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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Plywood !!! Can I do better ?

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Ericson33
Admiral

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USA
892 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/15/2006 : 12:08:38

I know that there are allot of you all out there that have been messing around in the shop building great things for your boats. Has there been anyone that has replaced the locker lids with another material other than plywood?

On the Capri we have a very large locker top that goes down both sides of the 1/4 births for storage. Our port side locker top has been rotted out on the back side because of the water coming into the boat over the last 26 years. I have the board in the garage and it looks to me to be a 3/8" plywood material with a laminated piece of brown paper on the top?

My thoughts have been to mould a new lid out of glass and core material to help in the weight department. I don't know if this is the best method to my madness here. I have heard you all talk about the Star board material, but I would think that this would be heavier than plywood.

The material just need to be strong enough to support my butt if I sit down, It is supported by four sides and the locker top sets down into the moulded fiberglass liner of the cabin.

C.S. McKillip
Ericson 33

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existentialsailor
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1180 Posts

Response Posted - 05/15/2006 : 12:59:19

4x8 sheet of 1/2 marine plywood is $68 in these parts. You could replace your lid and have plenty left over for projects. Starbaord will cost you much more than that.
What's wrong with plywood, finished correctly it's quite attractive.
For instance:

That is a picture of the kayak exactly like mine. Yup, plywood.

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Ericson33
Admiral

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USA
892 Posts

Response Posted - 05/15/2006 : 14:25:57

I don't think there is anything wrong with he look of plywood, in fact I am planning on painting what ever I use white, It makes the cabin look bigger inside. I am looking for less weight, Lighter means faster, and if I can loose some weight in some places I can add some weight in the areas that I want to fix the boat up in.

We have 4 Capri 25's on the line, and everyone of them is really stripped down inside. The weight will cost me in the long run. I also want to have all of our cushions on the boat, I think that adds 50 lbs that the others will not have on board. I guess I could throw them on the dock while racing.

What is the big difference in a Marine plywood and a normal piece? I am guessing the glue? I was really thinking of using a 1/8" flat pvc board that lowes has, you have seen it in these truck stop bathrooms so the people cant write on the walls, or scratch in there ex's phone number for a good time. I was going to cut the flat piece for the top, then add stringers underneath to support the weight and flex, then glass and resin the whole piece together. Plywood seems like the easy answer, but someday it will have to be replaced.

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Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 05/15/2006 : 15:59:39

Some locker lid suggestions for those with too much time and/or money on their hands:

1.) Total racing fanatic up against rule book which insists boats arrive at starting line looking complete:

3/8" honeycomb core with gossamer thin fiberglass or Kevlar (aramid?) skins, all held together with epoxy. Remember to pre-wet-out the skins, and then squeegee as much epoxy out of them as possible before applying core on top of stiffener-backed skins. A waxed sliding glass patio door on sawhorses works well as a smooth, flat, stiff work surface. Remember to reinstall door before spouse gets home. Finish with woodgrain contact paper to fool tech inspect.

Make up a set of racing cushions from styrofoam, prepaint to match covers cut from thin polyester fabric attached with double sticky tape at seam and zipper locations.

2.) Low tech version of above: Use 3/8" or 1/2" plywood swiss-cheesed with a small holesaw to 2/3 weight for the core. Use two laminations of light fiberglass cloth for each skin.

Prepreg and squeegee skins, apply to core from above, pull taught and temporarily staple edges to minimize golf ball dimples at holes in plywood. (1st & 2nd layers of cloth oriented 45*, or pulled on opposite corners before cutting to pattern.) Precoat drilled plywood with one or two coats of epoxy before applying skins.

3.) Even lower tech version: Use 4mm plywood for skins, and 1/2"x1/2" douglas fur stringers widely spaced as internal ribs. Make bottom skin fit in locker hole, top skin fit in recessed lip. Maybe add additional 2" wide lip of plywood around perimeter of bottom surface of top skin before stacking. (Notch ends of stringers accordingly.) If lip thickener is used, orient grain for best shear resistance.

4.) Or spend all that same money and time on better sails and practice driving the boat faster.

-- Leon Sisson

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Ericson33
Admiral

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USA
892 Posts

Response Posted - 05/15/2006 : 17:05:57

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Leon Sisson

4.) Or spend all that same money and time on better sails and practice driving the boat faster.

-- Leon Sisson
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Thanks for the info Leon, Maybe some of the best advice I have gotten in a while, I like the idea of the honey comb material, this one will have to be put on the drawing board. As for (#4) above, I have really good sails, the boat has been ground out for repairs, glassed, resined, primered, painted, polished, launched, rigged, tuned, sailed and raced. I now just need a place to set my butt down below, because I have a rather large hole where the locker lid once was attached.

The weight thing is not all that important, but if I am going to race the boat (which I am doing) and against the clubs other 4 Capri 25's, I need to have the boats weight close to theirs. The other capri's have no cushions, which I want to have, No interior locker lids, Which I need, and no moters on the transoms, which I can throw out on the dock.

We don't race OD so all of the boats are rated Portsmouth, I want to race the boat and be competitive, and mentally knowing that I will be faster, and at least as light as they are. I do have the newest set of sails on the boat 2004 North 3DL 155% Genoa, and an E/P main. 2004 airx600 spinnaker, 2005 U/K 130%, and a Ullman 105%.

I will agree that sailing the boat instead of messing around with fabricating a locker lid would be better use of my time, but on the weekdays sitting at home I would rather be in the Garage loosing some weight, then sitting on the couch reading Sailing World.

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existentialsailor
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1180 Posts

Response Posted - 05/15/2006 : 20:36:01

You'll get 6 times the benefit for every pound you reduce aloft...
Still got a wire backstay?, still got a topping lift...

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Waterboy
Navigator

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USA
204 Posts

Response Posted - 05/16/2006 : 01:48:17

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Waterboy
 [quote]Originally posted by existentialsailor
 You'll get 6 times the benefit for every pound you reduce aloft...
Still got a wire backstay?, still got a topping lift...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

You mean my masthead satellite TV antenna and four golf cart batteries are hindering my windward performance?

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existentialsailor
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1180 Posts

Response Posted - 05/16/2006 : 04:42:45

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">You mean my masthead satellite TV antenna and four golf cart batteries are hindering my windward performance?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Not likely if it's a Catalina 25, but yes if it's a Capri.

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