cross beam problem..

[matt connolly]

Ive just bought a tangaroa mk4 in need of a refit. All the steel on her is rusted out, including the cross beam brackets. Can any body share any wisdom on whether its easy to extend existing beams to allow lashing,or if replacing the brackets how would one line up bracket holes with existing holes in the boat? And if they didnt,would you fill them to re drill with epoxy or hard wood dowel,or both..Or what?! Any ideas gratefully accepted.

[paul anderson]

For ultimate peace of mind i would consider building new cross beams altogether.There may be rot, too in the beams. A splice would almost be as much work i think. I would make the beams to take lashings for sure.

[matt connolly]

Thanks Paul,id say your right there. I wonder what would be a good timber to use in Australia.?

[paul anderson]

Hoop pine,is what I built my mast and beams out of.

[matt connolly]

Thanks for that,i'll sus it out.

[Don Brazier]

Hi
Bear in mind that you can obtain a design modification sheet from the Wharrams or the Australasian Wharram agent in New Zealand which gives details of changing from the old metal bracket system to the Tiki Style lashing system. You may also consider marginally increasing the overall beam if you are going to build new wooden beams.
What is the name of your new boat?
Don

[matt connolly]

I have the lashing plans,not so straight forward Im finding. She already has a 21 foot beam. Her name is Barefoot.

[Don Brazier]

Great you are already part way there. I thought I may know your boat but it was another Tangaroa I had been thinking about
Don

[Galway Bay]

What did you buy this boat for ?

If the answer is sailing then beware of modifications / improvements especially major ones on a boat you have not even sailed yet. Only by using it can you really know what YOU cannot live with.

If you want to go sailing before your pension kicks in examine the beams carefully for rot. I see nothing in your post to suggest there is anything wrong with the beams. Yes you seem to have the right ideas for dealing with redundant holes. If the beams are strong enough now how can filling-in a redundant hole weaken it ? 21ft is very wide for a 34ft Wharram although I am generally in favour of wide beam. Can you reuse these beams with lashings if you reduce the beam overall by 1ft so that the beams protrude to take lashings ? At 20ft wide you would still have a wide Tangaroa. I do not know how much work this would make reducing decking etc. but perhaps you were going to do this anyway ?

Personally I would repair / replace the fittings that came with the boat unless what you want from this boat is a never-ending saga of "D-I-Y on the Heroic Scale. After all this boat has probably been around a while .For complete peace of mind I could recommend replacing the hulls. Equally that rig - it's probably knocked about a bit ? Replace it.  And the engine?  Dodgy ? Throw it out I would say. You can't pay too much for peace of mind.

Remember the true cost of building is your time not your money. God in her wisdom gave us only a short span although it takes a while for us to realise this. Do you want to spend your life sailing or building ?

[matt connolly]

Imlolooking for the most practical,cost effective and easy way to get her sea worthy. She's swinging on a mooring 600 kms from home. The brackets are nearly fully rusted,and there is some rot in beams 1 and 4 but not sure of the extent. I like the lashings principle,but whatever will work is fine. Tangaroa mk4's are 35.5 long by the way,and the 21ft beam is good but more trying to avoid changing the deck. Over all I'm just looking at options. Thanks for the advice.

[matt connolly]

As far as the redundant holes go,I'm meaning if I get the new brackets made up and the holes in them are slightly off the existing bolt holes in the timber would you use Dowell and epoxy?or just epoxy to re drill into so everythings nice and snugg? In theory there won't be any spare holes left over...I was hoping to use the beams,but then started to think it my be a drama.

[Galway Bay]

If there is enough of the old fitting left to act as a template you should be able to make [ or have made ] accurate copies. Otherwise try making-up a template from the beams to work to ?

Filling a hole with a dowel makes it very difficult to re-drill with accuracy without using a bench drill to hold the bit steady. 

One step at a time I think. Get the replacement fittings made and offer them up before panicking ! 

I always soak holes like this in modern preservative by turning the beam on edge blocking the lower exit and filling to the top and leaving to soak. For me at any rate I have never had rot start at a hole which had been treated this way. I started boating long before Epoxy came into universal use and good though it is I do not rush off for it to solve every single problem. Wharrams have been around since the 60's and it is only since the mid 90's  that Epoxy came into general use on them.

You do not mention scarfing again and I would not consider it. If you have the skill and tools to genuinely do this then you are an exceptional woodworker with no need to look for advice here !

You seem again to have the right idea - fix what you have bought and get it sailing. You will have the rest of your life for improvements. You might even decide you don't need them !!

[Omar M. Rashash]

While not having personal experience with this product, it comes highly recommended- CPES Epoxy.  It's an epoxy specifically developed for restoration work and is comprised mainly of wood resins rather than petrochemical resins.  I've also been told it's ideal for gluing woods that are notoriously hard to glue with epoxy, specifically white oak and teak.