miracle restoration

[miracle]

hi folks , in the middle of sorting a tired miracle, one thing id like to know is, is it ok to remove all of the deck panels front and sides, or will this cause the boat to loose its shape slightly , can it cause problems if left like that over time
i have removed the two front as in the picture , ready for replacement.im currently in the drying out and poking holes stage

[miracle]

currently trying to rig a dutchman patch , 1 inch from the transom , not easy when doing it by eye,with a stanley knife and sandpaper, getting the join angle is tricky

[JimC]

If all the beams are in place I shouldn't have thought she'd distort too much under her own weight.

[miracle]

If all the beams are in place I shouldn't have thought she'd distort too much under her own weight.

thanks jim , i may just take them off tomorrow and see what lies beneath , my first dutchman patch is made , off out to epoxy it in place, not the best join in the world but at least im creating a good sandwich to keep her strength

[Graham T]

No problem whipping the deck off a Miracle - I have done several.... I am just completing a complete new bottom panel in the hull of mine - actually quite an easy job too. Hope you have fun with yours,

Graham

[miracle]

No problem whipping the deck off a Miracle - I have done several.... I am just completing a complete new bottom panel in the hull of mine - actually quite an easy job too. Hope you have fun with yours,

Graham

cheers graham , really enjoying the restoration work , hope im finished in time for sailing this season, im totally new to it so could be interesting to see if my work is any good

[Rupert]

Dutchman patch? Not a term I've heard before.

[miracle]

Dutchman patch? Not a term I've heard before.

dutchman patch

[jules22]

graving piece ?. not sure this term applies to ply though. keep up the good work anyway.

[miracle]

graving piece ?. not sure this term applies to ply though. keep up the good work anyway.

Ive heard them called a few things,and with varying shapes sizes depths , square flat edges , 45 degree edges that sit flush etc etc, a chap did the same ply patch as i am doing and he called it a dutchman, the name just stuck in my head.
anyway, my dutchman has ended up like a drunken frenchman .
The sun has it,s hat on today so epoxy at the ready i shall endeavour to tighten up my shoddy woodworking.
just when i think ive seen the last of the soft wood , i find another bit hidden under the fibreglass and paint.
obviously my sounding the hull was not thorough, no worries however as im slowly getting there,this is my first boat and its a learning curve that will take time.

[miracle]

this hole proved a bit of a pain to work out as it is underneath one of the support cross sections and part of the inner floor strip had to be taken out as it was soft, now i have to figure out the best and strongest way to put it all back together ,the ply patch is now in with plenty of epoxy , and epoxy to the pitted areas of ply.
probably going to need a full length piece of ply to support the floor below the cross section

[Graham T]

A common problem with Miracles and Mirrors is those floor strips. They were fitted with copper nails and aerolight glue. The glue fails with time and as the floor flexes the nails pull a bit leaving a water trap beneath the strips. The floor rots out from underneath them and as it is hidden it doesn't become apparent until too late. This is the main reason I have replaced the complete floor in mine - initially it was going to be a patch repair to the forward section where a broken mast had punched through it....

[fcdbm]

I agree with the comments about the floor battens. I bought a Miracle and thought the floor looked sound, but it was completely rotted under the battens.

Looking at your project I fear you will end up spending a lot of time doing little patches, when you might be better to attack it hard and replace the cockpit floor panel

I cut out the bottom floor panels with a jig saw leaving a 35mm strip of floor each side of the hog.

Bought new 6mm marine ply (£35.00 for half a sheet cut length ways) and made new floor panels using the cut out panels as a pattern.

I then fixed a 70mm wide strip of ply over the the hog floor strip and bonded it down with epoxy.

Turned the boat over and fixed the new panels to the hog strip and stitch and glued the panel to the chine line on the other side.

Taped it it. Cut out the copper ties with a grinder and then tidied it all up.

I started on New Years day and finished for the May Day Bank holiday.

Very satisfying.

Looking at the work you are doing on the decks, try and look at the modern deck layouts seen at he dinghy exhibition. Gibson sails were showing a boat with spinnaker bags set into the deck. They are a friendly team and worth having a word with. I also looked at Dave Butlers new boat and he has a full bulkhead behind the mast, doing away giving more buoyancy and a much more accessible bow tank bungs. He too is using spinnaker bags rather than a spinny chute.

[miracle]

The first and biggest patch so far has been put in place with the best 45 degree angles i could muster with a stanley knife and my sander , cemented in place with epoxy and seems on the face of it to be very solid although the fit was not brilliant, the epoxy made up where i failed.
Going through the other bits of patching this week weather permitting, checking all screws and replacing the few rubbish rusted ones.
I am satisfied now that the hull is sound but i wont know fully until she is on the water, fingers crossed.

[miracle]

paint out or varnish the interior of the bow , or leave it alone to breath ?

what are your thoughts chaps ?