Thread: Another OZ MK2 PDRacer build in Sydney "Wood Duck"

Originally Posted by jmk89

Sorry to hear about the tree damage to Wood Duck
For the duck pond, try something like this
In our previous house, we dug a sump hole in one corner so all the water gathers there and then Robert is avuncular :)

Hi jmk89,

Thanks for the link. The problem with digging a sump in the pond area is that the rock is ironstone and resists heavy-duty jackhammers - as the builders found out who did the initial excavation and I did later with lump hammer and cold chisels. The pond is acting as a broad rather than deep collection area, which isn't good from the point of using a submersible pump, and also acts as a great evaporation surface, making the workswamp more humid than ever. The builder is coming over to have a look in a few days' time, so we'll be able to see what he thinks. It's all a bit hair-tearing.

Cheers,
Alex.

Originally Posted by Boatmik

Howdy and Noooooo

... for this repair you need to put some of the light glass on both sides after gluing up the cracks and smoothing the whole thing up.

It's the same method on the deck of creating a slight indentation and laying the glass into it. The slight indentation needs to be less than the first veneer thickness.

One of the nice things is that you have covered almost every repair method while building the boat!

Also for others who haven't done any of it yet ...
Q&A - How to Repair, Restore and Painit Wooden and Plywood Boats - Michael Storer Wooden Boat Plans

Best wishes
MIK

I hope that you mean do the indentation on the upper surface only - trying that underneath the deck would be too much trouble for no gain!

And yes, the memories of the aftermath of the Wobbly Weight Tower Mk 2 leapt right back up at me. Unfortunately on this occasion the finish is bright, not painted...

Here's a couple more snaps take today in daylight, as opposed to yesterday's, taken at night:

1. Daylight photo of damage. The depth of the impression of the end of the branch is clearly visible





2. Another daylight photo of damage. It's a bit of a mess...


Follow this link to my Flickr account



I'm glad that none of us broke that branch's fall.

I would be very tempted to fix the top as well as I could ... THEN give the inside a quick zap with a sandpaper and block with 120 paper and put some glass on the underside. Nobody is ever going to stick a hand up there so if it is resined it can be left at that point.

Deep breath ... hope nobody takes this next part wrongly ... I was listening to a really nice interview on national radio with a woman who was a sex worker ... one really smart person ... degrees etc and she really likes the work and clearly cares for her customer's well being.

(eeek ... hope I haven't lost anyone) .. but I am going to relate this STRONGLY to how we think about our boats.

But at one point she was talking about how almost everyone has some uncertainty and embarrassment about their bodies. And that men will tend to be embarrassed about scars from injuries or medical procedures .. things that normally hide under clothes.

So her tack (now that's a nautical term) is to ask the customer about the scar and then ask if it is OK for her to touch it.

So the story comes out and it always is a significant story that reveals something about the person ... the pacemaker, the skiing accident and evacuation, the accident in the kitchen, the cancer operation, the cosmetic surgery.

I think boats are similar. It is the scars that become the most lovely part of the boat. They are the stories.

My Beth has a plywood patch in one side where a friend went out for a sail and it got T-boned by some guys sailing an old gaffer who were not looking where they should. It ended up with a bigger straight through puncture ... could see dayling. I repaired that by regularizing the shape of the hole and putting in a plywood patch. It wasn't a big deal because of the way I think about it, but the friend who was sailing the boat (a top sailor called Ray) was mortified but eventually understood what my thinking was.

At that point most people will think of painting the boat ... but my dear old warrior boat beth has a bunch of scars ... and I love 'em all.

MIK

Hmm sorry to hear that Alex trees and boats don't mix.

At least it was not self inflicted like my latest stuff up, managed to drill not one but two holes through the hull when fitting the ribs....... I'll post some pics on my thread it'll make you feel better.

Hi MIK and Mike,

I'll respond to MIK's post after this one; Mike, I'll raise you one destroyed hull...

There was another loud bang a few minutes ago that sounded like a branch falling on power lines - but was in fact the water-filled boat falling off the trailer...

1. The boat lying where it came to rest: I haven't dared turn her over again yet





2. Track made by the water leaving the boat





3. The starboard side panel has parted company from the rest of the boat. It has actually split along plywood laminations, not the epoxy glue joints





4. Splintered plywood...


Follow this link to my Flickr Account of Doom and Gloom...



I hadn't been outside what with the heavy rain, and didn't think that the boat would over-balance off the trailer like that. I was going to go and bail her out once the rain eased off, but that's moot now. I've put some plastic over the cracked side, but I must confess that I haven't looked underneath to see what's left - or not - of the topsides.

Makes the dent in the foredeck look trivial.

Originally Posted by Boatmik

At that point most people will think of painting the boat ... but my dear old warrior boat beth has a bunch of scars ... and I love 'em all.

Hi MIK,

Your comments are the same as BobWes' remark a few pages back about scratches being worn as badges of honour. As to the foredeck - well, I was going to put some glass under it: I just wasn't going to recess the ply at that point on the inside. But after the rest of the damage, it's rather moot.

I might try and get a friend or too around to help move the boat back into the workshop if the weather dries up over the weekend.

Cheers,
Alex.

Don't know what to say Alex, that's terrible.

No hang on it can be fixed a bit of tape and some epoxy will see it back on the water.

Man the boat must have been full although I would have thought the ply should still stand up to that, what sort was it again.

The weather has been exceedingly wet - I bailed the boat out only a few days ago. The plywood was supposedly marine ply, 4 mm Pacific maple stuff. I've been pondering how I might clamp it up - maybe your suggestion plus some bricks on the inside, with the side resting flat off the gunwale on some suitable support(s). There's some more rain on the radar, after which it looks as though it might be clearing up for a bit. The current moisture is coming down from the tropics along a trough. Poor old Narrabri and places north have had it really bad. Again.

Cheers,
Alex.

Now I see why my uncle's advice was to turn the boat upside down when you get home!

So sorry to see the result of all this rain to Wood Duck

Yes indeed: your uncle had it right on the money :). I got a bit lazy and left her right way up - serves me right. Then again, if it had been upside down the branch would have gone right through the poplar-ply bottom, glass reinforcing notwithstanding.

Cheers,
Alex.

A pad and a strut cut to length on the inside to wedge between the pad and the bottom of the boat.

Brown packaging tape on the pad to make sure it is not glued on permantently!

Michael

Wow. I'm speechless. Alex, you are taking this like a hero. Whatever the outcome for Wood Duck, I think it's safe to say that the builder and this forum community have benefited immeasurably from the experience. Long live Wood Duck!

Originally Posted by Boatmik

A pad and a strut cut to length on the inside to wedge between the pad and the bottom of the boat.

Brown packaging tape on the pad to make sure it is not glued on permantently!

Michael

Hi MIK,

Thanks for that :). As to the hull cracks, see below...

Originally Posted by davlafont

Wow. I'm speechless. Alex, you are taking this like a hero. Whatever the outcome for Wood Duck, I think it's safe to say that the builder and this forum community have benefited immeasurably from the experience. Long live Wood Duck!

Hi Dave,

Thanks for your kind words, although "stoic" might be a better description ;). If I'd been heroic I would have been out in the rain bailing the boat out and this mishap would never have happened.

Here's the insides:

1. Crack in the forward cockpit, forward end. I think that the front tank is still one complete uint, despite the fact the the ply has given way on the outside. I haven't checked that yet...





2. Crack at the fore face of F1





3. Aft end of the forward cockpit part of the crack. You can see where the glue-layers in the plywood have given way. Since there was a rough estimate of upwards of 250 litres (250 kgs) of water in the boat, it's not surprising that the ply gave up. That's around a quarter of a tonne hitting the ground: something had to give...





4. Crack on aft face of F1





5. Mid-cockpit crack: it doesn't extend right the way back to F2/forward face of side air tank





6. Side air tank seems to be fine; got to be thankful for small mercies...





7. Amazingly, the topsides are almost unscathed, except for the previous ding in the foredeck of course - which is now soaking wet


Follow this link to my Flickr account



The next-door neighbour has said that we can keep the boat in his garage for a bit while I get the workshop cleared a bit and work out what I need to do to fix the puir wee girlie. Which is very kind of him :). I'm actually really surprised (see photo 7 above) that the topsides are relatively unmarked: I was fully expecting the port-side carlins to be crushed at the very least.

Once the boat has dried out a bit I'll have give it a closer inspection with the headlight and magnifiers. The rain has blown away and there is blue sky and sunshine this arvo - which makes a decided change! Much nicer :).

Cheers,
Alex.

Sorry to see the damage Alex. I thought you had your summer when we had freezing weather and snow?

Reckon she will be fine when dried out. Just look here at how badly damaged Ullapool's Skiff was, how they repaired her, and how good she looks now. She is even going to row with the Queen in the summer Jubilee events.



the repair Ulla’s repair « Ullapool Coastal Rowing Club

Brian