Ampreg 21

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Rupert
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Re: Ampreg 21

Post by Rupert »

The solid case is on Erica, F665, the firefly I owned from the age of 16 for quite a few years. She wasn't exactly the lightest of boats! I sold her to some friends in France, but I think she may be in a barn somewhere on the Cornwall-Devon border. She was 5 or 6 years ago, anyway. Back then she was available, too. I've been meaning to ask about her again. She was certainly in class, and the case was original. Quite a few Fireflies had them.
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Ed
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Re: Ampreg 21

Post by Ed »

Do we know whether this was a case of before or after a certain date that they changed....

or was it a case of being an option that you could have.

cheers

eib
Ed Bremner
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Rupert
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Re: Ampreg 21

Post by Rupert »

The rules just say "the wooden plate case", so you still could have a solid one. Not sure you could find the wood, though, at any viable price.
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Re: Ampreg 21

Post by Ed »

certainly wouldn't want to do it these days!

but my memory of the rules was that they specified the construction of the case, with dimensions of the supports, thickness of ply etc.

glad there are some though!

cheers

eib
Ed Bremner
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Jollyboat J3
Firefly F2942
IC GBR314 ex S51 - 1970 Slurp
MR 638 - Please come and take it away
Phelps Scull
Bathurst Whiff - looking for someone to love it
Michael Brigg
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Re: Ampreg 21

Post by Michael Brigg »

Ed said:-
To my dismay (and a real lesson for me) I found rather a lot of rott. In fact, by the time I had finished I had 3 places I could put four fingers through up to the palm and a few others where I could put in a finger or two....
To my dismay???

Sounds to me Ed like you thought you'd died and gone to heaven!!
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Re: Ampreg 21

Post by Ed »

hah!

Not with the Firefly.....

very much my every-day boat.

At that time I was sailing her 2 times a week at least and the time off the water was not appreciated.

cheers

eib
Ed Bremner
CVRDA


Jollyboat J3
Firefly F2942
IC GBR314 ex S51 - 1970 Slurp
MR 638 - Please come and take it away
Phelps Scull
Bathurst Whiff - looking for someone to love it
Garry R

Re: Ampreg 21

Post by Garry R »

Doing an excavation of the centreboard case there is some rot at the front end but it hasn't gon into the hog fortunately. The case rests on the hog - I thought it would be recessed but thank goodness not so have cut the rot away and think I can glue a piece in to match once everything dries up which should sort much of the problem.
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Ed
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Re: Ampreg 21

Post by Ed »

OH.......Right.....

stupid of me!!!!!!

I thought you were talking about the Firefly.....not the Rocket!!

My mistake entirely - I apologise

That makes some of previous posts quite off-topic and most probably simply misleading.

If that is a solid case - you certainly don't want to take it out. Strange that also (as I said before) I have very rarely found a leak around a solid case.

My thoughts are still the same though. Dig out everything that is soft from inside boat and through outside -down c-board case...... Clean up edges to make nice scarf - it does not need to be a long one - just long enough to make it easy to fit new bit of wood.....say 10-20 mm and spend time finding a really nice bit of matching wood.

cheers

eib
Ed Bremner
CVRDA


Jollyboat J3
Firefly F2942
IC GBR314 ex S51 - 1970 Slurp
MR 638 - Please come and take it away
Phelps Scull
Bathurst Whiff - looking for someone to love it
Michael Brigg
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Re: Ampreg 21

Post by Michael Brigg »

I must confess I thought it was a firefly you were talking about as well. All that talk in your last thread on firefly restoration with Vivette and the suggestion that boat restoration, even synchronised boat restorarion, could qualify for olympic status on the basis that it is slow enough for the spectator to keep up with the action and sufficiently spectacular when things go wrong for the televisual dollar! You even threw down another false lead about how much she still leaked on her first outing!

However the vigilant will have seen two clues in the paragraphs above...

Here's one...
The old lady (Gannet not Trish) will be pretty flexible anyway
And the other one...
I think that the leak is coming in from ... ...towards the front of the case nearer to the mast step king post.
(although interestingly the very first fireflies built are referred to in the debut press report as having "a deck stepped mast with 3 alternative rigs")

There was also some smoke thrown up by Rupert and ACB to catch the unwary, as they also seemed to have been caught up by the firefly thread!

The question about the importance of the plate case in strengthening the hog is quite significant though. It was my understanding that one of the features built into all of Uffa's designs was to extend the plate case right up to and beyond the mast step, thereby eliminating the tendency for many dinghies to develop leaks in this area. (Back to Davidh's Moths on a pin again)

This being a pretty old Merlin I presume it is not from Uffa's drawing board and so the strength depends on what other timbers there are in there to take the stresses.
Michael Brigg
Rupert
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Re: Ampreg 21

Post by Rupert »

Yep, I was fooled too...I'll learn to read one day!
Rupert
Garry R

Re: Ampreg 21

Post by Garry R »

I should have made it clear that it was the Rocket!! Sorry for the confusion
Have been on the phone to Chris B,the fount of all knowledge, who has said that he reckons that it would be best to leave the case in and insert a piece of matching wood into the case once all has dried out as well as possible. So tonight - boat onto its side and remove the keel band and slot gasket and strip off varnish inside at the bottom of the case and let it dry out well over a few weeks before effecting the repair. Out with the dremel drill and rotary sanding attachment ........

The bad news is that while I wait for it to dry I'll have to get my ironing done and some decorating.
Rupert
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Re: Ampreg 21

Post by Rupert »

You iron your sails?
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