Help please

[Lee C]

First of all hi everyone, i am new to the forum and also to the world of sailing in general.

I have just bought a 20 foot sailing boat (well just the hull actually!) and am looking for some inkling as to what the boat is or any ideas or information to assist me in her renovation.

I probably should have have looked into this before i bought her but i just fell in love with the idea of learning to sail and renovating the boat to her former glory.

Any help would be much appreciated

Cheers

Lee

 

[Tranona]

Welcome to the forum.

Can't help with the specific design, but is a typical day sailer or small cruiser built anytime in the first half of last century. Hull looks reasonable in the photos, but do you have any deck and rig?

Suspect it will be a long time before you are learning to sail in this boat - if ever! It is the sort of project an experienced person would probaably run away from unless they had little else in their life occupy them.

Think you have to decide whether you are interested in sailing or boatbuilding. If sailing, then get a ready to go more modern boat - plenty available for not much money. If boatbuilding, which in this context will be spending vast amounts of time, plus relatively lots of money on something that is probably not worth much even when finished, then forget about sailing - unless you do it on othe peoples' boats.

If you do want to go the boatbuilding route there is plenty of written help in Classic Boat, Watercraft and the US Wooden Boat magazines plus countless books on the subject which you will find advertised in the mags. There are also courses run by boatbuilding schools covering the basics of maintaining and repairing wooden boats.

Good luck - and of course this forum is great for asking specific questions and advice.

 

[Lee C]

Welcome to the forum.

Can't help with the specific design, but is a typical day sailer or small cruiser built anytime in the first half of last century. Hull looks reasonable in the photos, but do you have any deck and rig?

Suspect it will be a long time before you are learning to sail in this boat - if ever! It is the sort of project an experienced person would probaably run away from unless they had little else in their life occupy them.

Think you have to decide whether you are interested in sailing or boatbuilding. If sailing, then get a ready to go more modern boat - plenty available for not much money. If boatbuilding, which in this context will be spending vast amounts of time, plus relatively lots of money on something that is probably not worth much even when finished, then forget about sailing - unless you do it on othe peoples' boats.

If you do want to go the boatbuilding route there is plenty of written help in Classic Boat, Watercraft and the US Wooden Boat magazines plus countless books on the subject which you will find advertised in the mags. There are also courses run by boatbuilding schools covering the basics of maintaining and repairing wooden boats.

Good luck - and of course this forum is great for asking specific questions and advice.

Thanks for the reply,

I do have the rig for the boat, it is gaff rigged and the mast, boom and gaff are all in good condition, also there are a brand new set of sails. There is no deck however and this is the main area i need some information on to keep the boat looking authentic.

The boatbuilding part i dont have a problem with, i have just built a 17 ft canoe (see photo) and although the vessels are worlds apart i imagine the skills required are quite similar.

I have done a bit of sailing with friends over the years but have never owned my own boat so I intend learning to sail properly while im working on the boat.

Lee

 

[Tranona]

Good. The additional info helps.

You will probably have to make a choice as to whether you are going to just deck it and use it as a dayboat or whether you want a cabin and accommodation. Big difference in the amount of effort required, and of course it would be helpful to try and find out what it had originally.

Suggest you seriously consider doing one of the short courses where you will be introduced to the range of techniques that can be used. There is no one best way of renovating a boat such as yours - for example some would advocate a traditional wood deck, maybe canvas covered others would go for plywood. If there are broken ribs (which will be easy for you to see as the hull appears open) there are different ways of repairing them. And so on.

Maybe a good idea to get some primer on the hull as it looks basically sound, cover it over to stop water getting in but allow a flow of air and do your research and reading before you get stuck in. You need a strategy for the techniques you are going to use and a plan for the end product otherwise you will lurch from crisis to crisis. Obviously you won't get it right all the time, but a plan certainly helps.

 

[oldfrank]

Whereabouts did you find the boat?
Are there any numbers carved into any of the beams (or hog)?

If you can identify the boat, then a faithful restoration becomes a distinct possibility - you may even be able to get hold of a copy of the plans. The hull shape is attractive but unfamiliar (to me at least) - hence the above two questions. I have an idea it might just be a local one design. OF

 

[Lee C]

Whereabouts did you find the boat?
Are there any numbers carved into any of the beams (or hog)?

If you can identify the boat, then a faithful restoration becomes a distinct possibility - you may even be able to get hold of a copy of the plans. The hull shape is attractive but unfamiliar (to me at least) - hence the above two questions. I have an idea it might just be a local one design. OF

Thanks for the reply,

The guy i bought her off said she was about a hundred years old and originated from the Clyde area, however there is no evidence to support this and it certainly wasnt a factor in me deciding to buy her. (i just liked the look of her!)

I wont be picking the boat up till mid next week so will check for numbers or markings etc when i get her home.

Thanks

Lee

 

[Rum_Pirate]

Welcome to the forum.

While it may seem like you have taken on quite a handful you are the envy of many on here that would like to do what you are doing.

Please post more pictures, including inside details and also give the length overall and the beam of the hull.

My guess is roughly 19'0" (excl bowsprit) x 6'8".

It may help others to identify what type of yacht it is.

It would be good to get as much info from the vendor as possible as it could make your searching easier. Ask him who he got it from and get their contact details if possible.

BTW You do have quite a lot of work (and time in years) ahead of you.

Good luck and remember that many on this forum will willing give you lots of advice if you ask.

 

[Niander]

Im sure i saw that for sale on ebay...

 

[Lee C]

thanks

Welcome to the forum.

While it may seem like you have taken on quite a handful you are the envy of many on here that would like to do what you are doing.

Please post more pictures, including inside details and also give the length overall and the beam of the hull.

My guess is roughly 19'0" (excl bowsprit) x 6'8".

It may help others to identify what type of yacht it is.

It would be good to get as much info from the vendor as possible as it could make your searching easier. Ask him who he got it from and get their contact details if possible.

BTW You do have quite a lot of work (and time in years) ahead of you.

Good luck and remember that many on this forum will willing give you lots of advice if you ask.

Thanks for the advice and words of encouragement Rum Pirate and im pretty sure i will be calling on the forums knowledge quite often

I will try and get as much info as possible from the vendor and when i get the boat home i will post more pics and some proper measurements.

Cheers

 

[Lee C]

Ebay

Im sure i saw that for sale on ebay...

Yes, you are correct, the boat however didnt reach its reserve price.....

 

[Niander]

Thats gud ...cut out the middleman!...

I suppose the keel is bolted on?....youll have to do that....thats one of the things about wooden boats!

 

[Lee C]

Thats gud ...cut out the middleman!...

I suppose the keel is bolted on?....youll have to do that....thats one of the things about wooden boats!

errrrr i'm not sure! ......... will be finding out very soon though!

 

[Niander]

actually on yours it looks like it may be a relatively easy job

 

[Lakesailor]

There's a boat not 200 yards from here that is about a month away from re-launch.
Hope you don't get bogged down in the restoration before you too get to this stage.