what i do

hi everyone
My name is serge
and this is my 1st ever boat, but my very long time dream
this boat was build in Adalaide Western Australia in 1930s
is made from jarrah and it seem very solid,
i have started removing the paint from the outside...
can someone please direct me in anyway ?
i really don't know the staps i should take?

aslo if u can see the gaps are big, some around 10mm, is that a big problem?

thanks everyone
hope to hear from you soon
am new to this website too will post more question as i go alone

 

Hi Serge,

Adelaide is in South Australia, but who cares.

The bioat looks like she may need to be refastened. Have you pulled any fasteners yet mate? if so please describe them, such as silicon bronze, steel etc, and their condition and if the planks are attache firmly or are some "loose"

She looks more likely 50/60's than the 30 too, so it may not be that old..

 

She's got a lot of issues, just from the few photos shown and one hell of a first project. I hope you got money.

 

hey landlubber

Thank you for the mail
hehe about adalaide to excited about it all with try to fix it

I have not touched or pulled anything, fasteners it all look and feels very healthy and solid only the gaps, i have scrached it and is red Coper i thing
looks very like new all around as much as i can reach trough the geps,
Planks again all very very firmly attached not one loos, very solid and hard
only the gaps have opend up
wood same very solid, sometimes i cant bealive how healthy it is, only one little crack on the wide bottom plank, very small

i think it looks much better in real than on the photos, or i hope

the prevous owner had it for 14 years and he told me was made between 1930-30 hope it true

have a great night
.

 

hey PAR
thanks for the comment
she was not even for sale
and i did not ask anyone for advice
i just liked it so much and i got
was not easy took a while

there is not much money but there is love

 

Put paint on it right away. Probalby the single worse problem amateurs cause to wooden boats is to strip them. The wood will dry, check and rot.

 

Not for nothing Serge, but that boat has has all sorts of problems, enough that a pro would have difficulty fixing them. You really should have a someone with a lot of experience (a pro) come out and look her over. I see broken/loose fasteners, most likely parted frames, judging by some of the distortions, hogging at both ends. Yep, a crap load of serious problems.

 

It is refreshing to see someone who still retains enough idealism to try to educate people and prevent than from making mistakes. A hardened cynic would be cheering on the project, while offering to sell products & potions to miraculously turn the frog into a prince.

The only reasonable outcome for this in my humble opinion is for sergewithadream to apply lots of dollar store makeup (glass, resin & paint) quickly to get this old girl sold to the next dudewithadream (since there is one born every minute).

I really hate being a cynic when it come to these projects, but why should another ancient hag suck the life, savings and enthusiasm out of a potential lifelong member of the sailing fraternity?

--
Bill
(feeling a little crusty and old today)

 

Bistros; You need not apologize for telling it like it is. I don't think any of us wish to bust Serge's bubble. We will, however, serve him better by giving him the advice that some of us wish we had taken in the past. I have observed this scenario, in real time, over and over. In this case the odds are that the dream boat will morph into a nightmare boat.

The last guy that I witnessed in this situation was a seasoned boatman. (he is even more seasoned now) He found a classic boat, a Seabird I believe it was, that he just had to have. It was afloat and had no immediately apparent serious problems. Last I heard he was trying to get out of the $30k bill at the boat yard because it was going to need another 30k to make the boat serviceable. Problem is that the market value of the boat was around 25 grand if in good shape and passed inspection by a professional surveyor.

 

In an average year, I'll see about 100 distressed yachts (and their owners). The extreme vast majority are beyond hope of saving. It's not that they can't be saved, as most could be, but it's that they aren't significant enough an example of what they are, to be worth the effort and cost.

I hope this yacht is different and has a new owner, that will toss the money and effort she needs, at new stuff for this old gal. Much more often then not, some efforts are made, disassembly takes place and then everything comes to a halt, usually waiting on something (money, time, skills, help, life style changes, pick one) and the project withers. In it's disassembled and forlorn state, she has no chance of a new home and is eventually dragged to the land fill.

Hire a surveyor Serge and have them offer an honest assessment before going much further. Trust an old pro, who's seen literally hundreds of these over the years and get her surveyed.

 

Serge,
Presumably you have this yacht on the trailer sitting in your yard so the costs will be low. Get paint back on as soon as you can. Use oil based paint and see if you can chase up some red lead for below the water line. Above the water line I would recommend "White Knight" oil based paving paint. Just smooth off the surface and apply 3 coats, no primer. The boat needs to be in the water as soon as possible and those planks will close up a fair bit, hopefully before it sinks. Plenty of dedicated web sites about for restoring old boats and look at Utube also for help.
Jarrah is one of the best boat building timbers around. I would suggest this is a Randell design from the 1950's.

 

Do NOT place this boat back in the water with just some paint on it, unless you just want to watch it fill with water.. It needs a hell of a lot more then paint. The very least it needs is caulk and judging from the images, it needs considerably more.

Jarrah is a fine lumber, but this is the least of you difficulties. Have it surveyed.

 

Serge,

Listen to PAR (he does know what he speaks about)......find and older person, shippy or surveyor, and get him to go over it fully before you spend any money on the project, even though you own it already, it has to be determined just how much needs to be done and how much work that you cannot do yourself just yet.

What about the engine?

 

thank you again everyone
PAR,landluber,gonzo romana and the rest
i aprishiat every word

i regret taking of the paint, i did 75% of the outside left just half side of the top , we just had a heat wave and i think it opend it up the top planks tiny bit more.
cant stop looking at it..
am making a roof over it this weekend and will punt tent fabric on the side
will this help drying and carcking??
Romana i agree with PAR need lots more , caulking and the other stuff on top
like black rubber and white above water line
what is that called?

Should i just paint the wood now with less coats than when is all caulked go over it again few times?? if yes
PAR do you agree with 3 goats no prima White Knight

i will definatly have her surveyed a soon as possible, just to determined
but the is no way back,
what ever it takes, i gave for her all i had and will work just for her all year

landlubber, engine is all puller apart in boxes YANMAR YM12
i have all sails masks and lots more parts, full shed

she was built by the same people who made the replica of Endevour
the owner sed 1930-35 how can i be sure,??? would mean so much to me

good night everyone

 

I'll assume Melbourne isn't tropical and you have reasonable rain fall averages so she'll not dry out too badly, though it appears she's likely seen the worst of this, unless you move to a desert.

If you put paint on her, you'll just have to remove it again which does more damage to the planking, so leave it for now. The most important thing currently, is to get her covered so the sun can't bake her hide and you have a reasonable, shaded place to tinker with the old lass.

Identifying her is often a lost cause, but success usually results by the most determined and resourceful of folks. Try to track down ownership records and talking with previous owners is always a good method.

The surveyor will (should) have options on how to proceed, where to look for more information, possibly is familiar with the boat, general repair possibilities, etc. With his information, you can then start on a priority list and begin to hammer on the most important issues first. I'll assume this will be removing her hog and returning her to an undistorted shape, but there may be more pressing issues.