Sadler 25 upgrades and general wittering

[Concerto]

Welcome to the Medway with your Sadler 25. I am not a member of MYC any more but know it well.

Most of your queries have been answered, but felt I should add a few comments.

For all your sail and canvas work, Wilkinsons are good and competatively priced compared to some of the major sailmakers.

Not sure what your problem with the wiring for the autopilot. I presume you have a tiller pilot and all that requires is a power cable, so little problem on the supply side. Tiller pilots are well know for problems caused by water ingress. Initially check all connections are clean as they can get corroded.

Your sten gland could be one of many types. This web page should assist you with identification and remedy. I suspect you may have a greaser type and the core packing may need changing and fresh grease. Alternatively it may be a water lubricated seal and it is at the end of its life.
Stern glands

Most boat builders did not use varnish on interior woodwork, but a lacquer. Westerly and many other builders used Morrells 450 acid catalyst low odour high build up lacquer with a 30% sheen. This is only available from a Morrells trade counter, the nearest is in Aylesford. It is not a stock item at the counter but can be ordered for collection the next day. The minimum quantity is 5 litres and with 5 litres of thinners last year cost just under £60.
Morrells | 450 Low Odour High Build Acid-Catalyst Lacquer The interior of my Fulmar has been stripped back to bare wood and relacquered with 3 brushed coats. These 2 links should assist you if you want to do this.
https://wiki.westerly-owners.co.uk/images/2/25/Interior_Woodwork_Concerto_PowerPoint.pdf
This video shows my boat and the almost completed interior woodwork.

For exterior woodwork my preference of varnish is a traditional oil based varnish, Le Tonkinoise Marine No.1. It is not the hardest varnish but does bring out the colour of the wood and if damaged it is very easy to touch in. This is only available by mail order.
Le Tonkinois

If you look at my About Me page on this forum you will find a lot of other links to information I have online including repairs and sailing.

Hope you get lots of pleasure from your boat.

 

[steve yates]

Is it movement of the foredeck or is it a bit soft/flexing? I dont know if sadlers have cored decks but if so then water ingress from deckfittings could be causing this. Plenty vids on YouTube about replacing deck sections if it was the case.

 

[Praxinoscope]

The S25 does not have a cored deck, so not sure what this would be,

 

[NaBo]

I’m just a couple of months into ownership of my Sadler 25, and I need an outlet for my obsession. My family have no interest and I have nowhere else to share my thoughts, so I’m just going to witter on here. Apologies.

I recently sailed back from Cowes to Medway Yacht Club, with the assistance of a skipper (Chris Markham from Markham Marine - a brilliant and very knowledgeable guy all round). It was a fantastic trip over three days with stops in Eastbourne and Ramsgate. This was followed by my first weekend of single-handing on the weekend just gone. My early experiences of the boat have been overwhelmingly positive, but I do have a couple of niggles to sort out and general up-keep type jobs, including:
- wiring to the board for the tiller-pilot
- fitting a spray hood and dodgers
- fitting a stack pack and lazy jacks (plus adding cars to the mainsail)
- bracing the foredeck (where there is a bit of movement underfoot)
- replacing the stern gland (which is dripping when under power)
- possibly replacing the aging engine mounts (which may be the cause of the stern gland leak I’m told)
- making the interior more homely (reupholstering and doing a bit of painting)
- sanding and varnishing wood around the companionway and replacing a wooden cap on the sliding hatch
- finally, I’m considering a whether it would be a big job to fit a secondary ignition and cutout switch in the cockpit, which would make single-handing rather easier. On this last point, I’d appreciate advice on how to do this and views whether it is a very involved job or a DIY task.

You may have guessed, I’ve become slightly obsessive about my boat, and am keen to make one of the best example of its kind. I’m hauling out mid November and am looking forward to getting stuck in to my list of jobs. I’ll shut up now! Some pics below of my humble S25

A little late to the party, but as a fairly new owner of an older Sadler 25 who is considering some makeovers (much similar to what you've described), I'm curious about the outcome and what definite do's and don't's you've discovered along the way. Please share!

 

[gwingn]

The FB group is much more active than the SSOA forum!

If only it wasn't facebook

I've recently joined the SSOA but for some reason facebook have decreed that I'm someone who fails their identity checks and I'm not able to create an account with them. Maybe they know I was a bank robber or something in a past life.