and weather. A plastic plug to seal it off temporarily would be handy too.

The vertical companionway cover I want to make in the traditional wood style with 4 horizontal planks stacked with lap joints between. I have the old ones, though I think they are too rotten to use for patterns, so instead I'll just measure the opening between the vertical wood rails, which came out good after a few coats of penetrating epoxy. I might add a little plexi window in the top one too. Not yet sure what wood I'll use for the planks. I've got poplar and pine which would likely be fine with epoxy, but I think I have some cedar left over from a 50's pickup truck bed restoration. If there's enough I'll use it.

The top cover I'd love to make sliding, but there isn't enough room between it and the mast. Maybe if it was a two part accordion, but I'm thinking I'll just keep it simple and do a 1 piece fiberglass cover over 1/4" plywood and stow it under one of the gunwales. I want something secure enough to put a padlock on too.

A bug screen will be a must too when camping, but there's pre-made ones out there that are affordable. The ones I see have weighted edges so you can just drop it over the opening.

[Spot]

Originally Posted by M.B. Naegle

The top cover I'd love to make sliding, but there isn't enough room between it and the mast. Maybe if it was a two part accordion, but I'm thinking I'll just keep it simple and do a 1 piece fiberglass cover over 1/4" plywood and stow it under one of the gunwales. I want something secure enough to put a padlock on too.

On my boat the various hatches are all molded fiberglass and gel-coated on the outsides. On the inside there are 1 or 2 strips of wood glassed in as stiffeners. The previous owner used a combination of slide bolt door hardware to lock them closed from the inside. The outside hardware has small wood backing blocks to take longer screws.

[M.B. Naegle]

Slowly making progress. More body filler, primer, and paint, followed by hardware installation. Today was the rebuilt port side window and the epoxy treated teak cabin handles. The handle screws have D-rings under them for tying off gear inside.

[M.B. Naegle]

Made some progress on the companionway boards. Used some red cedar left over from my dad's 53' Ford pickup truck bed. All the mortise edges and angles are cut, so next they'll get some sanding and finish.

[M.B. Naegle]

Originally Posted by M.B. Naegle

Made some progress on the companionway boards. Used some red cedar left over from my dad's 53' Ford pickup truck bed. All the mortise edges and angles are cut, so next they'll get some sanding and finish.
Attachment 286091
Attachment 286092

Looking at the lumber again, it's not cedar but Mahogany (I'm more of a crate guy than a cabinet guy).

[Spot]

The hatch boards look great!


I need to get something like that working on my boat, I just have a fiberglass cover that closes from the outside, OK for day sails but not overnights.

[M.B. Naegle]

Thanks! I'm happy with how they turned out.