IDENTITY? DROP KEEL 20ft(about) 2+2 BERTH OFFSET COMPANIONWAY

P

pontsimo

Member
Joined
3 Apr 2013
Messages
28
Visit site
Anyone have any ideas as to what this is ? Biggish torpedo shaped weight on the base of keel. Two full sized berths in cabin and two smaller ones in bow. It's got a hole in the stern which is fixable and the monocoque is slightly skewed by the weight of water in it which has detached the roof from the transverse bulkhead. But I reckon it's fixable. Somebody has hacksawed off the stainless steel bow stanchions .......No sails!!!! Anybody got any. And no rudder !!!!! Anybody got one ? All information very gratefully received ....lying North Devon. image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg
 
I'll be first to say you should run away. The repairs and the replacements will add up to to far more than buying a boat in commission. A boat like that with sails, and engine and possibly a trailer should be available for easily less than £2k.
A friend sold my old Seahawk 17 in superb condition for £1700
I sold a Prelude with new roller genoa and trailer for a friend for £1500

To buy a bare boat without trailer or engine but in good condition, ready to go should be £600/£1000
 
I believe some Matildas had lead bulbs on the CB.

Just sold a half a tonne of lead for £650:)

The rest looks ready for cutting up (use a diamond tipped cutting blade in a large angle grinder) and drop it off at your local recycling centre (if you take the lot in one go you will be charged a small sum).
 
It's been abandoned 10 years and I think is basically sound ......hull wise . I'm pretty handy and LOVE a challenge and making something out of nothing! It's a finders keepers fix it up on a shoestring and see what happens kid of thing. Much too pretty to see it go to waste.
 
It's very like both a Matilda 20 and also a Medina 20 .....but differs from both designs. It's beam is more Matilda ish .
 
Almost certainly a Matilda 20 I would say. A friend has one - rather nice for what it is. Plenty of room in the cockpit because of the wide beam and snug but well laid out down below.

As others have said... plenty of work in that boat but if that's what you want and enjoy then you'd at least have a Matilda at the end of it rather than something which sails like a pig.
 
Hi Pontsimo, welcome to the forum,
I admire your enthusiasm and also love a challenge/project. It is always so sad to see a boat in such a sorry state but do think carefully about how much time and money this could absorb.

I'm sure that this can be made into a great little boat that will be a lot of fun, but as others have said - it would be cheaper and easier to buy something that is ready to go, I guess it depends if you want a project or you want to go sailing. I wish you well, whatever you decide to do.

For sails I would get the rough rig dimensions and then keep an eye on ebay or try the Beaulieu boat jumble. You can also get second-hand sails here… http://www.seateach.com/Sails.htm

best of luck.
 
Yes that hull looks like a snappy planing hull to me . I reckon on a broad reach in a stiff wind she might try to submarine like a topper! ....the whole boat looks like an overgrown dinghy .....a sort of giant Wayfarer with berths ! If the keel hasn't damaged the under hull and it lifts ok I reckon it's a saver. The hull appears to be sound apart for one 4 inch hole . Im an industrial designer and a great make do and mender ( theres OCEANS of driftwood around to make hatches etc! ) so I'm pretty good at figuring out stresses and loads etc . I reckon I can make it safe and sailable. A nice project.....and the less it costs the more fun ill have! YEE HAH
 
Thanks for that ....very valuable info. I reckon I can get some sails for not too much .....make a rudder...and hatches and a keel winch handle. Bundle of fun!
 
pontsimo said:
It's been abandoned 10 years and I think is basically sound ......hull wise . I'm pretty handy and LOVE a challenge and making something out of nothing! It's a finders keepers fix it up on a shoestring and see what happens kid of thing. Much too pretty to see it go to waste.
Click to expand...

Go to the nearest town find somebody selling the big issue, give him £2,000 & walk away.
You will both be much happier
 
Go for it. If you have the capabilities to fix her up, then do it. Spend is broken down into managable quantities, not a few grand in one go.
You'll have fun and learn loads as you go. Good luck!
 
pontsimo said:
Anyone have any ideas as to what this is ? Biggish torpedo shaped weight on the base of keel. Two full sized berths in cabin and two smaller ones in bow. It's got a hole in the stern which is fixable and the monocoque is slightly skewed by the weight of water in it which has detached the roof from the transverse bulkhead. But I reckon it's fixable. Somebody has hacksawed off the stainless steel bow stanchions .......No sails!!!! Anybody got any. And no rudder !!!!! Anybody got one ? All information very gratefully received ....lying North Devon. View attachment 30380View attachment 30381View attachment 30382
Click to expand...

Matilda........ pretty sure. Friend had one some years ago. Got a small picture in front of me. See also http://www.matildaowners.com/gallery20/gallery20.htm

Tucker design...... good little boat but as LS says it could cost more to put into good order than you could buy a decent small boat for.
 
Last edited:
Go for it, you know you want to. Some people even prefer doing projects than actually sailing. If you're handy and really canny I doubt you need spend more than a grand. Any boat's gonna cost money just to keep anyway, in repairs and depreciation. Don't pay more than 50-100 quid for it though, less would be better. Not even worth scrap value as it is, by the time you've transported it, dismantled etc.

Have fun. :D
 
Concerning the economics, it really depends on what you want, and one or two ancillary points!

If all you want is to go sailing as soon as the weather is OK, then those people who say you would be better off buying a ready-to-go boat for what you'll end up spending on fixing this one up are right. Indeed, probably no contest.

BUT!!

If you are doing this because you enjoy fixing things, don't mind how long it takes and - critically - have somewhere to do the work, then have fun! You'll certainly spend a lot of money, but it will be spread out so you won't notice it so much, and you'll have the satisfaction of saving a pretty little boat.

One or two points for you to consider, though.

  1. Bulkheads etc. are structural members; if there's any rot or failure of the fastening of them, they'll need replacing and/or refixing.
  2. You say the hull is slightly distorted because it is full of water. Make sure that it does recover to the correct shape when the water is out of her; otherwise she'll never sail properly.
  3. The bit about somewhere to work - you'll need a place on hard-standing where she can be propped up securely to work on her, ideally with the possibility of covering her. That means you'll need a trailer to move her on shore, at least. Some of the work would be difficult, or perhaps impossible, to do while she's afloiat or sitting on the mud. This is potentially the biggest single expense you face! Boatyards are NOT a good choice - they charge high fees for accommodating a boat! You may get away with a driveway or something. But realistically, this isn't a feasible project without somewhere to work that isn't going to cost you much.
 
As a Medina owner, can I just go on record as saying that to my inexperienced eye, the only similarity between that Matilda (assuming that's what it is) and my pride and joy is the length.
 
Apart from anything else. The fact that it's sat on a "Biggish torpedo shaped weight on the base of keel" and is laying over, is full of water and the bulkhead is detaching would lead me to suspect the hull is either damaged or weakened about the keel box.
Seajet will tell you that it happens regularly to Jaguar 22s. I think his phrase is that the hull around the keel goes soft like jelly.

I have repaired two dinghies that filled with water and punched though the floor where they were resting on the trailer.

Really. It's just a money pit. I cut up a better Micro-cup boat than that which had all it's gear and sails.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top