Stripped down

Max has been stripped down, all fittings removed, except for the mast step, stay tangs and bottom pintle. The screws were really tight, so I decided that they could stay put.The hatch/ports proved to be a bit of a challenge as they were stuck fast with something,  but I eventually freed them.. I also removed the wetsuit material stuff that lined the centreboard case.

The next thing was to tackle the hole in the deck, which is barely 1mm thick 3-ply. Some epoxy, a piece of scrap ply for backing, a stick inside the hull to provide some positive pressure and a brick for a clamp. All sorted.

OK, now to start stripping the finish. I just wish this didn't need doing. It's going to be a big job. What annoys me is it shouldn't have come to this if the right thing had been done in the first place...

Also, I'm thinking about the finish once it's stripped. Should I go with a bright finish that will show Max, warts-and-all, or a paint job? Thinking, thinking, thinking. Any suggestions? Colour/s?

Max is a light-weight but a trolley helps to move him around by myself. Solution? An old Laser topmast strapped to a trolley with packing tape works well enough:

Background

Max Headroom arrived a couple of weeks ago. He's an historical scow conforming to International Moth class rules. He probably should be in a museum, but our maritime museums are not much interested in boats like Max that have had such significant impact on Australia's sailing history because of funding limitations. Therefore I feel a bit of a responsibility as his custodian to ensure that he is not only preserved, but also sailed regularly so that people can appreciate him that way. He needs some work to bring him back to his old self. Some people say I have plenty of time. Ha ha, do I?!

Max, an International scow Moth, was designed in 1972 and is the only one ever built of this design by Greg Marshall, a one time Australian National Moth Champion. The International Moths are a development class that have to be 11' long and carry 8sqm of sail (about 85sq ft), and must be a mono-hull design. That is basically the designer's brief, so all sorts of weird designs evolved from this amazing class of sailboat which have now evolved into carbon fibre foiling flying machines that you may have seen on waters around the world. 

They are built super light to be fast. Max weighs less than 20kg and is built in the same fashion as an aircraft wing, and from plywood that is mostly 1mm thick! True Aussie ingenuity went into these little wooden boats to make them strong and light. Because designs evolved so quickly and they were fragile, the lifespan of a Moth class boat was often just a couple of years. As a result, not many old scow Moths have survived, so Max is indeed a rare breed.

The last time a scow type Moth won a World Championship was in 1982. This was the end of the scow's dominance and the skiff designs became more successful. The skiffs were initially quite wide (called fat skiffs), but designs became increasingly narrow until hulls were no wider than 12". Inevitably, foils were tried and they soon began to fly.

This pic clearly shows the "bow foils". The idea was to improve upwind performance by maximising waterline length.  

However, as designer Michael Storer points out, this idea was dubious at best. This is what he said: "I really dig the hull shape. I am not really convinced by the argument about windward performance. I don't buy any of the arguments about waterline length. It's not waterline length that is important, it is waterline volume.  As an example of silliness in the late '60s the FDs sailed with their rudders up downwind to "increase waterline length". The thing that does work is having enough length spread out (multi hull) or enough volume in the ends (dinghy) to not squat down in the trough of the wave train. But all that aside I really dig the bottom shape." 

Scope of work to be done to hull

Max's condition is not up to sailing and there are a number of reasons for this assessment. On close inspection, Max has arrived at a good home, in the nick of time.

Hull: While the hull is sound and doesn't need any structural work, the finish is considerably deteriorated. The reason for the deterioration in the finish is probably a lesson in itself of how NOT to look after a wooden boat. There are 3 deadly sins that have been committed, which I'll detail below.

Deadly sin #1: The last time this boat was sailed, probably more than a year or more ago, it was not washed down with fresh water. As a result, the hull was covered in salt crystals. What happens is that salt, being hydrophilic, causes globules of moisture to attach themselves to the finish on humid days. This means that the boat's surface never dries. This then sets up a process called osmosis, and the moisture migrates through the varnish and into the timber below. In this case, very thin plywood. At best, this causes discoloration in the timber (dark or black streaks). At worst, rot can set in. Luckily, Max has just one small matchbox sized patch of rot, which is quite easily repaired.

Normally with a boat that has had proper care, the finish can simply be given a light rub down and then a couple of fresh coats of varnish. Unfortunately, Max does not offer me this simple route. The problem is that the osmosis has also caused salt to migrate through the finish. There are blisters all over the hull containing pure salt! Popping these blisters reveals the stored salt between the finish and the wood, so I have no option but to completely remove the finish down to bare wood. This is indeed a pity, because the lovely old patina that the boat has acquired will be lost. A painted finish may be an option.

Deadly sin #2: At some stage in Max's life, someone has seen fit to slap on a coat of two-pack finish over the original one-pot varnish. Mostly, it is the deck that has been affected. The problem with this is that whatever this 2-pack finish was, has made things worse. Two pack finishes do not bond to single pot varnishes! Also, Max's deck and cockpit area flexes quite a bit, cracking the hard finish and allowing water to get in and under, and be trapped there. Because it doesn't easily dry out, and the boat wasn't washed down after sailing, moisture has been ever present and discolouration has occurred. Luckily, there is no rot, but it means that if I decide to retain a bright (varnished) look, the discolouration will be evident. Another year of sitting may well have seen Max's demise.

Deadly sin #3: The dished cockpit area has been treated with surfboard wax. I know the reason was to provide a grippy surface for the helm, but there are much better solutions available for wooden boats. Surfboard wax is a bad idea for wooden boats. This wax has been applied over the top of the 2-pack stuff which was over the top of single pot varnish. Removal to allow refurbishment of the deck will be difficult at best.

These 2 pics clearly show the discoloration and the salt crystals under the varnish.