The Final Touches at the Boatyard

Even a few night times were spent grinding and sanding delaminated fiberglass...

Each of the three transoms (back part of the hulls) took a whole day to apply new fiberglass... and the big panel on the side.

Then applying filler to smooth it out took another few days... not a trivial amount of work.

After arduous sanding sessions (where every square foot of the boat sides and bottom were lightly sanded) we were finally we were ready to paint it.  We were really realizing -- this is a big boat.

Thanks to our friends from ePaint for providing environmentally friendly bottom paint (the blue paint).  Looks great! Bottom paint usually has a biocide like lead (not legal in California, still in use around the world) and copper.  The biocide kills marine algae that likes to attach on the bottom of the boat, slowing you down and possibly compromising the hull, by leaching out into the water. This accumulates a great amount of metals in the water over time, particularly in an enclosed body of water such as a harbor. ePaint uses a zinc oxide and that behaves like hydrogen peroxide and is biodegradable and driven by the sun.  Very cool.


It was with great happiness that the boat was placed back in the water. The next day we sailed back to Santa Barbara.

Fiberglassing: the skin of the boat

After we finished the wood repairs, it was time for the "exoskeleton" of the boat - its fiberglass skin.  Fiberglass comes as a cloth that can be cut with scissors, full of fibers that are bonded together when resin is added. We bought 30 yards of cloth (3 feet wide) for the job! 

Why so much? Above the waterline, we used two layers of fiberglass, whereas below the water, we used between three and five layers. Each layer needs to be cut at increasing sizes so there is overlap and no "edge".

Doing flat sections like the port ama (side of the hull) was hard enough. The transoms took a lot of brain damage, until we figured out that we simply could not figure it out. Then we just decided to cut the cloth as we laid it on. Ed and Pat show off our attempts to "cut to fit" using tape to hold it in place.

Feeding the crew lunch. Delicious burritos courtesy of executive chef Alyssum.

After applying epoxy resin and multiple layers of cloth, the wood is sealed off and the skin is really tough. Many trimarans were built in this way (fiberglass over plywood) because it avoids the complications of a wood plank boat (by sealing the wood from the water), and is a lot cheaper (and lighter) than an all fiberglass boat.

The big downside is that resin used for fiberglassing is fairly toxic - certainly not eco friendly. However, it will last a really long time, if taken care of properly, which can justify the process.  It is like drinking water out of stainless steel bottles instead of plastic disposable bottles - although the stainless steel takes a lot of energy to produce, if it is kept long enough, it far offsets the problems of disposable plastic. The trick is to keep the boat healthy (no delaminations or rot) so that the fiberglass can stay on for decades.

The crew at the end of the day... Ed, Trout, Jonathan, Sequoia, Dee, Alyssum, and Kristian.

Haul out day 1 - ripping fiberglass off

The first day hauled out, we got a ton of things done! The crew was awesome. We ripped off all the bad fiberglass that the surveyor identified.  Delaminating sections were cut and eliminated without remorse..!

With the guidance of Sequoia, the OceansWatch executive director, we carved away by chisel, knife, grinder, and bare hand. Our friends Tim, Scotty, Jack, Luke, and Alyssum made the trek to Ventura to help.  Many thanks!!

The result? The job is huge but appears manageable (thus far!). Some rotten wood was found in the back of the boat, but otherwise it is in great shape. 

Our plan is to finish prepping the repair areas tomorrow, fiberglass on Monday, and see how things go...

Haul Out - boat in the air!

Pictures from the haul out, 12pm Friday.

There was some debate over where to position the slings, whether the keel would be strong enough to support the boat, etc.  but the boat proved even more sturdy than expected. The boatyard manager even gave us a compliment on the boat's stoutness.  Miracle.

Now the boat is being pressure washed, and we are waiting around. The surveyor, Mike Pyzel, is coming soon and we will see what he thinks!

Prop stress

I spent a good 45 minutes toiling with the propeller, cold and frustrated while free diving, trying to make it fit on the shaft while holding my breath (in many ways). The sun was going down. I was losing the battle.

This was one of the big gambles when buying the boat - the prop didn't fit the shaft from the get go. The Valley Prop folks did an honest good job refurbishing it to fit - but I still couldn't get the damn little "key" to fit, which aligns the prop and the shaft. This could be a problem.

I despaired. In my cold miserable state I retreated to a nap under the blankets, then in a half-conscious state the answer came to me. The voice said: "Do it backwards. Make the key small, insert it first, then slide the prop in."  Which is pretty weird, like putting a key in the doorway hole then installing the lock around it.

But the hacksaw came out. Cut the brass key, sanded it down a bit, dived back down and loved the fact that it worked. Great satisfaction.  The maiden voyage was on.

The big move

Getting things ready for the maiden voyage on the trimaran!

had to pile everything from the old boat into big plastic bags and load up the van, but that was the easy part...

The rowboat also had to get moved from Santa Barbara to Oxnard, where the trimaran was..

and turns out it had a delightful colony of algae and crustaceans living on the bottom - which I had limited success scrubbing away with just the paddles onhand...

The rowboat actually folds up, this is what it looks like without the benches... (it's called a Porte-bote)

<-- And fully folded up..  then just had to jam it in the van (which ended up smelling like seaweed, but hey, only for an hour or two..)

Enroute to the new mothership~

Up on the Mast

Was hanging 40 feet up in the air, drilling holes in the mast... a cluster of lines and tools in the bucket bouncing around. All for good cause- installing the mast steps so I can reach the mast head quickly. Some consider them a luxury, I think they are a necessity...

...especially because the halyards (which are used to raise/lower sails) have been jamming at times. So I fumbled with screws and sealant and electric drills while rushing against the sunset, which was both a sweet sight and a cause for concern, due to the impeding darkness. But the task got done in time for our maiden voyage out to the islands

Repair Chaos

Working hard to fix things before this weekend- hoping to leave Oxnard
(where the trimaran currently lives) and head to Santa Barbara (new
homeport). With a little stopover in the channel islands of course...
Always makes for a good "shakedown" opportunity :)

Cockpit is in total disarray with tools and fiberglass scattered about.

6 First Steps to Digging Holes in the Boat

And here starts the work to bring the Trimaran to decent shape...  one can't purchase any boat, much less one that was discounted at 1/4 its original value (!), and not expect to labor tirelessly. Particularly on a 43 foot boat that is 23 feet wide.  Gulp--  I have to wonder if this is a bigger bite than I can chew.  But try not to think too much! Just march onwards.

Step One - stock up on tools!
Blessed Home Depot had a special discount on electric tools - jigsaw, grinder, circular saw, new drill. At least makes me feel like I'm making progress... even if all I'm doing is spending money (so far).

Step Two - search and destroy

Check out the rot on the edge by the white wall, darker circle area. It is soft and rotting because the fiberglass on the deck cracked and let water in. The boat is made of marine plywood with fiberglass. As long as the fiberglass is sound, the plywood should be fine. But when it's not, it's time for surgery.

Step Three - Let 'er rip
It helps to have friends that know carpentry - thanks Kitts!! - or else I'd feel pretty insecure about digging holes in the boat. Keep digging until you can't find more rotten wood. To an extent of course..

Step Four - Clean up the wound
Nice square smooth wound allows us to cut a piece of wood to fit in the hole and then fiberglass over that. Still, it's never exactly level and smooth, so I'm still a bit confused how to keep the piece in place..? Ahh!

Step Five - Sand it more! and more!
This is another spot from a collision when hitting the dock. Tarp is to keep the fiberglass from going in the water. Quite uncomfortable position to work from. But dug it out and discovered there was only styrofoam below the fiberglass, no wood! But trimaran advisor said, go back and sand more. Dang it.

Step Six - Obsess about boat wakes going by

This was damage from some other boat hitting the corner of the trimaran, which is out on an end tie dock. Boats going by fast set off a wake and get it wet. Finally I set up the tarp here too but it is impossible when the crack is just 3 inches above the waterline..!




Conclusion
Ran out of time. Of course takes longer than planned. So there's plastic over the wounds and will fix next Monday.  But:

• Gives me renewed confidence in the boat's wood condition - these were the funkiest spots and they were just superficial a few inches. 
• And... my sinuses are not stoked with inhaling lots of fiberglass dust even with the face mask. Got to get a better one! And ear plugs too, noisy power tools they are!