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Cockpit Floor Refurbishment Projects

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Steve Wnuk

12/23/2024 10:18 PM

This is an offshoot of the ‘Blade Track Installation…’ post put up by John Cutler (#1029, the other woman) a few weeks back. In that post, John mentioned wanting to write up a cockpit floor (sole) stringer replacement project he’d accomplished a couple years back. I was involved in a similar project earlier this year and reached out to John. We shared notes and collaboratively compiled the attached summary overview. It is included here in the hope that others facing/contemplating similar repairs will find it useful.

Steve Wnuk

Ensign 947, Sriracha

Peter Kogut

12/23/2024 10:37 PM

Steve and John,

Thanks for the wonderful article! Very helpful. This should definitely go into the website library.

Pete Kogut

#856

The White Lady

Joseph & Anne Graul

12/24/2024 5:29 AM

Pete,

Will you and Jonathon be taking on a similar cockpit stringer project on PLEBE YEAR?

Have a pleasant holiday. It looks like Anne and I will be leaving for Dunedin on Saturday or Sunday.

Jody

Jonathan Gorbold

12/24/2024 8:17 AM

Jody,

Yes I have the floor from Plebe Year in my workshop and will be replacing the stringers over the winter.

As it’s winter in upstate NY I am working on the floor on saw horses in a warm workshop and replacing each stringer one at a time to preserve the floor shape.

I hope to be able to refit the floor into the boat as an assembly in the Spring.

Jonathan

Questar 1226

Sent from my iPhone

Jeffrey Hagman

1/8/2025 1:18 PM

I am looking at redoing my cockpit floor. Any idea of what your completed cockpit floor weighs?

Currently my Ensign floor is made from 3/4" StarboaPost Messagerd material with 1/2" wood slats on top which I think is quite heavy.

Jonathan Gorbold

2/18/2025 5:21 PM

Jodi,

I have finished refurbishing the floor for Plebe Year and it is now ready for refitting to the boat when the weather in upstate New York warms up a bit.

The stringers were fabricated from marine ply and West System Epoxy. Hard wood dowels were used in the original wood screw holes to attach the floor boards to the new stringers.

James Knape

2/19/2025 10:42 AM

Just wondering what that amount teak would wood cost if you decided to go to a lumber yard that sells teak. Surely a whole bunch of money and likely more than many ensigns sell for. Good job on preserving a valuable asset.

Joseph & Anne Graul

2/19/2025 7:58 PM

Jonathan,

Thank you for updating me. Your work is priceless!

I am currently in Dunedin FL and spoke briefly to Zeke Durica last week at a local sailing meeting at Clearwater Yacht Club.

I was also at the St. Petersburg Sailing Center where boats were launched for the Helly Hansen SailingWorld Series Regatta. I saw a luxury mini van with a trailer attached and a Canandaigua Yacht Club bumper sticker. There was also a J 24 sticker on the vehicle. I did not get their names but spoke to them for a short time and mentioned you and Pete. They said they knew you. I told them I donated PLEBE YEAR to the Ensign Fleet at the yacht club because it would have cost me $8,000 to a boat yard to make repairs in order to sell the boat for $6,000.

Lastly, I found the doors for PLEBE YEAR. They need some hardware but are in decent shape. Any interest?

I have sailed in a Sonar a couple of times here in Florida. They carry their spinnaker pole on the boom and I am thinking of experimenting on my current Ensign.

I am very happy with the work you are doing on PLEBE YEAR. Having owned the boat for 20 years, I love the makeover and attention she is receiving.

Jody

Jonathan Gorbold

2/19/2025 8:44 PM

Thank you Jodi for the kudos on the fleets work on Plebe Year.
Look for the article on glassing the rudder in the next Ensign news letter.
Thank you for finding the doors for Plebe Year but we don’t need them. I’m sure there is another Ensign owner who could use them.
If you find the Spinnaker pole we would appreciate that.
You will enjoy sailing with the spinnaker pole on the boom. That is where we stow it on Questar.

Jonathan Gorbold
Questar 1226
Sent from my iPhone

Vic Roberts

12/24/2024 7:53 AM

Pete, Steve & John,

The Cockpit Floor Refurbishment Project document will be added to the ECA Library in the next day or two.

Vic

Steve Wnuk

12/28/2024 12:10 AM

Attached is a text article detailing a cockpit floor restoration project. Hopefully this will provide a useful reference for folks contemplating similar repairs; and for the ECA community overall.

Steve

Edward Rose

12/28/2024 3:05 PM

Great document!

Thank you!

Eraser. #1484

In a message dated 12/27/2024 9:11:26 PM Pacific Standard Time, ensignsailing@ensignclass.com writes:

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Attached is a text article detailing a cockpit floor restoration project. Hopefully this will provide a useful reference for folks contemplating similar repairs; and for the ECA community overall.

Steve

Attachment(s):
Cockpit_Floor_Restoration_-_Sleuth_May_2024.pdf (1.2 MB)

Jonathan Gorbold

12/28/2024 4:03 PM

Nice write up Steve, thank you for putting it together.

Jonathan

Questar 1226

Sent from my iPhone

Vic Roberts

12/28/2024 5:17 PM

Three documents related to Ensign Floor Restoration that have been discussed here have been added to the ECA website Library under Boat Maintenance and Repair.

The documents are:

Sleuth Cockpit Floor Restoration by Steve Wnuk and Sarah Mc Donnell
Sole Restoration Project - The Other Woman by John Cutler
Pictorial Overview of Two Cockpit Floor Restoration Projects by Steve Wnuk

Vic Roberts, Webmaster

Thomas Heausler

12/29/2024 3:49 PM

Those are great repair articles. I have attached another one. About 6 to 8 years ago I searched the old Ensign Yahoo Groups forum for all discussion on floor repair and copied all related posts into the attached document.

Tommy Heausler

#595 Redwing

Vic Roberts

12/29/2024 5:53 PM

Tommy,

I’ll add your article to the ECA Library along with the other floor restoration articles.

Vic Roberts

Thomas Heausler

12/29/2024 6:23 PM

Vic:

Thank you. The article has tips and experience from Zeke, Bud Brown and many other Ensign legends.

Tommy Heausler

#595 Redwing

Vic Roberts

1/4/2025 10:54 AM

The floor repair compilation prepared by Tommy Heausler has been added to the Library under Boat Maintenance and Repair.

Vic Roberts, Webmaster

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