End of Season

There are a few jobs to be completed over the winter but most are details rather than any large or challenging task.

The mast is starting to show signs of wear especially at the bottom. After removing the varnish, a small area was covered with some glass fibre tissue and resin. This should protect the end and stop it from spitting. the rest of the mast has been rubbed well down before being finished with Deks Olje D1 and D2.

 

This is the 3rd winter I have covered the boat and I'm sure it helps keep the worst of the weather out, especially the leaves from nearby trees. The tarp is 7m by 4m and came from Bradshaws, for £33. It is made from 200 gsm plastic that has woven reinforcement. The eyelets seem particularly strong and well fitted.

 

http://www.tarpaulinsdirect.co.uk/

Wavecrest - "A 16 foot cabin cruiser"

Wavecrest

For those who have read AC Stock's "Sailing Just for Fun" will have noticed that he considered other classes of boat before finally choosing a Fairy Falcon. One of those boats was the Wavecrest, which was designed by Alan Eckford, who also designed the Fleetwind sailing dinghy and the larger Spitfire sailing cruiser. He was an interesting person who also designed a floating caravan.

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/amphibious-caravan

http://bursledonblog.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/sailing-spitfire-and-floating-caravan.html

 

 

There seems to be very little information about the Wavecrest and it never reached the popularity of the Lysander. But my father was impressed by the design of the Wavecrest and he bought a part completed boat in 1964 for £225. The sails were £24/10 and mast/rigging was £47/3/6. (My father kept a detailed diary, which we still have). In later years, I remember him describing the Lysander as a "tub of a boat" that would never sail properly. Once completed we had several memorable holidays on it, with my parents sleeping in the cabin and myself under a "tarp" in the cockpit.

 

 

 

 

 

This is in our back garden, I seem to remember part of the fence had to come down, so we could get the boat in and out.

 

This is my father's best man, Mike, at the launch of the boat and pouring tea on the cabin.

 

 

 

These colour pictures on the river were taken in 1965, when we sailed from our home in Bedford to visit my grandparents in Cambridge.

 

 

We still have the original drawings, there are only two sheets but appear to show all the information needed to build the boat. On the reverse side we found some sketches by my father, which showed his ideas to help raise and lower the mast single handed. I can't remember doing this but the photographs and knowing there were a number of bridges  on the river, it is something he must have done on several occasions.

 

 

 

 

So impressed with Eckford's designs, my father later bought a Fleetwind as well. This is  Mike (again), sailing the boat on the Thames around 1966. I notice there is not a buoyancy aid or helmet in sight.

 

 

Resin - "The boat without fastenings"

 

Resin

 

We all take modern glues for granted and the ease we can now laminate wood. However, in the 1940's synthetic resin adhesives were very new. But during WWII Areolite 300 was developed and used in the construction of the Mosquito aircraft. To test the strength of this glue, the sales manager of Areo Research Ltd. (ARL) Mr. FB Priest built a 8ft 6inch dinghy called "Resin" in 1942.

 

The company was based near Cambridge and by 1959 the boat was owned by my father, who sailed it on the River Cam. The hull was cold moulded using two layers of 2inch wide plywood strips. The hull weighed only 62lb once finished.

 

The photographs below were taken for publication in 1960 by ARL to show the durability of this method of construction. Other boats such as motor torpedo boats and also gliders used the glue. The glue has now developed into Areolite 306.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerolite_(adhesive)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a copy of an article from "Motor Boat and Yachting", printed in November 1945.