Here's one for all those stuck in the office behind a computer. I want to include some content on the website for those new to CVRDA and old boats.
Given the heading "I've just bought my first old wooden boat. How do I look after it?", please could you give hints and tips for newbies.
Looking after Wooden Boats
Hi,
most important thing is to take the mast off when you are not using it in the winter and put a flat cover on the hull. Stops the rain getting in and prevents water damage to bottom of transom etc. If you sail all year round make sure you put wicks in the bung holes to soak out excess water
Steve
most important thing is to take the mast off when you are not using it in the winter and put a flat cover on the hull. Stops the rain getting in and prevents water damage to bottom of transom etc. If you sail all year round make sure you put wicks in the bung holes to soak out excess water
Steve
STEVE
Mermaid 137
Laser 41420
Streaker 1331
Mermaid 137
Laser 41420
Streaker 1331
think once, think twice, think again!!!!!
"Oh what the hell she will look lovely when I have done her up"
My sheds testify to this comment, but thats the important thing if you can keep them dry you may get round to renovating them.
Any one want a Silhouette( one keel fallen off and new deck needed, it has got loveley new bunk cushions though!!), 1936 Eccles(caravan, dont know how that snuck in, it is wooden though), cold moulded Peggie, dismantled Fireball. Better stop now before Su goes and looks to see what really is in there.
Keith
"Oh what the hell she will look lovely when I have done her up"
My sheds testify to this comment, but thats the important thing if you can keep them dry you may get round to renovating them.
Any one want a Silhouette( one keel fallen off and new deck needed, it has got loveley new bunk cushions though!!), 1936 Eccles(caravan, dont know how that snuck in, it is wooden though), cold moulded Peggie, dismantled Fireball. Better stop now before Su goes and looks to see what really is in there.
Keith
Two Peggies 199,100,
Flying fifteen 1855,
Flying fifteen 204 (now in the barn)
Sunbird
Flying fifteen 1855,
Flying fifteen 204 (now in the barn)
Sunbird
Chris
I have been out practising in Peggie recently adnseemed to have been upside down a lot of the time so colour scheme is then correct !!!
It is not a situation I am familiar with as my feet have been mostly dry for some years lately, though the pipe has stayed in during most of the capsizes!!!!
Keith
I have been out practising in Peggie recently adnseemed to have been upside down a lot of the time so colour scheme is then correct !!!
It is not a situation I am familiar with as my feet have been mostly dry for some years lately, though the pipe has stayed in during most of the capsizes!!!!
Keith
Two Peggies 199,100,
Flying fifteen 1855,
Flying fifteen 204 (now in the barn)
Sunbird
Flying fifteen 1855,
Flying fifteen 204 (now in the barn)
Sunbird
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charlespsmith
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Sat Nov 19, 2005 1:18 pm
- Location: United Kingdom
Hi, here are a few thoughts
1 Take your restoration slowly. Think of an angler sitting quietly by the river. Thats the pace at which to take it.
2 Concentrate on one small problem at a time. That way the whole task will seem less daunting. Think like this - that port knee is bad, I will make another. Work out how to copy the old one, cut it out, clean it up, varnish it. How very satisfying that is. And how your skills have improved with that one small job! Now replacing that crumbly bit of the transom won't seem so difficult
3 Really sharp tools are going to be very important. Get someone who knows to tell you how to sharpen chisels.
4 Make sure you have a variety of good spade ended screwdrivers before you start. You are going to take out hundreds of brass screws of all sizes many of which you are going to replace. Make sure that the replacements are brass all the way through, not brass plated
5 Put the bits that come off into plastic boxes and label the boxes. I use Chinese take-away boxes by the dozen but then I like the stuff.
6 Watch out for ring nails. They don't pull out. They were never meant to. I cut their heads off rather than risking splitting the wood. You will probably find them in rubbing strips and the like.
7 You will learn some new skills - well I did - you should see my splicing
8 And a word of warning - some of the kit supplied with the boat originally may not have been very well designed - those wheels which run the kicking straps in National 12s for example, were not always good. So you may have to make a decision about replacement. It is a problem. Had you owned the boat all those years you would probably have replaced it anyway - but you will need to think about the balance between restoration and innovation
Gosh there lots more but thats enough of me. I keep my restoration stuff on http://www.tradboat.co.uk
Cheers
Charles
Charles & Sheila Smith
N1713 N2017
1 Take your restoration slowly. Think of an angler sitting quietly by the river. Thats the pace at which to take it.
2 Concentrate on one small problem at a time. That way the whole task will seem less daunting. Think like this - that port knee is bad, I will make another. Work out how to copy the old one, cut it out, clean it up, varnish it. How very satisfying that is. And how your skills have improved with that one small job! Now replacing that crumbly bit of the transom won't seem so difficult
3 Really sharp tools are going to be very important. Get someone who knows to tell you how to sharpen chisels.
4 Make sure you have a variety of good spade ended screwdrivers before you start. You are going to take out hundreds of brass screws of all sizes many of which you are going to replace. Make sure that the replacements are brass all the way through, not brass plated
5 Put the bits that come off into plastic boxes and label the boxes. I use Chinese take-away boxes by the dozen but then I like the stuff.
6 Watch out for ring nails. They don't pull out. They were never meant to. I cut their heads off rather than risking splitting the wood. You will probably find them in rubbing strips and the like.
7 You will learn some new skills - well I did - you should see my splicing
8 And a word of warning - some of the kit supplied with the boat originally may not have been very well designed - those wheels which run the kicking straps in National 12s for example, were not always good. So you may have to make a decision about replacement. It is a problem. Had you owned the boat all those years you would probably have replaced it anyway - but you will need to think about the balance between restoration and innovation
Gosh there lots more but thats enough of me. I keep my restoration stuff on http://www.tradboat.co.uk
Cheers
Charles
Charles & Sheila Smith
N1713 N2017
Charles Smith
-
Brian E. Evans
- Posts: 127
- Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2004 6:31 am
- Location: USA
- Contact:
Buy a "cosmetic, small amount of TLC required" (aka rebuild) boat on ebay. Allow twice as long as you thought it would take and double that again. Add another year for unseen eventualities. Shove it in a shed/garage to dry for 3 years. Promise wife/girlfriend it will eventually be restored, sailed and removed. After 10 years place a "for sale" advert on ebay. A year later have regrets and start the cycle again!!
don't assume it's a way of saving money by getting a wreck for next to nothing. timber, stripper, varninsh etc may be 400-600, fittings ? new sails 700, comby trailer,500, new cover 130. etc etc (but you don't need all new stuff of course)
If getting a cheap boat is the incentive then either get one free to a good home or look for one that is more or less complete and has a trailer or trolley and preferably something serviceable for a cover. 100-500 pounds perhaps will end up cheaper than a 20quid hull sometimes. Don't expect to sell for a profit later either!
One the other hand don't be put off by things written here. If you have time and the inclination you can have much pleasure (plus some frustration I expect) doing the work but the reward is sailing the end result and of course joining in cvrda events.
One real tip is to buy the best materials you can get hold of. If you are going to do the work anyway it is a terrible waste of time to use cheap ply for instance and find after a winter or two you want to replace it because it has gone black.
Weak points worth sorting out rather than leaving and hoping for the best are ... centre board case/ keel joint. Especially if the case is made of ply rather than solid mahogany. Also check lower part of transom where the bottom rudder pintle is ...may look solid but can wrench out in a blow. I have removed the screws and replaced with bolts long enough to go through and added a piece of virtically grained timber, say 150mm tall by 30x12mm inside. this will spread the pull from the rudder.
Rethink fixing of shroud plates if neccessary. Old boats were not designed for high tension rigs ( and they will be weaker now too). I've seen the mess on a friend's albacore where the fixing pulled up ripping the deck and bent his mast.
There's good advice about varnishing on this site. But do ask anything else you need to work out.
Then if it a particularly old boat you need to think if you want to restore to its original state or go for some modern ideas and methods.
so have fun and enjoy.
PS you will learn a great deal too!
If getting a cheap boat is the incentive then either get one free to a good home or look for one that is more or less complete and has a trailer or trolley and preferably something serviceable for a cover. 100-500 pounds perhaps will end up cheaper than a 20quid hull sometimes. Don't expect to sell for a profit later either!
One the other hand don't be put off by things written here. If you have time and the inclination you can have much pleasure (plus some frustration I expect) doing the work but the reward is sailing the end result and of course joining in cvrda events.
One real tip is to buy the best materials you can get hold of. If you are going to do the work anyway it is a terrible waste of time to use cheap ply for instance and find after a winter or two you want to replace it because it has gone black.
Weak points worth sorting out rather than leaving and hoping for the best are ... centre board case/ keel joint. Especially if the case is made of ply rather than solid mahogany. Also check lower part of transom where the bottom rudder pintle is ...may look solid but can wrench out in a blow. I have removed the screws and replaced with bolts long enough to go through and added a piece of virtically grained timber, say 150mm tall by 30x12mm inside. this will spread the pull from the rudder.
Rethink fixing of shroud plates if neccessary. Old boats were not designed for high tension rigs ( and they will be weaker now too). I've seen the mess on a friend's albacore where the fixing pulled up ripping the deck and bent his mast.
There's good advice about varnishing on this site. But do ask anything else you need to work out.
Then if it a particularly old boat you need to think if you want to restore to its original state or go for some modern ideas and methods.
so have fun and enjoy.
PS you will learn a great deal too!
I think that Chris has summed it up perfectly. My comments above were in fun having sworn a couple of times never to do up another boat but then immediately broken the promise. I have absolutely no regrets. The satisfaction in getting a boat back in the water after it has been unsailed for 25years + is really something and you will know everything about your boat too having covered and looked after every square inch.
Chris - any chance of a picture of the transom piece? Is this in addition to the knee running from the garboard to the transom? Or is it above that supporting the upper fixing? On Gannet the three point fixing lower pintle screw goes into the keel at the lowest point and that always seems a weak spot to me. In fact on Gannet it was completely shot and I have had to replace that as it would never have taken any strain at all - the screws pulled out by hand when I picked her up!!!