• MCo26
  • Veteran Member
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  • Registered: 2005-04-24
  • Posts: 59

Topic: Ready to be rebuilt

Hi,

On tuesday the 27 of june, i took delivery of my new project boat. I plan to work on her part times for 2 years and i wish to splash her on may 2008.

I post somes pictures on the galery.

I made make a garage for my hobby and i was worry about if a ten feets door was enough, i can attest now it was ok, but it was really tight.

The guy who made the transport was a REAL JERK, when i say  A REAL JERK I MEAN IT. He was always swearing and arguying about the job to do. I didn't plan to work with him, i hired Dominic from "Transport Loisir inc" and the guy had a bad accident so he sent my contract to "Tag Marine inc." and he assured me that M. Poirier will do the same job at the same price. At the moment M. Poirier from Tag Marine arrive at the Marina he began to swear and yelling about the job, when he backup in the driveway he refuse at first to go in the garage and when he accept to go in it, he over charge me 100$ for doing it AND he refuse to remove one wooden block so the boat was badly sitting. Take my word AVOID the guy.

I was so upset about him that he spoil what was suppose to be a good event.


For removing the wooden block i search for a jack and one guy had a brilliant idea, he suggest a pallet lift, it worked.

Today i begun to remove 30 years of antyfouling paint, what a joy ha! ha!

Expect to be ask for help or advise...

Marc

Contessa 26 #158
Sun Wave
Montreal QC
  • From: Hamilton, Ontario CANADA
  • Registered: 2006-04-06
  • Posts: 148

Re: Ready to be rebuilt

Hi Marc,

I saw the pics of your new acquisition and from where I'm sitting, she seems to be in pretty good shape.  I was just wondering why it would take two years to renovate her?  What do you have to do?  Just curious.

José

jcfoto's Website

  • MCo26
  • Veteran Member
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  • Registered: 2005-04-24
  • Posts: 59

Re: Ready to be rebuilt

Jose,

In my "to do list"

Sand the hull and add a barrier coat
Paint the topsides
paint the deck
Change the sails
Add a roller furler
Change the portlights
Change the hatchs ( I made make a fiberglass mold near the compagnonway)
Change all the electricity
Change the plombing
Change the septic tank
Add a fresh water tank
Redo the woods
Add a beam for the mast
And the motor had not been used since 2002, so it will maybe need somes $

I knew when i bought her that i had to put money on her but i figure it will be lest costy then to buy a brand  knew boat AND most of all i like olds designs. I must be nut but i really like sailboats who look like sailboats.

Like you said the hull is in good shape it's why i'm welling to redo her, all the rest is in bads shapes. The old owner is a good guy but i think he was tired of taking care of is sailboat and when i ask him if would sell is Contessa, at first he said no, i ask him again 4 months later and then he told me: "Yes but, i will tell you my price and it will not negotiable" When he told me his price i new he made me a favor.


I know i will not be able to finish the jobs before the next season just because one word...Money!!! ha! ha!



Marc

Contessa 26 #158
Sun Wave
Montreal QC
  • From: Ottawa, On
  • Registered: 2005-03-10
  • Posts: 353

Re: Ready to be rebuilt

What are the decks like?  Do you have access to a moisture meter?  Cause you don't want to get into what I've done.......

As far as a mast beam, maybe you should look at the design of the posts at the bulkhead.  If they're just cut on angles and resting on the floor, then this is the problem.  Most earlier boats were like this, and building a beam really doesn't do all that much to take up the compressive loads of the rig.  It just stiffens  the deck and makes the prblem appear to go away. 

I've built some wedges into the floor that the teak posts will be bolted to, and be thru bolted at the top as well.  That way they'll be held in column, and act as true compression posts.......  Later boats have a similar setup, using the bulkheads to take up the load as well.  I know on my boat there was 1/2" all around the top and bottom of the bu;kheads, and they were just screwed into the "beam".  I'll be making new, tight fitting bulkheads that will actuall be a bu;khead and not just a room divider.....

stefan_d's Website

  • From: Hamilton, Ontario CANADA
  • Registered: 2006-04-06
  • Posts: 148

Re: Ready to be rebuilt

What year was your boat built, Stefan?  I'm just curious if there is a common year(s)  when Contessas were badly built and I was just curious what kind of sailing you were going to do after you've finished your reconstruction?  Would you be going off shore for an extended period of time?  Again, just curious.

José

p.s. I finally got the engine going on Tessa.  Bristol Marine in Port Credit quoted $2000.00 for a partial re-build or a re-powering at $ 8000.00 plus so my brother in law who's an amazing millwright just laughed and took on the project.  To make a long story short, he honed the cylinder as it had rusted, re-conditioned the head, valves as they were both caked in rust and re-seated the valves and we acquired brand new piston rings (piston was in immaculate shape!)  for the 30 year old Farymann K-30 all the way from Germany.  Last Sunday, we gathered up all the elements and assembled them and crossed our fingers.  On the first try, she fired and she purred like a brand new engine.  No dark smoke, misses or sputtering.  I'll post a more detailed accounting in hopes of helping others out there with a similar problem.  Oh and the best thing is that the whole re-build with parts came to a whopping $ 240.00 with the lion's share of the expenses going to the piston rings which came to $ 190.00 (Yikes!!!).  This set, however, should last another 30 years.  Everything else is in Bristol shape.  For those who have Farymann engines like a K-30 or K-34, Shannon is right about Entec West.  Their (Dave, actually) advice was pivotal in getting her going and I recommend them without any hesitation for advice.  Ciao for now.

José

jcfoto's Website

  • From: Ottawa, On
  • Registered: 2005-03-10
  • Posts: 353

Re: Ready to be rebuilt

Mine is as far as I can tell a 1974 (Taylor) boat.  Sail number 79, so without a hull # or original docs it could either be a 74 or a 73. 

As far as construction goes, I don't think I'd say any are "badly" built...  I'd say for sure that the boats reputation as being "overbuilt" is a stretch.  I'd say without a doubt that my Dad's late 80's Beneteau is "overbuilt", and was constructed at standards far superior, compared to my Contessa.

Things that make you wonder:  Riveted Hull/Deck joint, vertical flange.  Hmmmm......  No compression posts on the earlier boats....  Hmmmm....  Forward decks that were never laminated properly from the get go.....  Generous use of some sort of hard (and brittle) and crappy putty to fair each and every seam in the inside liner.  Plywood decks.....   Forestay loads up a tang on a casting thats thru bolted - this is Mirage quality here.  From what I've seen the later boats are more refined as far as construction standards go, but this was also in part to improvements in technology over the 15 years that they built them in Canada.  There sure is a hell of a lot of glass in the hull tho...... 1/4" minimum and the side and fwd decks are all at least 3/16.  They probably weigh a bit more than 5400 lbs....................

An early JJT boat is just that - an early fiberglass sailboat, of which you should be leery of construction materials and techniques of the era.  No different than a Hunter or a Catalina.......  But they sure look better.

When she's all done I'm sure I'll take her somewhere warm and enjoy every minute of it because I'll know that boat inside out, upside down, backwards and blindfolded......

stefan_d's Website

  • MCo26
  • Veteran Member
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  • Registered: 2005-04-24
  • Posts: 59

Re: Ready to be rebuilt

Stephan

"What are the decks like?  Do you have access to a moisture meter?  Cause you don't want to get into what I've done......."

It's already done and i did'nt do it myself, i made the boatyard doing it. Now i can jump on the deck without damage. I made them add a  mold for my new hatch in front of the bubble like the new Contessa. We had to recore around the chainplates and all the deck near the mast. The problem was a poor gasket at the vent near the mast. I have a bit of moisture around the bow, i will look at it before i repaint the deck.

For the beam, you're right i must distribute the load carefully.


Marc

Contessa 26 #158
Sun Wave
Montreal QC
  • From: Ottawa, On
  • Registered: 2005-03-10
  • Posts: 353

Re: Ready to be rebuilt

What did you recore with? Did you do it from the top or the bottom?  I did all mine from the inside...

stefan_d's Website

  • Adrian
  • Adrian
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  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Registered: 2005-04-18
  • Posts: 542

Re: Ready to be rebuilt

It's interesting comparing the construction of my Alberg 29 to my old Contessa 26.

In many ways the construction of the Alber 29 is "superior" (to me, anyway). The interior is all plywood tabbed into the hull, the floors are substantial and well bedded, the engine bed is beefy and solid. Keel stepped mast is superior in every way, in my opinion.

The hull-deck joint appears solid, though perhaps a different construction technique (like the Cape Dory's had) would have been superior.

The Contessa 26 is a solid boat, don't get me wrong. I just think a lot of its solidness comes from being small and having the scantlings of a larger boat.

Adrian's Website

  • From: Massachusetts
  • Registered: 2006-03-07
  • Posts: 97

Re: Ready to be rebuilt

After a cursory examination of my 1986 co26 I have discovered that there are none, or few if any, backing plates for anything bolted on, ie: stanchions, genoa track, cleats, stoppers, winches, etc. etc. My very ambitious plans are to make ss plates for as many of these as I can reach. Any thoughts??
What about the cast aluminum stemhead?? I have a Cape Dory Typhoon that has a beautiful cast bronze stemhead.  Cape Dory did not take short cuts here. My co has a rather corroded aluminum cast that looks to me strenght compromised at  the forestay. I do believe this is the weakest link in the entire rig. What happens if the forestay parts from the stemhead beating in a fresh breeze...? My thought is to have a ss plate w/ a tang welded for the stay. This could be bolted using the existing bolt/screw holes on the stemhead. Does any one know what the four stemhead bolts/screws screw in to? Do they just thread into a block of f/g?

  • MCo26
  • Veteran Member
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  • Registered: 2005-04-24
  • Posts: 59

Re: Ready to be rebuilt

Contessa 26 #158
Sun Wave
Montreal QC

12 Reply by stefan_d (edited by stefan_d 2006-07-05 18:37:22)

  • From: Ottawa, On
  • Registered: 2005-03-10
  • Posts: 353

Re: Ready to be rebuilt

stefan_d's Website

  • From: Massachusetts
  • Registered: 2006-03-07
  • Posts: 97

Re: Ready to be rebuilt

stefan-d,
Truth be known the idea of the ss plate with a welded tang  bolted to the stemhead cast where the now ground down tang was, using the four existing holes, was not my idea. Last week I had the privledge to go sailing on Varuna which is now in Southern Maine. Especially after Tania's collision with the tanker in the Mederterranean in which the forestay was broken I was anxious to see the condition of Varuna's stemhead. The above described is what Varuna now has. I don't know who made this repair and what his/her experience was in bolting/screwing this to the cast stem.
I am not going to rig my boat until I make the same or similar modification.