Wood repair and finish on National 12 dinghy

[jsky]

Hi all,
We've recently bought an National 12 (Crewsaver 88) which needs some attention, mainly to the top deck. The top layer of ply is lifting in places and it is obvious that there has been some splicing done in the past. Everything feels pretty solid but I think that it might be better to make repairs, filling, etc and paint top maybe to match below.
Any advice on what might be the best way to go with this, especially type of finish would be helpful. There has been some where to the finish on hull right at the bow but apart from that lower fairly good.
Many thanks

 

[Ed Sned]

Crusader 88, rather than Crewsaver. Designed by Phil Morrison. I've got one too (#3326)

It all depends on what your intentions are really. If you want to preserve it as a piece of history, then someone will be along to tell you how to cut out all the damaged sections and replace them to look like new.
On the other hand, I wanted a cheap boat to play around in when I wasn't heading offshore in the other boat. I bought it in a similar state to yours and essentially dried it out in a barn, glued down the bits that were lifting, sanded it all down and then coated it with 6 coats of Epifanes. That was 5 years ago and it's still going strong.
Surprisingly tricky boats to sail. I've previously had Int14s, Contenders, Musto Skiffs and RS700s that were all easier to sit!!

 

[Ed Sned]

12 Boat Search

 

[jsky]

Crusader 88, rather than Crewsaver. Designed by Phil Morrison. I've got one too (#3326)

It all depends on what your intentions are really. If you want to preserve it as a piece of history, then someone will be along to tell you how to cut out all the damaged sections and replace them to look like new.
On the other hand, I wanted a cheap boat to play around in when I wasn't heading offshore in the other boat. I bought it in a similar state to yours and essentially dried it out in a barn, glued down the bits that were lifting, sanded it all down and then coated it with 6 coats of Epifanes. That was 5 years ago and it's still going strong.
Surprisingly tricky boats to sail. I've previously had Int14s, Contenders, Musto Skiffs and RS700s that were all easier to sit!!

Many thanks for the advice, was Epifanes a two part product and is their a specific primer that's needed?

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Lovely to see another N12. Sold mine half a Century ago or so it seems… and as Ed Sned says, bloody difficult to sail well. Or at all.

Tigress.

 

[jsky]

Lovely to see another N12. Sold mine half a Century ago or so it seems… and as Ed Sned says, bloody difficult to sail well. Or at all.

Tigress.

View attachment 200853

Nice boat

 

[Sticky Fingers]

N3147

12 Boat Search

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Another couple of pics.



No help to the OP but happy memories

 

[jsky]

Nice pictures, hope to get ours nearer that condition.
Thanks

 

[Ed Sned]

A couple of pics of the state of mine when I got it, and then later in life. I often use it to sail up the river to the pub on a summers evening (Beaulieu River). Perhaps Phil Morrison would be upset with that but I suspect he'd be happier that it's still being used.
I can't remember but I think I used a Epifanes single pot? I wasn't overly worried about what it looked like, I just wanted to stop the deterioration and make it weather proof. In the end though, it came up quite nicely. I did do about 6 coats, which isn't that much fun.

 

[jsky]

Thanks for the info and photos

 

[oldbloke]

I would broadly agree with Ed. Be careful when sanding it down as the plywood is pretty thin. I would use a sealant penetrative epoxy to stabilise the top veneer.

 

[jsky]

I would broadly agree with Ed. Be careful when sanding it down as the plywood is pretty thin. I would use a sealant penetrative epoxy to stabilise the top veneer.

 

[jsky]

Thanks for the advice, the only area where the top layer of ply is lifting is on the top about half way along the boat. I was thinking this area was reinforced underneath with a solid timber but maybe not.

 

[oldbloke]

Obviously a brief inspection will show whether there is reinforcing underneath or not. My guess would be not as you would want to avoid a junction between a rigid area and a flexing area. However, it is an area that will have taken a lot of use/abuse from helm and crew bottoms, so you don't want any weakness there if the ply is delamination. You may need to consider reinforcing underneath or on top

 

[jsky]

Ok thanks, I'll inspect further.

 

[vyv_cox]

My mother's brother was UK National 12 champion, I imagine just after the second world war. He is now 95, still sailing until quite recently. Nice to see the examples in this thread.

 

[jsky]

Amazing achievement