my new Tophat was recently purchased off a guy who did a bit of the work himself. Unfortunately he is a compulsive liar and created a lot of drama for me in the 6 months leading to buying the boat. I persevered because I i thought he was a honest and also that I was getting a good deal, but in truth little surprises are popping up which could be nothing, but I'm still not sure.
1 thing is there seems to be a slight list to port and even after putting an extra 70kg in the starboard lockers, the list is still there. I'm thinking mast? There is no adjustable back stay . Is this normal?
Another thing is , the hull was painted black. On my recent 5 day cruise the heat was extreme. Granted. Was 40 outside. I'd wake up in the morning feel the hull from the inside where the sun was and it would be hot as. The deck including the cockpit seats are painted red which also adds to the heat. First thing I wanna do is repaint the cockpit seats as this contributes to a hot bum and this heat gets into the main cabin.
the heat did cross my mind before purchase but I liked the boat too much to worry about it. It also looks pretty nice with this colour combo.
the liar also told me he used marine paint but when clearing his crap outta the boat I found the deck paint which was corrugated iron paint, or house paint. Not sure what freeboard/black paint is. i will eventually repaint the whole thing
but I do wonder if the wrong paint is somehow potentially damaging the material.?
im a pretty good painter and can do a very nice job, however I don't know the science of it at all.
geez it annoys me to see things painted that shouldn't be, chrome parts, cleats etc...retarded and lazy.
Good news is the interior of this boat is very nice and she go well. I guess hats what you get for 5k aye !

Some one told me B.O.A.T =$$$$ I wonder who that was Cisco

When you do strip the hull you could seal it with a epoxy sealer then prime and paint

Ill def be doing it myself. Im lucky. I get international paint for free. Only downside is in order to get it for free i just get what im given which is fine. Ill most likely do it in about a year when i antifoul but im also thinking of just working my way down the boat whilst on the mooring. Sanding on outgoing tides.its doable and wont really cost anything this way. The biggest expense in the yard in sydney is the $200 per day to be there.
Thanks MB . I never noticed the mast to be off centre so ill have a look now that ive realised. I measured the mast the other day. Its 10.2m. Theres also 1 of those furling booms although shes not used this way.

Sectorsteve said...
my new Tophat was recently purchased off a guy who did a bit of the work himself. Unfortunately he is a compulsive liar and created a lot of drama for me in the 6 months leading to buying the boat. I persevered because I i thought he was a honest and also that I was getting a good deal, but in truth little surprises are popping up which could be nothing, but I'm still not sure.
1 thing is there seems to be a slight list to port and even after putting an extra 70kg in the starboard lockers, the list is still there. I'm thinking mast? There is no adjustable back stay . Is this normal?
Another thing is , the hull was painted black. On my recent 5 day cruise the heat was extreme. Granted. Was 40 outside. I'd wake up in the morning feel the hull from the inside where the sun was and it would be hot as. The deck including the cockpit seats are painted red which also adds to the heat. First thing I wanna do is repaint the cockpit seats as this contributes to a hot bum and this heat gets into the main cabin.
the heat did cross my mind before purchase but I liked the boat too much to worry about it. It also looks pretty nice with this colour combo.
the liar also told me he used marine paint but when clearing his crap outta the boat I found the deck paint which was corrugated iron paint, or house paint. Not sure what freeboard/black paint is. i will eventually repaint the whole thing
but I do wonder if the wrong paint is somehow potentially damaging the material.?
im a pretty good painter and can do a very nice job, however I don't know the science of it at all.
geez it annoys me to see things painted that shouldn't be, chrome parts, cleats etc...retarded and lazy.
Good news is the interior of this boat is very nice and she go well. I guess hats what you get for 5k aye !

I seem to remember someone getting a bit upset when it was suggested that the dilemma he was having when purchasing his boat might not have been entirely the fault of the wealthy guy and the seller may not have been as honest and gullible as portrayed.

Without getting into too much detail the seller and the wealthy guy were both of bad character. 1 a greedy eastern suburbs pig the other an ex drug addict compulsive liar. I fought hard for the boat and ended up with her in my name. Was a hassle but shes easily sellable for 3 k more than i paid so was worth the fight.
Thisll be my 3rd boat after selling 2 that i made money on and used to the full. I love this boat so ill paint her right soon.

Maybe it's a Tophat thing, my Mk II does the same. I thought mine lists due to carrying batteries in the port side cockpit locker. Doesn't seem to favor either tack, but now I'll be using Storm Petrels tip and check the mast next time I'm aboard.
Dustyned
Fourth Lady

Aaah the listing thing.

Top Hat hulls were made in two halves, neither of which were exactly the same, and then joined together.

This can contribute to a list BUT...

Check the vertical measurement from your anti-fouling to your deck, compare each side.
This, if different can create an illusion that your boat is leaning over.

As some have said your mast may not be vertical also. Check your stays not the fore/back stays.

Top Hats as a rule did not have adjustable backstays, but those with splitters can, as Bluemoon said, install a block tensioner.
I did have one but removed it as I could not see any benefits when cruising. Racing, maybe?

Steve does belong to the Top Hat site

As for placing weights, batteries etc, within, its best to start with an empty boat so you can see the effects as you load them onboard.

From my experience the perceived list make no difference when sailing.

Fortunately TopHats are a fairly small boat so preparing the hull for a repaint in the water would be no big deal. Black or navy blue hulls look good but make small boats look smaller. Dark colours can damage epoxy hulls but will not be a problem with 'glass. Of course even if the hull was white it would still have been unpleasant down below on a 40 degree day!
Over the next few months try and ascertain what paint is on the hull, whether it's a two pot system or single and plan your next move. Two pot can be done with a brush or roller in the water but it's not ideal.

twodogs1969 said..
The back stay tension will also help with fore stay sag in cruisers in high winds. My boat doesn't have an adjustable backstay and in 35 knts and seas there was a bit if forestay sag yesterday the problem with this is the potential for rig dammage and rig slapping. I am going to investigate installing some sort of back stay tensioning now.

You'll have to forgive my lack of knowledge on what things are called twodogs. My backstay ends in a threaded rod that
goes into a wheel (about nine inches dia) that is attached to the transom. the wheel can be turned to tighten or slacken
the backstay. It seems to be a modification that can be added to a vessel at any time. Maybe you could consider such.

Thanks ramona. Im not sure how il find out what kinda paint systems there now. It certainly looks like its 1 coat slapped on as any scratches reveal white. Id only be rolling and tipping but with good prep and paint you cant see this and it comes up nice. Ill chip away starting in about april in the water providing my old mate who lives overlooking my mooring doesnt see a problem with me doing it there. Ill start gathering paint and will sand right back and re apply primers And undercoat.