Project boat experiences

David Reiss (DaveReiss@compuserve.com)
Thu, 28 Oct 1999 21:59:48 -0400


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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As I've been following the discussion on project boats,
I thought I'd post excerpts from an article I've written on my experience.
The entire article is slated for publishing in Good Old Boat, which is a
terrific low key magazine dedicated to , you guessed it, good old boats!
They are doing a story on the potter in their next issue!

>>>>>>>
First, I'm a self admitted green sailor.
This is only my third season sailing, having started out with a loaded to
the gills West Wight Potter 19 purchased new in 1997. After two seasons of
learning the basics I was yearning for a larger boat that I could refurbish
over the winter. My marina owner is constantly buying used sailboats to
fill his slips, but the boats tended to be under 22 ft.

Then he picked up a used '72 Pearson 26ft sailboat, which he sailed down
the Chesapeake and up the Potomac river, towing another used boat, a Tanzer
22.
The boat was still completely stock, without any instrumentation, and still
sporting the retro 70's interior. It had belonged to a summer camp
previously, and although the sails, hull, and rigging were in great shape,
the interior was shot. Oh, and she had a "sea green" colored deck, which
was covered in a white haze.

We both liked the interior, with a real dinette and enclosed head.
It seemed huge compared to our Potter, but at the same time very solid and
safe.
And unlike our Potter the Pearson was very minimal in the gadget
department,
which I was ready for.

My first task was to unload all the stuff in the boat. All the sails,
cushions, and gear went into local storage. Then I removed all the
wood/fake paneling from her as well.
Then I cleaned the cabin and bilge, removing 25 years of crud from every
nook and cranny. Then I scrubbed the interior again, and finally was left
with a clean surface to work with. The magic solution consisted of
Pine-Sol in a bucket and alot of scrubbing.

The cabin walls, ceiling and floor were in a dingy cream color, which I
painted over in white. It took two coats. I opted for a water base mildew
resistant paint from West Marine.

The main bulkhead panels, as the rest of the wood in the boat are marine
plywood with a dark fake wood veneer. I replaced the bulkhead panels with
tongue and groove ceiling Fir strips at 30 cents a foot.

During the winter of working odd weekends I also;
removed and recaulked the main ports, installed a depth sounder ,
ran a charging line from my Honda 8hp outboard to the battery,
replaced all the running lights, installed new electrical terminals
on the leads running to the switch panel,
installed a cigarette lighter adapter and small fan in the main cabin,
and installed a portipotti in the head.

When spring finally came I was excited to get the cushions redone and the
gear back in the boat. After taking the cushions to a few upholstery
shops, and getting quotes from $800 to $1000, I managed to talk one shop in
recovering the existing foam cushions for $380.
The existing vee berth cushions were covered in a Boat US fleece Vee berth
sleeping set which fits perfectly.

Holy Cow the interior looks great! The white walls really brighten up the
cabin, and the change from green to various shades of blue was a welcome
relief.

Topsides everything was vintage 72 as well, I replaced the Fairlead blocks
as well as the Genoa block at the top of the mast. All that was needed
then was a new Halyard with shackle and she was ready to sail.
Unfortunately, the Pearson's mast doesn't hinge back, thus requiring a
crane to lift it to unstep it from the deck. After some harrowing
experiences in a borrowed bosuns chair, I finally broke down and got a mast
ladder that used the sail slugs to keep it secure. After a memorable
morning my boat was finally rigged and ready to sail.

After all was said and done, with a purchase price of $5,800 for the boat,
then the cost for the services and supplies for the refit, and after buying
a handheld VHF and other safety gear, my new old boat cost about $8,500.

>>>>>
Dave sails his vintage Pearson 26 "Randi", named after his wife,
on the Chesapeake Bay.