Swift 419

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Ed
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Re: Swift 419

Post by Ed »

I really feel inclined to let someone else have a go at this one....as would love to hear others thoughts...

and to be honest, cos I am just not sure what is the best thing to advise.

In my very humble opinion painted aluminium nearly always looks horrible. Well pretty horrible when first painted then quickly becoming very horrible, as it starts to fall off, looking even worse than it did before.

If at all possible, I would just live with it without paint, but I know your ali bits have already been painted, so how best to go forwards. First I would strip all the old paint off, every last bit, using a chemical stripper (after lots of testing) and maybe some heat. Then if at all possible to just clean up and apply wax polish and live with it, then I would do that. But if it has been scratched or the anodising has really extensively failed, then I guess you will need to paint it.

What with? mmmmm.....well, acid-etch is what people say, but I am afraid I havn't got on with it so well. I would do one of two things. Either I would invest in one of the Jotun two-part epoxy paints, maybe one of the aluminium flake ones like: https://www.smlmarinepaints.co.uk/prime ... stic-range or maybe the aluminium singlepack topcoat at: https://www.smlmarinepaints.co.uk/prime ... _Aluminium. But these will both be relatively expensive options, by the time you have bought 5Kg and diluent etc, but at least you will have enough to do a couple of trailers, landrovers etc etc

Failing that, and much cheaper, I would consider one of the aluminium car sprays, not the ones, coloured 'aluminium' but one of the ones with an aluminium content. Having said that, I have just looked and couldn't find online what I meant. The place that I used to buy it from doesn't have any now, but it's like a high-zinc primer, but with aluminium. I have never used this on a boat, but it works really well for car bits. Lidl sometimes has it as an 'aluminium primer' and it works pretty well.

So, there you go...some thoughts, but I really look forwards to hearing what others think

eib
Ed Bremner
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Re: Swift 419

Post by JimC »

Hard, hard hard. I suppose real restoration of alloy spars would involve welding up all the areas where the moth has bitten, redoing the heat treatment, and somehow reanodising the surface, which seems to be distinctly non trivial. Going to take serious expertise and production facilities I think. At my level I think the only option is to clean it up as much as you can and live with it. If paint seemed to be the only solution I reckon I'd try for aviation restoration expertise, but I don't have any contacts.

I think what mainly slows oxidisation is yellow slime...
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Re: Swift 419

Post by Michael4 »

Yellow slime I have. It looks as if there is no 'silver bullet' to use current jargon,,,or if there is it is 'well above my pay grade'.

The old paint on mast and boom scrapes or pings off quite easily but it doesn't look like the surfaces was keyed much.

I will attempt to apply common sense and choose something that won't look too bad when it falls off...the idea of aluminium paint appeals.

Thanks all.
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Ed
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Re: Swift 419

Post by Ed »

I would certainly recommend just removing all the old paint, cleaning it and seeing whether you can live with it like that. If you can.....then don't paint at all.

If you are worried about preventing further corrosion, use something like ACF50. http://www.acf-50.co.uk/marine.htm

Ur, no, don't use something like ACF50, think you should most probably use ACF50 :-)

Best wishes

eib
Ed Bremner
CVRDA


Jollyboat J3
Firefly F2942
IC GBR314 ex S51 - 1970 Slurp
MR 638 - Please come and take it away
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Michael4
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Re: Swift 419

Post by Michael4 »

Yes, I'm coming round to the no paint approach. Perhaps after I have stripped the old paint I could give them a light rub down with 400 wet or dry and perhaps a coat of lacquer or varnish. Then when they get scratched and battered it will not show and they will be protected to an extent. They will look like worn anodising with aly showing through. They'll be what they are (so to speak).
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Re: Swift 419

Post by Michael4 »

Back to the hulls and a word of warning. It may be an obvious thing to say but catamarans consume far more paint and varnish than monohulls...indeed almost twice as much...

ImageDSC01850 by dralowid, on Flickr

When Alan gave me the boat it was active and 'in commission' so I decided not to strip back the hulls, rather take the paint back to something sound and build on that. I suppose what I have being doing could be better described as serious 'fettling' rather than restoration. Over the years she has been patched here and there but these all appeared sound so best left. This approach goes a long way to explaining how things have moved ahead so quickly.

ImageDSC01857 by dralowid, on Flickr

The camera lies. The boat looks fine from a few feet away, just don't get too close and critical. Unfortunately, while working on her I have developed a habit of humming the theme to Twin Peaks.
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PeterV
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Re: Swift 419

Post by PeterV »

Looking good Michael. I'm hoping to get No. 5 afloat for a trial this weekend.
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Re: Swift 419

Post by Michael4 »

Peter,
Looking forward to a report (and maybe a pic or two?) of No5's shakedown cruise
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Re: Swift 419

Post by Michael4 »

For those who have a passing interest I have attempted to rig the jib sheets.

The article I posted earlier called 'The New Look' refers to various points that need to be thought about with the 'new' jib and I think this arrangement answers some. We will see how it shapes up in practice but Alan told me that he no longer used the barber haulers or outhauls and reckoned that they were unnecessary.

ImageDSC01868 by dralowid, on Flickr

The fairlead tracks are the same length as the dagger board slot and are very close to the centre of the boat. The article said that the jib can be sheeted well in without backing the main. Also I understand that getting the jib sheet hard in helps a lot when going about.

The article comments that the ideal jib fairlead position would be directly in the middle of the dagger board. Again this arrangement would help.

I don't know, I am no fan of string or clutter but it does seem to me that with the fairleads so close in it would be good to have a way of taking the sheets further out on a broad reach or running etc.

We shall see in due course but any comments much appreciated.

PS...anyone got a spare mast step like that? Mine is very thin in places.
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Keith66
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Re: Swift 419

Post by Keith66 »

Re the Swift road trailer. It came from one of the last Swifts built which was sailing at Benfleet in the 90's.
I did some work on it & the new owner abandoned it. In the end he gave her to me but she was too far gone so was scrapped about 7 years ago. The trailer was put in the dead trailer park & is still there. It has a central lattice work spine with slide out bars that the boat is strapped to. Only reason it survived was it wont fit anything else!
The slide out bars are missing but they are standard 40mm box section so will be easy to replace
I have no idea if the bearings are ok & the tyres are shot. So it will need to piggy back away on something else!
Any use to you give me a shout & its yours for a small donation in the lifeboat box.
Laying Benfleet yc.
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Re: Swift 419

Post by Michael4 »

Keith66,

Thanks for digging it up.

Very tempted by the trailer but maybe PeterV's needs are greater than mine?

Would you reckon the wheels fall inside or outside the hulls? (Swift beam is around 5ft 9")

PeterV, what say you? Or do you have something useable already? I have only a trolley.

If no interest I'll see if I can organise pick it up

Michael
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PeterV
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Re: Swift 419

Post by PeterV »

Michael,
As I already have 2 Finn trailers and 3 trollies I was planning on making a support to fit one of my existing trollies so that I have the advantage of a combi and don't have a third trailer to find the space for.
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Re: Swift 419

Post by JimC »

Michael4 wrote:... it does seem to me that with the fairleads so close in it would be good to have a way of taking the sheets further out on a broad reach or running etc.
A dangly pole would be perfect but horrendously incongruous.
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PeterV
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Re: Swift 419

Post by PeterV »

I must admit I was thinking a dangly pole would work very well too! Not original but a really good idea.
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Re: Swift 419

Post by Michael4 »

Three 'action' pics from Alan

Can't see too much of the boat... note no spreaders etc.

ImageSwiftscan226 by dralowid, on Flickr

Trapeze obviously has its uses singlehanded. Note diagonal batten between boom and bottom batten. This is long gone but not sure what it did anyway.

ImageSwift by dralowid, on Flickr

Experimental spinnaker (from an Enterprise). I have all the kit for this but when used it bent the aluminium pole that runs across from one bow to another.

ImageSwiftscan225 by dralowid, on Flickr
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Sold the 'Something bigger and plastic', it never got used.
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