REPAIRS - what's it like after five years in the water!

[Thomas Nielsen]

I'm taking Tsunamichaser apart this winter after five years in the water.  Other than quick inspections while beached, I've never pulled her fully apart since launching.  God only know how much stuff is weaseled away in the hulls!  That will all need to come out before I try lugging her back to the garage!  I've had the mast off once before and the forward beam off too but what lurks in the corners?  I figure others might like to learn from this exercise what to not do or what to beef up.  I have thousands of photos from the build so I should be able to do a pretty good before and after and maybe even point out the cause.  Right off the bat one thing I've known since season one was that the oak and the epoxy I used were incompatible.  I have lots of open seams where oak meets oak.  It seems fine if it is oak to fir or oak to Okume plywood BUT oak to oak glued with epoxy was a no go.  The other thing I've learned is that shock loaded pieces will eventually fail.  I have the mast down and stripped of hardware currently as the pad eye that I attached the roller reefing too broke.  The only reason the mast didn't come down was that it was backed up with a loop of Samson Braid Amsteel line.  Stay Tuned

[Thomas Nielsen]

Tsunamichaser is out of the water and in Scott's garage!  It's a tight fit.  Makes me think that a discussion about where we build Wharrams might be interesting.  Some have HUGE shops that create envy, other build in the jungle, on top of a mountain and there are those who even build in their apartment.  We are a crazy bunch!

[kim whitmyre]

And, in the water!  In these photos, I have the rear beam sitting on the aft deck, with the cockpit suspended from a 4x4, while I remove and replace the beam locating blocks. Originals were ply, and soaking wet! New ones are teak. . .http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad131/kgwoo/Vaea/IMG_0002-9.jpg

http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad131/kgwoo/Vaea/IMG_0004-8.jpg

http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad131/kgwoo/Vaea/IMG_0002-10.jpg

[Thomas Nielsen]

Tsunamichaser is back in the water!  After the first rot found on the forward beam, no more problems of significance was found.  The oak lamination issue continued to show up throughout the repair and cockpit seat stringers needed replacement bit the hull, other beams and cockpit all proved solid.  A bit of touch up, new paint in a new scheme and pints (lost count) of beer had us launching her in two stages almost a month ago now.  First the hulls then the rigging.

[paul anderson]

That is one schmick trolley mate, love to have a look at some closer pics of it, care to reveal all for purposes of blatant copying?

all the best paul.

[Roger]

Thomas,

Congratulations on getting the refit done, and thanks for all of the invaluable info.

Roger

Little Cat

[Thomas Nielsen]

More pics

paul anderson said:

That is one schmick trolley mate, love to have a look at some closer pics of it, care to reveal all for purposes of blatant copying?

all the best paul.

[paul anderson]

Thanks mate.

I had made a double wheeler trolley, but it is not very moveable round tight corners.

[Jesse Walker]

Nice, I made a very similar trolley.  I was rushed to move my Tiki off the front lawn (neighbors complained), so I put a simple trolley together with my doubts about how well it would work.  Now I'm sold on it. 
It made moving her around corners so easy.
Once she was balanced on it, I could practically move it on my own (except on the lawn). 
Bigger wheels would be awesome.

Thomas Nielsen said:

More pics

paul anderson said:

That is one schmick trolley mate, love to have a look at some closer pics of it, care to reveal all for purposes of blatant copying?

all the best paul.