JaimeManero

Sounds like a good idea. Also i was having troubles with the 2x2 for the structure as the gunnels are at an angle and that would involve the timber that sits on top to be planned. I can weld the upstands at the angle i need so ill have less angles to worry about on the timber. Also leaving that gap sounds like a great idea. I guess something like 20 or 50 mm will do gor this gap? Also ill fill that gap with sickaflex to allow some expansion.

Im a keen cyclist and i enjoy a rare good bike lane. But over that i enjoy to respect heritage and is not nice to destroy the canals

The cabin sides are already removed as the frame and the plywood was in very bad condition. Also the frame had many repairs and it was just a stack of timber over more timber so I decided to remove them all together. Then I welded steel gunners to rest the cabin there. My initial thought was to bolt through the gutters to a 2x2 timber that would be the feet of the new frame, and then thin 9mm plywood for the walls as they don't need to carry any load. Also if anything goes wrong i can remove each panel of plywood without compromising the structure. But after reading Tony Brooks message i think i should weld a up stand and bolted from there. I forgot to mention the second reason to rebuild the cabin is it only 1.7m of headroom, I'm 1.85 so imagine how uncomfortable and sore my back end up after spending a day inside. Im aiming to have at least 2.0m of headroom, After watching many videos on YouTube and other topics on this forum ill go for a GPR resin with fibre mats, using fiberglass powder mixed with resin to achieve a peanut butter-like putty and fill any corner and cracks. Ill have to do this job either I choose to do the walls with steel oo wood. I haven't make up my mind yet but I'm gravitating towards wood (lets see for how long I can stick to it!). If I get savings and access to a boatyard I can always rebuild it for steel in the future. This is a up to date picture (the pic i sent its almost 3 years old), where you can see the provisional lift of the roof, and the pallets are just for security, if I have to leave the boat id just put many of them to hinder any attempt to break in. I had power tools stolen already, who would guess not having wall was so unsafe? xDD. CTTV recorded everything but didnt do much to keep them from stealing them. In the pictures you can have a view of the gunners, because I didn't have clear what the material of the cabin would be I made them oversized so I could cut the excess once was done. Is this a similar product as sikaflex? Interesting material, I definitely can think of many uses for it. I want to research more about it, but so far the GPR resing seems like the best option. The striping part of the old fiberglass is virtually effortless as its not well bonded anymore (maybe never were? i know some people skip the first layers of resin before lying the mats. I can remove it almost in a single sheet.

Thank you. Yes, the old plywood suffered from that problem, they started delaminating and rotting from the bottom. Also the gunnels were made of wood causing the whole cabin to sink into the hull and collect rainwater inside, bad combination.

Thank your for the detailed step by step. The ripping off part should be easy as the sheets of fiberglass are coming out in a big piece leaving the bare wood exposed. Epoxy exceeds my budget at rhe moment, would resin provide similar results? I was considering "Cure it"resin as a boater used this product with good results. Just as reference my roof is 10m2 in two sections, and the walls are approximately 7m2. Im making the bow side half first and then the second. Thank you again for all the help. How the cabin should be held on the gunnels without screws? With sealant or epoxy? My gunnels doesn't have upstand, only a slight angle. Im still on time to add them thank you.

Thank you this is gold. Im in continuous cruising as couldn't find any boatyard yet, all the ones i tried are in full capacity. I wonder if in the countryside id have better luck. Yes, not disturbing anyone was a concern, i always found moorings far away from residential areas or on the opposite bank of the towpath, id cover my work area with tarps to not blind anyone while welding. Fire extinguishers always at hand and a pal as safety lookout. I also managed to cut the 4mm plates with a angle grinder and a jigsaw with metal blade. Not the fastest way but effective. Walls will not have curves and the supplier i can get the steel from would cut each panel to size. When you said paint with epoxy, only for the cracks and joints or the whole surface? Will resin stick to harden epoxy?

Just followed up the topic, great advice, and sorry for revive the thread from the undead. I need some advice too. I have a steel hull and a wooden superstructure, and I have the similar issues as chas. This year im stripping off the walls as there were rotten and couldn't be saved. The roof is still in good condition though the GPR layer is peeling off and need to be redone. I have to decide now if i want to rebuild it on wood or steel, and its a question that got me paralyzed on this part of the project so id love some advice . I became confident in arc welding after burning countless rods in a garage and many youtube videos. I have weld plates on the hull (its the part where you walk on when moving outside of the boat I keep forgetting its name). In short welding the super on steel it something i can do myself, but still the cost of the steel is an issue as im on a budget after burning my savings refurbishing my first canal boat. But on the other hand after adding all the the extra money and work that wood tops involve (and countless other products as sealant), this offsets the savings in the wood materials, or correct me if im wrong as i never did fiberglass before. The fiberglass part seems scary at first considering how unpredictable and less than ideal UK's weather. I already started to rebuild the cabin with wood but i think im already changing my mind and it might be still in time to do it in steel. I cant commit to an option so any advice would be appreciated.

I used dulux red oxide, and a mix of diferent brands for next coats that I cant remember. Yes, she was on water when I did the job. It was quite warm weather (summer), but It had to rain regardless while the undercoat was drying :/. Im struggling with paint as weather is hardly dry or predictable for that matter in this country. Im considering using jotamastic 2 part epoxy paint. Anyone had used it before or can recommend another one? Budget is tight but a corroding hull after a bad paint job is even more expensive so...😅. Ill use it for the inside part of the keel too, where access is dificult so its preparation. Also its a place with constant contact with bilge water while I get to fix the roof. I attached a picture where the keel can be seen. Right now it just bare metal, visibly rusting. I dipped a magnesium rod grounded to the hull to try to minimise corrosion while the weather gets warmer to use the epoxy paint. This is the third year after I bought my boat, and refurbishing her while being in continuous cruising have been a tough endeavour. See jobs already failing while I have so much work still left to do is discouraging. But i guess this is part of the process of refurbishing a boat so ill keep going. Fuze is the brand. Sold on ebay

Thank you for such a quick answer. Yes, I forgot to mention the undercoat, it was applied. Also i used a angle grinder with a wirebrush, and surface was degreased. I remember I removed a bucket of rust. I also remember I had some rain after applying the undercoat. Wet surface before painting might be also a posibility. Rust converter is water based, maybe i didn't let it dry totally? It was 2 years ago so i cant remember all the details. It was my first time doing this type of paiting so i wouldn't be surprised of making a mistake on the preparation or wating time between coats. Red oxide was the only paint oil based, the rest were water based. I didn't know paint are porous. Im considering going for a epoxy based one to fix this. But i havent use it before.

Hello. Ive been reading many posts of this forum since I got my first boat 3 years ago , and its been extremely helpful in many occasions. This is my first time writing a post 2 years ago I painted the inside of the stern hull floor, using rust converter, red oxide, and a top coat of exterior paint. Yesterday, I decided to clean this area, and poking with my finger on the floor i noticed a squishy feeling, like water was trapped underneath the paint, and even some bubbles of air coming from areas nearby. Paint cloud be removed in chunks along a thick layer of rust. Any idea why paint failed this way and how to avoid it in the future? Its an area frequently exposed to rain water and would pool there.

Resurrecting this post. Would you upload the the file? It looks awesome.