Hello everyone!
I was given a GH31 last year by a friend who reckons he is now too old to look after her. The boat was being prepped for launching by a local guy who has been looking after the boat (supposedly) but I found a number of issues involving rot and decided to keep her out of the water to do a better job.
I have discovered various rotten areas, mainly around the cockpit and at the steps leading up to the forward deck. I had also noticed a soft spot next to the mast mounting plate and under it. Not visible from inside, only outside.
I removed the galavanised/painted mast base yesterday and found rust under it about 10mm thick like a whole plate had rusted. The wood "levelling" piece under this essentially disintegrated in my hands. The only solid parts were around the bolt holes, where at some point in the past they had poured epoxy resin down there to reinforce it I guess.
I am looking for any advice/knowledge on what wood to use for the new mounting piece, and whether there was originally a second steel plate between the mast base and wood. I can't imagine that all the rust I found is part of the mast base which seems to be in an otherwise reasonable condition...
Any advice welcome!
I will post some photos too as soon as I have them sorted
A liitle info on the boat, she is plywood, fiberglass sheathed to about hafway up the sides. New engine and mainsail, very well equipped, generally looked after except for the bad worksmanship. Previous name was Terrapin, before that Marona. We intend to call her Luna Anarcha. She is white right now with black antifoul but I intend to finish the hull in pastel green with dark green or red trim and red antifoul, also a cream deck
Golden Hind 31 Restoration
Moderators: Eventide Owners Group, Piskie, chris s
Re: Golden Hind 31 Restoration
Hello. I'm not really able to help but if you don't manage to get a response here there's a very helpful (and knowledgeable) chap on the YBW forum who's recently restored a Golden Hind 31. His user name is Trannona. Look him up - I'm sure he'll help. Regards.
Re: Golden Hind 31 Restoration
Hi - not on very much here, but if this is still a problem, here are a couple of suggestions.
1The connection between the bulkhead of the cabin and the floor of the cockput is kinda a standard problem with any GH with wooden bulkheads.
While my GH (a 26) has a fibreglass hull (and cockpit floor and walls) - the thing leaked like a seive and ultimately rotted out.
I replaced the starbord side in 2019, and am currently working on a (bigger) fix on the port side. - see http://www.eventides.org.uk/forum/viewt ... ?f=8&t=452
I should have fixed the lot the first time round!
anyway. There is a beam that runs accross the boat - just at the step - on mine it (was) oak (and I think red oak (shame)) which rotted away completely from a foot either side of the companionway. I replaced it with Iroko (much harder and lasts, but heavy!). Its in 2 parts now, butt jointed and sistered. To stop any leaks from that joint between floor and bulkhead, you really need to replace or strengthen it as any movement there will make repairs pointless.. Its not on a beam shelf (on mine) - but fastened to the bulk head with small bolts. In my case, fuel tank out, galley out, (and for port last time) chart table out (which was a good excuse to remake the lid with some nice teak & mahogany strips I had lieing about). (I might put a beam shelf in and bolt both the beam and the shelf together - it is epoxied now, havent decided.
There are plenty of YT videos to help with the process of making new bulkheads - just chop down until you find solid ply and get a nice straight line cut out. I left any wooden trim in place to use as reference points. I cannot get decent marine ply here, so at the reccomendation of a local boatbuilder, used the best Birch ply i could, and applied a feew coats of epoxy. I bought the ply 2mm thinner than before - as I want to put a sheet of gibreglass over it as well. I avoided most screws or bolts replacing fixtures because I dont want to introduce the risk of wet points. I made (on the starbord side) the new stringer/bulkhead in 2 parts as it was going to be impossible to fit in a single sheet - however, there is also a strip of iroko 2 inches wide by 5mm epoxied in to sister the butt joint. The joint between the floor (which now rests on the new Iroko beam) and the bulkhead will have a couple of bolts to tie the beam to the bulkhead - but epoxy and sika provide the waterproofing of the joint. As I am still working on the starboard side, I dont know if it worked! (the boat has a tarp over her at the moment for working). There was one drip to port - but I am not worried about it as its not near the electrics, is much better than before, and the ply bulkhead is sound with a coat of epoxy (an no holes for screws anywhere near it!)...
I had also replaced part of the coachroof where a winch had been installed without epoxy protection. Looks fine still (I did this with laminates of fine plywood, bult up to the level of the existing deck and sheathed the area with GF and epoxy.
At the end of the day - plywood is relatively easy to work with - I am not a craftsman - and it likely takes me longer - but enjoy doing my own work and have more confidence in the boat from having seen all the sins of previous custodians!
JFJ
1The connection between the bulkhead of the cabin and the floor of the cockput is kinda a standard problem with any GH with wooden bulkheads.
While my GH (a 26) has a fibreglass hull (and cockpit floor and walls) - the thing leaked like a seive and ultimately rotted out.
I replaced the starbord side in 2019, and am currently working on a (bigger) fix on the port side. - see http://www.eventides.org.uk/forum/viewt ... ?f=8&t=452
I should have fixed the lot the first time round!
anyway. There is a beam that runs accross the boat - just at the step - on mine it (was) oak (and I think red oak (shame)) which rotted away completely from a foot either side of the companionway. I replaced it with Iroko (much harder and lasts, but heavy!). Its in 2 parts now, butt jointed and sistered. To stop any leaks from that joint between floor and bulkhead, you really need to replace or strengthen it as any movement there will make repairs pointless.. Its not on a beam shelf (on mine) - but fastened to the bulk head with small bolts. In my case, fuel tank out, galley out, (and for port last time) chart table out (which was a good excuse to remake the lid with some nice teak & mahogany strips I had lieing about). (I might put a beam shelf in and bolt both the beam and the shelf together - it is epoxied now, havent decided.
There are plenty of YT videos to help with the process of making new bulkheads - just chop down until you find solid ply and get a nice straight line cut out. I left any wooden trim in place to use as reference points. I cannot get decent marine ply here, so at the reccomendation of a local boatbuilder, used the best Birch ply i could, and applied a feew coats of epoxy. I bought the ply 2mm thinner than before - as I want to put a sheet of gibreglass over it as well. I avoided most screws or bolts replacing fixtures because I dont want to introduce the risk of wet points. I made (on the starbord side) the new stringer/bulkhead in 2 parts as it was going to be impossible to fit in a single sheet - however, there is also a strip of iroko 2 inches wide by 5mm epoxied in to sister the butt joint. The joint between the floor (which now rests on the new Iroko beam) and the bulkhead will have a couple of bolts to tie the beam to the bulkhead - but epoxy and sika provide the waterproofing of the joint. As I am still working on the starboard side, I dont know if it worked! (the boat has a tarp over her at the moment for working). There was one drip to port - but I am not worried about it as its not near the electrics, is much better than before, and the ply bulkhead is sound with a coat of epoxy (an no holes for screws anywhere near it!)...
I had also replaced part of the coachroof where a winch had been installed without epoxy protection. Looks fine still (I did this with laminates of fine plywood, bult up to the level of the existing deck and sheathed the area with GF and epoxy.
At the end of the day - plywood is relatively easy to work with - I am not a craftsman - and it likely takes me longer - but enjoy doing my own work and have more confidence in the boat from having seen all the sins of previous custodians!
JFJ