Hello,
I live in manitoba and this will be the first year storing my nacra 5.7 outdoors. so far i've taken off all the blocks and hardware. i've also loosened the tramp off except for the front beam which leads me to another question, is it a good idea to take the bolts out that hold the main beams on? are they prone to turning loose (the nuts in the hull)? I would do this so i could take the tramp right off. My initial plan so far is to wrap each pontoon in a tarp. and if it isn't a good idea to remove the beam i'd wrap the tramp and front beam in a tarp as well. the reason i'm thinking about tarping the pontoons is the place i'm storing it is very windy and i'm worried about blowing snow hitting it and wearing down the gelcoat. it is also sitting on a trailer with rollers on the back and "v"s on the front. i know thats not the best for skeg hulls so i'm looking for some pointers on what my best options are.
any help is greatly appreciated thanks,
Brady K.
Also it's a 1988



Edited by mryella on Oct 08, 2012 - 11:14 PM.

--
Nacra 5.7
Falcon Lake Manitoba
Canada
--

~~ BK... Welcome to the site,. Heres what I do for my cats (17 & 18 Hobies) for winter... If ya have a FULL cover, cover it, if not the blowin snow shouldn't hurt it. Gelcoat is tough... You have rollers on yer trl--NOT GOOD FOR WINTER STORAGE... Put a plank under the hulls if you leave it on the trl, or take it off and put it on the ground. If you do not have yer boat on the trl--- put the mast FLAT on the ground..... One of my old mast from a 16 Hobie bent from snow weight.... Here's a few links to get yer wheels turning !!!
http://www.thebeachcats.c…ictures/?g2_itemId=67213
http://www.thebeachcats.c…ictures/?g2_itemId=60625
http://www.thebeachcats.c…ictures/?g2_itemId=47433
~~~ Good luck & keep us informed ~~~~~~ Paul...

--
~ Vietnam Vet 69-71~ 17 Hobie w/big jib, ~18 Hobie mag,~DN Ice sailor,
and other toys.......
~~ I live in NY state on the north shore of Oneida lake in
Bernhards Bay. ~~~~~~
--

Quote

is it a good idea to take the bolts out that hold the main beams on? are they prone to turning loose (the nuts in the hull)?

YES and NO!

everyone should have working beam bolts BUT many of us have beam bolts that have not been turned in years/decades... etc

I had to remove my beams at separate times for repairs and both times the internal alum plate that acts as the nut was worn out enough to warrant repair

TURN SLOWLY. And if there is friction or noise, turn about 1/3 of a turn and let it cool off (move to another bolt). the amount of heat that builds up is pretty amazing in just a few turns. If you hear loud creaking as you turn, your bolts have gauled up and are probably going to snap or require cutting off.

If they don't snap you should defiantly run a tap through the beam plate(or nut) and a die over the bolt before using them again.

If your nut or plate strips, there are 2 choices. Use a heli-coil to replace the threads. This method required you to drill out the holes (up to the next size), tap the new holes, and then screw in new threads (the heli-coil) with a special tool that screws them in reverse. Then your threads are good as new - I have done this on all 4 of my beam bolts due to excessive "play" in my threads (was discovered during repairs)

The other option is to simply drill out the threads, and re-tap to the next size bolt, and replace the bolts.

when you put the bolts back in liberally coat the bolts/nuts with Tef-Gel or similar (but Tef-Gel seems to be the preferred product). It will lubricate and prevent galvanic corrosion between dissimilar metals.

If you can: store as many items inside as possible, esp mast since it is sealed, if there is moisture or condensation inside it.. it can expand and blow out in the winter... My friend was a Spar Welder and would see exploded parts from the north that blew out with freezing



Edited by MN3 on Oct 09, 2012 - 08:49 AM.

Do you have access to the boat during the winter? I find it easier to just eliminate the snow load on the boat rather than disassmble (my 5.7 is in the back yard). I remove the mast to a safe location and just cover the tramp with plywood. Easy to broom/shovel off after a dump (we get about 140"/year).

A loose tarp in the wind will probably do more harm to your gel coat than blowing snow so make sure its on there well....

Cb

My 5.7 & 5.0 sit on the patio facing the lake all winter. Lots of wind at times. I drop the mast & put it in the basement, just in case I want to do any work on the wires overwinter.
I undo the front beam & pull the tramp, (the 5.0 needs to be stitched over winter). That keeps it out of the weather, & eliminates any worries about snow load.
In the spring, put a bit of grease on the threads, re-install tramp, & raise the stik.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

Put the boat on the trailer and start driving South until you get to central Florida and then start looking for a good place to stay until Spring.

HULLFLYER

Put the boat on the trailer and start driving South until you get to central Florida and then start looking for a good place to stay until Spring.

Haha I wish, thanks for all the pointers guys!

MN3

Quote

is it a good idea to take the bolts out that hold the main beams on? are they prone to turning loose (the nuts in the hull)?

YES and NO!

everyone should have working beam bolts BUT many of us have beam bolts that have not been turned in years/decades... etc

I had to remove my beams at separate times for repairs and both times the internal alum plate that acts as the nut was worn out enough to warrant repair

TURN SLOWLY. And if there is friction or noise, turn about 1/3 of a turn and let it cool off (move to another bolt). the amount of heat that builds up is pretty amazing in just a few turns. If you hear loud creaking as you turn, your bolts have gauled up and are probably going to snap or require cutting off.

If they don't snap you should defiantly run a tap through the beam plate(or nut) and a die over the bolt before using them again.

If your nut or plate strips, there are 2 choices. Use a heli-coil to replace the threads. This method required you to drill out the holes (up to the next size), tap the new holes, and then screw in new threads (the heli-coil) with a special tool that screws them in reverse. Then your threads are good as new - I have done this on all 4 of my beam bolts due to excessive "play" in my threads (was discovered during repairs)

The other option is to simply drill out the threads, and re-tap to the next size bolt, and replace the bolts.

when you put the bolts back in liberally coat the bolts/nuts with Tef-Gel or similar (but Tef-Gel seems to be the preferred product). It will lubricate and prevent galvanic corrosion between dissimilar metals.

If you can: store as many items inside as possible, esp mast since it is sealed, if there is moisture or condensation inside it.. it can expand and blow out in the winter... My friend was a Spar Welder and would see exploded parts from the north that blew out with freezingEdited by MN3 on Oct 09, 2012 - 08:49 AM.

I've got the mast hung up inside so that's safe, one more think on the bolts, I'm not to worried about repairing the bolts/plates what I'm worried about is if the plates start spinning in the hull because the fiberglass breaks, is that a common occurrence or are they in they're pretty solid?

I've also noticed that not all my bolts are tightened down very far, some having as much as 3/4" between hull and strap. Is that normal or should they all be tightened till flat? And where would one find that grease you mentioned?
Thanks guys
Brady k.

--
Nacra 5.7
Falcon Lake Manitoba
Canada
--

Quote

I've got the mast hung up inside so that's safe, one more think on the bolts, I'm not to worried about repairing the bolts/plates what I'm worried about is if the plates start spinning in the hull because the fiberglass breaks, is that a common occurrence or are they in they're pretty solid?

I've also noticed that not all my bolts are tightened down very far, some having as much as 3/4" between hull and strap. Is that normal or should they all be tightened till flat? And where would one find that grease you mentioned?
Thanks guys

Not sure how your boat is put together. I will defer to Nacra owners



Edited by MN3 on Oct 09, 2012 - 01:01 PM.

DO NOT insist on turning them all the way down! They only torque to 18 ft lb, which is not that much.
Do you have the 2 legacy Nacra manuals here? somewhere it says they may not go all the way.
http://www.thebeachcats.c…ictures/?g2_itemId=35212

there are 2 slightly different manuals. Open each one, then go to the end, it gives you an option to download the entire manual as a PDF

I don't think you have to worry about turning the nuts out of the fibreglass, they are glassed in pretty good. I have a photo of the inside of N5.2 hulls, they are essentially the same construction as yours. Look under Albums, Tech tips



Edited by Edchris177 on Oct 09, 2012 - 07:51 PM.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

Just reread your original post. 3/4" is quite a bit.
Open the assembly manual whose cover photo was taken from the mast head. Go to page 6, top of page...your 5.7 uses straps all the same size, & they are slightly longer than the dagger board boats.
I saw this on our 5.0, original owner changed 2 of the beam straps, & used straps from a 5.2, they are not quite the same. It is very possible that yours were changed at some point.
For what it's worth, we sailed the 5.0 with the shorter straps for 1/2 a season.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

Thanks everyone I took a look at the manual and it says they should be 8 3/4" long ill measure them and take a look, I'm just worried about having those bolts bend on me and be a pain to get out.

--
Nacra 5.7
Falcon Lake Manitoba
Canada
--

Alright guys just a quick update, none of the bolts were seized and came out easily. I have started some of the minor repairs and have completely repaired rudders and have almost finished epoxying the skegs. I have a friend who's a graphic designer who's going to remake the existing decal and make a custom one and well see which I prefer. I'll post some pics when it's done.

--
Nacra 5.7
Falcon Lake Manitoba
Canada
--

hey guys i'm looking at these cradles for my boat namely these ones http://www.murrays.com/mm…=MS&Product_Code=13-7020 i have been reading a bit on the forum about the fiberglass bubbling when the carpet retains moisture. Are the fore-mentioned cradles any good?

--
Nacra 5.7
Falcon Lake Manitoba
Canada
--

They will certainly work, but are not required. You will not have to worry about carpet retaining moisture in Manitoba. Freezing is a drying process, there will be no moisture for most of the winter.
If you look at the bottom of your hulls you will see the stern is almost like a fin. Just use a piece of 2x6 a foot or so long, set under the skeg portion of the hull. That will distribute the load over plenty of area. Most snow load problems were with rollers, they are holding the load on only an inch of area, if that.
What you don't want is the stern of the hull being supported behind the skeg, the skeg is very strong,(thick fibreglass), behind it. not so much.
Do the same for the forward portion of the hulls. They are not rounded in profile the way the boarded boats are. All the way to the bow there is a distinct "edge" on the bottom, which is quite strong. Simplest is to just set the "edge" on a 2x6 plank, running from the rear skeg up to just in front of the front beam. That will spread the load over quite an area. You may need a helper to position the plank as you lift the hull.
If you leave the tramp on, be sure to slacken off the tensioning lines.
If you get tons of snow, that might really load up with an early rain, I would build a simple A frame over the tramp to shed the snow.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

~~ Yeah, like I did.... Made an "A" frame, Took the rollers off and put 2x6x10' 'skids'. (Look at the links I put on this post) ~

--
~ Vietnam Vet 69-71~ 17 Hobie w/big jib, ~18 Hobie mag,~DN Ice sailor,
and other toys.......
~~ I live in NY state on the north shore of Oneida lake in
Bernhards Bay. ~~~~~~
--

I store my boat similar as you describe. I take all hardware off the mast and boat (a great time to inspect everything and replace parts before next season) and then I take the tramp out of the side groves and wrap it around the front beam. I do cover this up with some plastic and shrink wrap it so no moist can get to it. My boat stays in one part and I do not cover up the pontoons or anything, never had a problem and neither did the previous owner according his own words. Last year I did take the boat completely apart for some hull repairs which was very simple to do as long as you have some helping hands. When you put it back together make sure you put down a layer of silicone sealant between the pontoon and the beam.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------
Marc C.
Cleveland, Ohio.
Current love: Nacra 5.0
Old loves: Int Laser, Int Europe, Int 470, Int 420, Vaurien
------------------------------------------------------------------
--

FlyingDutch

I store my boat similar as you describe. I take all hardware off the mast and boat (a great time to inspect everything and replace parts before next season) and then I take the tramp out of the side groves and wrap it around the front beam. I do cover this up with some plastic and shrink wrap it so no moist can get to it. My boat stays in one part and I do not cover up the pontoons or anything, never had a problem and neither did the previous owner according his own words. Last year I did take the boat completely apart for some hull repairs which was very simple to do as long as you have some helping hands. When you put it back together make sure you put down a layer of silicone sealant between the pontoon and the beam.

Not sure I understand what the silicon is for, could you please elaborate?



Edited by mryella on Oct 26, 2012 - 08:37 AM.

--
Nacra 5.7
Falcon Lake Manitoba
Canada
--

Quote

Not sure I understand what the silicon is for, could you please elaborate?

me either .. i could guess but will wait to read the answer

I have never heard of silicon used there.

more common would be to "BED" the hulls to the beams by placing the boat in a level location, applying some release agent on both the hulls and the beams, then applying epoxy and then level of the beams. Let cure for 10 -14 days or so, and now you have created a perfect custom fit and should have a stiffer boat.