Lido 5029 rebuild

2010-03-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry, but I'm discontinuing the blog. I've tried over a dozen times to post something new that is more than a few paragraphs and that has pictures, but "Blogger" has created so many problems, and lost so many of my posts, that it is just not worth my time anymore.

The boat work continues and is nearing completion. If anyone would like to see my updated work or hear news, please email me.

One big contribution for the project came from John Papadopoulos of Double Wave. He supplied a killer rudder design that allowed me to make a carbon rudder from a female mold. Thanks John!

Hope to see you soon on the water!

South to North

2010-02-05T12:56:00.001-08:00

Key West race week

Big White Canada

Back to Dubai next week. Have to work on boat in the mean time.

Centerboard trunk stiffeners

2010-01-14T15:00:00.001-08:00

I've finally installed these very necessary supports. Although classic lidos don't often fail catastrophically the general lack of stiffness is a concern to someone like me coming from other one-design classes.
Without supports, the centerboard trunk seems dangerously mobile.

I will be attaching the supports permanently with glue not fasteners.

I've heard that some people attempt to solve the misalignment of the centerboard trunk by forcing it to the side before attaching the supports. I found that doing so on my boat would have distorted the hull underneath. So I'm just gluing it in place as is.
Because I am building my own centerboard, I can shim the head so that it hangs straight down dispite the natural tilt of the trunk.

I basically took some tubing, cut a flat spot by sawing down the center, and attached flat c-plate to adhere to the front of the seats.
Actually holding the supports in place while the epoxy set was very difficult, but we got it done as a team effort.

Not pretty, not easy, but it'll turn out well. We're not finished yet, and won't be able to for about three weeks. Now, I've got to fly off to Key West race week.

Sneak Peek

2010-01-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

Here are some images from my current projects. I won't say what they are unless someone asks. I'll just say it will be a guess for now.

Little parts

2010-01-07T20:37:00.000-08:00

This is probably the most enjoyable part of my rebuild. Construction is wrapping up on a couple of parts. I've made jib-cleat stands. I'm also ready to glue on some supports for the centerboard trunk.

Two carbon plates, glued at just under 90 degrees.
Then I sanded it all up, laid two layers of +-45degree pre-preg cloth. Then I made a bleed stack, vacuum bagged it and cooked it for 8 hours.

Unwraped it, cut the edges off with a band saw, and routed the corners

Then I traced some cleats

More cutting, grinding, and sanding, then about 3 coats of some really cool clear stuff.

Ok, that's all for this post. I'll make another one in a sec. Lots of work getting done, all will be presentable soon. I'm very satisfied with the progress. I'm also thinking that I am ready to shape my own Centerboard...hmm

Secondary Bonding on Deck Supports

2010-01-03T18:28:00.000-08:00

I've laid out my cloth here, prepped the parts, masked off the areas on the boat that might be fallout zones for guck and stuff, cleaned everything after sanding thoroughly, and prepped tools, brushes, sticks and other supplies.

I measured out my dimensions and marked them on masking tape

This makes cutting the pieces easy and accurate. It saves valuable time because once the epoxy is mixed, there begins a race against time.

All the surfaces are primed by painting on thickened epoxy. If there are any holes, they get filled. Also the front face with exposed nomex got extra goo. This is so the honeycomb, with its air bubbles and limited bonding surface adheres well to the laminate.
Here is a piece cleaned and ready to prime

Here it is after receiving three strips of laminate, one in each corner, and one over the edge.
On a Lido, as I'm sure others have discovered as well, it is very difficult to glue, sand, or laminate up in the corner and under the deck. However, take time to make sure that area is sweet and well bonded to the deck. This whole fix will not seem stiff if the deck is not actually connected and there is a gap between it and the top of the support.

All finished and under heat.

Soon I get to sand it up and this fix is done. I've not decided whether to paint it white, or use clear coat. Any suggestions???

Almost finished with deck supports

2010-01-02T16:52:00.000-08:00

Number one hull modification, paint. Number two Hull modification, deck stiffeners. The second step is relatively complete. Its all cosmetic from here. We only need to add some laminate for weatherproofing and secondary bonding purposes, but the strength is all there, and what a difference!!! This is important for me, a relatively large human, to be able to roll tack aggressively with confidence in my boat. Mission accomplished.

After bonding the two layers of carbon to the hull and deck, we noticed a definite uniform increase in strength and decrease in flex. Next we shaped our cross-supports with a small saw and by hand-sanding.

Next, we glued them in place, using a generous bead across the contact edge. This could be thickened epoxy, or a specialty glue like spabond, epibond, plexus, etc.

Problems:
I can see already that swinging the whisker pole around on a windy race day could damage these frames. Also, the materials are of no matter. Fiberglass, carbon, or wood, polyester or epoxy should make little difference in weight or result for this application. Wood and epoxy could be all you need to get this done. I saw a successful result made from g-10 plastic bonded with some fiberglass. I think our materials may be hard to come by and fragile. However, take some time in building no matter the material. Our focus was not on exact measurement, but attention to quality in the preparation, gluing and laminating processes. Strength and durability over look.

Measurement: I'll forward the measurements to anybody who asks, but it was simply a matter of even spacing, and seating position. We used three supports. One in front but near the jib cleat for the crew. Another positioned at the aft end of the centerboard trunk, and one in between.

Rudder update:

Construction method is pre-preg from a female mold. construction has begun, more to follow...

More work

2010-01-02T10:35:00.001-08:00

I've been working too much, but finally have generated progress on the boat.
For the centerboard:
Clear-cut cedar, no knots, make sure the grain is straight, wood is dry and aged. Green wood is wet, heavy, and prone to warping over time.

Cut into strips then glue together. Prime surfaces with epoxy then blob more glue and clamp

Then grind off the extra epoxy, plane it, trim it.

I'm trying to get a friend to
Draw up a shape on autocad or rhino. Then I'll take the file to a guy with a CNC machine. Otherwise I'll have to do it the old-fashioned way.

Actual fun amidst boat stress

2009-11-26T20:54:00.001-08:00

Yep, I rode that camel

This is a guy who spun on stage without stop for a little over 10 minutes!

Arabian guards on horse back!

Check out the racing at www.rc44.com

Boat work in 93 degrees or is it 30??

2009-11-26T20:45:00.001-08:00

There are no Lidos in Dubai, and it's a lot more difficult to re-rig an RC44 than a lido. Still, there's time for a little snowboarding!

The Emirates mall indoor ski slope!

Boga, (boat Yoga)

2009-11-15T20:03:00.002-08:00

Its a new yoga pose, fitting under the lip of the lido's deck to sand and laminate.

This morning Lisa joined me and we measured out the positions of the boat's hull-to-deck supports. First, it gets laminated. That was the step we set out to accomplish today.

We sanded down to fiberglass, wet up two layers of 200 gram cloth with the weave at +/-45 degrees. I chose to wet out the layers at the same time, this saved half the work as we only had to cut once, wet out once, and laminate onto the boat once.

Immediately apply peel-ply and brush onto the surface of the carbon. Make sure to clean with acetone and prime the surface of the boat with epoxy before laminating onto it. Laminate needs to be properly wet-out and use a brush with clipped bristles or roller to make sure there are no air bubbles.

Here's how it turned out.

This process is not finished. We need to manufacture supports and bond them on as well.

Also on the plate today, the painting of the transom. We threw on the first coat and used the same stuff I used for the hull.
Its an excellent barrier coat, performs like a primer, and sets up very very hard. If not wet-sanded in hull applications within 3 days, it becomes an absolute chore.

Here's the transom sealed with epoxy.

Gave it a good sand and applied first coat.
Also, we put on the preventers for the shrouds using a Ronstan tang and some dyneema. Lisa did her first splice, beautiful eh?

Stay Tuned

2009-11-14T18:44:00.001-08:00

This has been a slow week. I work too much and I haven't had time to work on the boat since painting it, except to wet-sand.

Wet sanding grit began at 400 and I finished with 800 grit. Then I intend to burnish with fine rubbing compound and coat with McLube Hullkote.

Tomorrow, I will have a post with some more rigging details, painting of the transom, and the lamination process that begins the construction of hull, deck supports. After that, there will be a two week hiatus because I have to travel to Dubai to sail in a regatta. I'll probably post a few pics from that as it might be a refreshing addition to the blog, but I won't be able to do more work on my lido until December. Thanks for the interest and support. Stay tuned!

Painting

2009-11-08T17:21:00.001-08:00

Ok, so it's not a very creative title, but trust me; this has been the most exciting achievement on my boat so far!

What an accomplishment! If you're willing to do all the moving, sanding, and prepping required, and know a friend who will spray paint for beer, this adventure can cost as little as... $33.17!

Alright, I could have attempted the painting with a little instruction, but it was good to have a friend who was confident and experienced operating the paint gun. Rrrright then, pictures.

Ok, first off, I did sand the boat four more times. Twice with 120 grit. It's very important to note, that I finished the sanding with 2 rounds of 220 grit! Not 120!!

Having the right grit is important. It depends on the paint you use as well as the method, spray vs. Rolling. However, too fine a grit will inhibit the paint and keep it from adhering properly. Too coarse a grit will leave you with a streaky result. In my case, 220 was an optimum compromise.

Sanded and cleaned with acetone.

There he goes...

Two coats later and she's done. Wow, as I said before, this is very exciting!

What a result!

Ok, not to paint on the philosophy here, but it is very important to FINISH boat work. This coating will make the boat as slick as a day-old fish carcass on a slip'n slide, but it won't matter at all if I get an over early, miss a shift, or mess up my roll-tacks. My motivation is high to refurbish this boat, because I need to have it complete and sailing if Lisa and I are to get the practice on the water that is so very essential to any success in regattas.
Next, I make foils and reinforce the deck. Stay tuned, and please, leave comments!

Let's try this

2009-11-06T22:12:00.001-08:00

For the vang, I'm going to try and avoid a new fitting. This means that I'll use splice trickery to figure something out.

I would encourage everyone to learn how to splice modern 12-strand ropes such as dyneema or vectran. It's easy to do and only requires a needle, thread, and some bendy wire for a fid.

Sites like samsonrope.com have free splicing instructions.

Ok for the vang, without an actual "vang fitting" I had to go back to the mainsheet for a point to secure.

The thing loops through the fitting and around the boom.

Travels down the boom...

Then it loops around the boom again. I had to measure a bit to get the length right, because of the angle caused by the vang itsself.

Then a little Karver block for coolness. Who said old boats can't be hip?

This weekend I paint the boat. I might not be able to resist sanding it ten more times. All that old gel-kote is just weight, plus who doesn't like to get sweaty and covered in dust for a few hours?? Ahhh

Rigger Mortis Part 2

2009-11-04T12:58:00.001-08:00

For the halyards I used "Dinghy Control" by Robline. I like that it comes in small diameters and has a bright-colored UV resistant dyneema core.

Main halyard.

It's nice to have a line that I can taper. The covered portion is great for gripping those classic lido mast-base cleats.

...And jib halyard

I made some prototype jib sheets by throwing a dyneema core inside a polyester cover.

I wanted to minimise friction in tacks so I decided a continuous line in front of the mast was the way to go. So I spliced some vectran into a "y" shape, inserted the arms into the main jib sheet, and secured them with a deep bury and some whipping.

For the whisker pole, I added an extra cross-over to the splice and reinforced it with a twine lashing.

Perfect fit!

Secured to sail.

This is a good prototype set, probably good for medium and heavy air. I have some more refinement to do with line types and diameters.

Rigger mortis

2009-11-02T21:48:00.000-08:00

Every so often I have to wait for glue to dry, or just want to break the monotony of sanding.

So I indulge in the monotony of rigging. I was fortunate to get a boat with a nice, clean rig.

It needed some modern fittings and new shrouds, also new running rigging. But first...!

Who can name these classic bits in order from top to bottom???

And their replacements...

That's right, no new vang fitting. I have plans.

Statement of Porpoise

2009-11-01T18:40:00.001-08:00

At this point in the project, I would like to inform readers about purpose. The project began with an inexpensive used dinghy.

In a joint-owned cooperational team effort between Colin and Lisa, and with additional help from the landed gentry, we intend to refurbish and modify Lido 5029 and, "Get 'er race ready"!

Colin and Lisa plan to race the boat in several regattas culminating in the Lido class nationals for 2010.

The intention is to have everything finished and the boat in the water January 1, 2010 for a frostbite regatta.

This blog can be referenced freely. If anyone has a question or comment, please post a note and I'll be happy to respond. If you'd like to post any pictures or words in a published work, please ask.

We are not trying to make the boat into a great beauty, but where performance, weight, strength, and safety are concerned, the aim is to optimize within the rules.

-Colin

More hull work

2009-11-01T18:20:00.001-08:00

Sanded, faired, sanded, faired and sanded again with 120grit. It is prepared to paint.

With a dremmel, then by hand sanding, I removed the lip at the aft end of the centerboard trunk.

Fill all old fitting holes

2009-11-01T00:22:00.001-07:00

Repair transom

2009-11-01T00:16:00.001-07:00

Wood in the transom was soft due to moisture. We flipped the boat and heated it for several days to make sure it was dry. Then, the technique was to separate the cracks, inject epoxy with slow hardener into every seam, paint the surface, and then clamp.

After it was clamped, I scraped some if the excess and then went over the lot with some thickened epoxy to get the desired level of build.

Hull repair

2009-11-01T00:04:00.001-07:00

In Several places, the gel-kote had cracked and needed repair.
Materials used:
Pro-set epoxy
Colloidal silica
Fairing thickener

Sanding...

Boom stiffening

2009-10-31T23:32:00.000-07:00

30" carbon tube slightly narrower than the inside diameter of the boom

I then wrapped it with a layer of fiberglass. That will create an electrically inert intermediate material when bonding the carbon tube to the aluminum boom.

Add heat...

And viola!

Sanded up and ready to go.

Boom stiffener bonded to aluminum with epibond 420.

First, and then...

2009-10-31T15:19:00.001-07:00

First take off all metal, and then...

Get the grinder and expose hidden wood!

Remove existing fittings including hiking straps

Blocks, eyes and cleats

Weight

2009-10-31T14:59:00.001-07:00

With a properly calibrated scale, my father Stephen and I hung the boat with all required sailing apparatus, minus the whisker pole and sails. All up weight as received is 304lbs.

The class minimum is 310lbs. However, there are a few things missing...

Story until this point

2009-10-31T14:49:00.001-07:00

The boat is a 1985-86?
Sail/hull 5029.

Condition:

Hull; 20% blistered gel coat, 3-4 major spider cracks in hull need repair. One big chip in the bow/

Sails; probably the originals...

Rig; all very good. No corrosion. Stainless spreaders existed as an after-market special. I replaced them with the class standard aluminum spreaders.

Rigging; all replaced. Details later.

Foils; bad centerboard, warped rudder.

The boat cost $1400.00, in very good condition over all and nothing has been changed from original.

-- Posted from my iPhone

The little boat, all stock, untouched

2009-10-29T21:21:00.001-07:00