FB Wilds - Bermuda 34

I thought I’d do a BLOG today on this classical Broads Cruiser (The ‘Floating Caravan’).. Yes, you know, the ‘Wilds’ built boats. Caribbean’s, Calypsos, Bermudas, Bahamas, etc. Ive Surveyed dozens and dozens of these over the years here on the Norfolk Broads. Here I will explain some of the history of the build and things to check before buying one.

History:

Despite scepticism from many, Frank Wilds’ design was an instant success! High numbers were built to meet demand in Frank's own hirefleet and also for other operators, both on the Norfolk Broads as well as for other UK and European waterways. By his retirement twelve years later over 500 craft had been produced. Of course not everyone was to keen on such a radical, new design. There were many benefits to this new luxury cruiser - generous cabin space with high levels of comfort including modern free standing household type furniture, continuous headroom and floor level, straight sides and late tapering bow design making fit out and comfort incredible. As a disadvantage the handling was not as responsive or pleasurable as more traditional designs, and high cross winds could also make steering fun! This new design was not what many considered to be a boat! These traits were to earn the design nicknames such as floating caravans, prefabs, bathtubs etc by those less keen on this remarkable new design of boat! The fleet also pioneered warm air central heating - a system that is now considered to be the best form of heating, but was a new luxury back in the '60s.

 

The old yard at Horning

Most F.B.Wilds built craft are now with private owners, still giving valiant service and enjoyment, in some cases after forty years! Pretty amazing really as they were built quickly and cheaply and were only given a hire fleet life span of about 10 years! It’s because of this that it is worth having a thorough Structural Survey carried out before considering buying one.

Build / & Survey

Designed around comfort, practicality and safety it's single floor level, generous 12ft beam, spacious cabins and galleys, forward steer, aft/quiet engine, blown air heating, and fibreglass construction was unique and years ahead of its time. The structural integrity part of the design was unique, the hull was ‘popped out’ of the mould and a cored fibreglass floor was bonded into the boat throughout the complete length. Then all the partitions and furniture were basically placed on top of this main floor. An engine was fitted above the transom and the propeller was driven by a hydraulic drive, this keeping things quiet with little vibration.

Surveying these boats can be an interesting task to say the least! Access below the fibreglass floor on the inside is virtually impossible and if the bilges have ever overflowed due to a bilge pump failure this floor which is cored with wood can get saturated. As you can imagine once this wood cored floor is wet it slowly deteriorates and the core turns to mush, leaving the structure spongy and lacking in strength. The first thing I always do when inspecting any boat built by Wilds is walk all over every part of the main floor, coachroof and decks, often tapping it gently with the handle of a screw driver. A sharp sound is good wood... a dull thud is rot! The floors are often covered over in lino, especially in the galley, or carpet in the saloon. Where possible I get all the floor coverings up and check for any old repairs. 90% of time you will find pieces of plywood cut in to rotted areas, or lengths of steel plating placed over spongy areas. In my experience the floors tend to rot under the galley, adjacent the shower and in the corners of the aft cabin. The saloon floors can also be very spongy and rotten if the bilge levels have been especially high at some point. If large areas of the floors are found to have blown and are spongy underfoot my advice would be to find another boat. It’s a difficult fix, and it’s only a matter of time before the whole lot will eventually rot.

Usually if the floors have blown and the cores seriously degraded the floors start to bow. The keel will literally push the floors up when the boats on a hard standing. This will be noticeable when the boats lifted and you walk into the aft cabin. I often get a straight edge (piece of 3 x 2 timber) and place it across the cabin and check for level. Another tell tale sign is that the doors will not shut. Worst case is you will see gaps around the bulkheads in the toilet compartment and in the very worst cases cracks across from the stern gland to the weed hatch.( on the exterior). Last year when I looked at a Caribbean, the engine room bulkhead had also split across below the step in the aft well.

Repairs!

Many owners of the older Wilds Broads Boats will happily live with the defects, or elect to repair the floor core without removing the internal fittings. On smaller areas especially this will be the case. Understandably on an older boat you may not want to expend the time and effort.

Timber core, saturated and rotten

 

Someone's already cut this piece out for further inspection.

Tell tale signs - the keels pushing up - cracks above the propeller

Below the galley floor- water trapped and more holes! The rot had been cut out and thin plywood panels placed over.

Door frames - gaps indicating something's moving.

Mmm.. more gaps

The weed hatch- check for cracks around the base

More cracks in the hull above the stern gear...

The doors wont close because the floors rotten and the keel pushing them upwards.

Engine room bulkhead split, again because the keels pushing up!

Rudder stocks out of alignment- something's moved!

 

In this image you can actually see the floors out of level

 

Repairing rotten floors:

 

There is no perfect way! If it was my boat id probably chisel the damaged core from the inner skin or use a utility knife (for balsa or foam), or a saw (for plywood). Carefully and thoroughly clear the inner skin of any old core material. Make a pattern of the empty section to cut new material. NOTE: it is important to use core material the same as the original, both in type and thickness. (Mostly its wood, but I’ve also seen foam). The exception to this would be the paper honeycomb core material--which can be mixed with other types. It should be the same thickness, however. Dry-fit the core into the cavity, trimming as necessary. Wet out the surface of the old core and skin where the new core will bond. Allow 1-2 days for solvents to evaporate.Wet out all bonding surfaces, both new and old with Layup & Laminating Epoxy Resin thickened with talcum powder or colloidal silica to the consistency of mayonnaise, and put new core in place. Brace or weight the core in position, and allow to it to cure.

I guess if there’s only  isolated small areas of rot It's possible in these cases to perforate the outer skin with drilled holes, and then inject with penetrating epoxy sealer/resin, and then close the holes with epoxy filler.

The key here is drying the core material. Epoxy will not displace water in and around wood cells. In almost all instances it will be necessary to use some sort of drying method. It can take a while. Ideally, this is a project that can be started in the winter when boating is less frequent. The floor can be opened, covered, and then left to dry out over a few month's time. If slow drying is not possible, there are ways to speed up the process.

Here's the procedure: Define the deteriorated area. I suggest first tapping it out and then going back with a drill to verify. You want to find the edges up to the good wood and mark the area. Once defined, drill the area with multiple holes* no further than 5" apart. The more you drill the quicker the drying. Be careful not to drill through the bottom skin. NOTE: Its suggested drilled holes, but I would use slits cut with a circular saw,  side to side--beam to beam, which would allow more air through, easier application of the resin and better ventilation for cure time. The slits need not be all the way across and can be staggered. There would be enough floor left to supply good lateral support, and of course, the slits would be filled in with epoxy filler when treatment of the core is completed.

Drying methods: a wet vac can help remove bulk water, flushing the cavity with acetone will help carry away moisture, blown heat from a hair dryer or heat gun helps, and finally, compressed air pumped in through holes is especially effective. Nothing dries wood as quickly as moving air.

*NOTE: ACETONE IS FLAMMABLE. Use caution if using both acetone and heat.

Well i hope this BLOG helps anyone considering buying a Wilds designed boat. Find a good one and you could get years of trouble free boating. Buy a bad one without a Survey and you could be stuck with it!