Com-Pac 16 renovations

[cantstopnow]

This belongs under the "Projects" because I have decided to discipline myself to chronicle the whole project instead of just posting random questions.

I bought the boat from a little old lady who used to sail it on a lake on sundays.

I made some new companion way wood which I installed. I organized the lines and sorted through the pile of sails that came with the boat and my son and I sailed her from Rye NH out to the Isle of Shoals. The rail was in the water a good part of the time. That made it apparent that the deck to hull joint was leaking and needed to be resealed.

One thing has lead to another..

I start here.



Then I removed the moulding over the joint.



I cleaned.



Rusted steel rivets had taken a toll on the flange.


I replaced about 56 steel rivets and left about 10 aluminum rivets that were still in good shape. Then the good forum advised that it would be best to put the caulking between the flanges before riveting. I might get away with sealing the already fastened flanges but I had not put backers on the rivets for some stupid reason so I drilled out all the rivets and decided to lift the deck enough to apply the caulking. The deck was still held to the hull by the Cockpit scupper drain tubes which are fiber-glassed in at each end. I cut the 1" PVC pipes with enough room to glue couplings on at re-assembly.



I lifted the deck off the boat.



Demolition...........











The cement that had been poured to smooth the concrete that filled the keel was brittle and cracked because it was very thin where it extended over the base of the hull.
My question now is; How can I best isolate the ballast concrete from water intrusion? Would it be best to smooth it down to the width of the keel and flush with the base of the hull and then apply a flexible caulking and fiberglass panel epoxied to the hull? Is it ok to seal the concrete in fiberglass?

[Rachel]

Neat-o! I love the photo of the deck hanging from the shed rafters. I guess you were listening one of those times Britton was saying to "Swing for the fences."

R.

[Figment]

Good stuff.

I have no experience with concrete ballast, but off the top of my head I can't think of any reason not to seal it as you suggest.

[Summersdawn]

I had a friend who had a ferro cement boat, and he used to seal concrete with epoxy. I don't recall him ever having trouble with it...

[Tim]

My question now is; How can I best isolate the ballast concrete from water intrusion? Would it be best to smooth it down to the width of the keel and flush with the base of the hull and then apply a flexible caulking and fiberglass panel epoxied to the hull? Is it ok to seal the concrete in fiberglass?

I think that if you properly prepare the concrete, you can effectively get epoxy to bond. I believe you should chemically clean and etch the surface, as one might do if sealing a concrete slab in a garage or some such.

I think that (once again) proper substrate prep will be the key regardless of the ultimate method you choose to cover and enclose the concrete.

If the ballast area is clean and dry, and you properly install a covering that encapsulates it--and if there are no other means of water ingress--then you should have no trouble in the future.

Good luck, and thanks for detailing this process so thoroughly. It'll be fun to watch the next steps.

[cantstopnow]

My plan is to chisel the concrete down low enough to level with thickened epoxy then cover with some roving and seal it up.
Then install stringers and plywood deck. I want to fill the cavity with a closed cell foam. Has anyone got experience with expanding foam for this type of application?



The tools..



Better tool..



I am going to shorten the previous berth to allow for more aft storage.




This forum has inspired me to be unafraid of the mistakes that I will make and instead to dig in and learn. Thanks Tim and company.

[Duncan]

My question now is; How can I best isolate the ballast concrete from water intrusion? Would it be best to smooth it down to the width of the keel and flush with the base of the hull and then apply a flexible caulking and fiberglass panel epoxied to the hull? Is it ok to seal the concrete in fiberglass?

Thanks for a very clear presentation, not to mention such a memorable set of photos (especially the one with the deck off!)

I'd ask a question back: in the spirit of keeping things simple, is "encapsulating" the concrete a good idea in the first place? It's not all that vulnerable, in fact, concrete stands up to water pretty well, doesn't it? Trying to hermetically seal it could be laborious, expensive, and might not even work?

Murphy's Law being what it is, one way or another some water may get in, anyway. If everything is pretty tightly sealed up, it may have a hard time getting out again. In this case, the problem is sealed in, and it might freeze/thaw, migrate into the fiberglass, start to smell, and so on.

Just for the sake of discussion, my inclination might be to make a "basically watertight" floor over it, and then leave plenty of ventilation to pick up any stray intrusion. This is based on my second-hand understanding of wooden boat experience, that "encapsulating things" often leads to the opposite, water retention, and that more ventilation is usually better than less.

[cantstopnow]

Tim wrote:

If the ballast area is clean and dry, and you properly install a covering that encapsulates it--and if there are no other means of water ingress--then you should have no trouble in the future.

That first word can be so troublesome . "If".
I am trying to stop any water that may find it's way into the cabin from seeping down between the fiberglass and the cement.

Duncan wrote:

Murphy's Law being what it is, one way or another some water may get in

You raise a good point.
Water will eventualy get into the cabin and the cement seems to be solid but not well adheared to the fiberglass roving. At least not at a water penetration level.

Will a masonry sealer damage the fiberglass (thinking out loud.).
Perhaps the KISS method is the best. If it gets wet leave it open and it will dry.
I will have to make a decision and get busy. I want to be in the water by May 19th

Incidently when I am done I don't expect the boat to leak.

[Tim]

Incidently when I am done I don't expect the boat to leak.

That is the key. I don't think it's inevitable that boats, when properly assembled and thereunto maintained, will leak, so while it's smart to consider the possibility of water ingress, ongoing leaks really shouldn't be a problem if the work is done correctly and prudent maintenance applied.

[cantstopnow]

I have a little progress to report.
I have cut and installed the new floor beams. They are set in thickened epoxie, filleted and tabbed. I used pine instead of something more water resistant but it will get painted and the area will have ventilation.
I am making this up as I go, and I need to get it going.

[Tim]

At a minimum, be sure to coat those floors with epoxy. Water will damage them, as pine has little rot resistance, and it is almost certain to be damp in the bilge; there's nowhere else for water to go in that bilge, so any moisture present will always be contacting your new structural pieces.

Filleting and tabbing along the entire lengths of the pieces will also help minimize the potential for damaging water intrusion. You don't want your hard work to fall apart in only a few years.

Finally, be sure to cut some limbers (and epoxy seal the insides of the holes) so that water can enjoy free passage fore and aft, rather than becoming trapped in each compartment separately.

Thanks for the update!

[cantstopnow]

Thanks Tim, I appreciate your help.

[tschmidty]

Wow nice work, keep it going and let us know if you get some new updates.

[cantstopnow]

Ok, I am back to work on the project.

The interior of the boat had been painted and it was pealing and cracked and needed to be removed but I was concerned that sanding would remove too much fiberglass because the texture made removing the paint difficult. I decided to sand blast it.


I have a small sand blaster that is great for small tasks. I run it with an 80cfm compressor.
I had to be careful to keep moving to avoid digging in too deep, but I am happy with the results. all the loose paint was removed very quickly.


Next I sealed the cement ballast with epoxy. I used thickened around the edges and painted the entire area with unthickened epoxy. I am realy questioning my choice of pine floors but I sealed them as tim recommended at least.



I need to paint and attach the plywood next and I am looking for recommendations for primer and paint. Is there something that is available at the hardware store or do I need a more specialized paint? The peeling from the previous owner will not be acceptable.

I am thinking of using 3M5200 and screws to hold the plywood in place
Does that sound right?
This is how it will fit in.


The questions in my head are what slows me down the most...

[Brodie]

I can't help you with your questions but great thread and pics! That is going to be the nicest Compac 16 on the planet when you're done! Keep posting, I love reading stuff like this.

[cantstopnow]

Yesterday I sealed the underside of the marine plywood sole with epoxy.

I removed the aluminum Gudgeon and sanded it and polished it to improve its appearance. I will apply a sealer of some kind to keep it that way.



More to come.

[Hirilondë]

I see you are sealing each component separately. I think that is a good idea. Once all the components are sealed it merely needs assembly.

I am thinking of using 3M5200 and screws to hold the plywood in place
Does that sound right?

I see no reason to use an adhesive sealant. Screws are more than strong enough, and will allow taking things apart should there be a need. And inevitably, there will be a need some day. I do however suggest some kind of bedding/sealant for all fasteners to avoid moisture penetrating the holes. Looking good so far. You seem to be giving the prep (sanding, grinding and cleaning) all of the effort it deserves. That is just so important.

[keelbolts]

Looks good. The process of removing the deck & replacing bad wood "frames" & plywood "floors" is practically std. ops. for restoring old plastic runabouts. They always glass the plywood in. I don't know how much of your hull's strength is in the cabin sole.

I didn't see any limbers. You'll want those.

[cantstopnow]

Thanks for the comments.
There is a 1/4" gap between the floors and the cement in the keel except for the one closest to the transom. My plan is to seal up this area so that no water can get into it, and to install 2 sealed access ports to ventilate it when required. The boat lives on a trailer and has no bilge pump. If any water gets below it will accumulate between the transome and the last floor beam. I can pump it out by hand from there.

[tschmidty]

Looks good, glad to see you are back at it.

[cantstopnow]

On monday I installed the floor and sealed it in preparation for painting.



I removed the chain plates and other remaining hardware.
I need to fill holes the PO put through the transom for earlier outboard motor mounts.



These holes had what I think is silicone caulk plugging them. What do I have to do to clean that ??? Time for a forum search.


Tim, thank you for maintaining this awesome forum and to all the great contributors who share their experience and knowledge. It helps a lot.

[cantstopnow]

I got the first coat of paint on today.