Is this a problem?

[plisska]

Hello all!

I may be getting my first sailboat this weekend! I have checked out the boat and referenced several threads on the forum while I made my amateur survey. I think everything is in order although I am concerned about one thing.

The hull looks to be indented slightly where the bow roller is. The boat has been sitting on its trailer for at least 2 years as far as I know. Is this ok? I tried to shake the boat a little to see if the area flexed and it did a little. Is this a soft spot or some sort of structural problem?

I know this may be simple for everyone here but I am extremely new to sailing and boats. I will be taking a sailing class at my college this spring and I hoped i could fix this boat up and be ready to put it in the water next summer

-Paul

Edit: the boat is of course a capri 14.2 not sure which model but it has like a mini cabin tunnel type thing where the regular cabin hatch is. a Mod 2?

[gregwcoats]

Can you post picture of the bow area? If the price was right, anything is fixable.

[plisska]

sorry the boat is not mine yet and over an hour away. The boat is sitting on the trailer and the dent is right where the bow roller touches the hull. The dent radius is probably a foot around the roller. It doesn't appear to be that deep. Is this normal? or is there a problem whether it be major or minor? Thanks so much!

-Paul

[gregwcoats]

The area where the bow roller meets the hull is a very strong part of the boat. Perhaps the boat was run up on the trailer fast and the bow roller is what stopped it. I have come into the dock very fast and rammed it hard, and other than knocking some gelcoat off, which is easy to fix, there was no damage. I do not have a "bow roller" on my trailer. Are there spider cracks on the bow where it is dented? When you see the boat next time, take a flashlight and look at the bow from the inside, through the hatch. If the "dent" does not show inside the boat, and the price is right, go for it. I trust it is above the water line.

[gregwcoats]

The Capri 14.2 is a great first boat, if you do not buy this one, find another one. Sail it with the main only the first few times and then unroll or raise the jib. Never cleat the sheets, that is the number one reason for capzing the boat, or any little boat for that matter. I have owned 6 sailboats, over the last 25 years, the largest being a Catalina 30, and my little 14.2 is by far the most fun of any of them. Wear your lifejacket, you will get wet someday.

[woodbark]

Paul, from your description it sounds like the boat is a model 2 similar to mine so you may not be able to inspect it from the inside due to the little cuddy cabin but alternatively you should be able to release the winch and push the boat away from the roller stop for a better look.

As Greg mentioned; the bow area is quite strong, although I have not tested mine as he has, not yet anyway ......I know for sure however, there is a reinforcing stem on the inside and beyond this reinforced section the hull sides are quite flexible, I poked mine recently with my finger and it gives easily. Maybe after releasing the winch pressure the dent could well pop back out ......and as Greg rightly pointed out, every little thing is relative to the final price so make a good deal and get sailing the Capri 14.2 way.

[Allatoona]

On my Mod 2, 1989 model. You can remove the box very easily. There are snaps with screws inside of them that surround the opening of the cuddy. Use a power screwgun and remove all the screw, probably 5 or 6 of them. Then grab inside the lib of the box and start pulling and prying, the box will slide out almost all the way out. At the far end of the box is a flat board that is attached to the box and just rests on the inside of the hull for support. Just lift the end of the cuddy up and out to get the support board out. Mine just had a thin rubber gasket around the opening of the hole, but has no caulk nor adhesive holding the box in place.

Now you can inspect the inside for damage. If the seller is eager to sell the boat, you could ask the seller to remove the box and take pictures to email you. Hopefully, the pictures will tell the whole story.

I agree with the others, the point of the boat that rests on the roller should be one of the more strong parts of the fiberglass. I cannot comment on the potential for repair, others might be able to comment.

-Robert
1989 Capri Mod2
1984 Catalina 22

[plisska]

Thank you everyone very much for the advice.

The placement of the roller seams too far back from the front of the boat. Also I did notice the wench was tightened down quite hard. If i had to guess I would say the roller is pushing on the hull maybe 5ft from the front of the boat. close to where the centerboard slit is. Again im just trying to recollect what I remember seeing I could be way off here. Thanks again everyone. The price is as good as it gets and I am going to go get the boat Sunday morning: )

-Paul

[plisska]

Alright everyone here it goes.

I got the boat now i need to know if this is a serious problem. Firstly there was lots of water in it. I opened the drain plug and it ran for quite a while. Im guessing this could have weighed the hull down to form the dent. I unwinched the hull and it immediately popped up a little bit. I tried lifting up the bow but i cant get it high enough to see if the dent will fully come out. It seams more severe in person Or maybe i'm just worried.

Here is a picture of the indent on the roller. The roller is touching the hull about a foot in front of where the slit for the center board begins.

Thanks so much everyone. I think i'm going to be here awhile

[Allatoona]

Take out the box and have a look inside. You might be able to brace the glass from the inside. You won't know what you have to work with until you can see what the inside looks like.

Leave the box out and let the glass dry out for a while, there might be mold in there as well. Stick a fan in the hole and the it blow for several days.

Also, consider moving the roller forward. That will take the strain off the soft section of the boat.

[plisska]

I checked the serial number and I believe the boat was made in 1992.

I have removed the tunnel and have put the tongue of the trailer up on a latter so any remaining water can drain out the back.I also have a fan running in there.

While I was taking the off the cabin tunnel I saw that the seal was broken so i'm guessing this is where rain water got inside. It is clear that the cabin has been removed by one of the previous owners. This concerns me a little.There sure was a whole lot of water in there, so i'm hoping that means its not at all leaky but that also probably means it was left outside for quite some time.

The quality of the wood inside the hull seams fine. nothing is rotted away and i pounded the plywood to test its strength and it seams fine.

So the first picture in the top left... is of the joint containing a piece of plywood and the piece of wood under where the mast attaches, on the port side. The piece of fiberglass connecting the two pieces of wood is clearly loose. The starboard side has the exact same issue. I will just fix that with a patch kit right?

The picture on the top right is of the bow. That piece of wood on the bottom is coming up from the hull slightly at the very front. only about 6 inches is detached from the hull.

Middle row picture is a close up of the area with the dent. I cannot visibly see the dent coming through. The wood is not broken in that area either. I am sure someone knows what they see here better than I do.

Obvious picture of the boat as a whole.

Last photo is another of the bottom of the bow. I found some random block of wood with a bungie cord on it. It is in this picture on the bottom left.

I know that was alot of info. And I truly appreciate all the help I am receiving here thanks so much! hopefully this is enough info for a diagnosis

[plisska]

any ideas?

[Allatoona]

I'm no expert on repairs, so I can offer a few suggestions. You mentioned there is no rotted wood, that is a good sign.

Jack up the bow of the boat and press on the weak spot and see how much flex you have. Also, move the roller on the trailer close to the bow, so you will get off the soft spot.

Something I did for my own boat, I slid my boat off the trailer onto the grass in my yard. Then put out several PDF's for padding and rolled the boat over. That isn't too difficult if you can find a strong friend/neighbor. Allows for easier inspection and repairs of the bottom if needed. I even wet-sanded mine to ensure it had a smooth surface for racing.

Another thought, put the mast on the boat and launch at a local boat ramp. Manually capsize the boat. It's good practice and you can inspect afterward to see if you have any leaks (a garden hose at home would be a quick check for leaks). It looks good from the pictures though, so it might just be the cuddy box was leaking?

-Robert

[rmark]

My trailer (original with my Mod 1)is set up similar to Altoona's, with the front pad about 16inches back from the bow. If the boat has been stored with the bow low it's likely rain water collected in the front of the cockpit and leaked past the cuddy compartment seal.

[2961]

Plisska, did you end up changing the location of your trailer's bow roller? My Mod 2 has a similar setup and exhibits the same big dent in the hull where it rests on the bow roller, so I'm curious about what results you had in moving it.