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Hello Laura,
It’s very unlikely that you will find the original bungs, the design is after all 70 years old. I did search and found two manuufacturers, one of whom offers samples so it might be worth taking measurements and asking both for samples. Having difficulty copying link. One is Ley Holdings, the other essentracomponents.com. Good luck with your search.
Norman
A minor point about covers is that, to use Oliver’s method, which I think is pretty general, the transom fittings have to be accessible when the covers are in place. This may require the covers to have appropriate holes/gaps at the transom. Not sure if any covers have this as standard.
Norman
Hi Laura, it might be too simple an answer, but are you putting the boom on to the gooseneck before you hoist the main? It’s the natural thing to do for some folk.
Enjoy the boat,
Norman
The swivel bow support was, so I was told, the original trailer design. The trailer also had roller, as opposed to taper bearings, and graceful fibreglass mudguards. The one I had with a boat 2??? had a channel section cross beam. I removed the cradle and bow suport to enable a commercial launching trolley to fit. The cheap and simple alternative to a roller was a wooden beam, possibly 3″ x 2″ fitted in the channel, with blocks to prevent lateral movement and a tang welded at the front to locate and secure the trolley as per the commercial base.
Norman
Hi Pete, congratulations on the acquisition.
No first hand experience of Trident trolleys but the typical combi trolley is such that the unit is balanced when on the trailer, therefore front heavy when off, unless the boat is about a foot back from the bow buffer. If you are not intending to travel or expend your pile of gold you could construct or commission a single purpose trolley with a better balance. I did this last year and will supply details if of interest.
Norman
Hi, I can vouch that transom flaps do work on older boats though you may need a force 4 or more. If it’s lighter you may have to rely on a bucket, though I was once towed dry by a kind rescue boat. A sizeable bucket is a good second line of defence and take note of Oliver’s point about more than minimum buoyancy provision. The flooded boat needs to float high enough for the top of the centreboard case to be above water level or else it can come in faster than manual baling takes it out. With regard to self balers, it is my impression that the Allen Delta balers on my current boat are more effective at low speeds than were the Elvstrom balers on previous boats, but I have no objective information.
Hope you get sailing in Belgium sooner than looks like being the case in Scotland.
Norman
Hi Robine,
There is no problem with an 8ft sheet, the boards only need to go to the forward edge of the aft deck, not all the way to the transom. I have just measured a board I had in an old boat, it looks like 4mm marine ply but I reinforced the edges with strips of 40 x 6 mm. The ply was 1 ft wide ( sorry about mixed terminology) and the reinforcing projected slightly, maybe 5mm either side. Be careful about making them too wide as it can be a bit of a fiddle threading them under the thwart when installing. Well painted and maintained you can get away without marine ply. You will also need a short filler piece between the centreboard case and the aft deck.
Good luck, Norman
Hello Doublesix
If you are still in contact with the new owner, there might be an old IYE mast available in Prestwick
Regards, Norman
Hi Rob
Sorry to be so late joining the conversation. With all due respect to the craftsmen commentators, the expression about sows’ ears and silk purses comes to mind. An old fibreglass boat is unlikely to be restorable to become the object of beauty that is a wooden dinghy. If you also accept that the gunwale is a protective and thus sacrificial component, there’s no need to spend excessively on appearance. Finished to a profile to comply with the rules, coated with epoxy all over before fixing, and bedded in a suitable sealant to prevent water ingress behind, even a cheaper softwood could do the job adequately.
Enjoy,
Norman
Take Oliver’s advice and carry a bucket. Sod’s law states that the force 4 which tips you over could drop to 2 or less when you need to sail it dry. I would also retain a bungee to keep the flaps closed.
Norman
Good luck Arthur. Hope you managed to get a builder’s badge. Disappointed you didn’t acknowledge my offer!
Norman
I’m sure you’ll get lots of advice from regular travellers. I usually thread a short length of rope lengthways through the bow fitting and take it round the mast support to stop the boat sliding back. I also wrap a 2″ wide strap, taking a turn round the trailer frame and over the front of the bow. Years ago I shaped a piece of 4 x 2 about 15″ long to sit across the bow behind the bowplate and provide a parallel surface to avoid the strap slipping forward, but now I don’t travel far I don’t bother.
Hello Roy, You should have no difficulty finding appropriate fittings in most dinghy chandlers’ catalogues, The only thing to check is that the existing holes are not already oversize (a bit unlikely) in which case you might need to do some filling.
Regards, Norman
Hi Robine
The only part of your question that Oliver didn’t address was that of varnish damaging the hull; it won’t, although it would be sensible to use masking tape where there is a risk of overlapping from the wood to the GRP. If you are going “cheap and cheerful” you will presumably not be intending to strip every thing back to bare wood. However, make sure that any existing varnish that you overcoat is fully adhering and take any that is not back to the wood. I bow to Oliver’s greater experience and skill with regard to superior finishes but any decent quality exterior varnish might suffice. In the days before the reduction in volatiles I had a friend who always used normal Dulux, arguing that his front door was subjected to more weathering than his GP hull.
Norman
