New Heron owner....advice needed

[highace10]

Hello,

I am excited to say that i am a new owner of a Heron It has been a while since i have sailed but i am very keen to get back in to the water, especially with my son.

Currently i am in the process of gathering some information on how i go about giving it a once over and revamping it. As i have a little woodworking exprience, i thought i would turn to the vast amount of experience found here in the forums. As i havent picked the boat up yet, im not 100% sure of the quality of the finish. I thought i would arm myself with some info first.

As shown on the pictures, i would like to revarnish the interior and mast etc to bring back the lustre. What sort of process would be involved? What sort of varnish etc

I will have a lot more questions to ask when i get the boat of course and i do apologise for the questions that probably have been asked a million times before.

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated

Ace

[alan white]

Revarnishing will involve complete removal of existing varnish down to bare wood, and sanding. You may also need to use oxalic acid to lighten stained or grayed wood.
As you get into it, you'll probably upgrade your original plan constantly, in order to do a complete job.
You may also decide that painting all but a few areas will get the boat in the water sooner. upkeep wil then be far easier as well. I do a little varnishing on my boat but only the coaming/tiller/spars, and I paint thr rest. I paint usually on a three year cycle (one coat) and varnish once a season (two coats).

[highace10]

As far as painting goes though, i would have to strip the current finish and then paint. What sort of paint is used usually?

Also, if i was to repaint the hull and the decks etc would i need to strip right back to wood or could i sand the paint back to something that can be primed and repainted?

Cheers

Ace

[alan white]

If paint is sound, meaning no flaking, alligatoring, etc., and is well adhered you don't need to wood the surface. Just sand with a grit that will give your primer good bite and use a primer that doesn't have too agressive a solvent in it, as that would possibly act like a paint remover. A normal alkyd primer from Depot is fine. Follow up with a single part polyurethane from Interlux or Petit or any good marine paint equivilant.
Two coats topcoat is normal.
Polyurethane paint is harder than regular alkyd enamal, but not as hard as Awlgrip or Imron. However, too haed a paint isn't good for solid wood because it's also more brittle and solid wood moves a bit between seasons.
I use Petit paints exclusively. Buy the cheaper workboat line and save money. It's the same quality but fewer colors are available and it's only a marketing strategy anyway. Expect to pay at least $25.00 per quart.

[highace10]

Another question.......

I have been reading about Herons and i have read about adding flotation tanks to the stern and the sides as well. Does anyone have any more more information about this? I have looked at pics around the net but im not sure of size measurements.

I may end up racing in the future, where can i get the regs etc?

Cheers

Ace

[StuartRB]

Hi Ace

I recently built a plywood Heron from kit. I kept a photo blog of the build, maybe there's some info there that will help you;

http://iwantaseaview.com/Heron


Regarding bouyancy bags, my build had sealed tanks, so I didn't put any bouyancy in, however looking at your photos is looks like you have an 'open' thwart at the stern, so I suppose you could strap a small 'pillow style' bouyancy bag underneath.

Regarding exterior paint, I used Internation Pre-Kote and then Toplac. It was quite expensive, but I only needed a small amount for the hull.

For racing regulations, check out the Heron Association website, although you may need to join to get access to the technical sheets I think it's about £18 for a year.

http://www.heron-dinghy.org.uk/

Thanks
Stuart

[highace10]

StuartRB,

Thanks for the link to the build. What a great looking project, nnice finish too!

I do like the look of the sealed tanks better than the bags, i guess if im up for a project of my own im sure i could add these sealed tanks. I just have to find out how. Im wordering if they have to be a certain size though.

Im slowly coming up with a plan as to what im going to do to the Heron. So far im going to re-do the interior by painting but also leaving some varnished areas. Repaint the hull and replace fittings etc. I may add teh sealed tanks if i can get a plan of the Heron.

It will be a long term project for me so im not in a great hurry.

More questions to come

Thanks

Ace

[StuartRB]

No problem, I found out that the class requirement for minimum bouyancy is 227kg (500lbs), but they suggest 600lbs.

If you join the association website there are lots of technical documents you can download including a few on bouyancy bags - positions, size etc. Should be just what you want.

Good Luck!

[highace10]

Unfortunately, being in Australia im not sure being a memeber of the UK Heron Aissociation would do me much good. I would love to get my hands on the docs you speak of though. Would give me all the info i need!

Adding the sealed tanks doesnt look too tough from what i can see in the pictures i have seen. Getting a good glue seal is the thing to look out for i spose.

Cheers

Ace

[StuartRB]

I think there's a good Aussie Assocation too

http://www.heronsailing.com.au/

To be honest, I'm not sure I would put in sealed tanks unless I had to, if you had a nice 'old skool' Heron like yours, I would tend to leave it as it and strap some bags in if really required - but as always it's just individual preference!

[highace10]

Hey,

I am now back online as my PC gave up the ghost, so i have had to source another in short order.

I was wondering what sort of timbers are commonly used for decking etc?

I have found a pic of a Heron that i would love to imitate by having the slats. Im just not sure what sort of timbers would be suitable.

The boat in question is attached.

Any advice would be great

Ace

[Pete Dennison]

Just had a quick look at your posts Ace! Good luck with the project. Herons are an old but very forgiving design and great for kids learning to sail. Some of the paints mentioned above are new to me but there are of course plenty of marine type paints available here. International Paints are excellent and there should be a marine paint supplier in Newcastle with product AND advice! I've also used Jotun Paints and found them very good - also lot cheaper than Int. International also have excellent guides which cover all aspects of preparation, application. Google them to find address. Another good idea is to contact Whitworths (www.whitworths.com.au) and have their catalogue sent out. They have a mail order service or you can haunt them on your trips to Sydney!! You can use their prices as a guide to your local supplier. Cheers. Pete D.

[highace10]

Thanks for the information on the paints. I stumbled accross the Whitforths site recently and they seem to have most of the stuff i will need.

I will have to find a timber supplier now.

Thanks

Ace