Porject Icarus - Sailing Dinghy Restoration (Update 01)

[Zwaky]

Hello folks, I have for the first time in my life acquired a sailing vessel.
It is not much, 13' long by 5' wide. It was practically given to me. With this, l will finally fulfill my dream of learning to sail.

There are repairs to do but I am looking forward to those too. The way I see it, I am ready to do what it takes to pimp this boat to my liking. If it all fails, the learning experience will be worth it.

I have gone sailing several times in the past but I definitely consider myself going into this blindly.

I will document my progress until I hit the water.

I officially declare Project Icarus started!

Day 01


So here is my baby

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BIG QUESTION
Where is the boom?!? I am so confused. There is a slot where you can attach one on the mast.
I read that you can sail without a one but it will be hard to go downwind without a system to keep the sail open. What do you guys suggest: keep it that way; buy a boom; make one out of wood?

I made a list of work to do:

Setup and Build Workspace
A good scrup
Patch Fiberglass
New Keel
Restore Rudder and Tiller
Rowing setup
New Lines
Build Boom?
Repaint bottom?
New Pulleys?
Additional Cleats?
Simple Storage area?

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There is no keel. I will have to make one.
There is also some damage underneath where the slot is.
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I will have to make a new aluminum rail.

Judging from the broken keel and the pin inside the slot. I think this is a centerboard keel. The ones that swing down.
I will have to make one. I will need plans or other examples to give me an idea of the shape and dimensions.

The rudder and tiller look fine. I will recoat them.

These are examples of the more serious fiberglass repairs to be done.

Mast looks great

I have a question. The mast has a track where the mainsail can go in and slide to the top. However the track opens up about 20" from the top and the sail comes loose there. It comes out of the track. Is that normal? Was it bent open? What should I do? There is a rope that it stitched along the edge of the sail.

What is that hook halfway up the mast?

What is that hole in the mast above the rigging attachments?


So this is my project. Wish me luck.
Any help would be appreciated!
Thank you

 

[tpenfield]

:welcome:

Looks like a project alright.

Yes, you will need a boom. Hopefully, you can find something suitable to use as a boom.

In the picture with the sails raised, you do not have the main sail raised all the way up.

The centerboard (not really a keel) looks like it is only 1/2 there, the rest is missing.

Usually there is a centerboard trunk that enclosed the CB and prevents water from coming in the boat, etc. Is there evidence of a centerboard trunk having been there?

 

[Zwaky]

Yea the centerboard is missing. I will have to make a new one. There is no evidence of a centerboard trunk. There were only some rubber flaps beneath the boat to prevent splashing I believe.

 

[Ned L]

Nice sailing dinghy. She looks to be a “Flying Junior” (FJ on the sail). She is a true class boat, so all the details for her boom, rigging, centernoard, and everything else are easy to identify.

I will just mention that it would retain more value if kept to the class design, and not so much if you start adding things like ‘storage’.... if that is of concern to you.

 

[Zwaky]

Are you saying this boat if of good quality? I know nothing about this. I grabbed this it off someone for practically free.
Could you explain why the mast groove opens up near the top. This prevents me from raising the mainsail all the way up without it coming out.

 

[Zwaky]

Project Icarus - Sailing Dinghy Restoration (Update 02)

This is the second installment of my flying junior's restoration!

I started things off by making a rack. Sounds simple but just that took me a day.

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Next off was the fiberglass work. I was going to buy polyester resin and fiberglass mat but I met a man that had been working on boats his whole life. He advised me that for the size of the repair, it was much simpler to get ready made paste and use that. So I bought Bondo Glass: Fiberglass Reinforced Filler.

To be honest, I am so glad I met that man. Buying that filler made a week long job into a days work.

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It feels very smooth after careful sanding.

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After that, it was time to work on the centreboard. I got the specs online and made a template from old electoral posters.

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So I took two pieces of "good" wood I had laying around. I sanded the edges and carefully made holes to fit dowels.

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I wiped out all the clamps I could get my hands on and glued them together using carpenters' glue.

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So that is what I have been up to.

Tomorrow, I will shape the centreboard and profile it to turn it into a foil. I will do my best to follow NACA 0012. However, most of it will be done by hand.

I do not have a centreboard trunk and am wondering if that will be a problem? All I have is rubber flaps that help to stop water from entering.

Also, I am wondering how people keep the centreboard down or in a certain position. It will want to float up because it is made of wood..

Making a boom will be the last big repair to do!

 

[GA_Boater]

Lets keep this in one thread to lessen confusion. Thanks.

 

[Zwaky]

Next off. Making the rudder.

After glueing the two pieces, I went to work shaping it. I used a circular saw.

I got the profile from NACA 0012. Then copied it onto 5 cutouts of electoral posters.

I would shave off little by little using an angle grinder with 80g sandpaper.

I am very satisfied with the end result.

I think I will add reinforcement because I am worried it will not be strong enough.
Next, I will also have to protect the wood. I bought epoxy and varnish.