a beautiful boat should sail forever.
Restoring the Sans Souci
SANS SOUCI ON THE HARD IN SHADYSIDE, MD
Yesterday I visited my dear old Sans Souci which is sitting on the hard in Shadyside MD. We bought her five or six years ago and have had our share of adventures aboard her, her maiden voyage from mystic Ct. to Deale MD, and down and back the Intracoastal Waterway from Annapolis to Miami. I wrote a blog about our experiences and the first few days of our trip down the intracoastal, which was a total disaster. You can read about it at www.landseaair.tv It's funny if you're not me.
SANS SOUCI IN BETTER DAYS
I've always meant to finish the story, but the ending wasn't turning out the way I had hoped it would. During our trip, every system on the boat broke down at one time or another. Thanks to my genius brother we managed to get things working. If not for him we would be floating around Antarctica.
When I got the boat several years ago, I knew quite a bit about boating; I just didn't know much about boats. Particularly Wooden boats. The sans souci is a hell of a sturdy boat, as are all Newporters. I have left skid marks up and down the Intracoastal where we went aground. I have been in 30 knot winds with her having every sail on the boat flying (like an idiot). I was caught in a huge low tide one night that completely put her on her side. She has never broken under the stress of me being her Captain.
My plan was for my wife Kathi and I to spend our golden years cruising up and down the intracoastal. However, those plans were put on indefinate hold when we pulled the boat out for the winter bay in Chesapeake Bay.
DENNIS AND KATHI (WHEN SHE WAS STILL TALKING TO ME)
When the lift pulled the Sans Souci out of the water there were large sections of fiberglass that delaminated from the hull exposing the bare wood on the keel. I wasn't sure how or why it happened, but I was pretty sure that it was a fairly serious matter.
HAUL OUT
As you all undoubtedly know, Newporters are constructed from marine plywood covered by a single layer of fiberglass. The fiberglass is not structural but was added as a protective layer. My guess is that this was a transition era in boat building; the step before going to all fiberglass hulls.
My boat was built in 1959. The fiberglass did a good job of protecting the hull from the outside elements. Although it held the sea at bay. It also held water that leaked into the boat from leaky fittings, rainwater, loose stuffing box, ect. I always thought it strange that our boat was equipped with a swimming pool. My bilge was never dry no matter how much we pumped it. It was even wet up under the forward cabin.
And what a mess! Oil and fuel leaked into the bilgewater. There was a tangle of tubing, electrical wires, and other devices of unknown origin. My view had been that if the boat was floating and the systems were working, why dive into the LaBrea tar pits.
For reasons too complicated to explain right now, our boat became stranded in St. Augustine at a cool little place called Fish Island that looks like a place that Popeye would call home port. She sat there for six months with a faulty bilge pump. The marina manager had to have it pumped out several times.
I eventually found the time arranged a crew to bring her back to the Chesapeake. When I arrived to take command the bilge was filled to the flooring, and the bilgewater was disgusting.
HUGH THE DOCKMASTER AT FISH ISLAND MARINA
SANS SOUCI AT FISH ISLAND
It took a couple of weeks but I managed to get the Sans Souci back to home port.
During that time I had time to get most of the systems up to par, and I was fairly well satisfied with the condition of the boat.
That is until I pulled her out of the water and found the de-lamination.
Did I mention that I know nothing about any kind of carpentry, much less marine carpentry? I was thrown out of High School shop class for incompetency. I was always afraid of cutting my fingers off. I can measure the same piece of wood ten times. Each time the number is different. No matter how many times I measure a piece of wood it refuses to fit into the hole for which it was intended.
I am a totally right brained, non linear, ADD prototype. For example, it has taken me several pages of copy to say "My boat is broken, this is what's wrong with it, can anybody help me?".
So the construction of the Sans Souci was a mystery to me. I really didn't want to know. The boat floated. I was happy. That would change. Here are a few pictures as she looked when hauled out.
PROP AND KEEL
PORT SIDE KEEL
I have done fiberglass work in the past, and it didn't look like such a big deal to simply cut off the old laminate, glass it off and paint it. I found a marine carpenter with a good reputation and he agreed to take a look at it. His first cost estimate was $1,500 to fix the laminate and paint the bottom of the boat. I thought that quite reasonable and gave him the go ahead.
A week later a received a call from the guy. Upon removing the laminate he found rot underneath. I told him to go ahead and fix that. The estimate went up to $4000.
Another week. Another call. More rot. On the keel. On the hull. On the transom. Estimate.....a lot. More than $15,000, and even then he wasn't sure that was all of it. It's not that he wasn't an honest guy, or that it wasn't worth it. I just didn't have the money to spend on it, and if I did, my wife would kill me for spending it anyway.
I came up with a compromise solution. Bunny, that was the carpenter's name, was by all accounts the local expert on wooden boats. I suggested that he cut away all of the parts that he thought were rotten and at some later date I would come back and have it fixed or fix it myself. I also suggested that he take a look at the transom, where I found some rotten wood under the rail. He agreed to do this for $800.
A few weeks later I came back to the yard. I was dumbfounded to find that he completely removed the transom of the boat.
There was a lot of rotten wood on the keel. Fortunately, the keel is constructed of several layers of 3/4' marine plywood. It was a relatively simple matter to cut out large sections of the top layer leaving the next layer in tact.
There was an obvious problem with the keel near the stem of the boat. The fiberglass was cracked and copious amount of water were pouring from the opening. He removed the glass from the area but did not cut into the keel or keelson, and was somewhat vague in his reasoning for stopping there. Perhaps he just didn't want to see a grown man cry.
Yesterday I visited my dear old Sans Souci which is sitting on the hard in Shadyside MD. We bought her five or six years ago and have had our share of adventures aboard her, her maiden voyage from mystic Ct. to Deale MD, and down and back the Intracoastal Waterway from Annapolis to Miami. I wrote a blog about our experiences and the first few days of our trip down the intracoastal, which was a total disaster. You can read about it at www.landseaair.tv It's funny if you're not me.
SANS SOUCI IN BETTER DAYS
I've always meant to finish the story, but the ending wasn't turning out the way I had hoped it would. During our trip, every system on the boat broke down at one time or another. Thanks to my genius brother we managed to get things working. If not for him we would be floating around Antarctica.
When I got the boat several years ago, I knew quite a bit about boating; I just didn't know much about boats. Particularly Wooden boats. The sans souci is a hell of a sturdy boat, as are all Newporters. I have left skid marks up and down the Intracoastal where we went aground. I have been in 30 knot winds with her having every sail on the boat flying (like an idiot). I was caught in a huge low tide one night that completely put her on her side. She has never broken under the stress of me being her Captain.
My plan was for my wife Kathi and I to spend our golden years cruising up and down the intracoastal. However, those plans were put on indefinate hold when we pulled the boat out for the winter bay in Chesapeake Bay.
DENNIS AND KATHI (WHEN SHE WAS STILL TALKING TO ME)
When the lift pulled the Sans Souci out of the water there were large sections of fiberglass that delaminated from the hull exposing the bare wood on the keel. I wasn't sure how or why it happened, but I was pretty sure that it was a fairly serious matter.
HAUL OUT
As you all undoubtedly know, Newporters are constructed from marine plywood covered by a single layer of fiberglass. The fiberglass is not structural but was added as a protective layer. My guess is that this was a transition era in boat building; the step before going to all fiberglass hulls.
My boat was built in 1959. The fiberglass did a good job of protecting the hull from the outside elements. Although it held the sea at bay. It also held water that leaked into the boat from leaky fittings, rainwater, loose stuffing box, ect. I always thought it strange that our boat was equipped with a swimming pool. My bilge was never dry no matter how much we pumped it. It was even wet up under the forward cabin.
And what a mess! Oil and fuel leaked into the bilgewater. There was a tangle of tubing, electrical wires, and other devices of unknown origin. My view had been that if the boat was floating and the systems were working, why dive into the LaBrea tar pits.
For reasons too complicated to explain right now, our boat became stranded in St. Augustine at a cool little place called Fish Island that looks like a place that Popeye would call home port. She sat there for six months with a faulty bilge pump. The marina manager had to have it pumped out several times.
I eventually found the time arranged a crew to bring her back to the Chesapeake. When I arrived to take command the bilge was filled to the flooring, and the bilgewater was disgusting.
HUGH THE DOCKMASTER AT FISH ISLAND MARINA
SANS SOUCI AT FISH ISLAND
It took a couple of weeks but I managed to get the Sans Souci back to home port.
During that time I had time to get most of the systems up to par, and I was fairly well satisfied with the condition of the boat.
That is until I pulled her out of the water and found the de-lamination.
Did I mention that I know nothing about any kind of carpentry, much less marine carpentry? I was thrown out of High School shop class for incompetency. I was always afraid of cutting my fingers off. I can measure the same piece of wood ten times. Each time the number is different. No matter how many times I measure a piece of wood it refuses to fit into the hole for which it was intended.
I am a totally right brained, non linear, ADD prototype. For example, it has taken me several pages of copy to say "My boat is broken, this is what's wrong with it, can anybody help me?".
So the construction of the Sans Souci was a mystery to me. I really didn't want to know. The boat floated. I was happy. That would change. Here are a few pictures as she looked when hauled out.
PROP AND KEEL
PORT SIDE KEEL
I have done fiberglass work in the past, and it didn't look like such a big deal to simply cut off the old laminate, glass it off and paint it. I found a marine carpenter with a good reputation and he agreed to take a look at it. His first cost estimate was $1,500 to fix the laminate and paint the bottom of the boat. I thought that quite reasonable and gave him the go ahead.
A week later a received a call from the guy. Upon removing the laminate he found rot underneath. I told him to go ahead and fix that. The estimate went up to $4000.
Another week. Another call. More rot. On the keel. On the hull. On the transom. Estimate.....a lot. More than $15,000, and even then he wasn't sure that was all of it. It's not that he wasn't an honest guy, or that it wasn't worth it. I just didn't have the money to spend on it, and if I did, my wife would kill me for spending it anyway.
I came up with a compromise solution. Bunny, that was the carpenter's name, was by all accounts the local expert on wooden boats. I suggested that he cut away all of the parts that he thought were rotten and at some later date I would come back and have it fixed or fix it myself. I also suggested that he take a look at the transom, where I found some rotten wood under the rail. He agreed to do this for $800.
A few weeks later I came back to the yard. I was dumbfounded to find that he completely removed the transom of the boat.
There was a lot of rotten wood on the keel. Fortunately, the keel is constructed of several layers of 3/4' marine plywood. It was a relatively simple matter to cut out large sections of the top layer leaving the next layer in tact.
There was an obvious problem with the keel near the stem of the boat. The fiberglass was cracked and copious amount of water were pouring from the opening. He removed the glass from the area but did not cut into the keel or keelson, and was somewhat vague in his reasoning for stopping there. Perhaps he just didn't want to see a grown man cry.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dennis Gaffney on
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THIS IS GOOD ADVICE I RECEIVED FROM MY BROTHER DAN, A TALENTED PROFESSIONAL CARPENTER WHO HAS SAVED THE SANS SOUCI FROM DISASTER MANY TIMES.
Hey Bro,
Although I'm sure you were shocked when your carpenter removed the entire
transom sheathing, that's really what needed to be done. I'm sure it looks
really intimidating but you're going to be able to do a much better job this
way than trying to put a band aid on it. No matter how good you are it would
have still looked like a patch.
Look at the front part that I repaired, and check out how I was able to
remove only the rotton parts of the larger framing members and splice new
wood together with the existing timber.
This is the time to make sure you remove ALL of the rotton stuff and replace
it. Also beef up where the stanchons for your davits connect to the deck.
Preferably 1/4" aluminum backing plates. When you reattach them you need to
do everything possible to make sure it doesn't leak around the bolts that
penetrate the deck. I think that 90% of the rot back there is from rainwater
puddling on that back deck. Maybe put a couple of scuppers in the back
corners.
This is going to be your last chance to have easy access to that compartment
again, so take the time to clean it out, scrape and repaint the whole area
back there. I don't remember if there is any mecanical, electrical, fuel
lines etc. back there, but now's the time to fix it or rerout it or whatever
needs to to be done. Now that I think about it I repaired the drains for
that back deck. You might see if that repair is holding up or not. I didn't
have access to the underside of the deck really.
When you go to put the plywood on, dry fit everything together and make sure
it's going to fit perfectly. Then give the interior side of the plywood a
couple of coats of paint so you don't have to climb in there to do it after
the fact.
I don't think your really going to have that hard of a time putting that
plywood back on. Just try to be well prepared with the right tools, glue,
screws, clamps, etc. It's definately going to be a two man job, so don't try
and do it by yourself. It will just make you frustrated.
Remember, none of this shit is rocket science, Just be patient and try to do
the best job you can. Even if the carpentry isn't perfect, if you do a good
job on the fiberglass it will be OK
Good Luck !
BD
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Permalink Reply by bob mitchell on
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Permalink Reply by Ted Daniels on
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Dennis:
This all looks horribly familiar. The repairs are not difficult, but can be time consuming, so have to get them done by someone with low hourly rate and reasonable level of competence. The problem does not look too bad from first sight. Your brother is absolutely right. Needs two people and occasional 3rd person. Don't forget to make a template out of a thin lighter sheet and get it right - tack it into place and work at it until its perfect for where it has to fit, then cut your 3/4" ply from the template. Now you will need to use 3 layers of 1/4" ply around the bottom at the stern to get it to bend. Make sure you stagger the joins and caulk each layer to the next, then make sure the outside layers, including edges are all expoxied to seal them.
I would have thought $5K for woodwork would do this, but I'm in Texas where everything is cheaper and we still run a budget surplus. My budget for the whole boat, including decks, cabins and eutectic plate freezer/fridge and aircon etc is $15K
Ted Daniels
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Thanks for the advice Ted. I read your other email and replied to it. Let's keep in touch. Dennis
Ted Daniels said:Dennis:
This all looks horribly familiar. The repairs are not difficult, but can be time consuming, so have to get them done by someone with low hourly rate and reasonable level of competence. The problem does not look too bad from first sight. Your brother is absolutely right. Needs two people and occasional 3rd person. Don't forget to make a template out of a thin lighter sheet and get it right - tack it into place and work at it until its perfect for where it has to fit, then cut your 3/4" ply from the template. Now you will need to use 3 layers of 1/4" ply around the bottom at the stern to get it to bend. Make sure you stagger the joins and caulk each layer to the next, then make sure the outside layers, including edges are all expoxied to seal them.
I would have thought $5K for woodwork would do this, but I'm in Texas where everything is cheaper and we still run a budget surplus. My budget for the whole boat, including decks, cabins and eutectic plate freezer/fridge and aircon etc is $15K
Ted Daniels
About
LINKS ===============
THE ROSTER
Muf, our Keeper of the Roster, has updated it. But he still needs information on boats out there that he doesn't have, like new owners, old owners, where any of the boats are. We don't post the roster on the web site, it is only sent to owners. Please send him anything you might have, or call him at:
909 561 4245
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The Ning site has been given a reprieve. I have transferred my Ning site to the blogspot site and will leave it there. I am keeping my Ning site open as a home for my photos and drawings.
Many of my photos there do not relate to Newporters, but a search through my collection may prove useful for your studies.
My drawings are not accurate in many respects as a result of the PAINT program used to draw them, There is no accurate scale and at best they are only useful to indicate some specific detail. Some are inaccurate because of my poor memory. Use them to help you think, not as a detailed presentation of the subject matter.
If any of you want to start a web site I suggest you remember what has happened to both my Ning site and this site (which is a Ning site) and remember that my Blogspot site is free and Blogspot's owner (Google) has promised to keep it that way.
Clyde's email:
Put 'Newporter' on Subject Line. Email is the best way to contact me. I do not regularly look at this site or its messaging system. Email will get to me post-haste.
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