How to Restore a Sailboat: One Disaster at a Time

BACKGROUND

Seven years ago I bought a sailboat, on ebay, based on a short description and a few low-rez photos. In other words, sight unseen. Bad idea! The boat and the trailer were trashed. The trailer lights only worked during the day and I had to stop every few hundred miles to rebolt or otherwise reattach something. Despite the effort one of the fenders disappeared in the middle of a blizzard near Cheyenne Wyoming. It was a long drive. The moral is that if you find a racy little ebay boat, that you think you can't live without, don't buy one in Florida when you live in Utah.

As I attempt to renovate this boat I'm also bracing for more lessons. The impulses and short comings of my personality make that inevitable. This is a big job for me and I don't have a lot of spare time. And, it's quite possible that it isn't worth the effort. On the other hand, the boat does have potential. That potential hasn't seen the water for more than 17 years but that's the beauty, and the curse, of potential. It sits there and stares at you - day in and day out until it's realized. Anyway, I decided to start this blog to publicly shame myself into finishing the boat. We'll see what happens.

The boat is a Rodgers 24 and it's a performance trailerable with a swing keel. It's simply constructed and the stem is closer to vertical and the aft sections are wider than many boats of it's time. The transom stops at the height of the cockpit seat which, along with the short overhangs, gives it relatively modern lines. The coach roof carries it's height forward but looks well proportioned overall. I don't really know much about the boat's performance. I just like the way it looks. Boats that look good usually sail well. At least that's what I tell myself.

Our little boat is in rough condition. The deck leaks badly and, as a result, some of the interior plywood structure has delaminated and separated from the hull tabbing. I've dryed it out now and am slowly addressing the structural issues. Please feel free to watch for any signs of progress - or not. It isn't really necessary that anyone follow this blog - only that I think someone might.