Since you specifically said hull number,  rather than sail number,  I presume that you have indeed correctly identified the number (carved into the hog,  abaft the centreboard case),  rather than merely the number of the sails;    the latter may or may not be original and correct for the boat.

That being so,  she is just 7 boats earlier than my much loved Sills-built “Tantrum”,  which I owned in the sixties and seventies.    I would love to know where she has got to since I parted with her.

Sail numbers 4001-5000 were issued in 1961-2,  which indicates the most likely age of your boat.    However very occasional boats were not registered from new;    some owners who did not intend to race saw no point in doing so.    This it is conceivable,  but unlikely,  that she may be older than that date range suggests.

Assuming that you are a member of the Class Association you can request a digital copy of our entire data on your boat.    This should include the original measurement certificate,  which will give the date of build and the name of the builder,  as well as the name and club of the first (registered) owner,  and of all subsequent owners who have registered the boat,  plus anything else about her which has crossed the desk of the office.

Oliver

No update needed,  as it is still within the same range.

Sail numbers 4001-5000 were issued in 1961-2 …  ,  as stated.

Oliver

The obvious source of full drawings is the official plans of the original version of the boat,  which should be available from the Class Association office  –  but don’t hold your breath  …   …

However you probably don’t need full working drawings,  as the Class Rules (available on this site,  in the Members’ Area) may well give you enough information.

http://gp14.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Rules_of_GPCIA_2010.pdf

Specifically,  you need the position of the black bands,  and this will determine the total length (leaving sensible headroom above the upper band to allow for the main halliard sheave,  and a sensible amount of wood above the top of the sheave,  and it will also determine the height of the gooseneck.    (Rule 11.1)

You will also need the size of the square section,   for which the mast gate aperture is a reliable guide,  remembering that the mast needs to fit inside the aperture.     Maximum width 76 mm for a wooden mast (Rule 7.5),  and I think that the section is square at this point.

I have the impression that on some wooden masts,  but not all,  the square section below the gooseneck is slightly tapered towards the foot.   Perhaps others can come in on this.   Given time,  I can measure the foot dimensions of at least one wooden mast,  and also a series 1 metal mast,  if you need these.

The positions of the various sheaves,  and the height of the hounds band (where the shrouds and forestay are attached) do not seem to be defined in the Rules,  but I am sure you can take these dimensions off the previous owner’s new aluminium mast.

The maximum dimensions of the sails (but not the full sail plan) are defined in the Rules (Rule 11).

If you are making your own new wooden mast,  it should be hollow,  made in two halves glued together longitudinally,  with space for the internal halliard run routed out.    There are more complex construction methods used for larger yacht masts,  most notably the “bird’s mouth” technique,  but just a simple 2-part construction seems to have been used for all three of the GP14 masts which I have worked on.

The horizontal cross section above the gooseneck is a modified ellipse,  elongated towards the aft side in order to accommodate the luff groove for the mainsail.    Use your judgement how far above the gooseneck the sail needs to enter the luff groove,  and provide a nice fair entry;   you may wish to let in a piece of hardwood to guide the sail into the groove,  and to stand up to wear a little better than will spruce.

If you wish to have a new wooden mast professionally made,  Collars of Oxford still hold the drawings and will be happy to make one to order,  but I have no information on the implications for shipping the finished mast to Greece.    http://www.collars.co.uk

Hope this is helpful.

Oliver

You are correct.

Spreaders were introduced as an option in the early years of the class;   I am not sure when,  but certainly they did not become widely used until some time after the introduction of metal masts (in 1967).

So far as Class Rules are concerned they remain optional;   however the engineering of modern metal masts is specifically designed around the use of spreaders,  so they can be regarded as essential when using a modern metal mast even though still only optional under the Class Rules.    By contrast,  it is generally accepted that wooden masts and early metal masts do not need spreaders,  and they are not normally fitted to these masts.

Oliver

On early masts it was entirely usual for all halliard exits to be via sheaves below decks;   main and jib/genoa were at the bottom of the mast and spinnaker a little above.

Modern masts usually have the halliards exiting differently.

I think,  from memory (but do check) that the Class Rules leave this detail entirely optional.

The spinnaker pole should have an uphaul and a downhaul,  most usually combined into a single line,  with the pole clipped on to the appropriate point part way along the line.    There are several guides available to spinnaker rigging.

Second-hand wooden masts do very occasionally come up for sale,  most notably on eBay,  although I have the rather vague impression that they are more rare than they used to be.    However the vagueness of that impression may reflect no more than the fact that I have not been in the market for some years,  so I no longer routinely get to know of adverts for them.   It might well be worth setting up a permanent search on eBay.

As an update,  a search a few minutes ago on eBay (on the search term “GP14 Mast”,  and encompassing the European Union) showed that no GP14 masts,  in either material,  are currently listed for sale;   but of course that situation can change at any time and without notice.   A second search,  specifically searching completed listings,  shows that a wooden mast was sold in Southport in July last year,  for £40,  and it was collection only;   but that is the only wooden one shown,  and it was more than 12 months ago.

Oliver

• This reply was modified 6 years, 3 months ago by Oliver Shaw. Reason: Correct a typo
• This reply was modified 6 years, 3 months ago by Oliver Shaw. Reason: Update
• This reply was modified 6 years, 3 months ago by Oliver Shaw. Reason: Clarification of the update

Indeed, My wooden masted 64, #5942 does not have spreaders.

I hope to have her in the water next week, for the first time since 1981. Just waiting for the rain to end so I can do some painting.

Lambros,

You were enquiring about buying a second-hand wooden mast.   There is an offer of one,  from Chris,  in the correspondence headed “Spare parts for a new proud owner of a 1977 GP14 in Greece”.   I think this post may perhaps have been intended for yourself,  but inadvertently placed in someone else’s string.

However a potential major problem is that it is in the UK,  and you presumably want it in Greece.    But I would hope that there is a carrier,  somewhere,   which could transport it for you.

Oliver