Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
Oliver Shaw
Moderator> have found a place in Wells where I can hire a trailer ( unless someone local can lend me one !!)
If you like to make contact with me at cruising@old.gp14.org I may be able to help there; my godson lives in the Swaffham area, and he now owns my erstwhile boat, which is on a good combi-trailer.
I have no idea whether that is geographically convenient to you – Norfolk is arguably the largest county in England – and it may or may not be convenient for him. But if geographically convenient I can at least ask.
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorA recent post “Seeking info on my GP14!” has a photo of the interior looking aft, and clearly showing the floorboards.
This is actually a M2, 2 boat, so there is no stern tank and instead the side tanks extend all the way aft, but I am sure that if you make the floorboards to that sort of pattern they will be entirely suitable for your Mk 1 boat.
Hope this helps,
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorHave a look at the discussion which is (at present) two strings down from this, “Old Fibreglass Boat”. Part of that deals with floorboards.
Steve White is our resident expert on the early GRP boats.
Fitting effective floorboards is vitally important, not least because the GRP hull was never designed or intended to take the localised weight of a person standing on the hull skin, and it may not be strong enough; the load needs to be properly spread. Having said that, unless you intend racing the boat at the highest level of competition, which is probably unlikely for a boat of this age, my own personal view is that I cannot see anyone seriously objecting if your floorboards are wider than the Rules permit.
And I would also expect that the 380 mm maximum width is for each side of the boat separately. The normal arrangement is to have the floorboards in the centre of the boat, extending out approximately as far as the side buoyancy tanks, and with the outer edges continuing in much the same line as far as the Mk 1 stern tank. So, on the Mk 1, I suspect that the outermost part of the hull skin abaft the side tanks is not covered by floorboards. I will see whether I can find some photos; if so I will post them later.
Hope this helps
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorIt might be worth distinguishing between racing and cruising, but even so the arguments for cruising are not clear cut.
BENEFITS: probably some protection from getting coarse sand and small pebbles forced up into the slot and jamming the board. I have twice had the centreboard jammed, and this in a fairly new boat – but the counter argument is that this boat did have a gasket; and whether the problem would have been more frequent or more severe without the gasket is an unknown question …
In other boats, but I have never noticed it as a problem on GP14s, there can be a major problem of water spurting up from the top of the centreboard case when punching into a steep head sea and slamming down between the waves, and a slot gasket does substantially mitigate against this; but I stress that although I have found this as a problem in my Privateer 20 (before I dealt with it by fitting a gasket, alongside restricting the slot width) I have never noticed it as a problem in GP14s.
DISADVANTAGES: none that I can think of, given that the cost and labour of fitting it is trivial anyway.
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorThe person you really need to ask is David Rowlands, Chairman of the Technical & Rules Committee. Email via the Office.
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorThat raises an interesting point; for wooden boats the fundamental requirement is that the boat be built according to the plans, and then features such as these holes are specifically permitted by the rules.
For plastic boats, the fundamental requirement is that the boat be built by a licensed builder in accordance with the licence agreement, and the builder’s design will have been agreed with the Association in accordance with the Rules – which for new build do now permit these holes. But it is not clear whether, or how, compliance can be achieved for existing plastic boats, since once such holes are cut the boat will have been modified, and so will fall outside the licence agreement.
One for the clubroom lawyers, perhaps?? !!
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorHave fun!
I choose not to go down that route; but wouldn’t life be boring if we were all the same!
But you are undoubtedly asking very relevant and pertinent questions.
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorDefinitely Mk 2, and that would be consistent with what we currently think is her sail number.
And I also learn something, because the forward visible frame (corresponds to the no. 2 frame in the wooden boats) and also the bracing to the forward end of the centreboard case are both clearly metal tubes (I presume light alloy) …
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
Moderator> no. 7 (followed maybe by a 1) 89370
That will be the moulding number, and the putative figure 1 may be extraneous; although I am a wooden rather than GRP specialist I have heard more than once and on excellent authority (from Graham Knox, I think) that the early GRP boats had moulding numbers which comprised two digits giving the year, followed by the sail number. However I am sure that I have also heard of individual examples where this appears not to be the case!
If that system is in fact correct, then a moulding number 789370 would initially appear to make sense; it would date the boat as moulded in 1978, with hull number (and thus sail number) 9370.
That would appear to correspond with what you believe to be the sail number; however at that point the mystery deepens, because the two numbers then contradict each other. Be prepared to do some detective work !!
My records – which I originally gleaned from the website nearly 20 years ago, and which ever since then have seemed to be generally correct – indicate that sail number 9370 was issued in 1972, not 1978; and numbers issued in 1978 were from 11702 to 11907.
One or more photos showing both the interior and the transom / aft deck would help to establish which model of GRP boat she is, and that in turn would help to establish the date. You may need to resize your photos before uploading them; the maximum filesize allowed is 512 kB.
In broad terms:
- Visible alloy tubes serving as frames, side buoyancy tanks stopping short at the aft end of the side benches, and a stern buoyancy tank athwartships identifies the Mk. 1. These boats also had a full width mainsheet horse formed by a track sitting above a moulded former. First boat produced 1967, sail number 7002.
- GRP frame boxes instead of visible alloy tube frames, with side buoyancy tanks extending right aft to the transom (underneath the stern deck), with no athwartships stern buoyancy tank, and still with the full width mainsheet horse identify the Mk 2 boats. First boat produced 1969, sail number 7930
- Similar construction to the Mk 2, but with no mainsheet horse or former for one identify the Mk 3 boats. First boat produced 1977, sail number 11487
Beyond that, you may perhaps find a registered hull number in the centre of the boat abaft the centreboard case, below the floorboards; but I understand that with the GRP boats these were on an adhesive label which may well have disappeared by now.
If you can identify the registered hull number (i.e. correct sail number) you can request a copy of the Association’s digitised records for the boat. If you cannot be certain whether your quoted sail number (9370) is correct it might be worth requesting the records for that boat anyway, to see whether the details appear to tally.
Good luck in your searches!
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorAnd while we are about it, those photos identify her as a Mark 2 boat.
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorThat may perhaps have been a date that I gave you some time ago (I know that we have been in previous correspondence). However I have now seen your photo, showing the stern of the boat. Since she has no former for a mainsheet horse, I make her a Mark 3, not Mark 2. Thus she is 1977 or later, that being the date when the Mark 3 was first produced..
Sorry if I gave you an incorrect date earlier, based on incomplete information.
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorI am not personally aware of anything at Aberdovey this year, whether for Vintage boats or otherwise; but it would be good to try to arrange something, if it is not too short notice for the club there.
Unfortunately I am largely out of things for this year, due to unexpected personal circumstances. But if you, or anyone else, would like to organise an event I will certainly assist with publicity, and give you whatever help I can. I suggest that the first step would be to contact the club, and see what their programme is.
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorI think Steve White is the expert on this, particularly the mast step; I have forwarded your enquiry.
I have once, on a different class of boat, cleaned up an old moulder’s plate which had been painted over, and although far from perfect the end result was good enough to be able to read the moulding number. The problem there was that it had been repeatedly painted over, so I used repeated applications paint stripper, applied and gently wiped off with a rag absolutely as soon as it started to attack the paint. Use industrial gloves!
I rather doubt whether the number on the SBBNF plate has any significance within the GP14 Class.
Congratulations on your acquisition. Enjoy, once you have done the work.
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorA very happy outcome; well done.
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorThe sail number dates her as a Mk II boat.
Although you don’t say so, you imply that the hull (sans mast) plus distressed trailer is probably not worth very much, and I think you are right there. The problem is how to economically dispose of it.
It would be worth contacting your local sailing clubs, to offer her free to a good home, and as a fall-back to request assistance in disposing of it. If the trailer is otherwise sound, you might be able to borrow a couple of wheels just for the journey, by the good offices of one of your local sailing clubs; equally relevant for a journey to a new owner or to the tip.
You may be able to sell the trailer, on eBay or otherwise, with the boat on top; make clear that removing boat as well as trailer will be part of the deal. Advertise with a seriously low starting price, e.g. £0.01, and with no reserve.
Before arranging to take it to the tip it would be worth checking whether they would accept it. The hull is bulky and heavy, and fibreglass hulls are not readily recyclable. You may perhaps find that a tip somewhere in your area would accept it, but this may not be your nearest one.
Good luck!
Oliver
-
AuthorPosts



