Just purchased a 14ft skipper dinghy

From what I can find out these boats are double skinned and self right if they are flipped.
There has been a hole drilled in the forward bow triangle deck,and another in the passenger well at foot level.the idea being to clear any water that washes over the bow.This was done by the previous owner,he also added a drain plug in the transom,saying that the excess water would go into the bilge,and could be let out when back on the trailer.
I get the feeling that a double skinned hull should be completely watertight,and there would be no bilge because letting water in amongst the flotation foam would defeat the purpose.
I don't intend to sail this boat,just use a 5 or 6hp outboard on it.
The mast apareture has been neatly covered,as has the dagger board box.
I have attached a couple of pics of 14ft skippers,which mine is exactly the same but without the sailing attachments.
Any info on this boat or advice will be gratefully received.--V--

 

Yeah, your assumption is correct, the previous owner was an idiot, though the fix is an easy one. Fill the holes and drains, though if the core area has a drain, it can let out accumulated condensation, but should be plugged most of the time.

 

Thanks PAR,
I'll correct the faults.The boat will be stored outside sheeted up most of the time,and we do get sub-zero temperatures in the winter.

 

I know these beasts. PAR is right, the double hull should be watertight. However one problem is that there should be an access hatch somewhere and a drain hole at the transom. Because if you leave a hull (sealed up) it will have the internal air expand and contract, often a leak is caused by the air pressure itself!. The best thing is to fit an access hatch and ensure there is a drain bung at the transom. Then when you leave it unscrew the hatch a mite to allow air to move freely and stop the true seal. It only takes a half turn or so, but if you go afloat re-screw it tight.

Another trick some use is to find the gating point on the hatch cover (centre) and drill a 1mm hole through. This allows air through but because it is so small, water is pretty much unable to enter due to meniscus effect.

The Skipper is an old Peter Milne design, 60s' vintage and is not over robust, should be OK still for light to medium duty if the hull is not cracked anywhere. There is also a smaller version about 11' and pretty much the same. You can repair them OK as a fairly cheap polyester layup build. I'd recommend using woven roving rather than chopped strand mat but up to you. Polyester or epoxy resins will both adhere and you can re gelcoat them too.

I doubt they are self righting though, first time I've heard that claim!. So expect it to be rightable if it has a board (ie sailing version) or you may be able to use body weight and levering on the gunwhales holding ropes. In fact they would be pretty stable inverted and take a little shifting but possible to get up. There's not too much buoyancy in them to make it too tricky.

4HP would be the max I'd put on it tbh and that would be fine, maybe less inland. It won't have a rating stamped on it as too old but you should be able to find some data on the permissible power.

 

Hello SS,
Thanks for the reply and info,The hull is in good condition,there is a storage hatch at the stern,also a screw in bung in the transom.Looking at pictures of some originals,there are two 2"access bungs at ankle level in the rear seating area.These have been neatly glassed over flush and painted over.The open bow storage area is only about 14" deep,I suspect the idea being so that it doesn't gain too much weight of water from bow washover.
Like Par said,drilling a hole in it was a stupid move and completely defeats the object of a sealed hull.
I have come to the conclusion that I will need to be prepared to bail out,perhaps with an electric baler.
I intend to glass over the drilled holes,and fit a similar bung to the drain bung in the transom to vent the inner cavity like you suggested.
Like you say,it is a Peter Milne design,and built in Twickenham,it has the original plate on it.
From some specs I found,they recommend 5-6hp max.
Seeing as I will have to trailer the boat each time I use it,I intend to carry the motor either in the boot or inside the boat,because I doubt the transom would be strong enough to stand too much bouncing.
Hoping to get it on the river later this week,so fingers crossed.
Thanks again for your reply.--V--

 

Thanks for the update valvebounce. Probably the shorter one (11) is rated at 4HP and the longer one at a bit more. However do not forget that the current 4 stroke engines are a bit heavier than the old 2 strokes so it may be as much a weight on the transom and out of trim issue than actual thrust problem. One has to bear that in mind sometimes, for example the old Dell Quay Dories (13') could take a 35/40HP 2 stroke but 25/30HP 4 stroke because of the stern hung weight. It can badly affect trim and planing take off as well as porpoising on some of those, especially warped hull copy versions.....

Mind you on a Skipper I don't think you'll ever get it up to those speeds....

I always thought the internal design was a bit odd, even when they came out, but obviously tried to get a lot of work out of one top moulding. The forward undrained well was a consequence. Also worth bearing in mind is that it is one of the fairly early genertion of F/glass production all round dinghies.

 

Hello again SS,
I have a Yamaha 5hp two stroke,also an Evinrude 6hp two stroke,there doesn't seem a lot of difference in the weight of either,but by the difference in size of the props I imagine the Evinrude will be a lot more powerful.
All in all I am pretty pleased with the boat,if I can get enough power to deal with moderate currents and tides it will suit my purpose.
The deep well will be great for taking kids in it,plus it has stainless steel handrails.
I have a 12ft inflatable,a 10ft f/glass rowing boat and a 13ft f/glass launch/speedboat which has the same hull design as the Lawrence of Arabia rescue boats they used in ww2.I have replaced all the timber work on it,Gunnels,stringers,upper and lower futtocks.It didn't have a deck,so I am in the process of fitting one.
At nearly 70,I am wondering if it will ever see water,Haha
Thanks for your interest,

--V--