Where do I start...?

by Alkis
(Athens - Pelio (Volos) Greece)

Hi there.

I have brought this 1975 Perryman Puck I sort of fell in love with, all the way from the Norfolk Broads to Central Greece (Pelio peninsula where I have a house - Pagasitikos Bay opposite Skiathos island) - via lorry not sail! - with the hope to slowly refurbishing it.

It looks very handsome in older photos and was actually in the water and floating when I bought it but it transpires that a lot of the ply-wood is rotten and needs replacing.

I am new to this (although I had another fibre glass boat), and wonder whether doing it patches-by patches and keeping it in wood or applying epoxy and fibreglazing it is best...?

Any ideas welcome!

Kind regards,

Alkis



Comments for Where do I start...?

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Where do I start ?
by: Harry

Hi Alkis.

Just a word of caution , about bright finished ( varnished or clear coated ) decks Alkis ;

Unless you can cover the entire surface under a canvas cover , the Ultra-Violet rays under the Meditterranian summer sun will break down the clear varnish coating in short order.

A canvas cover would stop most of that , but then you face other problems , particularly lack of ventilation , and yet more future rot issues.

Although genuine canvas ( military / army grade canvas ) will " breathe and let air permeate through it , while keeping the rain out , it also creates a hot , and sometimes humid space where mold and rot can establish.

Its a hassle to have to uncover the boat when you want to use it , and its expensive to buy ( let alone fabricate ) the cover. Storing the cover is also quite problamatic.

I sincerely advise against too much brightwork ( varnished ) surfaces , at least on the exterior , it`s a maintenance nightmare !

Covering the decks with canvas set in Titebond II , or even better , Titebond III wood glue is a much better option.

Canvas decking
Bilge keels
by: Alan

Hi Alkis,
beautiful lines, beautiful boat, although the rot must've been daunting to find.
Wish you all strength of spirit to keep going with the project.

As to bilge keels, your bilge keels are splayed as are the keels on my boat, although mine are filled with ballast.
Having splayed keels really does help with sailing performance.
As the boat heels the lee keel starts to penetrate deeper and better resists leeway drift.
They will also, as others have stated help steady or slow the roll.
The Halcyon sailing boats have similar keel setup to yours, ie centre keel holds the ballast with bilge keels either side.
They have an outstanding seakeeping reputation.

All good wishes, Alan
My Maybelle
by: Alkis

Hi Harry!

I wrote you a long note yesterday and managed to have it dissappear on me, I could not send it!

Anyway I was thanking you for your kind encouragement it is so important others in the know think it is a lovely yacht potentially as I do - (have I had some stick from my boating mates here for bringing it over in such a state and cost!) - it makes me want to repair it more and do it well, make it look really beautiful and for keeps...key points there you made, I watched a good video on heat gun paint removal and painting with roller and brush, makes it look easy!

I can see why ensuring the "rod" seal deck rim must be absolutely waterproof and it can make a nice feature too!

This takes me to what to do about the deck that has had a lot of blue paint on it and I suspect I may have to replace altogether...

I was looking at some beautifully varnished slatted deck surfaces that would be lovely but very expensive I guess...have a look at "The Boat Chippy" eg; would be wonderful if I could do such similar treatments, also on the open seating space at the stern area and varnish nicely the superstructure too - make it a real "classic". In for a penny in for a pound. I feel I have a duty to bring out its potential beauty!

The mast as you can see is held via a metal-base and bolts so it drops at bridges (not an issue in the sea I will never have to do that) looks good like this but I wonder, will it be strong enough over time...could it break in a strong wind...?...should I patent a stronger permanent holder for it?

I aslo want to make it varnished and beautiful inside - it is in pretty solid knick inside needs beautifying though - it has 4 good wide berths, 2 diagonal at the bow that even has a door as a separate room and I will see if I can find a way of making that a convertable double, there must be a way perhaps by adding a "wing" on the side of the berth that can meet in the middle but I must think of a way to steady them flat.

I just had a slashed tendon very painful op by putting an "anchor" in my bone and 4 wires in my left shoulder to tie the tendon(the result of lifting heavy motorbikes when falling - not in accidents simply by carelessness in stationary positions usually - over many years, the climax straw on the camel's back of which was just recently with my current monster 1300cc Hayabusa...), so in a month I should be bionic fit and even stronger than before to get on with it.

Best regards,

Alkis
Best regards,

Alkis
Paint stripping
by: Harry

Hi Alkis

I think those bilge keels can act a little like stabilizers and slow the roll of the boat in a seaway , if somewhat at the expense of extra added drag of course , but it`s not that important with this boat .

It`s a good looking little yacht Alkis.

Google " Paint stripping with a heat gun - youtube
good help there.

As soon as the paint starts to blister, you just scrape it off ...I have done it like that and it is relatively easy , once you get started.

The most important area on your boat to check is the hull / deck joint , if rain water gets in there the boat will rot out. Make sure that joint is 100 % watertight.

Looking forward to the pictures.
Maybelle
by: Alkis

Thanks Harry

so glad people think its good i like the shape of it, unusual and rare to have a bilge-keel like this in greece...do you think it ll be good in the often rough aegean i wonder...the central keel hass lead weight in it to make it steadier but i guess it is more of a river-estuary affair hence shallow but i still hope can take some waves, the mast although hollow i guess to make it lighter is quite tall and could move it around a bit...

it is interesting reading articles claiming bilge keels can be steadier than deep central ones...

in any case i will have it in pagasitikos bay near volos in central greece which is like a lake although it can get quite rough there too and hope to just venture to the sporades isles - skiathos skopelos alonisos weather permitting.

what is the best way to remove the paint to expose the plywood - does one start by burning with a gun and what type of gun - any clues?

then replace the rotten parts and get all the rot out sure - how best to handle the deck and superstructure do you think...if you notice it looks quite handsome in its old light brown picture! i d like to bring it back to something like it...the deck has been painted blue i have to see what's under there too. it would be nice to apply wood strips but i guess not cheap...

its all exciting and funny when you think it costed me more than twice to lorry it over from norwich than to buy!i had to bite the bullet as i left sudden and the alternative really would have been to abandon it i did not the heart to do...

i will of course put on photos when i get going and if any of you fancy a trip to these parts and sailing it can be arranged a friend has Nereida - you can google to see it a lovely classic 2 mast old english boat he has brought from turkey and restored to perfection that is in my parts and needs to be seen...

happy new year.

Alkis
Hi Alkis , great boat!
by: Harry

Hi Alkis , great boat !

Sad to hear about the rotten plywood Alkis , but it`s not really that hard to repair.

I assume that this boat is built stringer on frame , so removing the affected plywood should not be too hard.

Depending on how large the bad areas are you may be able to scarf in good plywood in areas or remove the entire sheet and replace it.If that is the case , and once you have the underlying frame-work exposed , do make sure that no rot has travelled to the frames and underlying structure.In other words , make sure that you get ALL of it ......if there are black areas on the framing ( not soft ) treat it with wood preservative to kill rot spores before you glue on new plywood.

Epoxy is the best glue to use for this .

As Mike has already said , try to really dry that boat out as thoroughly as you can , so you don`t feed any rot spores already present.

Best of luck , and send some pictures of your progress if possible.
My Maybelle
by: Alkis

Thanks.
This is the issue really that there are large sections/areas of plywood rotten and need replacement which I am planning to do anyway but given that the erosion is more than I thought (I had not been able to see the boat it was in the water when I bought it and he would not lift it)

I was wondering whether too much patchwork may then need sealing all over...

I will remove the paint first to see the exact extent.

I am told needs to burn it off but one must be careful...

Cheers
wheredo i start
by: Anonymous

Epoxy should always be looked on as the last stand for any timber.

If the timber is new there is no good use for epoxy other than as a glue.

Epoxy is only usefull if the budget will not allow a proper repair it will not prolong the life and in fact will probably cause a lot of related problems with not allowing natural movement.



My Maybelle
by: Alkis

Hi Mike

Sure I was going to replace the ply, I am just not sure whether the added protection of epoxy/fibreglazing (although I love wood) is something I must consider...is it bad for the wood not allowing it to breathe?

Plus I imagine the cost could be prohibitive to do it all...

Cheers

Alkis
Classic
by: Mike

Yes she is a beauty, she's got a real 'classic' look.

Rig up an awning to keep the rain off and open up the hatches to allow the air to circulate through.

I would suggest replacing the rotten ply, as even if you decide to epoxy that will need a solid dry substrate.

Go for it and surprise yourself with what you can do when you put your mind to it.
My Maybelle
by: Alkis

Dear Michael,

Thank you for this I am so glad you think so. I need the encouragement! It is surprisingly spacious inside too.

I had to leave Suffolk where I lived and come to Greece suddenly - the plan was that I would keep in in the Broads for some 5 years, do it up etc, so I had to make a decision: do I give it away and be chased for mooring fees too with me in Greece or pay twice as much as I paid for it which was only 1,350 (I paid 3K to bring it here) and believe in it!

I am glad I did the latter. It was worse than I thought rot wise as it was in the water and I also got a boat certificate for it and a license that are still valid! Soon I made a sizeable hole on its side just by scratching it once on land in Greece!

Yes, absolutely, that is the thing to do remove the paint to begin with!

Best wishes,

Alkis
Where to Start
by: Michael

She is a lovely boat Alkis.

It must have been heart-breaking to have hauled her all that way and then finding the rot.

Whichever way you decide to go the first thing to do is to get her thoroughly dried out and then strip off the paint so you can see exactly how bad the rot is.

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