Small sail boat rebuild

[Chuck Gibson]

Hello Folks,
I am going to restore a small sail boat that was given to my boys and I about 10 years ago and boy, I need you guy's help. At the time I was given this boat the gentleman told me that it is called a "Nimble Wind" and was made by Sears and Roebuck. Other than that I haven't got a clue. Please bear with me because I do not know all of the terminology as to what the parts of this boat are called. Perhaps you guys can teach me as I go. This is a small project that I want to use as a learning tool before I tackle our 16' tri hull. Years past, someone actually did a few repairs (if you want to call them that) on this boat and I hope you can make them out in the pictures if I can figure out how to upload them. I will start out with just a few questions:

1. What kind of trouble can I expect when I separate the top and bottem of this boat? Is the hole that the sail goes into connected to the top and bottem? Can I expect this thing to be glued up solid and have to pry it apart?

2. There are small surface cracks on the top and the hull. Do I need to sand these until I hit the bottem of them or can I just rough them up and fill them with fairing compound or "peanut butter".

3. I never have seen the inside of a small sailboat. Can I expect to find stringers and a transom board like the other post I have been reading about motor boat rebuilds?

I can't thank you guys enough for what I have already learned on this website. Hopefully when I get through with these two projects I will be able to pay back some of the help you have given!
Thanks again,
Chuck

 

[saildan]

Re: Small sail boat rebuild

... gentleman told me that it is called a "Nimble Wind" and was made by Sears and Roebuck.

It looks suspiciously like a Barnett "Butterfly" or a Butterfly knock-off, the "Scow 12". Both are a small "scow class" boats used recreationally and for single-handed racing.

Back in the 1970's and 1980's Sears marketed many boats built by other companies. They gave these Sears models their own names as thin camouflage to their true identity.

If it is a Butterfly - lots of help and info. They're a good little boat for both kids and adults.

Dealer
http://www.windwardboatworks.com/butterfly/butterfly.html

National Butterfly Association
http://www.butterflyer.org

Dealer
http://www.northernlakesailboats.com

Butterfly Sailboat Photo Gallery
http://www.sailingtexas.com/cboats99butterfly.html

1.[a] What kind of trouble can I expect when I separate the top and bottem of this boat?

Is the hole that the sail goes into connected to the top and bottem?

[c] Can I expect this thing to be glued up solid and have to pry it apart?

a) Most quality boats in this vein have the deck and hull fiberglassed into one water-tight unit. The trim you see is simply a protection over the joint. If you seperate the two halves completely, your next move will probably be to take it to the dump - ruined. Gaining access to the inner hull for repairs is typically done through stratigically placed deck plates in the 5" to 6" size. Or, like a boatyard, cut access, then when work's complete, glass the cutout back in place like nothing was disturbed.

b) Yes !

c) Absolutely, it's what's called a "self-rescuing" hull. A sealed pontoon (when un-damaged) that can have the cockpit swamped and not sink. Others in that category (nearly all the beach boats) HobieCats, Laser, and Sunfish.

These boats are small, but they're not styrofoam pool toys. People do some serious racing in boats like this one.

2. There are small surface cracks on the top and the hull. Do I need to sand these until I hit the bottem of them or can I just rough them up and fill them with fairing compound or "peanut butter".

Again, if it's a Butterfly the construction will be fiberglass. The surface will be polyester gelcoat. The repair method will be to widen the crack to 1/64th or a little wider, squeegee in color matched gelcoat paste, let it cure, sand and compound to a final matching finish - just like any fiberglass boat repair.

The one "crack" you pictured looks more like a hole through the structural fiberglass below the cosmetic gelcoat. This would need repair like any small hole by sanding back a 12:1 taper, glassing up a backing, then building out to hull thickness, bridging the structural breech with some resin and glass cloth. A $20 repair book will walk you through the steps.

3. I never have seen the inside of a small sailboat. Can I expect to find stringers and a transom board like the other post I have been reading about motor boat rebuilds?

Because these are small nimble boats intended for sailing by people from ~10 years old on up, their hulls are thin (5/32" - 1/4"). Hardware fittings have backing plates or wood blocks. Stringer ribs - maybe, but if they exist they'll be small fiberglass half-rounds or "L" shaped. Remember, this is a sailboat, it moves at around 8 kts tops so it's not slamming waves with force - it's gliding over the water. Often styrofoam blocks or structural foam beds, firmly attached, function both as stiffener and emergency flotation.

This is a question to pose at one of the Butterfly support groups. They might even have a diagram of the innards.

Your patches will be re-done from the outside - again in regular fiberglass hull repair style mentioned above - just maintain perspective on the size boat you're working on and don't hit it with an angle grinder, making twice the hole to fix - a Dremel or orbital sander would be more like it.

If the boat leaks - find the leak by lightly blowing air into the drain plug hole (not compressed air) - use a foot pump - about 1/4 psi tops. Soap the boat to find where the leak is. Ask the owners group how to fix different leaks so you don't create more work for yourself than is there.

 

[Chuck Gibson]

Re: Small sail boat rebuild

Saildan,
Thank you much for the info! This is why I did not just tear right in to this piece of work. The info you sent also gave me more of a sense of respect for this boat. I always looked at it as a cheap toy. People are obviously serious about racing and playing in these things.

Now I need to figure out how to replace the wooden handles on the inside of the boat. My oldest son told me to "get rid of them" several years ago. He worked in the aquatics center while in the boy scouts and said they were only good for smashing your toes on. I am thinking about cutting the access holes you spoke of in between the mounting bolt holes so I can get in behind them. One of the short pieces of wood holding the piece away from the shell broke apart so the bolt is just hanging there. The wood piece you spoke of backing it up is not fastened to the inside meaning that I can't just unscrew them, replace the wood, and screw them back in. I have some honduras mahogony left over that I made a dagger board and rudder for this little rig that would look great and match up well. Now, just where to cut the holes? It will stink if I start cutting in and still not be able to access them.
Thanks again,
Chuck

 

[saildan]

Re: Small sail boat rebuild

Saildan,
Thank you much for the info! This is why I did not just tear right in to this piece of work. The info you sent also gave me more of a sense of respect for this boat. I always looked at it as a cheap toy. People are obviously serious about racing and playing in these things.

NP

I know it's hard to see the kids play with beach boats and visualize them as serious, but think of them like you would a mini-hydroplane both kids and adults race.

If you were to buy that sailboat new today it would fetch ~$4000 and even for it's age it will have a value between $600 and $800 when you get it fixed up.

Now I need to figure out how to replace the wooden handles on the inside of the boat.

Your mahogany sounds good. Probably exactly what the originals were made from. Marine varnish it - the new stuff, that is. Then you are going to say a prayer and remove the screws from the old ones - hoping not to hear a backing plate or backing block drop down to the hull bottom.

Stand the boat on it's side - that might help backing stay put if its come un-cemented.

Then you need to peer in with a flash light to make doubly sure there's something there besides just thin hull. If so, drip in some epoxy and stir it into the hole so it fills it up. Redrill the hole - now you have a nice snug fit for the screws. Just like refitting any size boat - right?

My oldest son told me to "get rid of them" several years ago. He worked in the aquatics center while in the boy scouts and said they were only good for smashing your toes on.

you can't lean out (hike-out) without them and when the boat capsizes - and they do capsize - it's all part of sailing a beach boat - there will be nothing to grab so you can pull yourself back in the boat.

You can replace the wood with webbing strap. Seek out "hiking straps" on Google to get a handle on the concept - only you'll have a pair on the sides instead of one up the middle.

Webbing can often be bought by the foot at outdoor stores like Bass-Pro or at Tack shops.

Now, just where to cut the holes? It will stink if I start cutting in and still not be able to access them.

Here - so you can reach these spots - a 5" port should work. If you have small hands go with a 4". Leave the bezel ring out until all the work is done - that'll give you an extra half inch opening. And mask the hole edges so you don't fiberglass rash your arm.

You can get the ports with bag liners for storing sun glasses and stuff too.

 

[Chuck Gibson]

Re: Small sail boat rebuild

Thanks again Saildan,

The handle that is not pictured on the starboard side has one of the extensions (small piece of wood between the cockpit and the actual handle) broken off. you can push the screw and handle in and out but it stops before it comes completely out. You can hear the backing piece still connected to the screw so I know that at least that one has come loose.

You mentioned placing a "port hole" under each handle and I could get ports with bag liners to put things in. I had no idea that there was an option such as that. I thought that I would need to cut the opening and reseal it with glass. Do they make these port holes waterproof or would it not hurt to leave openings in the cockpit like that?

 

[saildan]

Re: Small sail boat rebuild

You mentioned placing a "port hole" under each handle

and I could get ports with bag liners to put things in. I had no idea that there was an option such as that.

I thought that I would need to cut the opening and reseal it with glass.

Do they make these port holes waterproof or would it not hurt to leave openings in the cockpit like that?

Behind or just below. Plot out where you get the best reach. If you drop a block or even a nut, don't grapple for it - roll the boat over so it comes within reach.

You do find more boat stuff at a marine supplier than you do at Walmart or Home Depot

Go here - search on "Deck Plate"
http://www.defender.com

​

Deck Plates are water tight. You want to keep a pontoon hull water tight and dry inside.

Dry Dry -If that emergency foam sits in a tropical steam bath, water gets in the closed cell foam anyway - same way air escapes a balloon. Then if the hull gets cracked again the darn thing sinks - fiberglass alone don't float.

A buddy gave me this link on how to install -
http://kb.sunfishforum.com/images/Inspection_Ports.pdf
Different boat but the basics are all there.

here too-
http://www.beckson.com/dpinstall.html
http://www.beckson.com/dckplt.html
Each brand is a little different so these might not be exact for what you pick up.

Another boating super store -
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/main.do