Boat Forum / Building / April 2008

i am fixing an older fiberglass boat and i need to replace the round
chrome bracket that is on the front. it is the one that is on the hull
itself that you would attach the hook from the winch on the trailer
to. i need to know what the correct name is for it and where i can get

I have a Mercury 3.3hp 2 stroke engine that fell into the water last
season. When I recovered it I disassembled it and cleaned or replaced
every part. I put everything back together, brought the engine
outside, put it in a barrel of water and started it up. It started up

Some advice please.
I had just finished off getting my Vivacity 20 yacht ready for the
coming season when I made a rather alarming discovery (that's sailing
for you: a succession of alarming discoveries interspersed with the

Anyone tried Duraply or MDO instead of Marine Grade plywood?? if so how was
it ?.

I am currently building a skin-on-frame kayak using the standard
(classic) text by Chris Cunningham.  I have just reached the stage of
putting in the steam bent ribs.  I realise that this stage is tricky,
especially given that he recommends that you get 50% more timber for

I took one of my MiniCups out today on a local lake with about 12 kts
wind.  She did very well after my recent major repairs.  She seemed to
point BETTER than 45 degrees to the wind.  Of course this gets worse
as the wind gets less.  In wind more than this she is a wet boat.

I've cut the deck open, cleaned out the mush, sanded,, bought new balsa..
Ok,, now I must put glass on top of the balsa.. build up to level with
existing deck..
What cloth to use?  What is biaxial cloth?

I have been gifted with a 12" Starcraft Sailboat. Build date is
sometime in the 60's. Company was out of Ohio. The boat Is  a concave
monohull, daggerboard and a mast set well forward of the center line.
Almost a Cat boat rig. I need a boom, dimensions for a new daggerboard

I have a 1972 Fraser fibreglass sailboat.  The interior is huge and has
potential, the mechanics all work, but the interior is from 1972 also.  The
layout is just so wrong.  I have hit a wall.  I know I want to gut the
interior, I just don't know where to start or where to go ...

Saw a teaser on TV that showed a boat made from the tiny sticks
laminated together.
Casady

I have a series of questions that could possibly be served by a chat
with a decent Yacht surveyor but I would like some real life feedback
before starting to engage professionals. Consider me to be
researching.