restoring VANDA, 1926 40' Alden schooner (reposted from 'motorsailers')

[kevinbootes]

Ahoy skippers -

A bit wordy here, but considering mid-life defining choices compels me...

Searching for leads on estimating lead keel weight of a 1926 Alden schooner / termite farm that has slowly turned to compost over the years through neglect. People question my sanity in undertaking (pun intended) this restoration, but I've always considered this a complement through life: 'in an insane world the sane person will appear insane'. I'm a professional carpenter still in possession of a full complement of fingers, so the project is a natural fit. Nansen's Fram is the yet-distant ideal toward which I aspire: simplicity/ availability in materials/ maintenance combined with uniqueness/ near-indestructibility of design.

A storm in 80's washed VANDA up on the rocks of Maui out here in the
Hawaiian tropics and previous owner invested small fortune in thickly
glassing exterior to snatch seaworthiness from jaws of scuttling/chainsaw.
Considering haul-out to backyard for years of weekend woodworking
challenge, various questions surfacing:

how to assess condition of glassed hull - still water-tight after years of harbor inactivity

how to assess weight/value of lead keel which will be collateral for
property owner (i'm a humble renter) who would cut off and sell should
our respective project visions ultimately diverge (he will hold title)
(and matches/ gas can)

foolishness/wisdom of planting her in trench dug to fit keel profile
rather than up 6' higher on standard supports - minimizing
conspicuousness to neighbors is an issue - this may be the strength
test to answer first question?

foolishness/wisdom of craning onto truck after old mast removal for hauling to front yard using 2 slings encircling hull fore and aft, inclined toward each other and joined overhead amidships to crane cable (further strength testing)

how to obtain hull lines / profile enabling trench layout more precise
than underwater observing / tape measuring with mask/snorkel; hull
lines would also facilitate calculation of displacement tonnage
through current position of waterline on hull (college math degree
provides calculus tools to wrench a volume estimate from hull shape)

how to locate owner of the one other copy of this Alden design toward
reuniting owners of these twins separated at berth, one of them allegedly a
former Woodenboat Mag covergirl in 50's - and which issue?

Much appreciative of any mental effort devoted to my ponderings and...

Happy Spring and Fresh Breezes,

Kevin in Kaunakakai (kevinbootes@hotmail.com)