Firefly MKII Centreboard Case

[Rupert]

I have the standard bags under webbing, after one of my covers on 665 allowed the bag to float away when the lashing came loose. If you do the aft webbing strap shorter, it kind of tapers it, but it ain't pretty. The other thing that no longer seems to exist is the full width stern bag, unless you know different, Michael?

[neil]

Incidentally Gozzy I don't think anyone has congratulated you on the longest running forum with the most contributions (and viewings) in the history of the site! Not bad for a first posting.

and if you Google 'Firefly Centreboard' the CVRDA now has the top two places - nearly as good as my top spot on Google for 'eLearning Rants'. This new forum has the Googlebot as a member so Google indexes the forum a couple of times a day.....so the more we post the higher up the Google ranking we go

[Michael Brigg]

£34-00...each!
Just as well you didn't go swimming before being blitzed by the lorry or the boat might have been gutted to. I presume the bag's departure was the catalyst for secure covers!

I've sent you my contact details on tne PM system.

[Michael Brigg]

So Ed & Rupert have lost a bag each and theres the last pair up for grabs by whoever buys me the most drinks at netley.
Actually whoever gets the pair could finance his purchase by selling his remaining bag to the looser. It's a bit like a 4th year's math's homework:

"Ed has one boyouncy bag and 40shillings. Rupert has One bag and £11 2s 4d.
If Ed buys 5 bottlescrews a plate roller and a lollipop, How much does Rupert need to pay Ed for his old Bag and how many pints can he drain out of his side tank after the boyuancy test."
Bonus point. How many Ed's do you need to sit on the boat for the test.

Answers to next years christmas quiz.

[Bill Sylvester]

The story so far: I had hoped to fix the old Firefly, but the problems jst kept mounting. I'll save what I can, and anything I don't need for the slightly newer one which I am negotiating for, is up for grabs:

Reynolds mast - completely trashed. It had been repaired and re-riveted so often around the mast gate area that it was unusable. (Boat had been in RAF hands for many years - did not fill me with confidence about possible repairs to fast jets or Nimrods.)
Centreplate - gone to Garry along with the original brass jamb cleats.
Forestay fitting - Garry has it but it is not the original with the hole to allow the halyard to pass under the deck.
Keelband - the brass fittings for the ends of the centreboard slot are with Garry. The rest of it is pretty fragile, but if anyone thinks they can use it, I will try to remove carefully.
Tufnol cleats and deck fittings, mast gate, brass horse - Garry
Thwart, tank ends, stem, transom and hog - I'll try and save what I can, but there is a fair amount of epoxy holding everything together. There is rot in the top end of the stem under the forestay fitting, and parts of the transom and hog don't look great. Whatever I can save I will move to Nottingham at the end of March.
Centreboard case - Gossy and I are talking
Cover - not boom up but in reasonable nick if anyone wants it.
Boom - I will have a spare when I have bought the other boat.
Rudder - again, the boat I am acquiring comes with a spoon rudder, and I have a square one. All other things being equal, one of those will be up for grabs together with a tiller.
Buoyancy bags - stern ones are bog standard Holts. Bow one, Crewsaver, has gone to Garry.

Some less common items. Oars, rowlocks and folding anchor, I'll keep for sailing on the Trent. I have the forward facing fixed spreaders for upper diamonds and a conventional set of spreaders if anyone wants them. I also have the hog plate and blocks for the centreboard tackle. I also have some elderly sails, probably from about the mid-seventies but still useable for club handicap racing.

If I have missed anything which you want, let me know and I'll try and take it to Nottingham.

[Garry R]

Vivette had an Optimist Crewsaver bag across the stern. It was held in with two straps - Hope I can remember how they went in!! Managed to get the plug out of the bow bag no problem Bill. Giving it a bit of a wash before replacing.

[Michael Brigg]

Sounds like you had a candidate there for the (sadly cancelled) scrap heap challenge that was planned for the Dinghy show this week end!
Perhaps the assotiation could do something similar at Netley?

Forward facing upper diamonds sounds interesting! a bodger job for a failing wooden top mast. I've only seen these on old wooden 14 masts but they certainly aren't in the firefly standard rig. Perhaps the RAF owner used to fly a fairey Sworfish and liked the idea of struts and string and things as well as the hot moulded hull.

Talking of RAF engineers my father in law was an RAF enginner in Iceland during WW2 and he certainly can't hang a shelf either but that didn't stop them keeping the wolfpacks away from enough of our convoys. We all know of course that GB survived for long enough to win the war of supply but curiously it was the shortage of wood and rationing of it that allowed the firefly to get a step ahead of the field in the post war years as only Olympic class boats were allowed the wood for building. Alot of "olympic hopeful" campaigns gave up not surorisingly just after they took delivery of their boats! Never mind butterflies in Brazil causing hurricanes in Africa, in his own way (following Zen logic here) my father in law is partially responsible for the development of modern boat design in Britain.

It's a shame about the Reynolds mast though. I noticed a thread somwhere about the development of modern sailing design and we should remember that in its day the reynolds really was a revolutionary design. I think it has been underestimated in its influence in giving the firefly some of its supremacy in the national 12 fleet of it's day.

If you replace with another reynolds though it's worth keeping the bottom couple of feet for 2 reasons. Firstly you can make a boom from the other half. This can either be used if you want to replace a reynolds boom with an original look or to use to hold the cover up in the boat park, otherwise all the rainwater will corrode the end of your racing boom and mainsheet block where it pokes out of the back. Secondly the cheeks of the gooseneck (if serviceable) are valuable spares, and the bottom two feet + gooseneck & boom will hold the cover on if you're storing the boat in the garden without the mast rigged. It will only sit on it's original Heel fitting however. I could use one of those if Garry hasn't got that to!

[Garry R]

I have got the peg bit flat base and phosphor bronze with a 3/4" dome on it - I'm not sure whether that was on the mast or the hog. You are very welcome to it if you pm me with your address. Would of course swap for a Proctor C section mast!! Seriously though it's yours if you want it - Bill gave me this stuff so it could be passed on if I didn't need it and don't see me getting a rotating mast.

[Pat]

Chopped off laser mast sections with squashed bottoms (to fit the mast step) and a bolt for a gooseneck make even better boom up cover supports - just add a coloured spray can cap to the top to distinguish which fits which boat! Another great Sandy Lavelle design

[davidh]

Ed................

I know that this is not a comment on the plate case repair but it is a related issue to Faireys.

Was it your good self that asked about my fathers 'Fairey Jotting's?

If so .... I've found them again!

D

[gozzy]

Hello again everyone,

First of all thanks Garry for sorting the case out with Bill, defo saved me a few quid there. I owe you a beer

Secondly I think im cocking my boat up Can someone take a look at the link below please and give me their views please.

Cheers

Gozzy's Boat Salvage

http://www.axmi49.dsl.pipex.com/project%2031.3.08.html

[Garry R]

OK We'll need to know if the outside veneers run along the boat or diagonally. If running along the hull then it's easier as there are fewer lengths. Make sure that you overcut leaving a tongue of the middle layer for the inner layer to glue to. It is obviously important to keep the shape of the hull in this zone. You will have to cut the veneer inside very carefully leaving it oversize for its fitting as you will be pushing it into shape from the inside. As it takes up the curve it will need to be larger than an equivalent flat section. So first cut along one longitudinal edge with as perfect a fit as you can. Then push the veneer into the approx shape to fit the hull, mark it roughly still oversize, trim it and refit. Mark again and work very gradually to the point where you are happy with it and its curve. When you get to the glueing I would be inclined to use several lengths of thin battening crosswise along the length to maintain shape as the glue sets. Use a piece of thick polythene to stop the battens getting glued to the boat veneers. You have to staple the first layer along the edge trying to keep the edges of old and new flush. Use an upholstery type stapler with 6mm staples with cardboard squares which prevents it going too deeply into the wood. Do this all along the edge as was shown in my Vivette restoration photos. See Page 1 1st post. Get under the boat and clean the joint as best you can where the glue has oozed out at the edge of the second/first layer as it will make it easier later. Clean the staple gun with acetone!!! I'd remove the staples once solid but keep the battens in place. Turn the boat over and clean the joints to give a good right angle (use a hot chisel!!) Then you have to get your middle layer in cutting all the bits at the correct angle. Glue all over the first layer you put on, staple edges and middle and clean the joint where it is flush with your original tongue. When hard, staples out clean the surface and cut the next layer to fit. Glue and staple and once hard a good clean up ready for finishing. It's a tedious job but very satisfying. If you wanted to pop up to Aberdeen for half an hour we could chat over it!!! If you have more questions just ask. I may be complicating the procedures but I'm sure Ed will put us right.

[Ed]

Not sure I could put it better myself

eib

[Rupert]

I think Garry has done this recently! I'd forgotten some of the little details which actually make the job a success...

[gozzy]

Hello all,

Well I have finally decided to give up. Its the only thing I have ever given up on and am gutted. The time need to do this is far too much for me as I have a lot going on. I will definately do a project like this again but only if I can dedicate all my spare time to it.

So I have a Firefly with a big hole in, a centreboard case, epoxy and hardener, wood and veneers from Robbins and Im looking to get rid of it. Hoping to claw back as much money as possible. Is anyone interested and could someone give me a rough idea of what I should expect to get for it?

Thanks