Fiberglass Repair

The people at the questforwindandwaves.com have completed a re-glassing of their cockpit sole. Here's how he did it, but read the comment at the end.

As part of the current section I am working on (engine room/cockpit area), the biggest job is completing the repair of my delaminated and waterlogged cockpit sole.  In the first post on this subject, I cut out the bottom layer of glass and removed the wet core.  If you haven’t read the first post, check it out here: http://www.thequestforwindandwaves.com/?p=137
This past week I finally finished the repair work and am excited to have it done.  Aside from the hull blisters, this is probably the biggest repair job on the boat.  This is what the sole looked like before the repair job:

The next step was to grind down the remaining core and get a fairly smooth surface to glue in the new core.  Here is the surface post grinding:

I purchased some end-grain balsa to use as the replacement core. Here is the first piece measured and cut. The board underneath it is the backing plate I will use to hold the core in place while the epoxy dries. I covered it in wax paper so epoxy wont stick to it.

After measuring and cutting the core, I painted both contact surfaces (core and sole) with unthickened epoxy to penetrate, then slathered on a ton of thickened epoxy to the core:

Next I smushed it up against the sole undersides, put on the backing plate, then used shower curtain rods to snug it up.


I filled in the edges with thickened epoxy and let the first piece cure.  Here it is after it dried:

I then performed the same tasks on the second piece of core.  Here are both pieces in place, with the edges sanded round:

Next up I applied a few progressively larger layers of biaxial cloth to the undersides.  I used smallish (1 ft or so) strips to keep it manageable while laying up the glass overhead.


Job finished!  I will sand it down and paint it along with the rest of the engine room ceiling.  I stood on the cockpit sole for the first time in a while and it is solid as a rock!
Lessons learned: doing the job from the underside was a mistake.  My initial idea was that working from the underside would ensure the top skin is undamaged and finish/fairing work would be minimized.  The glass underneath is rough and unfinished, so the repair work need not be super neat.However, I underestimated the effort it took to glue in the core overhead with gravity working against me.  It was extremely messy, with epoxy getting all over me, in my hair and everywhere.  My arms were noodles after each work session working overhead.  If I had to do this again I would definitely go from the top and just take my time with the finishing work, particularly since I am fairing and painting the decks regardless.  Gravity working for you is a good thing.  All in all, I am happy with the repair and glad to be moving forward!

Quick Fit Coupling

The company at flow-rite.com has this interesting hose quick connect/disconnect system. Their are many places on a boat where this sort of device can make life simpler. I use a similar device for my bilge pumps which helps me get them quickly out of the bilge if they need servicing. Looks like a great product.



Qwik-Lok is a quick disconnect marine plumbing system and method that can provide increased productivity, higher quality and value while simultaneously reducing costs. The heart of the Qwik-Lok system is the innovative Qwik-Lok socket that fits industry standard marine hose in popular 3/4" and 1-1/8" sizes. Qwik-Lok’s numerous benefits make it much more than just a quick disconnect plumbing system.

Qwik-Lok fittings are installed in place of standard barbed fittings. Zero learning curve required. Qwik-Lok sockets are installed to the hose ends whether it’s pre-assembled in our factory or done at the boat or on the work bench. No more crimping or tightening a hose clamp at arms length in hard to reach areas. Only learning curve here is to get used to how easy life can be.
With the locking ring back out of the locked position and into the neutral position, simply push that end of the hose onto the fitting until the socket snaps into place, then push the locking ring into the latch and locked position.
To remove, just grasp the same locking ring and pull. The latches will automatically disengage and the hose will be free. The only tools you need are one thumb and forefinger.

Marine Wifi

The people over at thewirie.com have come up with a great wifi product. Check it out!

The Wirie and The Wirie^AP Overview

Our products offer you the best combination of performance, ease of use, and durability on the market. Here is a summary of each product's features, click on the product name to learn more about The Wirie and The Wirie^AP.

Available now!	Now Available too!
• 1000mW WiFi Adapter (long-range) • Single USB Cable installation (Max 79') • 100% Marine Grade • Fully waterproof (IP67) • Flexible Mounting Options • Portable (use on boat/RV and ashore) • Requires a computer to operate • WiFi Adapter upgradeable • Simplest configuration, easiest to use • Fully upgradeable to The WirieAP • 8dBi Marine WiFi Antenna • Choice of color • 1 Year Warranty	• 1000mW WiFi Adapter (long-range) • 500mW Local Access Point • Provides onboard WiFi router for local network • Single 12V Cable (No Max length) • 100% Marine Grade • Fully waterproof (IP67) • Flexible Mounting Options • Unlimited installation height • No software installation • Operate from any WiFi device • 8dBi Marine WiFi Antenna • Choice of color • 1 Year Warranty

Battery Fill System

 The company at flow-rite.com has some interesting products. This is one of four different battery fill systems they have on offer. For those with lead acid batteries and a need to fill them up with water from time to time, this could be the answer

Qwik-Fill

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Qwik-Fill On-board Battery Watering System works with group size 24 through 27 and most 29 through 31, 12-volt marine deep cycle batteries.
One of the primary causes of short battery life is a failure to maintain proper water level. Whether your batteries are in plain sight or hard to reach, adding water to the proper level couldn't be easier with the Qwik-Fill On-board Battery Watering System from Flow-Rite.
After a simple, one time installation that takes only a few minutes, you can fill all your batteries simultaneously from a single remote fill point without ever having to remove a single battery cap. You no longer have to touch or even see your batteries. The level in each cell is controlled independently, adding water only to cells that are low. It will not overfill and its precise accuracy would be almost impossible to match with conventional filling methods. Finally, the battery accessory we've all been waiting for has arrived.

Coopercoat Antifouling??

The people over at ventspleen.com have posted a very good summary of their experience with coppercoat antifouling. This was something I was looking at useing on my last haulout but decided against it. I'm useing Altex #5 copper ablative paint and dived on the boat yesterday (after 7 months in the water) and other than a little slim at the waterline, my hull remains clean with no need to scrub/clean. The article continues below.....




This is how my hull looked when I hauled it this year. This could never be described as working well.

Here is a close up of a typical area of the hull. Covered in growth and barnacles. Even the cheapest antifouling paints work better than this! It has to scraped off with much effort by hand.
It seemed like such a good idea, an antifouling that you apply once and then forget about it for ten years or more. When I bought my new boat I decided to try it.
Cost wise it costs about 100 Euros a litre. A small boat of about 25 feet might use 6 litres. It’s a little more complicated than this as you will have to lift the boat twice to be able to get at the areas where the boats rest on the pads of the cradle and that will cost a bit more. You need to wait a few days before launching so expect a week ashore.
It is water based so it’s easy to clean up. Basically it consists of a resin and a hardener which come in half litre packs. They are mixed together and then pure copper powder is added to the mix. The Coppercoat is rolled on coat on coat until it’s all gone. Normally you need about 5 or 6 coats for a good result. The finished result is a lovely copper colour which soon goes green as the copper in the epoxy becomes exposed.
There have been a lot of reports about how effective Coppercoat is as an antifouling, often out performing the best ablative paints. On some boats it’s still working well after 14 years! Over 30,000 boats have been coated with it over the years which must say something. I was very keen to try it as it is better for the environment than paint and in theory at least should save money and time in the long run.

This is how the hull looked after one year. The only clean area on the hull is above the galley sink outlet where fresh water comes out.

Here’s a close up. The hull is completely fouled.
I must confess that I have not been impressed with Coppercoat on my boat and I have talked to them about it but all they say is that not enough copper has been exposed and to sand it down. I have tried this approach various times on certain areas on the hull to see if it would make a difference. It did not.
I tried waiting to see if the natural wear of the epoxy would expose more copper in time but in the 6 years it has been on the boat, it has only performed well for one of them.
It’s not like the boat isn’t used either and just sits in a marina, every year it is moving and sailing for at least 4 months at a time but even when we are sailing we have to dive down on the hull and scrub it to keep it clean.
As you can see from the pictures the fouling is bad and even the cheapest antifouling paints work better than this.

This was the boat after three years. Marginally better but still pretty poor overall. Also consider that we dive on the boat regularly and scrub the hull as well.
On the plus side, I don’t have to paint the boat every year but on the down side the Coppercoat just doesn’t work very well. After last year when the boat was clean, I had hoped that finally the Coppercoat had started to work but when I hauled the boat this year I was disappointed to see that the fouling was as bad as it had ever been.
One has to question the benefits of using Coppercoat if it doesn’t stop fouling. Although it might be better for the environment it’s not keeping my bottom clean and this means that when I motor I am using more fuel and that is bad for the environment!

This is the Coppercoat after five years. At last, I thought it was working well with only a covering of slime and a handful of barnacles. Compared to how it worked in the previous years it was very clean. The following year it was worth than ever.
Over the years I have recommended and applied Coppercoat to quite a few boats but only one of them has remained fairly clean, all the others have reported merely average efficiency and have told me that they wouldn’t apply it again. One of my customers was so unhappy with it that he simply overcoated it with normal antifouling paint. I haven’t heard from him since.
Another issue with Coppercoat is that it cannot be applied to existing paint so you’ll need to strip that off if you do want to use it and this will also add to the cost. Now that I have seen how Coppercoat performs over the years on mine and other’s boats I would no longer recommend it to those who need to strip their old paint off first. It might be worth putting on a new boat but there is no guarantee that the product will stop fouling.
It hasn’t worked for me and the best Coppercoat can do for me is offer the product at cost so I can try again but doing this would leave me seriously out of pocket what with boat lifting, boat storage and the fact that I would have to take time off work to do it. And at the end no guarantee than it would work any better than it has been.

The state of the hull this year. The crane driver said it was the dirtiest boat he had seen this year.
The bottom line is that I am very disappointed with Coppercoat. I am pleased that on the one hand that I do not have to pollute the environment by painting my boat every year but on the other hand my bottom is constantly fouled and that slows me down and costs money in extra fuel.
After this disappointing experience I very much doubt I will be using Coppercoat again. The biggest disappointment comes from the lack of support from Coppercoat who keep reminding me about all the other customers of theirs who are happy with their Coppercoat. If they really believed in their product they would make it work for me the way they claim it works for others. It should not be me that has to buy the product and pay to have it reapplied.
It’s a real shame, I really hoped Coppercoat would have been the answer to keep my hull from fouling and at the same time reduce my impact on the environment but it hasn’t worked out like that for me or anyone else I know. Perhaps you know someone who is happy with their Coppercoat, I have yet  to meet someone who is…..