Question:
I'm in need of some advice. My brother bought a cheapo used
sailboat at a garage sail over ten years ago. He has since then abandoned it
and said that I can have it if I want it. A recent visit to a friend's beach
house in Florida has rekindled my interest in sailing and I'm thinking of
trying to fix it up. The problem is that it looks cheaper than I remember;
Styrofoam incased in plastic. Then 10+ years of sitting in the hot Texas sun
has made the plastic shell brittle in spots. Structurally it seems sound,
but areas were the plastic has broken away has created a couple sharp and
jagged spots that could be dangerous. I am thinking of just glassing the
whole thing, but I wanted to ask a few questions first. First and foremost
do you think it is worth the trouble? Given my current financial position,
it is either this or nothing. So I guess I should be asking IF it would
work? If I try it should I use polyester, or epoxy? Will it melt the
Styrofoam were it contacts? What weight cloth? Do you think one layer would
do the trick? Sorry about all the questions. I've done glasswork before, but
I'm far from being a pro. Unfortunately I don't know the make either. Thank
you very much for your responses.
Answer:
Used sailboats in pretty good condition can be found frequently for
probably as much as you would spend fixing this one up, especially if
you don't have any "extra" supplies around to do it.
But it all depends on if you would enjoy fixing it up. I built a
little sailboat for a lot more than I could have bought one that size
for, but it was part of the process of learning about boats, becoming
part of a community of amateur boat builders, etc. So for me it was
definately worth it.
If the rigging and sail is in good condition, and the only thing you
need to do is get some epoxy and patch the hull, it might be worth it.
See if you can find epoxy sold in quarts ... but it is often pricey.
Epoxy won't melt the styrofoam, as far as I know (although I would
test a small patch first!) You might find someone near you who is
into building boats, and has some spare materials they will sell you
inexpensively.
