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Jonathan,
The rule is as it says that the foresail fairleads MUST be fitted on the side deck, if as with modern boats and conversions applied to older boats the fairleads or the first turning block is under the side deck it still complies with the rule to be fitted on the side deck. The jamb cleats may overhang the inside of the side deck and if fitting under deck sheeting the cleats are sometimes fitted to the thwarts. Fitting the fairleads on the thwarts may be ok for Wayfarers and other boats that do not have overlapping foresails as these can be sheeted inside the shrouds but the overlapping genoa used on the GP14 needs to be sheeted outside of the shrouds. If you are using a midi genoa or one of the original jibs thes can be sheeted inside the shrouds and you would need to fit a second inboard track for your fairleads if you want the option to use either type of foresail, or you could just fit a track as close to the inboard edge of the deck as is possible.
One other point to note is that it is essential that the foresail tracks are bolted through the decks with a piece of wood under the deck to spread the loads.
Steve
Sven,
i will try to give you some answers based on my own experiences of many years maintaining various Series 1 GPs. I am presuming that with hull number 13462 yours is a Series 2 hull with built in underfloor and side tank buoyancy. Duffin boats normally have a white or very pale stip inside the outer gunwale of mahogany, this pale wood is usually obeche, if you can’t get obeche any other straight grained softwood can be used. Make sure you seal all old bare areas and all new wood with epoxy as you rebuild to make sure your new work is durable.
Fitting through deck sheeting can be done, much easier if you have the decks off and are replacing the ply. You will need to fix a track with a block set vertically under the slot that you will cut in the deck. The slot normally runs along the line of the old track but is much shorter than most tracks. You then will need one or two turning blocks and a mounting for the jamb cleat at a suitable position. The best way to plan is to go to your local GP club and look at the arrangements on some newer boats, there are several arrangements. I have done the job on a Series 1 boat and have some pictures showing how I went about the project, I can send these if you email me scorbet@btintetnet.com
Steve
I normally just wrap the ends around the tiller, make sure that the ropes are not longer than EYC need to be as this reduces the amount of loos rope to keep out of the way of your feet.
Steve
So that anyone who reads this understands the problem, after taking out the rotten plywood which was obviously not marine ply I have managed to insert a new piece of 10mm marine ply which was first sealed with West epoxy, bonded this to the two fibre glass parts of the bench making sure that the afte end was on the support. A second reinforcing piece of ply has been bonded to the underside of the side bench. The gel coat damage and cracks were ground out and filled with gel coat filler rubbed down an polished as best I could the blend in with the undamaged areas, you now have to look hard to see the damage.
The question is what state are the benches in? I don’t want to pull them apart but will be very wary of any cracks or signs of movement.
Suggestion to owners of Speed boats of similar age check the condition of your side benches and if you see any delamination of the side deck mouldings get something done soon as possible.
Mark
I have a spare straight rudder blade that is made from solid wood and is standard thickness the top was cut to fit an alloy rudder stock, it may need to be changed to suit you stock. You are welcome to buy it for £20 plus postage unless you want to collect from Leigh on sea Essex. It was originally advertised on the web pages with a Milanes blade which I sold to another member a few weeks ago, that would have been more than you wanted as it was a Super racing blade with the alloy stock.
contact me off line at scorbet@btinternet.com if interested
Steve
Hi if you look at the attached photo you can see where the tracks used to be fitted on the deck before I modified the boat to below deck sheeting. The tracks are parallel to the boat centre line. Only if you use a small midi genny or a jib do you need extra tracks set inboard or at an angle..
Middle of the track should be about 50mm aft of the clew with the sail pulled in with moderate tension, so that the position of the fairlead can be adjusted fore and aft to suit the wind conditions. Aft in strong winds to flatten the sail and forward in light winds to give more fullness. Laterally the track is normall set in the middle of the side deck, bolt the track through the deck and reinforce under the deck with a pad of hard wood or marine ply at least 12mm thick. Make sure you seal the wood or plywood with epoxy or varnish before fitting and use large washers under the nuts. I just sold a set of Holt tracks and fairleads on eBay so hope the ones you have are good.
Thanks guys I am away from home this week but will follow up Duncans comments next week before my next races
Hi, I have completed the mast step conversion on three boats to date so hope I can offer some useful advice.
The important things to note are the final measurements you have to achieve to satisfy the measurement form. Setting the height of the mast step plinth is governed by the measurement from the shear lines, this is quite difficult to set up but essential if your work is to satisfy a measurer. The plinth is notched into the top of frame 2 and the front of the centreboard case, S o although Oliver says make it so the centre board case can be later removed, fitting the new mast step correctly will make a centreboard case removal very difficult or impossible. Make sure the spine fits as closely as possible to the hog so that the load from the mast is spread evenly. When finaly bonding everything in place make sure you use plenty of well filled epoxy, I use a mixture of white fibres and brown colloidal silica fillers.
I don’t know where you sourced the wood, one good source is if at the same time as fitting the mast step you take the option to remove one of the side benchs on each side. You can cut the plinth and the spine from the benches the spine is two pieces laminated to the required thickness.
hope all goes well Steve Corbet
Pete
Can I suggest that you look at the members library section of the web site where you will find a very good first guide for beginners on how to rig and set up a GP14, you will find some of the ideas are for more modern boats but many are relevant to your boat. Is your boat a wooden hull or a fibre glass hull? If it is an old boat with out any jib halyard tensioning leaver or multi purchase blocks you may find a rack on the port side of the plate case when you have pulled the jib halyard as tight as you can and then cleated at the back of the plate (case with a helper pulling the forestay forward to bend the mast), pull the halyard up and lock it into the highest position on the rack that is possible. This is OK for fun sailing, but invest in a hifield leaver or a safer multi purchase bock and tackle – both will also require you to change your jib halyard from all rope to a wire with rope tail. Another tip is that your gooseneck fitting may be of the sliding type, these inevitably slide down the mast when even a light load is applied to the kicker, to stop this drill through the mast just below the correct goose neck position, top of boom inline with the lower black band, and insert a stainless bolt or split pin, or even better fit a newer gooseneck which will be fitted to the mast with rivets.
Hope that all helps without confusing
Steve
Hi it depends on what bit you need. Most of the fittings for a GP14 are fairly standard dinghy fittings and can be purchased from most boat chandlers. Ebay is a good source of cheap parts, you can also find bigger bespoke parts such as rudders, masts and booms – but most will be located in the UK as the number of GP14s in USA was small.
Hope that helps Steve
Hi, I would echo Oliver’s warning about the strength of your spars, the boom in particular will not be strong enough if it is one of the old IYE gold round ones. If you add a bracket for a centre main block this will weaken the boom and if you have a windy race it will end up as a V. The main sheet needs to be a split tail with each side tied to an eye on each quarter. The main part then runs along the boom and down to a block and cleat mounted as high as is legal on the back of the centre board casing, make sure the mounting pillar is very strong, the swivel mounted block and jamb cleat will not be cheap unless you can find a used one for sale or gifted!.
re your previous post about the spinaker pole system , sounds a mesh that needs to be scrapped. A simple double ended pole with an eye on the front of the mast with an up haul to a turning block about half way up to the shroud plate then down to a cleat on the cockpit edge would work, with a down haul to a hole just in front of the mast to a cleat under the cockpit edge. I would use a hook at the join between the up and down parts with an eye on the pole, all the slack is in the down haul and being rigid the height of the pole is fixed when the spiny is up.
good luck. Steve Corbet
I’ll try to answer your questions in order
1 if you work out where the frames are which surround your rot you then need to cut the old ply along the centre line of the frames, this helps you to replace the new ply with the same curves as the original ply. Because you are using the frames to support the new ply edging or backing pieces are not needed. As for which epoxy to use either SP 106 or a WEST product will be easy go use make sure you buy a pack which includes measuring pumps or syringes, always measure the quantities carefully and at the recommended temperatures.
2. If you need go cut out part of the keel a scarf joint will allow the strength to be maintained over the rebuilt joint
3. The screw holes should not be a problem as the screws are a tight fit in the wood, all old holes should be filled with an epoxy filler marine grade Plastic Padding is easy to use.
if the paint is flaking it is a sign that a previous owner has not prepared the hull by rubbing down the paint before painting. Given the amount of work you will be doing in replacing the rot I would recommend a completed stripping of all the paint, refill all screw holes as the old filler will pop out as you remove the paint, then repaint with good quality paint prime, two coats undercoat and one or two topcoats.
Steve
Hi I will try to point you in the best direction.
First if you need to take out the centre board and I presume you mean the cb case, this is a very major job not to be undertaken without some detailed preparation. Details on how to do this can be found in the library under the members tab on this web site. If all you need to do is removal of the cb itself simply undo the bolt and slide the board out.
Second question on how far to chase out the rot, I would normally recommend that you carefully identify the location of the frames either side of the rotten areas cut out along the centreline of the frame, missing any screws, cut a new piece of ply to fit the area cut out and fit with epoxy glue and filler. The area you are repairing may need you to remove all or part of the keel to ensure the new ply to the hog.
i would also suggest that you buy a set of the plans for the construction of a series 1 wooden GP14 from the office, this will help you to understand how the boat is constructed
Hope all goes well Steve Corbet
