I saved a vintage A-CAT from getting cut up. The hulls are still in wonderful condition but in need of some resin and gelcoat to restore her beauty. I have everything to put her back together and extras on some parts. The mylar sail is in better then good condition. The tramp is usuable but should be replaced down the bay some time. I have 4 wooden daggerboards in various shapes and sizes. The rudders need some dressing up with the normal hardware replacements done. I want to get her done over the winter and use her when I am not sailing my F18 Infusion as a solo sailer. I have no literature or media that would make everything right so any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated. The off season project will start soon and I want to get her apart and inside and start restoration work. I am excited about bringing her back to her glory days and resting on a cradle on the beach come spring. Looking forward to your help finding technical information to guide me through the process.

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2007 Nacra F18 Infusion
www.fleet250.org
Facebook: Sandy Hook Bay Catamaran Club
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Buy a gallon of West epoxy and a rotary sander (5", 8 hole). Pete

That sounds like a great project! I second petes advice, get the full west system kit with the measuring pumps and a decent sander. Surform rasps are also nice if you are doing any shaping. That will save a lot of time and effort.

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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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3rd on the West System. It is an epoxy system that performs well in real world conditions. Great and worthy project. I am glad to see someone take on a rocket restoration.

Ratio is king. Observe relative humidity, temp and preparation specifications. Minimize air entrainment when mixing don't plunge the mixer from free air into the mix and keep the vortex away by low speed mixing

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82 Hobie 18 Alter Signature Model. (The Cisco Squid) Complete refit down to the rivets in 2012.
81 H-16
Rescue California
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Gosh I hate to buck the "system" but, if the material of the hulls is not epoxy but polyester then the correct material to use for the restoration would be polyester. While you can use epoxy over polyester the bond is not as long lasting as if using identical materials. The process for the restoration should be similar.

Oh and I agree with astglenn about air entrainment

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Steve
H14, H16, H17
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We want to see some pics!

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Stefan, Denmark.
H14,H16,P16,P18,SC17,N5.8
Team StaySail
http://www.staysail.eu
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sportjet15

Gosh I hate to buck the "system" but, if the material of the hulls is not epoxy but polyester then the correct material to use for the restoration would be polyester. While you can use epoxy over polyester the bond is not as long lasting as if using identical materials. The process for the restoration should be similar.

Oh and I agree with astglenn about air entrainment

Good point indeed.

Polyester resin does carry a different modulus of elasticity (E Value) than most amine based epoxy resins. The West system does a good job of not being over stiff and the bond is much higher than can be recognized by the polyester. So long as fabric is introduced and a repair is not a "neat" resin affair, the epoxy resin system will outrun a polystyrene based, polyester resin in every stress, strain and bond index. The newer (West type) epoxy resins are what we call HMWLV resins. High Molecular Weight Low Viscosity. This improves the bond to beyond the pull off failure of polyester.

Resin, in any form is junk in terms of strength. It is heavy and only provides strength in a purely compressive capacity. For example, pure resin makes a great thing to cast into 2" cubes to be used as blocks under ones BBQ. Micro silica, thixotropic agents etc can be blended in, but they will only act to "fill" the resin, again, in a compressive capacity. Fabric is where the strength comes from for tensile, hoop, shear index. When resin makes all the strands hold hands, then a composite structure is formed. The lay of the fiber direction is where the real strength comes from and can be targeted to exactly resist a specific strain.

I deal with this daily as a designer of high strain, critical stress composites. My life is one big stress strain curve! Can you tell? Im frikin insane.! Insane I tell you.

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82 Hobie 18 Alter Signature Model. (The Cisco Squid) Complete refit down to the rivets in 2012.
81 H-16
Rescue California
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"resting on a cradle on the beach" is for whoosies, get a Prindle...........

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TurboHobo
H14T
H16
P18
G-Cat 5.0
P16
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Hey turbo,, I take care of my girls,, I am on coarse beach sand and it eats the hulls. I keep my Nacra F18 Infusion high and dry as I will my new daughter haha. Too the rest,, Yes I like the WEST System and I dont really have any glass cloth work to do, just reestablisjing a smooth glaze on her. I am thinking a bright yellow finish in the gelcoat. i do have a Dewalt random 5 inch 8 holes sander which I have been using to do peoples daggerboards and rudders over with. It is a great tool. I will post pics as I proceed until its done. I really need tech stuff like schematics for the boards and rudders. I want them to be exactly perfect.
Insane is good haha. I really have firm, clean hulls just needing old finish taken down and replaced. There are no soft spots at all. Pictures will begin after Labor Day. Jenna

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2007 Nacra F18 Infusion
www.fleet250.org
Facebook: Sandy Hook Bay Catamaran Club
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Off thread a bit. Astglenn, do you have any leads to 3/8" honeycomb sheathed in pre-preg carbon? I used to get rejects from CIBA Geigy before it was sold to Hexcel. Have a new project. Pete

pbegle

Off thread a bit. Astglenn, do you have any leads to 3/8" honeycomb sheathed in pre-preg carbon? I used to get rejects from CIBA Geigy before it was sold to Hexcel. Have a new project. Pete

Composites 1 is about the best for pre-preg and structurals in easy to obtain shorts. I do know a guy at Fife and I believe Tube Sales may have the jacketed HC. How much e value are you looking at? Sounds like you want it stiffer than a weddn day weenie.

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82 Hobie 18 Alter Signature Model. (The Cisco Squid) Complete refit down to the rivets in 2012.
81 H-16
Rescue California
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Somebody out there has to have rudder and daggerboard spec sheets some where. I need some engineering drawings or someone that has a set of good boards that can make me a cardboard cut out to work with. I can't post pictures if I can't get started soon. Help

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2007 Nacra F18 Infusion
www.fleet250.org
Facebook: Sandy Hook Bay Catamaran Club
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Check on SA and Catsailor. We have no idea what version A-Cat you have (their are probably close to 100 different varieties going back to the age of your boat). This is a development class with everything changing constantly-few people build their own blades without access to CNC cut mold. The latest and greatest are curved daggerboards and high aspect ratio rudder blades. What this means is you can probably pick up a set of used high AR straight boards for a steal.

It is hard to give advice on an unknown boat. If it is an old woodie, it may have had custom boards, so you might find yourself shaping them. Sam is right on the straight boards, everyone is going to curved boards, so they are unloading the straight ones.

I have several fiberglass A cat rudders that could be adapted to any casting. Pictures are in the classifieds under the F18HT parts ad.

If this cat has mylar sails it can't be too vintage....

I thought I would add something as far as epoxy goes. West System is very expensive. I've had good experience with US Composite's medium cure speed epoxy system. Its far cheaper, and worked well for restoring my Nacra 5.2 hulls. They also sell West System at a pretty cheap price too if you need the name brand.

Thanx fulcrum, Yes it has mylar sails and I thought that was the evolution of the boat. I am learning they were a developmental class aand have gone through tons of changes. My boat has woooden daggerboards and a glass laminated rudders. Real boxy looking stuff and very basic. I want to incorporate some of the updates. This is wood hulls that have been glass skinned. I will get pics up soon as it evolves.

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2007 Nacra F18 Infusion
www.fleet250.org
Facebook: Sandy Hook Bay Catamaran Club
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