Firefly MKII Centreboard Case

[Ed]

DON'T GIVE UP!!!!

I know the feeling.....been there (and will go again), but I promise it will only make your first sail or the more rewarding when you get finally get there.

Every project has times like this, when you want to give up on it, we have all been there.

There is no doubt that:

• Every re-build takes longer than you thought or planned - often much longer
  
  Every re-build costs more than you thought or planned - often much more
  
  Every simple job, once started reveals itself as a complicated one.
  
  Every short-cut takes you further away and takes longer than doing it the proper way in the first place
  
  For every one thing that goes well with a re-build, there will be another 4 that goes badly.
  
  When you finish, everyone will be impressed with it - except you, who will still see the all the things that went wrong rather than the basic fact that it is there sailing and looking great.
  
  When you have finished you will have something that is worth marginally more than what it did before you started the re-build, but in no way comes close to being worth what you paid, and don't even think about the hours and hours of effort, work and frustration.

So why would any of us do it?

Why do I recommend you stick with it?

There is simply nothing as good as going for a sail in a boat that you know is there simply due to your effort and love.

If you have got stuck:

Take a deep breath..... and go sailing

Show more photos and talk here.....and go sailing

Find someone locally who can come and help.... ask here if anyone lives close and can come and have a chat then go sailing

Failing that....put it on the back boiler. I often find that I run out of steam with a certain project (my 15ft Looe Launch comes to mind) so leave it for a while, go sailing, and come back later. If it is inside, just throw over a cover and go have a beer. If it is outside, throw over a cover and go have a pims.

If outside, there are a few things to remember about storing. You can start with the notes I wrote on the 'hints'n'tips' pages.

But do stick in there. It will be worth it in the end.

How much is it worth?

half-finished projects are never worth as much as the boat did before you started.....so maybe not that much

Good luck

cheers

eib

Half finished projects include:

J3 - total varnish/paint, new centreboard- in yard - ready for nats?
IC seat and carriage - in workshop
Bathurst 24ft sculling boat - havn't even started yet - but on list
J? Jollyboat - awaiting start of project - giving up on this one - looking for new owner
MR638 awaiting work - may be a long wait though.
Tideway - needs tidying before putting on river for this year

shouldn't forget:

1977 Moto-Guzzi Cali in bits on workshop floor!
House is a total wreck

[Garry R]

Gozzy - I reiterate everything Ed says. There are always enthusiasm lulls in a project. It will pass.

And the dry Firefly which I sailed the week before went in again yesterday and was leaking right from the start so will have to see if I can find out where it is leaking. Strange - thought it would have got tighter if anything. Still not as lot but more than last week. Sailed single handed for the first time. Tiny little buggers aren't they??!! Interesting though. Did not help with flukey winds all over the shop so tricky to know where to sit to get comfortable - side deck not an option.

[Ed]

Interesting to sail single-handed arn't they.....

And as you say, finding the right place to be.

As you know I reckon the Mk1 decks are easiest for sailing single handed. You can just get out onto side-decks and in again a bit quicker.

I have never found that Agba takes up much, in fact leaks seem to just get slowly worse. They are normally easy to find though. 1st culprits to look for are the obvious ones - bailers and centre-plate bolt. If it isn't one of those, it must be somewhere in or around the centre-board case.

cheers

eib

[Garry R]

Ah yes - the usual suspects. I'd be disappointed if it was the centreboard case joint as I spent a lot of time on that area but you never know. Will update next Monday!!!

[Rupert]

Don't give up!
Ed is right, though it is obviously warmer in Cornwall than it is here if he has cracked open the Pimms already!
If you can find an enthusiast locally who could pop in and talk you through the bits where you are stuck, that always helps. I've been both recipient and helper in such things, as I suspect have many on here, and I've always been happy to help, and as happy to have been helped.
You've done what I find to be the most difficult bit (spending the money on new bits), so just take a step back from the job, and maybe try and break what needs doing into bite sized chunks, before going back to it.
On a different tack, my new Firefly won her first race yesterday, dispite the leaks...sadly, I was on the committee boat running the Comet Trio open meeting, so Kathryn was helming her, having found a talented junior to crew (and bail...) So, you see, Gozzy, it all becomes worth it once the boat is floating! And I'll have to remember that when I find rot right down the keel when she comes out for a revamp in the Autumn...

[Rupert]

And how can the person who started the longest thread on the forum give up!!!?

[Michael Brigg]

Hi Gozzy,

It would be a sad thing if your project like Scott's antarctic or Shackletons Northwest Passage were to founder through exhaustion but take heart from the glorious legacy of Britishness that they have given us. It is better to travel hopefully than it is to arrive, and perhaps this is where your baby is at this moment.

It would be sad for your boat to end it's life upended in some Chelsea Flowershow "yachtsman's show-garden" as decorative arbour (it has happened in 2006 I think,) or worse still like this merlin that Garry found on ebay...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/merlin-rocket-tab ... otohosting

(I knew he got his idea of satin varnish from somewhere!)

...but if this is how things are to be then I congratulate you on a glorious thread that has certainly enriched and enhanced my winter browsing and more importantly advanced the knowledge of many of us about the structure of the firefly.

The experience gained can only be to your advantage in any future project as you yourself may use it or for that matter advise other unwary travellers as they take their uncertain steps along your path.

Your website has my own firefly on the opening page in which you set out your intent to match my boat in outcome. I would reassure you that it hase been a surprisingly long, financially rigourous exercise on a hull that was in better condition than yours. (No hog or centreplate damage) and the boat is still at the yard after 2 years! By comparison I would say you have made far more progress in one winter than my professional yard and should not be abandoning ship yet. By far the most expensive professional service has been simple stuff like stripping and re-varnishing. The shipwright work has been less than 1/4 of the cost.

If you can find a friendly shipwright or cabinet maker locally it might well be worth investing in a bit of professional help. What you pay for is the Time. The knowledge and experience comes for free. You can do most of the preparatory work yourself and save time and money, + help the boatman and learn from it.

If you decide to store the boat make sure it is well supported and properly braced, fully covered but well ventilated. Remove the covers about once a month to make sure and check the boat after storms etc. If you store upside down beware of water accumulating on the underside of the side-decking/gunwhale.

No true dinghy sailors garden is complete without at least one sleeping winter project. My own confessional list will show you that al loss of confidence is only one obstacle (and Time and many others will cross your path very soon if not already!)

Regards

Michael

Firefly "Flycatcher" dinghy (still at the boatyard. Not fully paid for.)
Carl Douglass scull, currently in Refurb with Carl, (Not paid for, help!)
14ft clinker dinghy,"Blue Moon," now in the garage, not allowed to start work until paid for (1)and(2) and paid for new kitchen, bathroom, bedroom en-suite, loft conversion, and finished tidying the study.
Laser Dinghy. "White Trailer Trash." Needs new rig. New everything actually but useable. My "Creaking gate."
Avon Redcrest Inflateable. Great for the children. Car toppable, bootable and good for the beach. Knocks a lilo into a cocked hat!
Mirror Dinghy "Pikachu"
6' play dinghy. "Peanut"
F2 lightening Race Windsurfer. Unused for 20yrs. One day I'll show my children....Yeah, right!
Pilot 5m Dory "Scorpio." Goes anywhere when the outboard works. A family favourite.
2 old canoes a model yacht and a paddling pool.

[gozzy]

Thanks for all your comments guys really appreciated!

Well the lack of garage space was a main cause of annoyance so I decided to take the boat out into the garden. Having my garage back was great so I put the boat back on its launching trolley and sat down with a can and a cigarette. Seeing the boat outside in a more normal position relit my fire so to speak. The boat is beautiful and so I told her I would never give up on her again. She accepted it and were now back together

So to a new plan:
1) Accept that this project is going to run on and on.
2) A friend at my club has said I can use his laser when I like so no loss in time on the water.
3) Move the boat to my Nans garage (bless her) and work on it there.

I feel a lot happier with it now I know there is no rush. I will take some pictures this weekend and post them up to show you all.

Long live the thread - I will complete this project!

Viva Firefly!!

[Ed]

God Bless Nans!

Well Done!

Keep the Faith

eib

[highburyal]

Great that you've decided to continue; this thread has both been inspiration and information (lots of it) in my (far slower) restoration of F2451 Spadger. I too will have to rebuild the centreboard case and have been awaiting the opportunity to go Bristol to visit Robins, and also distracted by rebuilding an alfasud and dismantling an another older alfa so our yard doesn't look too much likle a scrap yard.

Good luck, Al

[Steve Bailey]

Gozzy
I'd like to join the list of people saying well done for carrying on with your restoration. I have been following your thread, and it's sidetracks, with great interest as I hope soon to start a similar job on my F2125.
Two years ago I bought an old Albacore (A195), which I thought I'd spend the last few weeks of winter doing up ready for the season. It took fifteen months to get her sailing again and I soon stopped keeping track of the expense but afterwards it was worth every minute and every penny.
So good luck with it!
All the best
Steve Bailey

[ACB]

Well done and keep it up - for one thing, this thread is very helpful to people like me, also confronted with a tired Firefly!