I'm looking at buying a Dart 18 I "found" at my club - the owner has moved abroad and it hasn't been used for years. When he laid it up it was in excellent condition and the sails / tramp / rigging have been carefully stored and are all very good. The hulls have been left outside and moved around the compound. It currently resides in a rather overgrown corner.

When I went to check it it all appears sound except one of the hulls had about 3 inches of water in it. The cover has fallen to pieces over the years and at some point one of the inspection hatches' cover has been left badly fitted. I could find no damage on the hulls.

I'll use this boat for club racing and taking friends for joy rides but notheing more serious.

My newbie questions:
1) Where might the water have come from? I'm assuming rain into the badly fitted hatch cover or that the hatch was removed at some point and then put back on (badly).
2) Assuming the hull has had rainwater in it for several years is this likely to have damaged to hull?

Thanks

Water may have entered through the rivets for the jib car and where the tramp slides. You just need to remove the water and the take a test sail to see if the boat is taking on water.

Chris

As well as rain water getting in if the boat has been sitting for years it would have a build up of condensation. Personally I would do a taste test to see if its salty. but I expect it will just taste rancid.
Don't forget to replace all the rigging before you go out or the mast will come down!.

I wouldn't worry to much about it.

It is pretty normal for rainwater to find its way into cat hulls that were thought to be absolutely airtight.

If you can then test sail the boat after you have emptied the hulls and check after a hour of sailing how much water has gotten in to the hull. A few cups is alright. A few pints less so.

But most leaks can easily be repaired

Wouter

I've no doubt it would taste rancid!

The rigging has been stored inside a garage - I assume it will be ok?

but the water won't have damaged the hull through osmosis?

I recommend you contact Mark Schneider, before he had a TORNADO and A-Cat his nickname/tag was Mark "the Dartman" Schneider. He still has his Dart at his club and is very knowledgable on these boats on part sources, fixes and general issues. I'll call him and ask him to get on-line for you.

Harry

thanks - what a helpfull forum!

Chris,
Yes you are right, fiberglass can absorb up to 1/3 its wieght of/in water. But I have found ( in repairing Marks boat) that the Dart is "laid up" with high quality cloth and workmanship, and if you keep it dry it will be OK.

Keep it stored OFF of the ground (on nylon carpeted blocks) and covered/tented so that rain is shedded off and air can circulate it will dry out. Remember to tie it down so it will not flip over while stored

Mark is in NYC w/girlfriend, I'm waiting for a call back from him

Harry

no hurry - offout now. Thanks. will check tom.

few things to check(having sailed Dart 18 for 10 years)

1, I would suggest changing the rigging anyway if you decide to buy. If it's been around a while I would just bin it. The rigging is not great and I would change mine every 18 months or so.
2, How old it the boat?
3, Is this 3 inches when the boat is tippeed back or when flat. 3 inches when tipped back is not much. 3 inches when flat is a lot.
4, Tip the boat on it's side (on grass or sand, not stones as the sides of the hulls are very thin and will get damaged.
5, What state are the skegs in? Is there glass showing? If glass is showing is it soggy, if so it's a fairly big job to cut it all out, fare, add mat, fill and re-gel (but not difficult, just time needed)
6, What state are the rudders in? get them out and see if the move well or are they in a bad way? Are they full of water?
7, Are there any stress cracks along the deck seams (one place they may leak is around the toe loops on the hulls. Again not a massive job to fix, but worth taking into account
8, Does the boat have all the blocks present, what state are they in?

By "the rigging" i assume you mean halyards and mast stays? (I'm a laser sailor and know not of this "rigging").
It is 3 inches with the hulls flat.
Hulls are externally are excellent - one or two chips in the gel on the bows but otherwise excellent.
The only cracks on the hulls I could find were around the "tubes" that the aluminium bits that attach the hulls to each other. This looked to me like a crack in the gell coat.
blocks are "race pack" (what is this?) and were removed.
Before he laid it up the guy was serious - going round the country to races - so it should all be good.
(also comes with Dart 15 sail he used for playing about in high winds)
remember this boat is for fun and remembering the good old days when I used to crew a Dart as a teenager. The Laser for serious racing so I'm not too worried about ultimate performance, but I would be about mast falling down!

Cheers

tHE DART hull caps will rot every three or four years. If the boat was left unattended and has been sitting full of water for three years you may have problems... especially after freeze thaw cycles.

Check the glass at the bottom of the hulls on the keel line... If it's soft... not so good...

The hull is stiffened with large foam blocks which are glued into the boat... if these come loose.. (it's like loosing a bulkhead) The hull could come apart in big seas.

Scooby's advice is spot on

Mark

Hi Chris,

"cracks on the tubes" are common on a Dart 18 and nothing to worry about. I guess the only way to check the hulls is to sail it before buying. After one hour or so, you should not have more than 1 or 2 pints per hull. If the wires and shackels have rost, kinks, or other strange appearance replace it. Halyards can be really old, since you use them on beach and hence no big pb, if they fail (on the water the sails are hooked).
Check the sail battens, they break after some time and penetrate the sail. If you see lots of fine cracks at the part close to the luff, it is time to replace them. Check their price on www.lasersailing.com, you may be surprised.

You will love the Dart 18, especially if it blows.

Cheers,

Klaus

I'd suggest all the wire and rope be replaced.

This does worry me somewhat. Have the hatch covers been off at all? Has the boat been in the freeze / thaw? This will be V bad news with water in it. The epoxy work inside the hulls can be suspect at times and I'd ask the current owner he will let you dry it out fully and then sail it. If it does not leak much in a good hour sail in good wind then it's probably sound. Again, what state are the skegs in. How old is the boat? In old boats, foam was just stuck into the boats to add volume if the hull is holed, they were not structural.


Ball race blocks (not Harken, custom laser kit)



So subject to above make sure you change all the rigging before you sail it much.

I think that the cracks you are talking about are where the decks (bonded on) meet the beam boxes - this is just a gelcoat filler join and is not structural.

Just out of interest: what would happen if there was something wrong with the hull and I sailed it? Would it slowly fill-up with sea water or fall to pieces?

how could I dry out the hull prior to test? the boat is stored outside without cover and the inspection cover on. Are we talking bucket and sponge?

Put the launching trolley about centre with the bows up in the air - then use a small container and then a sponge.
If the hulls seem solid, it is unlikely that anything is going to fall apart. There can be one very serious problem. There is a long foam block in the hulls running from the bows to the mainbeam. The hull skin must be bonded to this block or the hulls can split and fall apart. If you tap and press along the hulls between the bow and mainbeam, about half way between the keel and deck, it should feel very solid. If you feel the skin moving and stopping against something solid, then the bond is broken and the decks will have to come off and a new foam block fitted. It is a special block and con only be bought from the builders. Check out: http://www.dart18.com/TechTalkBuyingUsed.htm