I Tried To Buy A Boat Today - Succeded

Lakesailor

Lakesailor

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Bit of a project, but no hurry as I have a Seahawk 17 raring to go for everyday sailing.
I'm not even sure if I will complete this one as although the work is mainly superficial and cosmetic, it hasn't got a cockpit well and my poor old back may not be able to manage crawling about.
Plus, I often sail single-handed and this may be a bit exciting for that unless I can organise a bank of crew members. I have three forumites who are available now and then, but only one is young enough to do all the scurrying about :o

Collecting

collecting1.jpg



Getting Home (10 miles later)

collecting2.jpg


Note: emergency mudguards

collecting4.jpg


collecting5.jpg


​

Still, I ended up paying less than it was originally offered for.
Comes with main, 2 headsails, spinnaker, trailer, no motor, not a lot of paint,


£150. Can't complain about that. I'll keep you informed on progress.
 
Doesn't look like much to do there. You should have it sailing by the weekend.
Any idea what class it is? It looks quick.
 
Looks in good nick, just a little neglected. Amazing how boats like that just get forgotten for years. I'm not an expert by no means but she looks like she'll be quite nippy.

Any more photos?
 
She's a Micro Cup boat, designed by Stephen Jones and similar to Placebo which famously (around here) sank during a Frostbite race. But is still sailing on Coniston, now.
 
We shall now sit back and watch as a swan emerges from the tatty old duck...

From previous pics, is it an end grain balsa sandwich lay up? Def a good buy for £150 as it has all the bits. You should be able to put it back on the market after about 1000hrs work for £175......:-))
A
 
I'd have wanted £150 to take it away, do you realise how much it costs to dispose of trade waste these days?
 
Further to that. The guy I bought it from is convinced it is a stephen Jones design. However looking at various sites (mainly continental) many details avry between boats and many boats were handbuilt prototypes.
This has endgrain balsa laminate with no interior fit-out. The windows are rectangular whereas most seem to have tapered windows and the cockpit has no foot well (it's just flat). Underneath the cockpit is intriguing and I'll take some piccies tommorow. The flooe seems to be delaminating, but when you pass a bolt through a hole there is no wooden core. It's just two grp skins. I don't know if they are supposed to be bonded. There is also pillar from the hull supporting the cockpit floor with some rather ornate side beam to support the mainsheet track etc.
One or two balso blocks seem a bit dark as though they are rotting, but in the middle of perfectly clean and bright blocks. Again something to look at.
There is a gouge in the port bow through to the balsa which I'll have to epoxy once it's dried out and a tiny bit of damage underneath from the trailer. The keel box has a repair on the aft edge, which I assume is damage from the keel grounding, and the mast step hole is damaged at the front edge where it meets the coach roof. It was suggested it could be because the mast has moved during an exciting spinnaker run ! The mast is keel stepped, but is a normal aluminium mast that seems to have been "made to work" in this situation. It's held in place with wooden wedges.

A few more pics.

Micro18.jpg


Micro18_1.jpg


Micro18_5.jpg


Micro18_6.jpg


Micro18_8.jpg


Micro18_12.jpg

Tommorow I'll be looking closely at the sails as well. I'm not bothered about selling it as it's cost me next to nothing (so far). Having said that it's going to keep me out of mischief for a while and I maybe do have a plan for it once it shows it does sail properly.
 
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Has it lost most of its gelcoat? What's that gonna cost to fix?

Also, is that centreboard in a case?

Looks a nice little project for the money :)
 
I see you are planing a Viking funeral.

I think its a good thing to take the worries of planing your end off the shoulders of your family.

Well Done!
 
only one man could save this ! :)

Did you fix on a name, or are you going to let it grow on you ?

best of luck.
 
I prefer "sympathetic restoration", but I doubt it would be worth that much as Micro Cup boats are much advanced these days. It's also had a hardish career so there are a few issues to sort and the deck mouldings are very bendy (not the hull, which is rock solid). I would think that people wouldn't want to spend a lot on an old race boat. It does have pretty decent Goacher main and 2 headsails and spinnaker. I am starting to think of a "Swamp Monster" sort of renovation, all a bit rough with matt black hull.
I could call it Dirty Dick.

Cleaning today

Microclean.jpg


Cockpit's better

Microclean_1.jpg


Looking aft under cockpit

Microclean_8.jpg


Forward past keel and mast step

Microclean_5.jpg

Disappointed not to find integrated hi-fi fitted.
 
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