Skol deconstruction, part III: the finale

Today we had a rare, way above average temperature for January, day in Maryland.  It's  63 degrees as I assemble this post.  The ten day forecast however looks like this anomaly will be short lived and by tomorrow we'll be back to temperatures which makes it hard to hold metal tools with bare hands.  With that in mind I decided to do the last major job of deconstruction on the Skol hull before work can go the other way; namely cutting off the winglets and bringing the hull into compliance with CMBA measurement rules.  I called Tweezerman to see if he wanted to come play but he and his wife were on their way to Bombay Hook (a bird refuge in Delaware).  Perhaps he remembered to take his camera and if so, will have some pix of odd looking, long necked birds to share on his blogspot.

Measure a bazillion times 'cause you only get one shot with the jig saw.  That curve looks fair on the port side.  Can I duplicate it on the stbd side and have a symmetrical boat when I'm done?  It's hard holding the fairing batten with one hand and a knee while drawing the curve with your free hand...

The wings came off easier than I expected.  I was able to trim off both sides with the same saw blade.  Old fiberglass can be hell on saw  blades.

Well, the pieces from both sides sorta look alike.  Close enough since I cut on the conservative side of the curves.  I figure I can make required adjustments with a power sander.

More or less symmetrical!  With the rolled lip of the deck removed (along with the wings) the hull is now quite floppy and easily damaged. Care is essential when turning the hull over.

Aft of the leading edge of the centerboard trunk slot, the hull must pass the CMBA's string test.  The test requires that if a string is placed around the hull, the maximum depth of the cord where a taunt string does not touch the hull can not exceed one inch.  This rule prevents hiking wings and extreme bottom hulls shapes   I've still got about a 1/4" to remove from each side to squeak inside the rule.

Remember that old damaged area on the starboard side?  With the lip removed I now have better access to repair it.

There are a couple more small holes like this one which I'll fill with thickened epoxy since the day is warm.

 

 

Since I don't have room to bring this hull indoors, work on installing new bulkheads, beams, a centerboard trunk and decks will probably have to be put off until spring.  But with global warming you never know--I just might get another warm day to play!  Stay tuned.

Skol Deconstruction, part II

The thanksgiving turkey had vanished and the tide of relatives had receded and so with a couple weekend days of warmer and drier than usual weather in the forecast I decided to have another go at the Skol.

A quick session with a Fein multimaster tool had the cockpit tub and decks removed without too much trauma.

This shows how Rondar constructed the original king post for the deck stepped mast.  Basically it's a piece of 4mm plywood sandwiched between a pair of timber staves.  This was in turn bonded to the bottom of the fiberglass hull with glass tape.  Not seen in this photo is the big chunk of mahogany which capped off this king post to help spread the load from the mast.

That big piece of mahogany lived under this domed portion of the fore deck.  I measured and noted the distance from the bow to the center between the two screw holes for the missing mast pivot pin.  The mahogany beneath the fiberglass was rotten.  The additional screw holes, diagonally flanking the ones for the pivot pin, were from fairleads for sail shape controls.

In order to remove the remaining bits of decking from the shear of the hull without inflicting too much damage I used a chisel and mallet.  If you have friends with high class woodworking skills, don't tell them that you use good woodworking tools in this fashion--they'll call you names which shouldn't be repeated in a family oriented blog spot.

I returned to the Fein multimaster to remove the cockpit scupper drain.

The next item for removal was the strong back which tied the centerboard trunk to the transom.  It was filled with foam which provided both stiffening and floatation.

Should I stay or should I go?  No apology to the CLASH.  I never liked that song--what a bunch of whiners!  When Joe Bousquet converted another Skol to Classic Moth spec he decided to keep the original CBT.  He later regretted that decision and wished that he'd installed a trunk which would have permitted the dagger board to be raked in addition to being positioned straight up and down.  I decided to take his advice.

Final decon photo shows a clean hull with all the internal furniture removed.  Joe B. also removed the glass transom and replaced it with a wooden one.  I may or may not do that but for now I'll leave the original one in place since it provides a bit of stiffness to the unsupported floppy hull.  The only tasks remaining before a rebuilt can take place are to repair a few small holes which I've previously noted and trim the winglets off to satisfy the CMBA string test and max beam rules.  Maximum beam for a Classic Moth is 60 inches and this boat is roughly 64 inches wide with the wings in place.

Skol deconstruction

Dear faithful reader:  you may recall that a few weeks ago I dragged home the hull of a somewhat forlorn Mk I Skol Moth and posted before and after "scrub up" pix of the boat.  Since then I've cut away some of the decks and cleaned out the debris.  What follows is an update of the progress thus far.

No wonder this boat weighs a ton!  She's packed chock a block full with squirrel's nests, wet dirt, leaves and water logged flotation foam!

After removing a bit more of the transom decking and getting out the pitch fork and shovel one can see the tube connecting the cockpit scupper with the transom drain hole.  I should have weighed the black bag of detritus.  Must have been 40 lb if it was an ounce.  The scupper tube will also go and the drain hole in the transom will be sealed off.  These have a nasty tendency to leak without warning, silently filling the boat with water--much to the later dismay of  the skipper!  I also now have access to the back sides of the holes in the bottom and transom seen in the earlier post about this boat.  I know purists are howling that I'm detracting from the boat's original spec and that there aren't many intact Skols left, but the decks were already damaged, all the wood hard points throughout the hull for hardware were rotten and the winglets have to be trimmed off to meet CMBA measurement rules.  Purists may take some comfort in knowing that this hull didn't go straight into the rubbish tip.

More debris under the side decks and cockpit tub.  Note to self: never, ever store a boat outdoors with the inspection ports removed!  In this photo one can see the reinforcing "strongback" which ties the centerboard truck to the scupper tube and provides fore and aft stiffening of the hull and supported the now absent false cockpit bottom.

After cutting away part of the main bulkhead one can see the king post for the deck stepped mast.  If nothing else, this little yacht is a good deal cleaner at this point.  With the damp dirt and leaves removed she should dry out a bit before winter.  This project will have to pause briefly at this point.  Thanksgiving is looming upon us and, with relatives coming, Diaristwoman has several "shovel ready" projects with my name all over them.  Stay tuned.

Skol! (Rondar Skol, that is...)

No, not Skol, as in the traditional Swedish toast, or Skol like in snus (snuff to English speakers) as in "just a pinch between the cheek and gum".  No, this Skol is the name given to a Moth Boat designed in Britain and built by Rondar Boat Works when they did business in New Milton, Hants.  To make a long story short, last Saturday was fall work day at the Brigantine Yacht Club and after  floating docks were broken down and hoisted out of the water, hoses drained, race committee boats tidied up for winter shrink wrapping, etc. your diarist had a bit of time on his hands and so I met up with a friend who knew of a Moth that wanted liberating from her long period of slumber.

This was my first view of Moth Nr 4065.  She was leaning against the side of a garage building and appeared, from the layer of grunge, to have been undisturbed for many winters.

Here she is flopped down on her keel.  Love the pine needles trapped under the 'whales.

Her owner (from new) told me that the boat had been picked up by a wind storm and dropped onto dock pilings.  I can believe it.  This photo, while representative, doesn't begin to show all the damage to the decks and bulkheads.

Here's a view from the stern.  This boat is clearly crying out for some TLC.

The builder's tag is missing part of the Boat Work's name.  She was built by Rondar Boats Ltd. doing business in those days on Stem Lane in the town of New Milton in Hampshire.  Rondar is still in business but at a different location.  I ought to write them to see if they can supply an intact builder's tag with the old address.

Well, what can I say?  I'm a sucker for a Moth Boat what's down on her luck.  I made the owner an offer and he took it.  The hull was promptly loaded on my trusty Volvo's roof racks and off we went to Maryland.  On the way back to Maryland every time I touched the brakes, brown murky rain water gushed from the holes in the deck onto my windscreen!  After arriving home she was a good deal lighter than went we hoisted her up to the roof racks!  A few days later I decided to wash as much of the filth as possible off the hull to see what I'd purchased.

After a vigorous bath she looks great from 10 feet away! She doesn't look like the same boat does she? I love the Swedish flag blue.

The Mk I Skol has a very fine entry and less rocker than either a Duflos or a Mistral.  Also, towards the transom she's as round as an apple and thus trickier to sail than the Mistral design which flattens out towards the transom.  The difference is that when these two designs heel, the Mistral gives her pilot a few vital seconds to mend his evil ways before going for a swim.  The Skol on the other hand is much less forgiving: once she starts to roll she keeps right on going!  And that ultra fine entry is also a mixed blessing.  Yes it knifes through the chop with the greatest of ease but it lacks the buoyancy of a fuller bow shape and thus is some what prone to "submarining" down wind when a big gust hits the rig.

Washing a boat gives one the opportunity to really see what's what.  Here we find a puncture in the bottom near the transom that wants mending.  Also visible in this photo is evidence (extreme lip of the hull) that the boat was dragged along the beach during launchings.

Here is a repair of an ancient war wound--evidence of a port/starboard encounter at some long  forgotten regatta.

Yes, the gel coat is rougher than what the photos suggest.  Indeed there are lots of gouges and deep scratches, lumps and bumps but there are no soft spots in the laminate so this hull is worth the effort to breathe back into life.  The next step will be to flip her over and remove the deck hardware in preparation for new decks a la Joe Bousquet's famous roll tank deck system: http://www.mothboat.com/Building/bousquet.html  Stay tuned.