hello i been looking through here for a while and have found this site to be a tremendes help but have come to a point where i cant work it out for my self and need to ask the learned ppl for some of there wisdom and experiance.

it all began when i bought a beach catamaran for a very cheap price(i learnt out soon why) i took it out a few times with a mate and had an absolute ball. i had wanted one for a number of years but couldnt justify spending what seemed to be the extrodinary asking price for these things but soon relised why there worth so much.

all my problems began when i noticed the right hull took on water after each trip and found a few things that didnt seem right like stress cracks around the glass under the rear beam and a hatch instaled. looking inside found a dodgy fiberglass repair and so it starts.

i had pulled this thing apart and glassed up from the inside a couple of layers, then ground back on a tapper the out side where the cracks were back to the new glass to relay fiber and gel coat and at this time found fiberglass rot that i have now repaired but decided to cheack other gel coat cracks and found more and more osmosises.

this it self was not a over whelming feat for me plus the weeeee factor of sailing in it was enough to decided justifying the money to renovate it was no problem once i discovered how much i payed to how much new they are and it lasted 20+ years like this well i should get atleast a 5+ out if it if not some more. so i been sanding a majority of the gelcoat back to so i can epoxy sheath the hulls and paint etc.

which brings me to ask a few questions being 1# has any one used soak in epoxy sealer like hemples 599 befor on glass with pinholes on it as this was going to be my first line of defence in puting some strength back in to the hulls and primeing befor sheathing with 6ounce woven cloth and marine epoxy but would 2 layers be better to add some strength or is all the strength its ever going to get already there. i have layed up from the inside a couple of layers where ever there was stress cracks makeing sure it was repaired a couple of hundreed mm around the actually stress point to help distribute load.


also the rigging which is my number 2# question what is a good guide to follow to set up the jib blocks i have decided to bring this thing in to the millenium with a travler and 6:1 mainsheet and am installing a jib as well that it never had befor and dont know what to do do i put the travlers i got on the front beam like a hobie or along the side of the hulls like a windrush or on a wire back and forth like the nacra or do i go all out and do the 4 way adjustable prindle set up???
i have strengethend up the nose with laying glass under the lip and bonding it onto the hull 2" down for a foot back and will also be useing some stainless flat bar underneith to help distribute the load as it did have cracked glass on the tip just from the riging let alone the added jib,

now rigging question 3# i'm not useing a furller or the such but should it have 4 stay wires with the jib configuration or is 3 pleanty? the mast is shot and am about to go for a drive look at a mast to replace it with cause there is a break in it under the wire spreader and has a 1' layer of aluminum wraped around it popriveted with a dozen plus rivits and seems strong enough for the times i sailed it but i also havent stacked it and put it on its side yet and it is full of previous poprivit holes and the top pully has worn through the ally and as well as this it has never had a mast stop or a mast spanner so am going to retro fit a hobie/prindle/nacra 14 mast base to the dolphin striker and go with that depending on what mast i can get my paws on. even if all i can get it is a 16 mast that i have to trim down to suit i will tig weld the holes in it after removeing the riging to make it water tight or is this not advised cause of tempering issues and if i have a mast stop do i need a mast spanner or am i all confused from all the difrent set ups i have cross refrenced to get my self this far so far.

i have not been able to find out anything besides it is windward marine wahoo cat 4.4 long cause of a embosed logo in the glass i have uncovered sanding layers of paint of. i like the shape of the hull compared to others and it seems to sit high out the water and gets on the plain easy so am happy to put some life back in to this old cat and put the meow back into it as it was run down and never looked after by the previous owner and now knowing something about them i found all these cheep catamarans are of an age where major works are either need'd now if not due in the near future to keep them going or let them go to rot and throw them out. and i wasnt going to do band aid after band aid repair to it but am looking for a bit of help and advice as to what direction to go with to complete this project. cheers for your time reading this and pls helpfull coments only guys, any help apreciated thank you