Field trip to Maine....

Back in April a couple of us went to a boat yard in Maine where we were hoping to pick up a few things for the fleet. The word was that there was a yard selling bits and pieces off of their older inventory and it was a kind of self serve situation. Go in, rummage around, grab what you want and agree on a price. We got there and there was some cool, old bronze bits and plenty of useful things. I was tempted to pick up these three inch bronze cowls because while I have the old Nicro cowls, I really want a nice pair of bronze ones. These bronze though were abut ten inches high and looked like a corn a copia.


In the end, I picked up a small portlight, a small bronze (yard made) snubbing winch, a small Merriman wich and two small bronze Merriman winch holders and a Merriman winch to fit ( I have one already that came with the boat).
My Box.......

What was cooler than the stuff on the inside was the stuff on the outside.



There was a lot of nice boats but the one that caught my eye was a small pilot sloop that someone was just finishing after six years of work.



Inside and out, this thing seems to have been built strong.




Beautiful boat...

Project list updated...Fall 07

I've made pretty good progress so far and may actually be able to get this boat in by the spring (I have no where to put the boat... but it may be ready).

Here's the newer condensed to do list...

BY AUG 15:
Glass in bulkheads, knees, sheerclamp and cabinets, fair, sand and paint everything inside.
BY SEPT 1:
Finish cabinets, companionway dropboards
BY SEPT 15:
Epoxy, varnish or paint everything inside and finish portlights
BY OCT 1:
Finish glassing the deck and rebuilding the mast
By OCT 31:
Finish repairing/fairing the hull, paint the deck and hull
NOVEMBER:
Repair any damage to the motor well area (glass/motor mounts/through hulls etc). Replace all deck hardware, pulpit, push-pit and stanchions
WINTER:
Rewire the boat and rebuild the motor and rudder

With at least 5 months of winter, I should be able to get the motor ready to drop in by early spring.

"New" outboard....

Whats better than a 1965 boat in a million pieces that doesn't sail?

A 1925 outboard that hasn't worked since the 80's.

A friend very generously donated to "the cause"** by giving me his old Johnson outboard. He was given the motor when he was approx 13 by a man who was in his 80's. It ran on and off for 20 years and has sat for the last 20 or so unused. Its a beautiful little motor that I'm determined to get going by spring with a little help. By looking at the model number etc it appears to be a 2 HP Model A25, Waterbug. Almost exactly the same as the very first outboard offered by Johnson in 1922.

Year & Model: 1925 Johnson Waterbug/Light Twin
Horsepower: 2 @ 2400 rpm
Cylinders: 2 - opposed twin
Bore: 2" Stroke: 1.5"
Ignition: Johnson Magneto Point
Gap:.020
Cooling: Water by mechanical piston pump.
Weight: 35 lbs.Oil/Gas
Mix: 1/2 pt TCW-3Spark
Plug: Champion C7

The "A" series was Johnson's first outboard going on sale in 1922. Light & portable, built of quality materials and very well mannered, the Johnson A revolutionized outboard motoring in the 1920's. The Johnson "Waterbug or Light Twin" as it was called, developed two horsepower at 2200 RPM, had full pivot reverse and weighed only 35 pounds. Many of its parts were made of aluminum which was new to the marine industry. The motor was introduced at the New York boat show in 1922 with 3429 units sold that year for $140 each. In 1923 around 9000 units were sold.

I put together some various photos of other 1925 Waterbugs...


The 2 HP is a "touch" small for the Cheoy Lee but might be enough to push the old wooden dory as a nice tender.

**"The cause" is quickly becoming a pile of boats and boat parts in the boat shed that Maki keeps insisting is actually a garage.

Still looking for a Dragon...

I sent a letter to all the known Flyer owners listed on the Cheoy Lee Association website. Unfortunately some of the Email addresses are no longer working and were returned so I will also post the letter here hopefully reaching some other owners....

Here is a OS 27/Cadet Dragon. Too big for a Flyer III but a good example of a Dragon.

This is Denise's from 1965 OS 27/Cadet

Still not the right size but its a great detailed photo.


This is an email to all registered Cheoy Lee Association Frisco Flyer owners/members,

I am restoring my 1965 Type III Flyer* and will hopefully it will be in the water for the first time in 16 years summer of 2008.

While my boat has almost all of the original hardware, equipment and other small details, the one thing it doesn’t have is the intricately carved dragon plaque that was once mounted overhead in main cabin area. I have looked high and low for one over the last five months or so (including Kowloon China where they were first made) and if their out there, no one wants to part with them. It seems that when these boats are sold or otherwise passed on from one owner to the next these beautiful dragons go missing and end up mounted over a fireplace somewhere.

I then spent my time searching for someone to recreate one for me and found a company based out of Los Angeles CA that does just these kinds of carvings. After talking with the owner, they have stated that not only could they will be able to carve an exact wooden replicate but that they can also make a master mold to make as many synthetic copies as are ordered.

Having had spoken with some of you already, I know that there are other Frisco Flyer owners who’s boats are also missing these dragons and would like one.

So, if someone would be willing to temporarily part with their dragon, a carved wooden copy could be made by this LA company but what would likely be more affordable and ultimately faster would be to use this company (or another resource) to simply make a mold and then make synthetic copies for the rest of the boats out there that need them.

Does anyone know of a resource to use and who would be willing to donate their dragon to the cause?



Looking forward to hearing from all of you,

Matt



*This email was intended for the kind of dragon in the Type III Flyers but there is no reason why the same thing couldn't be done with Pacific Clippers or Cadets as well.
A 1965 Flyer III Dragon. This one would fit...

You can send responses to Friscoflyer@comcast.net.

How to build a sailboat in 10 easy steps...

Here's everything in the workshop...

Winch handles, winches, cleats, fair leads, blocks, faucet, turnbuckles. Everything that came off the boat for the most part was marked what it is and where it went. The smaller pieces were even individualy bagged with the screws/bolts and a label in the bag.



Cabin lights, motor throttles some blocks, teak footing for the stanchions...


More teak trim etc. Extensions for the galley table, the companionway drop boards



Hanging from the ceiling there is about 60 pieces of teak trim that lines the inside of the vee berth and the backs of the settee berths. Leaning against the saw is the base of the settee berths. Two openings on each side for two large drawers.



Next to the head is the table which fits in the cockpit area as well as downbelow. It has a deep hidden drawer in the middle for charts and a angled setting one side of the top to be used as a mini nav area.

Drawers

The tiller, other pieces of trim, the cabin sole and floor boards

The giant hatch cover in the back is from a slightly larger boat and not the Flyer.

This is a good shot of the stove that was in the boat. It would have been on the Starboard side as you enter the cabin. Its a small alcohol stove, which wont be going back into the boat. It just takes up too much room down below and I'll just one of our small one burners we use for camping.

At this point, all the wood down stairs has been stripped and or sanded and is ready for varnishing. The tiller handle and drop boards had previously been left to weather naturally, but I washed and brightened them with a teak cleaner and will be finished bright.

My helper..

Another Volvo

I'm taking a crash course in Diesel motors. The classes take place anytime I'm near the motor with a couple of friends and a glass of rum.

Initially, I brought the motor over to the barn, (knowing I need a lot of help with it) but I'm now thinking I'll just bring it back over here to my place and slowly take it apart in the workshop (after the cabinets and berths are built and all varnish work is done).
I have allot of time to work on this thing before the boat gets wet and have plenty of help around when I eventually need it. Until then it'll be nice to be able to work on it whenever I have a free moment rather than having to drive down the road to work on it.

Here's a few shots of the motor over at the barn and links to the workshop and owner's manuals....

Owner's manual link..

http://www.stw.fr/download/docs_moteurs/md1.pdf

Workshop manual link..

http://www.privateer26.org/pdf/Volvo_MD1-D1-MD2-D2.pdf

.

What it should look like when cleaned up....

Good news: After looking around in the boat shed (garage) this morning, I found the starter and control arm.

Rudder and topsides..

I took these shots of the boat yesterday, before the Valentine's day "blizzard".


The frame on the stern was built by one of the last two owners. Not sure who, but it does a great job of keeping the snow up and out of the way. I can still crawl into and out of the boat without a problem and work on the cockpit even when its snowing.


Port. I'm still amazed at the great shape of this hull. There is some crazing and very minor spider cracks where the stanchions were. There is also one dime-sized nick in the gel coat off the starboard transom.


The rudder.





Close up.


Up over the port side of the transom. Here you can see that the toe rail has been removed all together. You can also see the condition of the deck. There's one layer of marine ply joining the deck to the hull. Looks like this deck has seen some weather over the last few years, but thankfully the glass on it did to protect the wood. Another course of ply is needed to bring the height of the deck up to where it was when it was a laid teak deck. I know that I'm not putting teak back down on this because of the cost (and because I want to get in the water before my kid's in college). That said, I haven't decided how I'm finishing it (what to cover the ply with). Right now I'm thinking of using Dynel because from what I've read, it looks allot like traditional canvas and is sturdy as hell.


Another shot. The tiller is off and in the basement being sanded and varnished.


Cockpit area. The owner before last started to replace the seats and did a great job. None of this wood needs replacing. Some TSP/bleach for the seats and lots of teak brightener/varnish for the rest. There are some nice (original?) teak floor grates that are also inside being cleaned up. The controls for the motor will be here, assuming we can get the motor running. Not sure what the small square section is just aft of the motor well cover. Stuffing box access? What ever it was doesn't open now.


Long starboard locker. Everything here is in great shape and needs minimal attention. That varnish on the undersides gives me hope that these things will clean up nice.


Shorter starboard locker, closer to the companionway. The fuel tank was set up in here and will likely stay here unless something else needs the space (like outside access to an icebox). How great would it be to be able to grab a refreshing cool beverage on a hot day without having to wait for someone to go down below?




Port side windows. On more recent models like 67's and 68's, the cabin house is fiberglass with teak boards attached to the outside and a teak veneer on the inside. On this boat, the cabin is solid teak through out and is topped with marine ply and glass. There are a couple of spots where the boards have separated. Need to address this before any varnish.


Port Dorade.

Cabin top, hatches and grab rails. Original teak rails. Good shape considering their age. Will likely make new ones this winter. Black locust? I was able to scrape and sand all this before the storm hit and it is all in great shape. This will be a quick fix when the weather warms up. Nice bright white cabin tops.

Font of doghouse

Bow deck. No rot anywhere (so far).