[Rhodes22-list] FW: My Rhodes Bantam

[David Rasberry]

-----Original Message-----
From: David Rasberry [mailto:cinetics@acsinc.net]
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2002 8:27 PM
To: Rhodes List
Subject: My Rhodes Bantam




Wally,

My Bantam is about 2/3rds done. Most of the really hard stuff is done. The
hull has been stripped and sealed with H.H. Smith penetrating epoxy inside
and out. The bottom has been patched, filled, faired, and coated with 3
coats of West epoxy with powdered aluminum barrier coat added to the last
coat. I glass taped the chines outside and the keel joints. I put a large
reinforcing patch of polyester body cloth set in epoxy and cabosil under the
mast step and forward end of the centerboard to reduce apparent hull flexing
in this area from hard sailing. This patch will hopefully have enough
flexibility to absorb the stresses without cracking. I did not want to
completely glass the hull because of added weight. There were slightly
dished in areas under the trailer supports on each side at the back of the
centerboard. I did not want to cut out the plywood,which was in very good
condition, to scarf in new sections. I also did not want to use a gallon of
filler to fair these depressions which were about 1/4" deep at worst, but
were large, covering most of the area between two frames on each side. A
solution presented itself when a woodworker friend gave me a stack of 1/16th
inch mahogany veneer sheets that had been water stained.  Using a yardstick
for a fairing batten and a pencil clamped at 1/16th inch depth intervals, I
outlined contours of the depressions and cut veneer to match. These were
laminated in place with epoxy and sanded fair. The veneer was so thin that
the laminating epoxy actually soaked all the way through, so there will be
no possibility of rot from these patches. The hull has been faired, primed,
and painted outside. Most of the inside repairs have been done. These
included scarfing in new frame sections to replace rotted ones. The rot was
mostly caused by standard hardware store steel screws being used to fasten
the sole without bedding. The screws corroded and rot entered the
surrounding wood. I removed around 130 steel screws from the boat, which is
otherwise fastened with bronze screws. I have replaced the breasthook and
and the inwales with new mahogany pieces, the inwales need to be rebedded
and faired before I paint the interior. The inwales are a little beefier
than the originals and they are through fastened with bronze bolts at areas
of high stress, with bronze wood screws used elsewhere. The originals were
copper riveted at the breasthook and quarter knees, screw fastened to the
frames. Bolts replaced the rivets and additional bolts were added at the
center frame on each side. The boat showed evidence of having been sailed
very hard. There were signs of stress in the keelson between the centerboard
case and the mast step and flexing in the sides. Hopefully the repairs will
make the boat significantly stiffer and stronger without increasing overall
hull weight by more than a few pounds. A few small delaminated and rotted
spots in the interior plywood veneers were cut out a layer at a time leaving
the outer  skin intact. These were saturated thoroughly with the Smith epoxy
sealer and patches laminated in place. The entire interior has been sealed
and is ready for final sanding priming and painting. Life being what it is,
it has been more than ten years since I did most of this work. The boat was
in storage in a friend's barn about 20 miles away, it is now at home in my
garage, so maybe it will be easier to do a little work on it now and then.
The repairs have faired well, there is no sign of any deterioration or rot
reappearing anywhere in the hull. The mast and boom were stripped, sealed
with Thompsons waterseal and varnished. The varnish has lost its gloss so it
is due for a recoat, but it is intact and in good shape, so I won't need to
completely strip it and start over. I need to make a new tiller and plan to
modify the rudder to make it a kickup rudder.  The sails are Ok but all the
standing and running rigging will be replaced. I hope I still have all of
the original hardware. My rented storage building was broken into a few
months ago, and I noticed that the box of hardware was not there. But I
vaguely remember bringing it home and putting it in the attic somewhere. I
certainly hope so. There would be no way to replace the bronze pulleys, mast
step, stem head fitting etc. Such items are no longer made from bronze for
small boats, though Bristol Bronze custom casts Herreshoff pattern hardware
for 12-1/2 restorations and Joel White's modern centerboard version.(Brang
yo money!)  This Bantam is hull #3 built by Skaneateles Boatworks,
Skaneateles Lake NY. Same company that built the original Lightning. It was
probably built in 1947, but I don't know exactly when. I rescued the boat at
a critical stage in its life. Another 6 months of untreated exposure and it
woul have been fit for use only as a seafood restaurant planter.

Razz