possible soft spot

[Quiet Magic]

When we pulled our boat out of the water last october, I was looking along the hull and noticed that the furthest aft pad on the starboard side was creating quite a large dent in the hull. In response I unscrewed and loosned the pad. Upon returning to the boat the next weekend I noticed the dent was indeed gone but, by tighting the pad the hull would flex in that spot. My question is:is this a "soft spot" in the hull and should I be really worried about it or is it nothing? And if it is a real problem how do I go about fixing something structrual like that?(this isnt the best photo)

Thnx for any help

 

[Jeff Asbury]

I would first look at the hull from inside.

I would first look at the hull from inside the boat at the area you suspect. If I understand the location correctly by your photo, that area is just under the Quarter Berth on the starboard side. Remove the cushion and there is a access compartment. Take a flash light and see if you can see any evidence of damage or softness from the inside. There is also a access panel facing the transom that you can remove to access even farther back. I just had a fair amount of glass reenforcement done on my starboard side near the Head. I suspect my boat took a hard hit before I purchased it. I will post photos in the future. To answer your question, no I don't think it should be soft in that area at all. I know that some areas of the hull on a E-27 are close to 5/8" thick. Shouldn't flex at all. Good hunting.

 

[Loren Beach]

Maybe move the pad?

Uncored hull sections can flex inward if point-loaded. Even some cored hulls do this.
Relocate the support so it is under an interior bulkhead. Also, make sure that most of the weight is on the keel.
On my Olson and our prior Niagara, the pads are there to keep 'em upright, and do not need to take major amounts of hull weight.
"YMMV"

I was over at a local yard last week to observe a buddy's Ericson 33 out of the water and they had four (!) supports on each side, all with their connecting chains going under the hull. They take no chances, what with high winds this time of year and the need for even support. This is the best quality boat yard operation in our area, IMO. The boat seemed to be resting firmly on the keel, also.

I understand that some production boats are built lightly enough that it is risky to put too much weight on the keel for fear that the hull will sag on each end... but not Olsons and Ericsons.

Opinions rendered while you wait; deposit .02, please.

Loren in PDX

 

[Emerald]

Hi,

Knowing what I know of Ericson construction, and having talked to my yard about this regarding other boats, it sounds like too much wieght is on the stands and not enough on the keel. As Loren mentions, the Ericson is not going to sag if you stand it on it's keel. Also, I know neither my past E-27 or my current Independence 31 had any signs of flex like you describe when they were out of the water.


I did extensive fiberglass repair on a '66 Columbia 24 I once owned that had permanent dimples when I bought her, we believe from long term improper blocking without enough wieght on the keel. I was able to push them out by glassing in ribs. A very extensive project.


-David
Independence 31
Emerald

 

[u079721]

Mine too

The yard where the PO of our boat kept it the winter before we bought her put damn near ALL the weight of the boat on the pads, and not the keel, with just 4 pads. As a result the hull was permantently deformed under the rear pads. The next year when my new yard peeled the hull for blisters they just built up those two areas with extra glass, and I never had a problem after that.

 

[Quiet Magic]

I see...

So what I need to do is make the pads so that they can the touch the hull but are not pushing into it really hard? Thanks for the info.

 

[u079721]

Almost loose....

You will probably get people to disagree about this, but the owner of my yard insisted that all pads should be loose enough that you could twist the screw pads by hand to back off the screw and be sure that the pad was not bearing any significant amount of weight. That is, essentially all of the weight be taken by the keel.

Not sure this rule of thumb would apply to all sailboats, but it seems to hold true for most older designs.