what have I done? Marauder!

[Nessa]

From these you can see that the entire crew floor is missing and that the supporting structure is still there only on one side of the boat. My main problem is that I am not sure of how to rebuild the section around where the centreboard goes. So far as I understand it the board is supported in the same way as a contender board is supported, unless anyone knows differently?

Advice, information, therapy, all gratefully received!

[davidh]

Nessa,

yes but no but..... the idea of a centreboard stirrup works well but many of the older boats had changed this out to a hatch cover set into the floor each side - and a good old fashioned bolt through.

Just contend yourself that this will all be worth it as you go thrashing upwind...... they are such a good boat for that.

shout if you're short of bits and pieces (and I do not mean brain cells either - for this is an inspired choice of boat)

D

[JimC]

The crew deck will be the principle daggerboard case support if you're talking about lateral loads - or do you mean the pivot? Could well be worth ditching the pin entirely and just using the foil as a daggerboard.

I think you're very brave (or something) taking that one on unless it has serious provenance...

[roger]

Nessa as said elsewhere. The first Hornet I did looked like that and it sat in the shed for many months while I thought bout it and then did a bit and then thought again. When she is finally finished you will be so proud of your acheivement and as David says great boat to sail and All your own work. Its like eating an elephant "one peice at a time"
Good luck and theres loads of support here.
And any untidy bits of repair will be under the crew deck where no one can see them anyway.

[davidh]

Roger,

There is another aspect to what Nessa is doing....

Restoring the Marauder is, to be, spot on with exactly where the heart of the CVRDA should be beating. This is not a 'twenty five and a day' old development class, dripping with harken and dyneema. No, the Marauder says it all, for this really is a 'lost' class.

Nessa! Take heart! You've inspired me to think of a reworking of the article I did on the Marauder for the 'Lost Classes' series.

As I recall, I did ToY, Marauder and Harrier. If I redo the Marauder, in more detail this time, which boat(s) would you like to see also getting the 'Gone but not forgotten' treatment?

D

[Rupert]

The Minisail, David. And see if you can work out how a class can sell over 8000 boats and yet almost vanish from sight. Then extrapolate it into the future of the Laser 2...

[davidh]

Rupert,

Brilliant idea!! Europe's fastest growing single handed class in it's day!
So... I now need just one more...so what would make for the ideal 'menage a trois' with the minisail and Marauder.

D

[Nessa]

Bonito? Usurped by the laser as the minisail was by the topper?

[davidh]

Nessa,

Good idea but probably not - too similar to the Minisail.

I was thinking maybe of doing the Jollyboat! THat would surely get me brownie points. Or maybe the boat that started off the whole thought process - the Swordfish (which I guess begat the Pegasus...which in turn was a signpost on to the Marauder. I was aiming to keep this 'mainstream', both teh minisail and Marauder were exactly that in their day.

Can you get your skates on with the restoration please as (a) I want a go and (b) come the Oulton classic event we can arm twist Dave C to get his Typhoon out. In the same way that we had the 'Tonic' challenge at Whitefriars, I'd love to see the Marauder, Typhoon and... Ghost, all going head to head.

D

[davidh]

Or even................

The Pegasus! After all, by definition, it can be considered a 'Lost' class.

The questions that will decide who gets the David treatment are....

Was the class a significant step forward 'when the boat was launched'?

Why?

If it was a significant class...why did it fail?

Now here life for the freelancer gets harder. The Marauder (and Minisail) both score a resounding YES to the opening question. But to be honest, does the Pegasus? Or, for that matter, the Jollyboat?

Looked at like that, the job gets much harder

D
Think I will steer clear of the Laser II debate, as they have just had a successful world championships at weymouth. But the Laser EPS, or the Topper Spice...hmmmnn

[Nessa]

what about something like the Topper Boss, or the L5k, or even the Iso or Buzz. If they aren't lost now they soon will be. Why?

But getting back on subject. This photo:



shows that the centreboard case is entirely missing down this side. The ply you can see next to the hole/slot is all that 's there. Is there going to be a best way to work on this, bearing in mind it has no structural support, and how should I set about rebuilding it. I am currently planning simply to mirror the opposite side.

Also, is what you see the best construction for supporting the crew floor?

Lastly, the boat has a removable thwart (which I have) which slots in and out of the niches made for it near where the traveller bar goes. Why was it built like this?

[davidh]

Nessa,

Yes, I would just mirror what is left on the other side.

As to the thwart, I'd build that in and make it a permanent fixture - your crews will love you for it as they can sit on it and move to windward-leeward as required, allowing you to stay up on the windward gunwhale (trust me - the Marauder does not like a helm down to leeward.

The other consideration. Watch out on e-bay/boat jumbles and get a track and traveller. Then, going upwind, you snug in the genoa early on, set the mainsheet, then play the traveller - just as one would with an FD. There is quite a significant overlap on the genoa, so this is by far the best way to get upwind fast without back winding the main.

Interestingly, when I was test sailing the Devoti D-One, that is rigged with a full length traveller. In these days or hoops and strops, it is easy to forget just how good sailing a well set up rig can be. Progress can take funny directions

D
D

[Nessa]

It does actually have a traveller - a metal tube with a traveller car mounted on it. Again it appears to be removable. I am quite a fan of travellers and lately have been contemplating replacing the one I have for the Phantome Menace.

[davidh]

Nessa, that is the original one as supplied by Bell Working with the kit.

It may pay for you to look at putting something better in (if you can find it on ebay).

D

[roger]

Nessa as regards the crew deck that support is fine it is almost exactly the same as the Hornet one but didnt have the fill in bulkheads just a frame with 6ml ply on top. I will see if I can find some pics. I may be some time