When I was in the first year of the boat-building course at Lowestoft College a friend asked me to have a look at his boat, an old Wayfarer number 173 built in 1959.
The boat had been standing on a trailer for 2 years and water had been trapped in it so the centreboard case and transom were beyond repair. Thankfully the hull was not to bad but the decks looked horrible. My friend, realizing it would take a lot of work to get her back on the water then donated the boat to me. I thought it would be a nice project ‘on the side’ during my time at college! Little did I know….
My plan was to turn it into a beautiful, traditional looking boat again and using modern glue and sheath the hull but still varnish the interior and the decks. Fastenings were replaced with silicone bronze ones. This way it would be the best of both worlds.
Taking everything apart was relatively easy, putting it back together quite another.
We had taken so much off the boat that we had to make sure she kept the right shape. To achieve this we put battens across the sheer when taking the transom and decks off. She was an almost empty shell now and would need building up again and the first job was the Hog which was rotten in places. We removed all of it up to the forward bulkhead, which meant we had to replace about 12 foot. My solution was to get 4 lengths of Douglas fir and shape these roughly to size and get the right bevel on the underside to fit the hull. They were then glued and screwed together and slotted into position (see pictures). The Hog was then screwed upwards through the keel and hull like it was done originally.
The next step was to clean the hull, which meant a lot of sanding and even grinding. In order to make sure the boat would last another 45 years the hull was sheathed under the water line and a coat of epoxy applied above the water line so the wood would be sealed. This way we were sure that the underside was protected against moisture intake. As the boat was under a carport at the time this was quite important as the weather was starting to deteriorate.
We then turned our attention to the inside of the boat. Layers and layers of varnish covered it and we spent days and days cleaning it with a variety of tools and resin/paint removers being careful not to scratch the wood. Then we sanded, sanded and sanded and scraped and scraped. Finally you could see the veneers again and it started to look like a wooden boat once more. A 50-50-coat varnish-thinner was applied followed by a coat of normal varnish. More were to follow at a later stage.
The transom was next; this was one of the easier jobs. Using marine ply we first took the dimensions and then bevelled the sides so it would sit nicely in the existing opening. It was then screwed and glued and primed and undercoated.
We had taken so much off the boat that we had to make sure she kept the right shape. To achieve this we put battens across the sheer when taking the transom and decks off. She was an almost empty shell now and would need building up again and the first job was the Hog which was rotten in places. We removed all of it up to the forward bulkhead, which meant we had to replace about 12 foot. My solution was to get 4 lengths of Douglas fir and shape these roughly to size and get the right bevel on the underside to fit the hull. They were then glued and screwed together and slotted into position (see pictures). The Hog was then screwed upwards through the keel and hull like it was done originally.
The next step was to clean the hull, which meant a lot of sanding and even grinding. In order to make sure the boat would last another 45 years the hull was sheathed under the water line and a coat of epoxy applied above the water line so the wood would be sealed. This way we were sure that the underside was protected against moisture intake. As the boat was under a carport at the time this was quite important as the weather was starting to deteriorate.
We then turned our attention to the inside of the boat. Layers and layers of varnish covered it and we spent days and days cleaning it with a variety of tools and resin/paint removers being careful not to scratch the wood. Then we sanded, sanded and sanded and scraped and scraped. Finally you could see the veneers again and it started to look like a wooden boat once more. A 50-50-coat varnish-thinner was applied followed by a coat of normal varnish. More were to follow at a later stage.
The transom was next; this was one of the easier jobs. Using marine ply we first took the dimensions and then bevelled the sides so it would sit nicely in the existing opening. It was then screwed and glued and primed and undercoated.
The centreboard casing was quite a difficult job as the new hog was a few mm thicker than the original one (therefore we could not use the original c/b casing as a template) and it had to fit in with the mast step and thwart. So we spiled the bottom of the c/b case and once we got that made sure that it was sitting upright and fitted perfect ( the c/b case is a notorious weak point in older wayfarers and prone to leaking. To further prevent this happening we also glassed the inside. We glued and screwed it (going through the keel up into the c/b supports) and at the same time put the refurbished mast step back in place.
I found a lovely bit of mahogany to use for the thwart. Making a template out of ply/softwood certainly paid of, it fitted the first time!
By now the outside temperatures were getting low and morale followed to suit (it being November). Consequently work slowed right down until February when I was able to rent a double garage adjacent to my workshop and invested in a space heater (bliss!!) so we were able to work in a cosy shed while outside it was winter.
We were now preparing the hull in order to paint it. There were a few stubborn dents that needed filling and sanding. The hull was then primed, undercoated several times and 6 layers of dark green topcoat followed. In order to make my shed as dust free as possible I put water on the floor and hung up damp towels to catch any airborne dust, which worked well.
Time seemed to be flying as the boat was already in my possession for a year and several dead lines had already passed but my time was limited and this old boat seemed to have a mind of its own and, as I was now understanding ‘restoring is just as much work if not more than a new build’.
Once the hull was completed we then turned her over and continued with he topside. The decks were varnished and put on and see there, she looks like a boat again! Floors were cut and put in again and then the new rubbing strakes were made. This was quite tricky as they had to be scarfed (making sure the scarf runs the right way!) and cramped on to the boat bit by bit so the wood takes the shape of the sheer line. Also the sides of the boat have to be flat for the rubbing strake to sit properly. I choose to screw them on (the original ones were nailed) which would give me the option of taking them after dry fitting. We refurbished the existing seating which turned out really nice and was a very satisfying process, especially when we varnished them and the colour and texture of the wood was visible once again.
Now the rigging was getting a closer look and fortunately the last owner had invested in a new boom but the mast had seen better days. Instead of getting a new one I split the existing one and cleaned it up as good as possible, purchased some new bits and glued it back together (lots of cramps) and coated it with epoxy and varnish.
Finishing her to a high standard took a lot of time; more sanding, varnishing, getting the right fittings to make her retain her original looks, a nice rubbing strip to fit on the keel etc.
Once she was finished she looked stunning (ok, I am a bit biased) but what to do with her as in the meantime at college I had started building a 17 foot clinker day sailer ( a Norfolk Oyster designed by John Leather) and 2 boats is one to many. I put her up for sale and now she is sold to an enthusiast who will hopefully have much pleasure with her for many years to come.
Jochem Voogt
Boatbuilder
Southwold
Suffolk
I found a lovely bit of mahogany to use for the thwart. Making a template out of ply/softwood certainly paid of, it fitted the first time!
By now the outside temperatures were getting low and morale followed to suit (it being November). Consequently work slowed right down until February when I was able to rent a double garage adjacent to my workshop and invested in a space heater (bliss!!) so we were able to work in a cosy shed while outside it was winter.
We were now preparing the hull in order to paint it. There were a few stubborn dents that needed filling and sanding. The hull was then primed, undercoated several times and 6 layers of dark green topcoat followed. In order to make my shed as dust free as possible I put water on the floor and hung up damp towels to catch any airborne dust, which worked well.
Time seemed to be flying as the boat was already in my possession for a year and several dead lines had already passed but my time was limited and this old boat seemed to have a mind of its own and, as I was now understanding ‘restoring is just as much work if not more than a new build’.
Once the hull was completed we then turned her over and continued with he topside. The decks were varnished and put on and see there, she looks like a boat again! Floors were cut and put in again and then the new rubbing strakes were made. This was quite tricky as they had to be scarfed (making sure the scarf runs the right way!) and cramped on to the boat bit by bit so the wood takes the shape of the sheer line. Also the sides of the boat have to be flat for the rubbing strake to sit properly. I choose to screw them on (the original ones were nailed) which would give me the option of taking them after dry fitting. We refurbished the existing seating which turned out really nice and was a very satisfying process, especially when we varnished them and the colour and texture of the wood was visible once again.
Now the rigging was getting a closer look and fortunately the last owner had invested in a new boom but the mast had seen better days. Instead of getting a new one I split the existing one and cleaned it up as good as possible, purchased some new bits and glued it back together (lots of cramps) and coated it with epoxy and varnish.
Finishing her to a high standard took a lot of time; more sanding, varnishing, getting the right fittings to make her retain her original looks, a nice rubbing strip to fit on the keel etc.
Once she was finished she looked stunning (ok, I am a bit biased) but what to do with her as in the meantime at college I had started building a 17 foot clinker day sailer ( a Norfolk Oyster designed by John Leather) and 2 boats is one to many. I put her up for sale and now she is sold to an enthusiast who will hopefully have much pleasure with her for many years to come.
Jochem Voogt
Boatbuilder
Southwold
Suffolk
