Toogoodoo is a 1975 Dickerson 41, hull #8. These Dickersons were built in the style of traditional wooden workboats - really solid heavy boats - built like a tank.
The older boats had wooden hulls, and in 1975 - the 1st Dickerson 41 - and the only wooden hulled 41 - Southern Cross - was used as a plug to make fiberglass molds for the hull, everything else remained wood. The decks are 3/4" fir plywood, the cabin tops are 4 laminated layers of 1/4" fir plywood. The cabin sides are 1-1/4" solid mahogany, as are the cockpit coaming boxes. The carlins or nailers are 1" solid mahogany. The deck frames and floor frames are 1-1/2" x 2-1/2" solid mahogany. The engine mounts and mast step timbers are massive 6" x 6" solid mahogany.
The cabin sides are fastened with 3/8" stainless steel bolts spaced every 18" , and bronze #12 2" wood screws every 6 inches through the deck into the sides. There are #12 2" bronze screws every 6" around the top of the cabin sides into the nailers, and the same from the roof into the nailers. The 4 layers of roof ply were laid in place with 1-1/2" bronze ring nails through the roof into the nailers.
The horizontal surfaces - roof and decks have a thin fiberglass skin layed over the wood.
With all of this wood - some rot is not uncommon on these boats. Most problems begin at the corner posts - where the unsealed end grain of the cabin sides meet. Another trouble area is
under the eyebrows - at the screw fasteners. Toogoodoo has rot in both areas. To deal with rot, you typically cut out the bad wood and replace with new wood. Penetrating epoxy does a good job of wicking into and preserving the more porous wood, and I've read that ethylene glycol (Prestone antifreeze) shows some success in killing the fungus.
Toogoodoo's previous owners made some repairs. They replaced some wood - though they were not successful in killing or stopping the remaining rot, and the rot continued to grow into the old porous wood under the painted and fiberglassed finishes. Other attempts to drill and inject epoxy are evident - these repairs were then covered in fiberglass and painted. Again the rot was not killed and continued to grow.
We bought Toogoodoo in 2012 to be our last boat - our world cruiser. I retired at the end of 2012, and after making some cruising livability improvements, we cruised the Bahamas - Abacos for 2 months. We plan to do some long term cruising when Denise retires, working our way around the blue marble. Thanks Toogoodoo for taking care of us - now its time to fix you up for the next 40 years.
I inspected Toogoodoo to identify the areas that needed attention. Hope I came close to finding all of the problems - but their will be more hidden below.... Denise and I blueskyed what we wanted in our boat. During the annual Dickerson owners rendezvous, we visited 2 of our sisterships, Bill and Chris Brurry's Plover, and Dave and Siobahn Fahrmeir's Down Home. We studied the several videos of Dee and Don Wogamans' Southern Cross - hull #1 in the fleet, and Don came aboard and looked around Toogoodoo at the rendezvous. Dave and Siobahn have been restoring their 41 for a couple of years in preparation for cruising, and have really done a ton of fine work. Dave's approach is to get it all done now and get it done right. He reminded me 'you don't want to be working on the boat forever - you want to go cruising.' Dave and Siobahn had worked with a shipwright during their restoration, and recommended her.
Following the rendezvous, we asked the shipwright to drop by. We talked about our ideas, how we plan to use the boat, areas that needed repair, interior modifications etc. She suggested that we start with the exterior - damage control. We would tackle an area - cut it open, fix and close it up, then move on to the next. She suggested we start with the fwd cabin - the aft starboard corner over the the galley. This would include removing the starboard coaming box, and propping up the bimini frame - 2 of 6 legs mount on the top of the coaming box. Then we would work our way aroud the aft cabin, replacing the starboard coaming box so that we could remove the port coaming box. We liked her approach and, and agreed to get started!
Here's the exterior list: - perhaps a bit larger than I had anticipated.... and likely to grow as we dig in:
1) Fwd cabin - replace aft starboard corner post and patch surrounding cabin side, top and bulkhead.
2) Cockpit - replace both corners of the aft bench
3) Cockpit coaming boxes - replace starboard box - lots of old rot and repairs, perhaps only the interior board of port, refinish teak tops
4) Aft cabin:
- aft wall and aft starboard corner post has significant rot - replace both, associated roof and deck repairs
- starboard side is bad fwd and aft - replace, associated roof and deck repair
- port side - aft looks ok - it looks like the aft corner post was replaced, fwd shows moisture - likely rot. The deck and frame below this fwd corner and under the cockpit bench has rot. Probably will replace that side too, associated bulkhead roof and deck repairs. Cut out and replace any rot on the frame and add a sister frame.
5) Main mast step - 1/2" depression in the plywood under the deck stepped mast, and a 3/8" gap at the ends of the 2x10 between the compression post and the ceiling. Don Woggaman suggested that the galvanized pipe compression post may have bent (as did in another Dickerson 41), the frames below the compression post were retabbed - so perhaps they shifted a bit producing or adding to the gap? We will pull the masts and further investigate - suspect we'll end up replacing the galvanized post and repairing the plywood roof around the mast step.
6) Sampson post at bow is rotted and must be replaced, some adjacent deck repairs.
7) Deck area at main mast starboard forward lower shroud shows some rot, repair and check chainplate.
8) Lazarette drains replaced.
9) prime and paint repairs.
All sides will be 1-1/4 Sapelle mahogany, frame will be white oak, plywood will be okume. All wood adjacent to repairs and new wood will be treated with Smith's CPES. All work will be glassed over from roof to deck with West systems and 6 oz cloth. We will be removing and glassing over all eyebrows - permanently.
Denise is also getting a start on refinishing the exterior teak. The forward hatch is being, stripped, bleached, all caulk seams removed and replaced, varnished.
Then go criusing in the Exumas from .... December 2014 to May 2015rmanently.
Remaining exterior items for ....next year...?
1) The remaining 3 corners on the fwd cabin show some moisture but are ok for now- ie not leaking. They will probably require repairs in a year or two.
2) Chainplates: pull the chainplates - inspect, replace etc...
4) Deck - add glassed in 1/2" thick coosa board blocks under all deck fixtures and chain plates. (Dave did this!) Add coosa chainplate covers.
3) Rebed all deck fixtures4) Deck - add glassed in 1/2" thick coosa board blocks under all deck fixtures and chain plates. (Dave did this!) Add coosa chainplate covers.
4) Add hatch dams to front of hatches for green water and to prevent tangles lines.
5) Refinish the deck with Kiwigrip - currently it is finished in Durabak - but it is peeling
6) Exterior teak refinishing - 2 more hatches, companion way, dorade boxes, handrails, toerail, rub rail.
7) Prime and paint cabins with 2 part paint - ie Awlgrip. (The hull was painted with awlgrip in 2008).
And of course there is more - interior items, some electronics,,, you know how it is.
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