1947 Snipe Woody Restoration

[mrector]

Snipe 7138: She sails fine and sits pretty in the water, but taking on water somewhere near centerboard trunk/mast step with significant dry rot. I think its the log bolts rusting. Also - decks need reworking - have 3/8's clear mahogany and supports for all new decking....... She's still on the trailer. This is a classic boat and I want to do a proper restoration. Any advice on the best starting point??? Pictures to follow....

Thanks,
Mike

[smtoole]

Hi Mike, new to forum, I'm restoring a 1960's woody snipe #9371. Saw that it's been almost 2 years since your post. Now I'm asking you for the same advice you sought back then. Any tips appreciated.

Steve

[mrector]

Hi smtool,

Thanks for posting; when I originally posted, I was expecting at least to find someone who was interested. I'm glad you found me.

I am still working on the restoration though it seems at a snails pace.

Right now, the boat is up on a cradle with all decking removed. I have replaced 7 deck ribs and 2 interior ribs.

When I pulled the old fiberglass off the hull, the laminated stem and 2/3 of the keel pretty much fell apart from dry rot. I graved a piece of doug fir in place of the destroyed stem laminations; glued it in place with west system. The stem is pretty much done now short of a few skim coats of epoxy to fair it out.

I have removed the rotted section of keel from the stem, to about 2 feet behind the centerboard case. Right now I am working at fitting the new keel section which I made from clear grain (expensive, no knots) dough fir. I will scarf this in place, glue with epoxy and bolt it up.

My planking is white cedar; for dry rot on the planking, I have cut out some severely rotted sections (mostly on the chine planks) and graved in new AK yellow cedar (expensive, best I could find).

I'll try to figure out how to post photos on this thing so I can give you more of an idea what I'm doing.

On the snipe class web page (snipe.org) you can get contact info for John Rose who is a great resource for classic snipe restoration (if you haven't yet).

I'm in SLC, UT; where are you located?

[smtoole]

Hi Mike - just now circling back to this post. I'm in Northern Virginia. Here's a link to an ongoing web album I'm keeping of my 1953 Snipe progress.

http://picasaweb.google.com/HerndonD...eat=directlink

[gonzo]

For a Snipe to remain a Snipe, check the SCIRA website. They have all the scantlings and specifications.

[mrector]

Thanks for checking back. I looked at your photos - you've come along way. Since I last posted, I've made some progress too. It looks like my boat needed a lot more structural repairs than yours. I've pretty much finished re-framing the foredeck and the port side deck. Need to re-frame starboard side deck and re-frame stern deck.

How did you get your web site set up? Was it a lot of work, does it cost anything?

How did you seal the hull up, did you glass over the planking? My boat was glassed when I bought it. Removed all the glass but my plan is to re-glass the hull after all structural work is done. I have been in contact with John Rose and he has given me a lot of helpful pointers.

Here are some older photos - I'll post new ones soon.

[smtoole]

Wow Mike - you had your work cut out for you with this baby. Kudos for the initiative - my woody has been mostly a sand & paint job, although I'm canvassing the deck and having to build a new rudder, plus patch a hole in my boom. I had a new splashguard built for me, and my father made me a new whisker pole. But rebuilding the deck is not something I would have taken on.

Regarding the bottom, I did not reglass it. I simply sanded down some of the surface paint to a smooth base, patched some cracks with expoxy and then finished with 2 primer coats and 4 finish coats. Crossing fingers about being water tight.

The site I built was very simple and free. Download Google Picasa, a free photo management app. Point the app to your photos on your computer. In Picasa you can do basic editing such as cropping, lightening, etc. Then you just pick the ones you want for a web album, name your album and click synch to web. Then view online and you have an online album with a share-able link. You can rearrange, add captions, and even build a blog, which I just started last night here (also free): http://snipe9371.blogspot.com/

Good luck, let's keep in touch! Love any advice on building my rudder if you have any to share.

Steve

[mrector]

Hey Steve here are more photos I took today. I'm getting a real sense of accomplishment. The new side deck, outer keel and king plank represent a fair amount of effort.

If you want, I can trace a pattern of my rudder and send it to you. I can also take some more detailed photos of it if you think it would help. Just let me know.

Cheers!
Mike

[smtoole]

Nice Mike - wow, big job. Can't wait to see its progress. Glad you're feeling that sense of accomplishment. Small victories definitely help. Tonight I cut and sewed the vinyl padding for my cockpit opening, which I'm replacing since the previous vinyl padding was pretty weathered and I practically destroyed it when removing it. New vinyl looks great but I won't be able to do anything with it til after I canvas the deck.

Regarding the rudder, thanks for the offer. I still have my old rudder, it's just got a rot cavity going straight through the top section. So I can still use it to template out my new rudder. Plus I found the original snipe rudder plan dimensions, so I should be good to go.

Keep me posted on the progress!

Steve

[sailho74]

Hello there a just bought a snipe all wood and canvas deck but i dont know the year... there is no ruder and no stick (Bar franche) so if anyone could help me to find thes specs or plans for those things. There is also peices missing on the deck as the main sail railing the one at the back. Sorry I dont know all the real words in english.

[gonzo]

snipe.org

[sailho74]

thx! ill check this out