When in a hole...

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chris
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When in a hole...

Post by chris »

DSCF3003sm.jpg
When in a hole ... stop digging. As they say. So I found a bit of soft stuff on the inside of Spritefull Merlin 507...and carried on digging on the outside... And now its needs a new keel and sections of the garboards. Well I first thouroughly restored this boat over 25 years ago so even my restoration is CVRDA eligible, so I suppose another overhaul is due.
roger
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Re: When in a hole...

Post by roger »

Well Chris, you have sailed her nearly every week since you restored her so I reckon that's a good job.

Don't forget I have had a good go at breaking her occasionally as well.
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neil
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Re: When in a hole...

Post by neil »

And every sliver you remove can be reused as the start of another boat
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Ed
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Re: When in a hole...

Post by Ed »

It happens.....

I know you will want to do a 'proper job'.....

but will it really need all the keel replacing and both garboards? Couldn't you drop in a section? Might be a lot easier.

Best wishes

eib
Ed Bremner
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Rupert
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Re: When in a hole...

Post by Rupert »

One of my favourite boats to see out sailing. Good luck!
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chris
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Re: When in a hole...

Post by chris »

Roger: but at least you haven't put your foot through the hull, which I have!
Ed, I have taken the whole length of keel off now as there were problems with it all over except for the last two or three feet but it will give me the best change of repairing the garboards and making sure it all sound along the hog.Yes I will be patching the garboards rather than replace throughout. In end it won't add much more to the work involved and I will then be able to check or refix the centreboard case which at least may need some sorting.
Neil: I have enough bits to rebuild into several hulls and since it is OK to modify the design at the same time I may knock up a Canturbury Tales and a Winder-mark-whatever and these wil all be CVRDA eligable as they will obviously date from 1954. And since there was no width restriction in the rules then I may as well extend them to 10ft beam.

I have to say the bonfire was beckoning but we have always really enjoyed this boat and at £20 it was one of my more expensive buys! A couple of weeks ago someone contacted me about a similar design but a ribbed version from 1950 and I have to say I have been thinking hard about that one, but four ribbed boats may be too much even for me. Spritefull has always been our everyday club boat and I hope it will see our sailing days out.

If anyone would consider taking on a ribbed Merlin from the '50s then PM me and I'll tell you more.
Pat
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Re: When in a hole...

Post by Pat »

Spritefull has always been one of the faster boats of that era on our circuit (I've seen the transom tooooo frequently), so clones to the same design would be very good. Even better, take a mould and we'll have a few FRP river boats out of it though they may need 30kg of correctors to measure!
(Half Cut and What a Lark Removals Ltd)
chris
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Re: When in a hole...

Post by chris »

DSCF3012.jpg
(35.16 KiB) Not downloaded yet
...Less of a hole now... The garboards have been patched as if it were a moulded hull, about a three foot section on both side was 'shot'. Whatever the outer veneer was is good but the inner layers was turned to a perfect potting compost IE sand and rotton fibre. New keel on too.
I used oak mainly because I had a perfect piece in stock rather than use mahogany. I have some mahogany boards but they are 2" and I'm not prepared to waste them! The slightly heavier oak is well compensated by reducing the excesive number of large screws in the old keel.
Spent today repairing properly the bit at one of the bilge keels where I did but my foot through the hull years ago.

Since I used some mahogany to patch the garboards, kindly donated from Roger's deceased GP14, can I now sail under a GP14 handicap please? (as it must qualify as a vintage GP!)
Rupert
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Re: When in a hole...

Post by Rupert »

That was quick! I'd still be thinking about it.m

Of course you can have a GP14 handicap. Saskia is using the bailer and sponge from our old Mirror Dinghy, so I'll be changing the handicap accordingly.
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JimC
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Re: When in a hole...

Post by JimC »

[just trying to work out the provenance of the various odds and bits I've used rebuilding the Canoe]
Lets think, the mast and mast stump are both ex (different) Cherubs, the boom is ex Megabyte mast...
Michael Brigg
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Re: When in a hole...

Post by Michael Brigg »

JimC wrote:[just trying to work out the provenance of the various odds and bits I've used rebuilding the Canoe]
Lets think, the mast and mast stump are both ex (different) Cherubs, the boom is ex Megabyte mast...
Image

I have a bit of the old kitchen table scarfed into the Centreboard on Torment.

...Must be worth the odd extra minute or two.

How many points do you suppose would a bit of Alex Thompsons Starboard Foil be worth?

...Now?
... after he's won?
Michael Brigg
chris
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Re: When in a hole...

Post by chris »

I used some mahogany from a very old piano lid on my 14. So maybe I should enter the boat in the Leeds Piano competition too.
I like your table , Michael, though one wave to swamp it and the whole lot would be at the bottom of the lake I think. Looks as if it planes straight away . Is that what surveyors call Plane Tabling?
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