January 1, 2011
Well, I am making progress on the brightwork, doing every bit of wood on the exterior, except the handrails which seem fine. The engine and tiller mounts, winch pads and the little bits at the end of the tracks. I’ve used 2 part cleaners that are very aggressive, but given the state of the hatchboards, I thought there is no point is going halfway.
I’m using Cetol Light which is a bit opaque, I am not sure if I like it as after about the 4th coat the wood gets a milky fake-wood look to it. I am hoping that this will provide extra UV protection…? Regardless it is nice to see the teak come up and look crisp and clean. I made up a set of temporary hatch grooves on the table saw – used some old pine lying around – matches the winter hatches (also in pine)!
I started poking at the ports to see what the situation is. Given the extremely poor shape I am really hoping that this is the source of the water in the bilge – otherwise I don’t know where that water came from! I am toying with the idea of putting new acrylic flush on the exterior in a modern style – but I think I will just replace the inner gasket and glass to keep the original look.
I just got new port light acrylic from Steve at tanzerboatparts.com. He also supplied me with the outer gaskets (splines) but he doesn’t carry the inner ones (extruders). If you happen to know where to find replacements I would love to know.
In regard to water in your bilge, you may want to check your scuppers (cockpit drains). Mine both have small cracks in them, and when the boat is healed over they leak a decent amount.
I am very excited about my “new” 1979 7.5 that I got for “free”(I paid 2500 to get it out of storage). It sounds a bit like yours, on the hard for two years and in need of a lot of TLC. But so far seems well worth the effort!
I hope to read more in the coming season.
David Drake
Hi David,
Sounds like you’ve found a great score, these Tanzers are a great bargain.
I’m not sure what you mean by the inner extruded gasket, do you mean the thick white trim in the interior that clips into the window frame?
The tricky part was getting the window frames tight to the cabin, there isn’t much material for screws to bit into. I used 4000 but still got some gaps when the screws loosened. I would probably use butel tape between the glass and frame if I did it again.
The other tip is to not stretch the grey gasket, if anything stuff it in as it will shrink over time.
I think the water was coming in from several places, the port window, chain plates and pump out fitting. Once those were sealed up it’s pretty dry now.
Where are you located?
Hope you are enjoying your winter hibernation. I am down in New Jersey – Lake Hopatcong is where my boat and I call home for now. The lake is frozen over with ice fisherman out on the deepest parts looking for a score.
Extruders are those thick white gaskets, min are stained with mold. I’ve soaked them a few times in hot water and bleach and the mold has turned this strange purple. At this point I won’t push it, I’m just going to put them back in place in the early spring when I change out my port windows.
Perhaps I need to start a page, not unlike yours. You have inspired me and it would be good for me to keep the Tanzer momentum going!
Thanks.
David
Hey lads,
Great of you to post your pics and adventures here! Much appreciated! I have a Tanzer 26 that saw her first summer with my family last year – looking to improve a few things aesthetically this year: brightwork and portlights (leaking) are just two of them. I found this fellow’s refurbishing project here: http://www.richgard.com/new_port_lites.htm
Though this just tells you about his portlight replacement – there is much he has done that is quite good – and other items I’m not as fond of.
Hope it helps you gentlemen!
Barry