Rebuilding 1929 Fastnet winner Tally Ho

[DJE]

Will anybody ever do the same thing for a 100 year old GRP boat? I suppose the equivalent approach would be to take a mould off the old boat and lay up a new hull.

 

[mattonthesea]

Me too, with Acorn to Arabella and Uma fighting for second place

Me too; but I have to watch the Sailing Brothers too. Complete opposite end of the scale but just their sheer delight of discovery ?

 

[Boo2]

Drill down from inside the boat then in from the side of the keel to make pockets.
<...snip good pic...>

What is the best material to make those bolts from, given a lead keel and wooden hull ? </Just curious>

Boo2

 

[Buck Turgidson]

What is the best material to make those bolts from, given a lead keel and wooden hull ? </Just curious>

Boo2

Not so critical with a lead keel. I expect he will use either bronze or Monel as he’s not skimping on material costs.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Not so critical with a lead keel. I expect he will use either bronze or Monel as he’s not skimping on material costs.

True - but he isn't being profligate either. After all he did decide not to build the deck entirely in teak!

 

[Hacker]

What is the best material to make those bolts from, given a lead keel and wooden hull ? </Just curious>

Boo2

Bronze. Mild or stainless steel will cause iron sickness at some stage.

 

[DoubleEnder]

Moving on, you have to admire the single minded obsession that has a guy using all that effort and skill and money to do what he is doing. You also have to ask yourself - why bother? Wood is a poor material for boats, both expenisve and very high maintenance. The boat design itself is out of date. He is simply junking a century of technical improvement through a romantic attachment to the past.

I had a wooden boat for 17 years and spent a lot of time money and energy restoring maintaining and even sailing her. I loved that boat. For now I am boatless, as I have a building project to deal with, but I hope to buy again in a couple of years. So I am keeping my eye on the market (insane at the moment!) and kind of thinking about a next boat. For all the sensible reasons I’m thinking about GRP, but nothing lifts your heart like a proper wooden yacht. I think if anyone can do justice to the concept, it’s Leo G

 

[38mess]

He's doing a great job, but I worry that the best years of his life are slipping away painstakingly working on this boat. I much prefer Yaba, the shipwrights on that project get the job done efficiently, although I do wonder about the gaps in the stern planks.

 

[Seven Spades]

When he started this project I was looking at the value of the boat which he will eventually own at no cost and compared that to his time. Given that he must have at least a year to go I wonder what the value of that boat will be at the end. Interestingly I think his youtube channel is probably the most lucrative of any. He has a lot more "patrons" that any other sailing channel probably because his audience is much wider than people who are interested in sailing. So at the end of this he will own the boat and forever be paid by Youtube for his content it looks to me as though he has fallen on his feet.

 

[38mess]

When he started this project I was looking at the value of the boat which he will eventually own at no cost and compared that to his time. Given that he must have at least a year to go I wonder what the value of that boat will be at the end. Interestingly I think his youtube channel is probably the most lucrative of any. He has a lot more "patrons" that any other sailing channel probably because his audience is much wider than people who are interested in sailing. So at the end of this he will own the boat and forever be paid by Youtube for his content it looks to me as though he has fallen on his feet.

Plus when he finally finishes the boat we can expect regular updates on sailing adventures.

 

[mjcoon]

Not so critical with a lead keel. I expect he will use either bronze or Monel as he’s not skimping on material costs.

I have now watched the 3 episodes covering the complete recasting of the keel. But never did discover why they (presumably expert Doug as well as Leo himself) were insisting on casting in one lump. They will certainly not just put in a bolt at each end! In fact it may have to be supported at multiple points to stop it bending under its own weight. And similarly will not add much to stiffness. So why not cast and fit in sections and just fair off to whatever extent is needed for aesthetics or hydrodynamics?

 

[[2574]]

He's doing a great job, but I worry that the best years of his life are slipping away painstakingly working on this boat. I much prefer Yaba, the shipwrights on that project get the job done efficiently, although I do wonder about the gaps in the stern planks.

But most people waste the best years of their lives sitting in pointless meetings, in offices, in warehouses, in truck cabs, in shops, on building sites, etc …..at least he’s enjoying what he’s spending his time doing……

 

[mjcoon]

But most people waste the best years of their lives sitting in pointless meetings, in offices, in warehouses, in truck cabs, in shops, on building sites, etc …..at least he’s enjoying what he’s spending his time doing……

And because he is recruiting a flowing army of volunteers who are all exchanging experiences, it is not at all like a solitary obsessive!

 

[Buck Turgidson]

I have now watched the 3 episodes covering the complete recasting of the keel. But never did discover why they (presumably expert Doug as well as Leo himself) were insisting on casting in one lump. They will certainly not just put in a bolt at each end! In fact it may have to be supported at multiple points to stop it bending under its own weight. And similarly will not add much to stiffness. So why not cast and fit in sections and just fair off to whatever extent is needed for aesthetics or hydrodynamics?

I would be interested to learn of any examples of similar keel that are not a single casting. Ive never heard of it. Do you have any links?

 

[mjcoon]

I would be interested to learn of any examples of similar keel that are not a single casting. Ive never heard of it. Do you have any links?

No links; no precedent. Purely off the top of my head from first principles - ready to be dismissed...

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

I know it's not going to happen, but anyone who's tried to get a modern keel off will agree that gluing it on with a polysulphide would obviate the need for any bolts. I've just calculated that the one I needed to get off was 26lbs /sq in, and Tally-Ho's would be a tenth of that. (We undid the nuts, left it hanging in slings overnight for an easy life, but ended up having to saw through it and drive it off with wedges).

 

[Stemar]

I know it's not going to happen, but anyone who's tried to get a modern keel off will agree that gluing it on with a polysulphide would obviate the need for any bolts. I've just calculated that the one I needed to get off was 26lbs /sq in, and Tally-Ho's would be a tenth of that. (We undid the nuts, left it hanging in slings overnight for an easy life, but ended up having to saw through it and drive it off with wedges).

Start doing that, and someone's going think No More Nails is a bit cheaper...

 

[mjcoon]

Start doing that, and someone's going think No More Nails is a bit cheaper...

Yes, like brass is cheaper than bronze...

 

[Motor_Sailor]

I know it's not going to happen, but anyone who's tried to get a modern keel off will agree that gluing it on with a polysulphide would obviate the need for any bolts. . .

With a modern keel (deep, narrow) it's not when in the vertical position that loads the bolts, but the leverage generated when the boat is at 90 degrees (flat with the surface of the sea). I don't think there's an adhesive that could handle that.

However, with these classic full keel boats it's a different story - the ballast keel is about as wide as it is deep and the loads are much lower. We designed a 30ft classic design racing keelboat to be built in cedar strip / epoxy and 3Ms were more than happy for the ballast to be 'stuck' on with Polyurethane bedding compound to avoid any penetrations through the laminated backbone. Twenty years on it's still in place.

 

[john_morris_uk]

I know it's not going to happen, but anyone who's tried to get a modern keel off will agree that gluing it on with a polysulphide would obviate the need for any bolts. I've just calculated that the one I needed to get off was 26lbs /sq in, and Tally-Ho's would be a tenth of that. (We undid the nuts, left it hanging in slings overnight for an easy life, but ended up having to saw through it and drive it off with wedges).

Well, at the moment it appears his new keel is glued on with felt and tar. (Just watched the latest video).