New deck for a Miracle

[smth448]

At the end of last year we bought a wooden Miracle dinghy for "Mini Me" to learn to sail on.
The first thing we did was turn it upside down and repaint the hull.
Now we have turned it up the right way and started on the deck a few issues are coming to light. Certainly the ply is very wet in places and is not rushing to dry out. There are alos a few places where the top veneer has been sanded through in the past. I think I will bodge it for this year, once it has dried out with glass tape and epoxy. If he decides he likes dinghy sailing and wants to keep the boat the deck will need to be replaced. I am looking at the foredeck and the top of the side tanks. Does anyone know if these panels can all be cut from one 8x4 sheet of ply? The job itself does not look too difficult.

 

[VicS]

Why not make some paper pattens and see if you can arrange them in an 8'x4' space

 

[EBoat126]

I bought an old Miracle (no 390) at the beginning of last season to sail with the kids, the deck is soggy in places like yours. Plan is to work on the Miracle should we get a Summer this year as it will have to be done outdoors due to lack of garage. I was planning to cut templates out of paper as VicS suggests and slap a load of epoxy around all the bits that leak. I've got a suspicion that when I take the old deck off I'm going to be faced with even more rot....bonfire could happen.

We painted it and bodged it enough to get some sailing out of it last year, really nice wee boat to sail with kids and single handed.

This year I've bought a 420 to add to the collection.

 

[samwise]

I redecked our Miracle about 18 months ago and I reckon you would be pushed to get two sides of foredecking and two side pieces from one sheet of ply.

Foredeck rotting is usually caused by poor outside storage i.e. an ill-fitting cover; leaving the boat in the dinghy park without jacking up the bow or storing upside down on trestles in such a way that rain gets in and lies on the inside of the foredeck.

I removed the old panels very carefully and used them as templates for the new pieces. Don't forget to treat the insides of the panels with Danboline or similar.

The Miracle Association was very helpful and sent me the plans of the centrecase knees when I needed to replace them. As far as I know there are no sources of ready cut panels since the Miracle kit people in Leicestershire ceased trading.

Try contacting Ian and Geraldine Downs of the Miracle Association at:

thedowns@22hillst.co.uk

 

[EBoat126]

Butler Boats still build new Miracles, and things of beauty they are too.

http://www.butlerboats.biz/prod03.htm

However the new boats have different decks than the old home build, flat pack style.