GP14 Repair

[lawrence_craig]

Hi all,

I recently purchased a 1981 GP14 but a definite wooden boat novice. However I unfortunately found that when putting her in the water she was taking some on. Further inspection seems to be she is leaking from the bow and along the bit of timber on the hull thats nailed along the bottom.

My first thoughts were to strip back the paint and inspect the timber. Its possible that there are some nails that need eproxed. I was also going to eproxy coat where the leaks are and then repaint her.

Has anyone got any thoughts or advice on this? Any recommended tools/paints/chemicals etc?

Many thanks,
Lawrence

[bornagainmothie]

Has the boat been off the water for a long time? Traditionally built GPs were not very well sealed around the centreboard casing so when the timber dries out and shrinks there can be gaps and hence leaks. A leak around the bow is unusual though, does it have a buoyancy tank forward of the mast?
Can you be sure where the water is getting in? Maybe remove all the floorboards inside before launching to see exactly where the leak is.

along the bit of timber on the hull thats nailed along the bottom.

Do you mean along the centre (the Keel or keelson)or or one of the rubbing strakes running parallel to the centre nailed to the bottom panel?
Possible trailer damage that has cracked the joints?

If you can get some photos of the effected areas I'm sure we can help you fix it.

Lyndon

[lawrence_craig]

Has the boat been off the water for a long time? Traditionally built GPs were not very well sealed around the centreboard casing so when the timber dries out and shrinks there can be gaps and hence leaks. A leak around the bow is unusual though, does it have a buoyancy tank forward of the mast?
Can you be sure where the water is getting in? Maybe remove all the floorboards inside before launching to see exactly where the leak is.

Yes, apparently not been in the water up to 4 years. I thought she had dried out as well so I removed the floorboards then filled her with an amount of water to see where she was leaking. There is a leak at the bottom of the bow (picture attached) which was quite a major leak (i.e. constant water dribble). There are some minor drips along the keel which may be because she's dried out. What do you think? I'm currently thinking to strip and Eproxy the bow leak, put her in the water and see if soaking her will fix the minor drips.

Do you mean along the centre (the Keel or keelson)or or one of the rubbing strakes running parallel to the centre nailed to the bottom panel?

Sorry, yes, I meant the outer keel as per this picture http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee18 ... llDrwg.jpg

Many thanks, Lawrence

[bornagainmothie]

The bow leak is worth investigation under the paint, unless you can see a problem with the keelband fixings. It would have to be a very long screw that went all the way through the stem framing, but anything is possible.
The structure of a "built to the plans" GP consumed vast quantities of the rain forests, but all that timber provided nice wide glue surfaces to stick the panels onto. Add to that a good few boxes of brass screws and it shouldn't ever fall apart, which is why its unusual to get leaks around the bow. Maybe there just wasn't enough glue somewhere or its had a hard knock on the bow which has cracked it. Any cracks in the paint along the seams?
You didn't say if it has a bow tank? Highly recommended normally (after capsize it makes it possible to sail away without submarine tendancies!) but if not its possible to have a good look inside for clues.
From the outside, maybe remove the paint, take out some screws and see if the bottom panel moves from the framework, if so use your epoxy to stick it back together. Its better to know its properly secured rather than painting epoxy on the outside and hoping for the best.

See what you find there before disturbing the keel or taking too much paint off, hopefully its an easy fix.