 Movement in cabin floor in RL24 Excalibre |  This boat sail No 303 originally named Calibre was probably the first RL24 to be modified with a drop keel.
When it dries our the cabin floor shows some movement because of the sand pressing up from
underneath. So much so that a cupboard door (photo 1) will no longer shut and is clearly out of kilter with the doors' frame.
Photo 2 shows a view looking to the stern of the boat-the drop keel box is on the bottom LHS and a box of mosquito coils shows the original place where the swing keel was.
Photo 3 shows a view looking forward with the drop keel in the centre.
I suspect the big cutout for the door in photo 1 (Stbd side) has weakened the structural support for the floor. In places the forward bunks and the sink and cooler parts of the interior fitout are not glassed to the floor.
There is no movement of the floor from standing on it when afloat and no leaks. On the trailer the floor feels quite rigid and strong when you stand on it.
Should I attempt to fix this or would it be going "over the top"?
Thanks for all the help and advice I have received on this forum.
Regards
Peter
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| Re: Movement in cabin floor in RL24 Excalibre |  Here is photo 1 It is of the port side of the boat and shows the cupboard door someone(?) has cut into what was a sink or cooler.
This door covers the whole area of the front of the sink/cooler. Perhaps this has weakened the floor?
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| Re: Movement in cabin floor in RL24 Excalibre |  Here is photo 2 showing the floor area in question and the site of where the swing keel was in the original boat. (marked by a box of mosquito coils)
Perhaps someone knows how to upload 3 photos in the one message-I would appreciate some help here.
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| Re: Movement in cabin floor in RL24 Excalibre | I have RL434 which is a factory built drop keel. all the floor moulds are glassed to the hull in the lockers.
Your observations regarding the holes cut in the structure make sense, Whether the weakening is an issue is difficult to figure out, I have not seen any flexing in these areas on my hull and the movement would concern me.
I'm not sure how you could recover the structural strength without risking making the area too stiff and causing overload in the transition area that connects back to the floor moulding.
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| Re: Movement in cabin floor in RL24 Excalibre | Peter.
Greg is quite right in what he observed, however I feel that the problem also lies in the fact that the keel case is now only 1/3 of its original length and the floor aft of that has lost the longtitudal support that it had from the missing 2/3 of the original swing keel case, so, with the boat sitting on the sand there is a large area of floor now unsupported by any longtitudal stiffener and the whole weight of the boat would be resting on that portion of the boat that has no support.
The solution would be to either continue support from the keel case to the first frame aft of the case, or, add a web frame attached to the case and attached to the bunk sides.
Also I cannot see from your photos if there is any thwart wise bracing for the case top. PS. I would suggest that you dont put the boat up on the sand again until the problem is fixed.
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| Re: Movement in cabin floor in RL24 Excalibre | RL434 has an aluminum space frame supporting the keel box to the roof front and rear which strengthens the floor and keel structure.
The floor rear of the keel is similar to yours.
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| Re: Movement in cabin floor in RL24 Excalibre | Thanks for that Newspaper article Darren-it is interesting to know the history of the boat and imagine some of the good times and dramas it has been through.
The strengthening job is done now and I will post some photos soon-a bit hot to be out sailing just now but looking forward to the cooler weather in 2016.
Can that newspaper image be blown up a bit larger-it would be interesting to read what was written?
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