Windlass base pad

Discussions regarding electronics, gear and other equipment of maintenance issues that ARE NOT SPECIFIC to a certain PDQ model yacht
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Page 83
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Re: Windlass base pad

Post by Page 83 »

Aggressive power tools are possessed with evil intent. Cunning devices, they will wait for the most inconvenient moment, when you are stressed and poorly balanced, with toes and fingers in the way, perhaps needing to sneeze or wipe your eyes,then they will strike. With blinding speed they will dig in, rip massive chunks out of the boat and you, and then launch themselves out of your quivering, paralyzed hands into the closest and most disastrous location. They might continue to run because you locked the switch on, or they might short out plunging the neighborhood into unfathomable darkness and rendering it extremely difficult for emergency services to locate your dripping remains.

But maybe it's just me.

Then again, environmentalists who take exception to the pretty rainbow colors produced by a few drops of pertoleum product might drop into a screaming conniption fit over a floating drift of carcenogenic fiberglass dust. And perhaps some very big guy about four boats down has just finished applying the last precious drops of some very expensive wood treatment to his antique duckboards. Lets hope he is a reasonable person (even if he DOES have wood on the outside of his boat.)

So, yeah, perch on the bobbing bow of your catamaran with a raggedy-arsed length of undersized extension cord and grind away to your heart's content with a 3 hp 12" grider with the guard taken off. You are in Florida.

I am not! :D
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A few thoughts...

Post by thinwater »

Epoxies are little effected by humidity. Some can cure under water and most can handle significant dampness in substrates, including West Systems. You will have no trouble on the water. However, do try to avoid conditions where you will not have some hours before the dew settles.

Paints are different - I have painted on the water, but you need to pick the right days.

The water will catch a lot of the dust. I guess it depends on the marina. However, with a disk grinder all of the dust will go one way off the deck, so you should only need to catch dust on one side.

If you have never used a disk grinder...
* Very light touch until you get a lot of practice.
* Keep the disk nearly flat, but not quite. Use a forward quarter, when possible.
* Wear glasses!
* Wear a mask.
* Keep it moving. Sweep.

Does anyone know if the texture was applied of molded in? If molded, I would try to make a mold by pulling a waxed imprint from the other bow. I have done this on other bows - you should be able to Google-up a procedure.
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Re: Windlass base pad

Post by amytom »

So the consensus from the Chesapeake area is to wait until I haul the boat for these repairs?

What about touch up paint on the areas previously painted but still chipping away?
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Re: Windlass base pad

Post by mikeandrebecca »

Nice hijack of my thread there boys :D

Mike
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Re: Windlass base pad

Post by amytom »

Sorry Mike.

How's the windlass coming?
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Re: Windlass base pad

Post by mikeandrebecca »

It's all good.

We haven't actually done anything on the install. My thoughts were that if we needed to create a base pad we could do that now, even if we didn't complete the install until later (our boat is shrink-wrapped on the hard right now). From the lack of posts on this subject I have to assume no one has any kind of base pad under their windlass. So, perhaps it isn't necessary. It may be that if I move it forward a bit the deck will be flat enough so that I won't need it.
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Re: Windlass base pad

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Killjoy.
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Re: Windlass base pad

Post by mikeandrebecca »

Feel free to resume discussion of epoxy and fiberglass repair. I am paying attention!

:)
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Re: Windlass base pad

Post by amytom »

mikeandrebecca wrote:Feel free to resume discussion of epoxy and fiberglass repair. I am paying attention!

:)

So as we were saying...

glass work while still in the water is generally frowned upon?
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Re: Windlass base pad

Post by mikeandrebecca »

:P
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Page 83
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Re: Windlass base pad

Post by Page 83 »

Glass work on the water is possible and occasionally necessary, but adds a problem with high humidity. Pros may add something to the resin and get feudal about keeping the cloth dry. I have a grinder, and for one reason or another, haul the boat every winter, usually to add another gadget. Not recommended for the rational boat owner.
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Re: Windlass base pad

Post by thinwater »

And I keep my boat in a work-boat marina. I suspect the massive grinder attack I made on my engine mounts 2 weeks ago would created a stir other places. The water turned white with inert dust.

Grinding, painting, and throwing fish guts around are considered normal, and if you don't do some noisy and messy on-water work, you don't get no respect. When I pulled and replaced 2 engines at the dock, I got pleasant greetings, but no special comments. A regular work day.

We all get along great. I'm not a yacht club type.


Page 83 hit on an important point: I indicated that the epoxy was very humidity tolerant, but Page 83 correctly pointed out that drying the underlying material during a repair is a much larger problem. So, you can seal the windlass hole edges while afloat without difficulty, but it might be unwise to attack a repair to a crack that had been exposed to the rain for a while. All you will accomplish is sealing the water in, even if the edges of the repaired area are dry.

Please don't acquire Page 83s love of gadgetry on your PDQ 32; you haven't got the buoyancy! You will be very comfortable and well-informed... sitting on the bottom (I think I could run my home from his power supply).
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Re: Windlass base pad

Post by NautiBits »

IT is alive!!

Hijacking in progress....

This new boat of mine (almost) had a windlass at one time. It has a sturdy looking base on the starboard bow. It is the only place on the hull that is cracking and fugly. The deck buttons are still in place and the wiring appears intact under the skin(checked while exploring nooks and crannies). At some point, one of those very sexy windlass jobbies where only the rode pulley is exposed(massive motor housing underneath?) will probably get installed.

At first, I intend to pay my dues by hauling the ground tackle myself. A: I'm cheap; B: I'm bull-headed (somewhat); C: Refer to A

I like Page83's suggestion of a first meaningful fiberglass project. I will try to repair/beautify the topside patch and explore the underside options.

Is there a way to check the functionality of the electrical backbone that supports a windlass?

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Re: Windlass base pad

Post by mikeandrebecca »

Funny that you revived this thread. Just yesterday I commented to Rebecca that my windlass installation was one of the best jobs I have done on our boat. The base pad, which I did layup with West Systems, may not be pretty, but that's OK because it's under the windlass and you can't see it. The backing plate is made of starboard and I used huge stainless fender washers on each bolt. While the original windlass died, maybe 2 years after it was first installed, and was subsequently replaced with the exact same model, the install worked great.

As for pulling up the anchor by hand, that may work for coastal cruising but where we are, you NEED a functioning electric windlass. My 2 cents.
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