The wooden boat ordeal¶
Or, a hair-brained scheme gone awry¶
Overview¶
The boat: a Maradeur, made in france in 1958. The victim: me.
The links:
- Classic Boat Connection supplies and information.
- Google’s wooden boat directory.
- Antique Boat’s book listing.
- West System’s articles on boat restoration.
- The Wooden Boat magazine site.
- TenderCraft Boats book list.
- Marine Review’s wooden boat page.
- Wooden Boat Foundation.
- ACBS Site.
- Lindstrom Marine’s boat construction books.
Chronology¶
3 Sep. 2001. Drive to Skye Farm, fetch the boat.
4 Sep. 2001. Spend $150 for tarp, lumber and fasteners. Make a bed for the boat in the back yard.
5 Sep. 2001. 8 kids, me and a neighbor move her from front yard to back yard. Boat weighs (nominally) 340 Kg (720 lbs). No kidding. Scraped and bashed port bow below the waterline getting her settled on the bunks. Hopefully no lasting damage. Inventory parts and condition.
- Hull - looks sound. Rusty nailheads showing in many places. Two suspicious-looking patches. Plus the bash when settling it on the bunks.
- Deck - original grey paint completely shot. Stainless fittings look good. Sampson post solid. Deck solid underfoot.
- Cockpit - woodwork sound, parts all present; except for port side deck in cockpit floor. Centerboard moves freely - much rust but little actual damage.
- Cabin - Cabin top shows some crazing of gelcoat. Windows and window gaskets shot. Screws holding cabin top to deck sound. Interior woodwork in good shape. Deck questionable in places. Cabin doors all fit well. No key for the lock.
- Rudder and Tiller - outstanding! Needs painting. Steel cable for pulling rudder down is shot. Rope tail is also shot (but a lovely splice around the steel cable).
- Standing Rigging - shroud turnbuckles green (perhaps they’re brass?) Swage fittings fallen apart. Spreaders look good. Mast fittings and chainplates look good. Boom gooseneck weld broken.
- Running Rigging - sails are not mildewed or stained. No sheets. Rope tail on halyard parted from wire. Goofy aluminum tube roller-furling: all swage fittings parted. Aluminum rod rusted through in places from being stored with mast steel parts in damp environment.
The Ending¶
Aug. 2003. Convince LH to take the Dotty Did off our hands.
- 6 Sep. 2003. Convene a church youth group meeting in our yard. First, take the Buccaneer off her
trailer. Then pushed the trailer through the neighbor’s yard and line her up with the Maradeur.
Lift the Maradeur off the frame. Saw up the frame supporting the Maradeur and rebuild the frame on the Bucc trailer.
Now comes the hard part. Lift the Maradeur onto the Bucc trailer. Then push it through the grass and garden to the neighbor’s house. From there to LH’s is a piece of cake by comparison.
At LH’s, he’s got webbing straps in his rafters to lift her off the trailer.
- 14 Aug. 2004. LH’s has redone the decks and hull in heavy-duty epoxy paint. We get the mast up, mostly,
- but we’re missing a complex little piece of steel rope that attaches to the forestay. Otherwise she looks good.
| version: | 2 |
|---|---|
| date: | June 20, 2014 |
