What's WOT

The owner's manual for my new Tohatsu 9.8 hp outboard says that the engine's wide-open throttle range should be 5,000 to 6,000 RPM. The manual also notes that Tohatsu ships its long shaft (20-inch) and ultra long shaft (25-inch) engines with a three-blade propeller that is 8.5 inches in diameter with a 7.5-inch pitch. The standard shaft (15-inch) engine comes with a propeller 8.9 inches in diameter and a pitch of 8.3 inches. For any given RPM, the short shaft engine is equipped to move more water than the longer shaft engines.

The manual also comes with a table of available propellers listed from "light boats" to "heavy boats". The shorter pitch prop that came from my engine is one step down in the table from the standard shaft prop, in the heavy boat direction.

Since I installed a tachometer for the engine, and I could measure boat speed on my GPS and knotmeter, I had all the information I needed to determine whether that propeller I received was the right propeller.

After I had completed the 10-hour break-in period on the engine (my tachometer also incorporates an hour meter), I found that wide-open throttle (WOT) was at least 7,000 rpm in light wind conditions. (That is the maximum marking on the tachometer.) I also saw that at 6,000 rpm, Narrow Escape was doing 5.3 knots. At full throttle I could go 6 knots.

The Albin inboard engine, at full throttle (maximum rated power was 12 hp at 1500 rpm) also pushed the boat at 6 knots. It had a larger two-blade propeller, 12-inch diameter and 8-inch pitch. There was no tachometer for the Albin, so I don't know how many rpms it actually turned.

Given all of this information, I decided that the Tohatsu prop was probably too small. The engine was running beyond the manual's recommended full throttle range at full throttle. And the boat was running about .7 knots slower with the outboard than it had with the Albin, when I stayed within the recommended rpm range.

An advantage of an outboard is that it is very easy to change the prop. I bought the 8.3-inch propeller that comes on the short shaft engine for $75, including tax. It probably took as long to readjust my dock lines to position the Ericson in the proper spot after backing into my slip as it did to make the propeller switch. By the way, the boat backs down quite nicely with the outboard, steering easily with the rudder while the engine remains fixed in its centered position.

The results could not have been better. Wide-open throttle is now 6,000 rpm and 6 knots. The ratio of rpm to speed holds at partial throttle settings, too. 5,000 rpm is 5 knots, 4,000 rpm is 4 knots and 3,000 rpm is 3 knots.

The engine also sounds better. It is working harder at lower rpm and it is obviously happier doing it. Overall it is quieter. It is less buzzy. And it has a somewhat deeper sound. It is definitely more pleasant.

"Narrow Escape" on Jan. 27, 2008

It has been eight months since the first sail after the refinish project concluded and this is what the boat looks like today. A week of rains have washed it nicely, with no leaks inside. The Brightside polyurethane paint retains its gloss, but a coat of polish will add to the luster when I have time. I continue to receive compliments from passers-by.

Let me explain a few details. The windows are original and they are glass, not plastic. The aluminum frames are in good shape. An interior frame, which is screwed into an inside lip of the exterior frame, secures the windows to the cabin. They are sealed with a ribbon of butyl caulk that comes pre-formed and rolled into a coil with a layer of paper preventing the caulk from sticking to itself. Removal and reinstallation was relatively easy.

None of the port lights open. When I bought the boat, the window in the head compartment had a sliding glass pane, which leaked. For a long time I sealed it shut with silicone sealant. But eventually I went to a Kelly's used marine supply store in San Pedro and bought a single pane replacement unit in good condition for $15. Problem solved.

Also notice the aluminum angle pieces fastened to the front corners of the forward hatch at the top of the photo. Before I did that, the genoa sheets frequently caught beneath a corner when tacking.

In the upper photos, you'll notice that the three main cabin windows appear to be frosted. That is my ultra-simple privacy curtain system. It is merely translucent window film that I bought at the hardware store.


I cut it to fit and secure it by wiping the glass with soapy water and pressing the glossy side of the film against the glass. They come off in an instant when I'm going out for a sail, by hooking a fingernail under the film and peeling it off. I stack the six films atop each other and roll them up and slip them into a wide-mouth cylindrical plastic container.

After I refinished the deck, it was time to replace the original mainsheet traveler, which was awkward to use. It was simply a strip of stainless steel track fastened down over a narrower strip of teak batten. A bronze car, with no bearings, slid along the track. There was a stop clamp with knurled screw on each side of the track to position the car by sliding the car and the clamps to the desired position and screwing down the clamps.

I removed that contraption and filled all the mounting holes for the refinish. I replaced it with a custom-made low-profile traveler from Garhauer. The car slides on ball bearings and three-to-one lines control the position from each end. It is a perfect solution.

The low-profile track extrusion was bent at the factory to conform to the after-deck radius and is thru-bolted with counter-sunk machine screws. I was determined to replace the old track with a modern system that would still allow me to sit atop the lazarette, leaning against the pushpit rail, which is my favorite command position when motoring. I use a folding "Go-Anywhere-Chair" from West Marine to sit on, pull the tiller back until it faces backward and rests on the aft cockpit wood trim. All I have to do is remember the move it opposite the normal direction to steer. Believe me, it's the most comfortable spot on deck, and the best visibility, too.

Single-handed Maintenance

I don't like having to scrounge for help when I'm working on my boat. So I usually don't. When I was removing deck hardware I was able to work alone by using ViceGrip pliers as my below-deck helper. I could clamp them onto a nut and remove the machine screw topside by myself. Usually the nut was loose enough to finish taking off by hand if I stopped unscrewing in time. But if not, it didn't matter if the nut fell off with the ViceGrips clamped to it.

That wasn't going to work for reinstalling hardware, however. Also, I wasn't too impressed with the small diameter washers that provided the only bearing surface under the deck for the stanchion, bow and stern railings and mooring cleats. I decided to make threaded mounting plates for each item and glue them in place under the decks with 3M 5200 adhesive.

The plates were cut from 1/4-inch aluminum plate, 3-1/2-inches wide. Aligning the plate holes with the fitting holes was critical, as was tapping the holes absolutely vertical for the 1/4-20 machine screws.

Using a drill press, I started by drilling one hole in the plate, using the fitting as the template. Then, using the drill press mandrel to assure the threads were vertical, I threaded the hole with a tap manually, turning the mandrel by hand rather than using the motor.

Next, using short screws cut to length for the purpose, I fastened the fitting to the plate and then drilled and tapped the next hole. I repeated that process until all the holes were drilled and tapped.

Installing the fittings and the underdeck plates was made much easier by using a couple of extra-long machine screws, plus the normal length screws required to be able to reinstall the side boards that cover the under decks inside the cabin. I put two long screws through the fitting on deck and then went below deck. The long length of the screws allowed me to hold the backing plate under the deck and turn the scews with my fingers to get them started into the tapped holes.

Next I used a small mixing stick to apply 3M 5200 adhesive to the top edges of the plate before I screwed it up against the deck. Going topside, I took up the slack on the long screws to bring the plates up against the underside of the deck. Then the normal length screws could be inserted in the remaining holes. The mooring cleats had four mounting screws, while the railings and stanchions had three holes. Finally, I removed the long screws and replaced them with standard-length screws and then drew all of the screws up tight on that fitting. The same process was repeated for each fitting.

This process could have been done using LifeCaulk or a similar product to seal the fitting from leaks. But it would have been messier. Instead, I cut sealing gaskets from 1/8-inch hard rubber sheet, available at the hardware store. I used a gasket cutter hole punch to make the screw holes. Finally, when I put each standard screw into the backing plate, I put a ring of sealant around the threads just below the head to seal the hole from the top.

I think that the rubber gaskets will ensure a leak-proof seal for years to come. But when and if I have to remove and replace any of the fittings, I expect to be able to do so working alone and only from topside.

The Big Refinish - Photos

Taped and ready for Pre-Kote primer for Brightside

Brightside gloss coats done.

Interdeck nonskid paint added.

Refinish completed. Cockpit wood was later stripped. Wood trim
above windows along cabin trunk and on aft end of cabin
was not replaced. I like the cleaner look.

The Big Refinish - Part 2

I tackled my refinishing project incrementally, spending a lot of nights aboard at my slip in between days of grinding, filling, sanding and then more of the same as I worked my way around the deck and cabin top. I wanted to be able to hose down the deck as needed, too. Thus when I removed the machine screws fastening the stanchions, pulpit and pushpit, I tapped golf tees into the holes.

I also did not remove the fresh water fill fitting abeam the mast on the starboard deck until just before I was ready to start applying primer on the decks. I was surprised at what I found.

Did someone replace the original fill fitting and need to enlarge the hole? I can't imagine this is the way Ericson made a hole in the deck when they built the boat. It was a mystery, since the chrome-plated bronze fitting that was in place was much smaller than this hole. Yet it was obviously old.

The balsa core was rotted away for an inch or more, but easily scraped away to prepare a clean receptical for epoxy filler to repair the deck. To use the fitting to create a mold for the filler, I waxed the exterior of the pipe and installed it upside down in the opening, using only the outermost bolt hole. I also taped the fitting to the underside of the deck, which is in the hanging locker and easily accessible.


After the epoxy cured, this is the perfect mounting hole that resulted. I was able to put the fitting in place, right side up, each time I left the boat while work continued. And when the refinishing was done, I drilled to two inboard holes and permanently re-installed the fill fitting with LifeCault sealant.

I spent a lot of time exploring various coating options and eventually decided to use Interlux Brightside one-part polyurethane coating. A neighboring boat had been recoated with it several months earlier by a professional refinisher, and it looked good. The refinisher told me it was easy to maintain by sanding and coating with a single new coat every four or five years.

Interlux's top product for amateurs is Perfection, a two-part polyurethane. I gave it very serious consideration, but finally decided against it because it's optimal application method requires two persons. Brightside works fine for solo workers like me.

Brightside is a high gloss finish for smooth portions of my deck and cabin trunk. For the nonskid, I chose another Interlux product, Interdeck, which is a low sheen one-part polyurethane containing a fine aggregate.

A much greater range of colors is available in Brightside than in Interdeck. In fact, except for white, there are no color names in common between the two products. I chose "Hatteras Off White (1990)" in Brightside, very pale beige tint to my eye. For Interdeck, I picked "Beige", which is darker than the Brightside hue, and has a tinge of orange.

Brightside requires two coats of Interlux Pre-Kote primer. But Interdeck goes directly over the old fiberglass nonskid after appropriate preparation with filler and a wash down with compatible thinner.

With the product decisions made, the next step was deciding how to paint without touching wet paint as I moved around, and without ending up where I'd have to jump overboard to leave the boat before the paint dried. The solution was to start with the deck perimeter first, beginning at the stern and moving forward on each side. Then, beginning at the bow, I painted the smooth center of the foredeck moving aft to do one side of the cabin trunk and then the other. The cockpit was last.

I took my time, thought about each move before I made it, and managed not to touch any wet paint as I progressed. I did that three times, each time a day's work.

Brightside was easy to work with, but I kept it thinned according to the directions as I worked. It brushes easily, flowing slowly into a smooth, glossy coat, and isn't prone to running as long as is brushed out.

The most difficult part was seeing where the last brush strokes ended in glaring sunlight. Recently I discovered clip-on polarized sunglass lenses, which I'll use on my prescription glasses the next time I do this. I think the polarization will make it easier to see where the last stroke ended and the new stroke should begin.

I gave the Brightside about a week to fully cure after I finished the three coats, and then applied blue masking tape over it and rollered the Interdeck paint in place. I gave it only one coat, but struggled to finish the cockpit, the last step, before the single quart ran out. The boat really needs one and a quarter quarts for a single application of nonskid paint. A second coat is on my list of tasks.

The nonskid paint needs to dry three days before it can be walked on, so a took the rest of that week off.

I think the final results were great. It doesn't look like a new boat. But it does look like a very well-cared-for old boat. And the finish is tough. Several months after I finished, on a trip back from Catalina Island, the Bruce anchor fastened into the bow roller worked loose in the waves and for several hours, its shackle slid sideways back and forth over the glossy Brightside paint at the bow. I figured the finish was gone. It certainly looked gone, with curved black streaks tracing the movement of the shackle.

When I finally had the courage to examine the damage closely the following weekend, there was no damage! I rubbed off the black marks with a rag, soap and water and found the finish beneath unmarred.

The Big Refinish - Part I

I suspect that all restoration projects follow the same fundamental rules. If you are after perfection, pay an expert to do the work and be prepared to pay a lot. If you are the talented perfectionist, then you already know the time and money it costs to do the job to your standards.

But if you are somebody with an old boat because that is what you can afford and you want it to look better without paying professionals to do the work, then you're at the right blog.

When I bought my boat in September 2005, and named it "Narrow Escape", I knew it was structurally sound. Cosmetically, the hull looked okay, even capable of being buffed to a bit of a shine. The deck and cabin top were challenged, however. They bore spider webs of gelcoat cracks, mostly in the smooth areas. And they were splotched with caramel-colored epoxy resin that had been poured onto some of the cracked areas in an apparent effort to seal them. The raised nonskid area of the cockpit sole also had a lot of gelcoat cracks, which I thought would pose a problem in trying to fill while still maintaining the nonskid pattern.


By the spring of 2007, I finally was ready to tackle the job of refinishing the deck and cabin.

There is no way to do that without committing to eventually stripping the deck of all hardware and the cabin of all its port lights (okay, windows) and wood trim. I did it in increments. For instance, the windows stayed in place until I was ready to begin applying the finish.

I did not remove the toe rail. It is teak, which hasn't seen any varnish or any other finish in years. When the boat is washed with soap and water the toe rail has a wonderful gray, weathered teak color and it is structurally sound. As I was to eventually prove, water had seeped down very few of the one-quarter-inch machine screws that fastened the deck and hull together beneath the toe rail.

I didn't like the way the lifeline stanchions were fitted, nor the rear pads of the bow pulpit. The issue was that the deck of the Ericson 30 has a smooth perimeter a couple inches wide, while inboard of that the deck has an aggressive raised nonskid pattern. The design certainly was easier for Ericson's pattern makers to tool. But they could hardly have designed a more leak-prone system. The triangular bases of the two of the three lifeline stanchions on each side of the boat and the rear pads of the pulpit straddled smooth gelcoat and raised nonskid. Teak shims were inserted between the smooth perimeter gelcoat area and the bases to provide a flat mounting surface.


I decided to grind off the one-eighth-inch of raised non-skid under the pads and then finish with epoxy filler make a flat surface on which to refasten them.

But before I could take off the forward two stanchions on each side, I had to remove mohagany planks inside the cabin that covered the underside of the deck. They were secured with screws behind bungs and varnish. It was fairly obvious which bungs had to be removed. I broke the varnish with an appropriately-sized gasket-cutting punch, and then used a drill to remove the bungs.

Only one small area of the balsa core of the deck and cabin top was obviously damaged. I previously described fixing a soft area in the cockpit sole with West System epoxy and structural filler. I did the same to a small area of the cabin top to starboard of the companionway slide. Several holes penetrated the structure where some unknown item of equipment had previously been mounted and then removed without sealing the holes properly.

I drilled a series of holes into the soft area, but not through the cabin liner below, allowed the area to dry and then pumped it full of thick epoxy filler. In this case, everything was done from the exterior. The Ericson has a full fiberglass liner forming the upper portion of the interior, and it was in excellent condition.


Extensive gelcoat cracking required a different approach. Every instruction I've read about repairing gelcoat cracks says the first step is to make the cracks wider and then fill them with epoxy. I used a Dremel tool and a supply of small, fluted grinding bits to turn the hairline cracks into u-shaped cracks able to capture and hold the filler. Late in the process, I discovered that Dremel sells hardened bits for about double the price of the standard bits. But they lasted three or four times longer. Gelcoat is a very hard material.

I quickly discovered that none of the cracks penetrated to the balsa core. All were shallow. Those in the nonskid area were only about as deep as the extra thickness of the nonskid itself. That was good news and explained why the deck was solid.

One advantage of tackling gelcoat cracks is that it easy to make progress in small increments as time allows. But the other side of that is that such an approach may stretch out the process so long that it seems like it will never be completed.

Even worse psychologically was discovering more cracks where I already had opened cracks, filled them and sanded them. These weren't new cracks. I simply had ignored them the first time as I concentrated on larger cracks.

I used Interlux Watertite brand epoxy filler to fill the widened cracks. It is a two-part filler with the advantage of a 1:1 mixing ratio. But two serious disadvantages were a pot life of about five minutes and a very hard finish that was difficult to sand. My advice now would be to mix my own filler with West System epoxy and #407 low density filler, which would be much easier to sand.

Leaks

When I bought my Ericson 30, it was probably a "50-footer", meaning that from 50 feet away it looked wonderful. Inspected at closer range, flaws were apparent. The cover photo on this blog is from the "50-footer" era, taken not long after the purchase. Today, looking at the deck and cabin, it's a five-footer. In this and a series of upcoming posts I'll tell what I did.

There were some simple tasks. Tape residue from the prior owner's varnishing project had turned into hard, dirty streaks along the wood trim in many places on the cabin, deck and cockpit. The cure was a can of acetone and a lot of rubbing. I'm a little ashamed to admit how long I was able to ignore that task in favor of the mechanical repairs and upgrades that I found more interesting.


There were clear indications inside the cabin that several of the chainplates for the shrouds had leaked, or were leaking. Those chainplates are crude by today's standards. The are simply stainless steel tangs fiberglassed into the hull and protruding through slots cut in the deck. A stainless cover plate secured with a small sheet metal screw at each end serves as a lid to contain caulking compound forced down around the tang. It was an easy, and early fix.

The first "messy" repair was to the cockpit sole. The Ericson 30 cockpit, deck and cabin house is a fiberglass sandwich containing a balsa wood core. In the cockpit, water seepage where the rudder shaft entered the sole had rotted out the balsa core surrounding the shaft housing for a distance of 8 to 12 inches.

The first step was to cut out the upper layer of the sandwich -- the cockpit sole -- around the shaft to remove as much of the soggy debris beneath as I could reach and allow the area to dry thoroughly.



Then, using West System epoxy, I filled the area with a solid epoxy paste that also served as a glue to fasten back into place the section of sole that I removed. The products were West System 105 epoxy resin, 206 slow hardener, and 406 colloidal silica to make the filler.




Prior to making this repair, I didn't know whether the balsa core had been waterlogged from seawater coming up through the rudder shaft housing, or water collecting in the cockpit because of clogged scuppers. One reason was that a decorative teak block covered the rudder shaft exit, as evidenced by the four holes in the sole with which sheet metal screws attached it.

I did not reattach the teak block, which provided pathways for water to reach the balsa core through the screw holes. Since then, I have never had water intrude into the cockpit through the rudder shaft housing, so all the damage was from freshwater.

A larger area of the cockpit sole, especially aft of the rudder shaft beyond my reach from the top down fix, was still soft. I later fixed that by drilling 1/4-inch holes up into the core from beneath, digging out the soggy balsa remnants with a bent wire made from a clothes hangar, sucking the debris out the holes with a wet-dry vacuum, and giving the area several days to dry while a fan directed fresh air from beneath the cockpit.

Then I mixed more West Systems epoxy filler, and pumped it into the holes using West's plastic caulking gun tubes and a caulking gun. The process was to squeeze in the epoxy paste until it began to ooze out of an adjacent hole, then move to another hole and continue. I drilled several dozen holes, spaced about two inches apart. Periodically while the epoxy was oozing, I wiped it off the underside of the cockpit.

The underside is easily accessed from the starboard cockpit locker, which is large enough to easily contain me. I did make sure that I had fresh air blowing into the area while I worked. And when I climbed back out of the locker, I made sure that I didn't step into the cockpit. A day later the epoxy was hard and so was the cockpit sole.

As can be seen in the photos, however, the cockpit sole wasn't pretty. The nonskid surface was traced with numerous narrow stress fractures. The entire deck and cabin top surface was that way, presenting a complex repair problem which I pondered for many months.