The Peterson 34 Bierkaai - BRA 30630

When the boat was taken out of the water the first time there was showing something strange on the STB side of the keel. It looked like something was growing , which is strange on a lead keel. It turned out that additional weight was added to the keel and these were the bolts sticking out. Apparently a very strong construction, because it must have been done more than 10 years ago. But not really a nice solution. Being an engineer, this had to be done the proper way. The first sight of the keel.   Removing the paint showed rusty bolts sticking out. Here the bolts showing from the aft side.   New brackets were installed on the aft and forward side where the bolts were really sticking out. After the modification. Nothing sticking out anymore. Shaping of the keel. Final result. Nothing to see the keel has been extended.

The first step was to remove all the layers of anti-fouling, which were a lot. After that it was clear that an osmose treatment was necessary, although they were all small. Also what was very reassuring is the find out that the hull is so well build, it is almost 1" (24 mm) think just in front of the keel. That gave confidence. The end result is that with a first layer of primer, next a layer of Gelshield and another 2 layers of Wegpoxy primer, before the application of the anti-fouling, this boat will not have osmose for a long time. If ever. This whole process is shown below in a few photos, but in reality look a few months to be completed.   First an example of the thickness of the hull (this was taken in front of the keel) Hull without the anti-fouling. The markings of the points with osmose. During the process of filling the removed areas of osmose with filler.   After the first primer. The layer of Gelcoat. ...

It was always the idea to use the boat for at least a year, to find out what needed to be changed out or modified to my wishes.  Some changes I had already done like the forward ports replacement, installation of the tiller, installation of a mechanical vang on the main boom and the lazy bag. A decision also had to be taken on where the boat would be going for this project. Rio de Janeiro is the place closest by where there is an infrastructure for maintenance on sail yachts.  The problem is that it is more than 3 hours drive from my home. The best option would be to use the yacht club in Buzios, but no service structure is existing for sailing vessels. Also the crane to be used was in a doubtful state. Therefore the first step was to confirm the crane was capable of lifting my boat. The end of December 2016 I contracted a crane company to perform a load test. To the surprise of many, the crane was able to lift 5.3 tons.  With the Peterson...

Actually the first change was to renew the covers in the interior. The photos tell it all.  From: To:

Initially the boat was always having some water in the bilge. It was clear the forward ports were in urgent need of replacement. Also hatch on the bow was leaking.  Although the Bierkaai was constructed in ’81 all the parts are still available on the US market. Went on internet and found the exact same type of ports I needed. Actually, after having changed out the ports and the forward hatch, the water influx continued and the forward cabin still was damp. This is how the original port looked like. It still needs some trimming. The final result: Next step was to glue the bow hatch again: Other changes done, make a cover for the hole in the bathroom and change out the toilet.

The boat was build with a steering wheel and an emergency tiller. As it was therefore easy to change,  I decided to remove the steering wheel and have a tiller installed. I prefer a tiller as it gives me more freedom to reach out to the main sail sheet and traveller and the genoa winches.  Apart from the fact that it gives you a better feeling on how the boat is sailing.  It also means a  simple autopilot  can be installed.  So on to the internet on how to build a tiller and what wood to use: Here the end result with the auto pilot installed. The wooden cover on the floor of the cockpit is where the steering wheel used to be. Later I fill the hole with epoxy resin. In a future stage this will be removed completely.