After thinking about building a boat for several months, we came across an ad for a used Weekender not far from us and we bought it. All things considered, this really made a lot of sense. The price was good, my wife and I both work so we have very little time for a build project, and we don't really have the space to do a long term build in the garage or yard. Even better, my father lives on a nearby lake and we were able to put the boat into the dock behind his house and use it whenever we want. The boat gets trailered for winter storage indoors, but otherwise it spends its time in the water tied to the dock. Everybody on the lake loves the appearance of the boat, and we get many compliments on it. We're also very happy with the way it sails.
So far, so good. What's not good is that we've had the boat in the water for about a month, and we're starting to get leaks into the cabin and paint peeling off of the keel below the waterline. The water seems to be coming in right at the bow, where the keel and the plywood hull come together. We're making arrangements to get the boat out of the water, but there are some bigger questions that need to be answered: Is a conventionally constructed Weekender suited to being kept in the water 7 or 8 months of the year?
If the Weekender can be kept this way, what kind of construction and materials are required? Would we need full epoxy and fiberglass, inside and out? One thing I thought was odd about this particular boat is that most of the cabin interior is unfinished - no paint, no varnish, no epoxy, just bare wood. The exterior of the boat is painted, but I don't know what's underneath it. I also don't know the quality or type of the paint used. If we were to try to bring the boat into good working order (or more likely pay someone else to), what would you recommend doing?
There's no way to know until you pull the boat and sand off some paint. I'd bet it wasn't fiberglassed.
If it's not, then you can sand the hull, fiberglass the outside, repaint with a good quality marine paint and you should be good.
Most of these boats rest on trailers so it isn't as crucial to fiberglass, but if you're planning to keep the boat in the water, then that's what I'd suggest. By doing this you can fix the problem once. If it is glassed then sand the area where the leak is should expose the problem and some epoxy should do it.
It's a lot of work to sand it down and glass the hull but then you have a worry free boat for years to come. Good luck, post pictures!
These boats were intended to live on trailers, not in a slip. They're not built well enough, by the plans to tolerate prolonged emersion time. Even if it is 'glassed, you must remember, the person that 'glassed her likely was using the stuff for the first time, so imperfections are bound to appear. The quickest way to find a leak is to leave the boat in the water.
Your description suggests the boat wasn't sheathed, so the seams are relying on some nails and sealant. Yeah, they're destined to leak. The cure is to sheath the outside, to at least several inches above the LWL. This means grinding it back to fresh wood and gooing 'er up.
Another solution would be to drag her up the beach when you're not using her and push her in when it's time to go for a sail.
We live in northern Illinois. Can anyone recommend a yard that's familiar with doing this kind of glassing and epoxy work on wooden boats?
You don't want a yard to do this, you'll pay in the neighborhood of $30 a sq. ft. Weekender has about 45 - 50 sq. ft. on her bottom, so the math is pretty simple. This type of work isn't hard and there are lots of previous threads about it, so maybe an hour of research is in order.
William,
This is precisely why when I built my Skipjack hull, from the outset I used marine grade plywood and mahogany stringers, coated screws, epoxy glue, penetrating epoxy sealer, fiberglass cloth on the entire outer hull and deck, fiberglass cloth on the floor, several coats of epoxy, barrier coat bottom paint, anti-fouling bottom paint, marine topsides paint, and several coats of varnish on the brightwork. Expensive? Oh, HELL YES!! Time consuming? Most definitely. But I now have a hull that can be left in the water without worrying about leaks or rot, since it's totally encapsulated and protected from abrasion. This in spite of the fact that it will be on a trailer most of the time. I wanted a boat that would last my lifetime and beyond.
Hi William,
On my Weekender I experienced a huge serial of casualties, tornados, hail, frost, summer sun and, of course, a lot of water inside.
I left her her on a trailer for some years and I regularly had to empty her from rain water and dew, that could also ice in winter.
Then I docked her and I had a better thermal protection (last time my lake iced it was about AD 1750), but also more water from the hull.
You can make all protection you want, but you won't ever solve definitely these problems, especially if things are as you have described, because they also depend on construction way.
I followed building the instructions of the user manual until I decided to glass with epoxy. This means that my keel stocks were glued with the advised white glue, that is not so tough as epoxy is. Very soon keel stocks detached each other in some place because of their natural deformation and this caused a water way in the keel that found an open end where the keel, the stem and the bottom join together, as I think happens to you. I sealed then this end with epoxy and avoided water to get in, but obviously the remaining water channel remained free to create rot.
Then think that Weekender is not self-bailing, the advised tube through the keel is placed too hi to drain rain water and the deck curve collect water and make pounds in the sides.
My advice is to avoid to start an expensive battle you cannot win and to enjoy with your Weekender as much you can. You bought her cheap so have fun! My Weekender lasted 6 season with hundreds of sessions and I don't regret that now I scrapped her, because we spent beautiful time together.
Gianluigi
A lot has happened since my original post. I was able to get hold of my Weekender's original builder, and the news was better than I expected. The hull and the keel are completely sheathed in fiberglass and epoxy, so I really just need to patch the crack causing the leak and then repaint the bottom with a paint meant for underwater use. I'm thinking of going with Interlux Trilux 33. But the question I still have is, how far up do I paint with the underwater paint? Just to the waterline? An inch or two above it? Should I cover the entire hull?
If the entire outside of the hull is sheathed in fiberglass and epoxy, that should be enough to prevent water intrusion (after you've made your repair). So you won't need a barrier paint coat. In this case the bottom paint should be one that will prevent fouling (antifouling paint) designed for the type of water you'll have the boat in (salt vs. fresh). One inch above the waterline should be plenty for the antifouling paint. Use a topsides paint from that point upwards, like Interlux Brightsides for example.
I worry about water sitting inside the boat more than the wet stuff underneath. If you are going to keep her in the water continuously, you should cover at least the cockpit so that no rain water can get into there and sit for long periods of time. If you let her sit wet, I bet she dies this year. Also, if she has leaked, you can bet that the plywood along the path of the water inside is wet and will begin to rot. Figure some way to dry out the path of the water before you start any repairs.Â
An alternative that might work for you is if you can keep her fully rigged and ready on the trailer and simply back her into the water each time you go out. You would still need to cover her up so that water won't sit inside her, but a quick launch is a beautiful thing to behold.Â
Al