1964 Super Sailfish Restoration

mindgasm

Member
Just wanted to drop a line here that another wooden Sailfish is being restored, and should ready to go around January, with a splash date depending on water temp. :)

The boat is a 1964 Super Sailfish, built from a kit. My girlfriend's father and grandfather started the build while watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, so the date/age is fairly well documented. I have a few pictures of the restoration process that I will throw up here, but they were taken with a phone, so no promises on the quality.
 
Here is the Super Sailfish, as we found it. Apparently it had been garaged because it was taking on more than a little water. There was also a repair job in the early 80s, but the details were scarce...
 

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We pulled apart the wall of toys, and pulled the Sailfish out. The trailer was one I had spare, that was clearly waiting for a project like this.
 

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The next step was sanding away the old paint, to see what lay beneath. Upon investigation, it turned out that most of the screws had corroded. The deck and hull panels were being held on with the Sealant 800.
 

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Once the deck was off, I was able to look closer at the repair that had been done on the early 80s. Upon seeing the repair, more details were forthcoming about the incident.

The boat was tied to the dock when a summer storm came up. The boat turtled and was caught under the dock. As the chop came in, the wave action pounded the hull against the dock stringers. The repair was quickly made so that sailing wasn't over for the season for the grandkids.
 

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Once the deck and hull panels were removed, the structural framework was visible and was in remarkably good condition.
 

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At this point, we were in a holding pattern until the Meranti arrived.
 

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After a bit of practice, a few prayers and a LOT of swearing, I finally got into the groove with beveling and scarfing.
 

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With the wood scarfed, the next step was cutting the panels.
 

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After fitting both hull panels and an oak keel strip, I laid fiberglass tape down the length of the hull over the keel. This should help with the inevitable beaching that seems to accompany Sailfish. While at it, I also laid the first coat of epoxy to the hull.
 

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At this point, the hull has had two additional coats of epoxy. This evening, I will be laying tape over the joint where the hull panels meet the sides. While this adds some weight, the Meranti was significantly lighter than the 1/4" marine plywood it replaced, and this boat is not intended for racing. The additional reinforcement will be valuable in the hands of a new generation learning to sail.
 
wow, that is a LOT of work, but looks awesome so far. keep posting progress pictures as you go along.
 
wow, that is a LOT of work, but looks awesome so far. keep posting progress pictures as you go along.

It has been a labor of love, and certainly has NOT been cost effective. That said, it has been a wonderful learning experience, and will come in handy as I move forward in building the next boat.
 
Thanks for posting your work in progress, especially because there are very few pictures of the innards of a Sailfish on this Forum.

Very nice work, as tag already wrote.
 
Thanks for posting your work in progress, especially because there are very few pictures of the innards of a Sailfish on this Forum.

Very nice work, as tag already wrote.

I didn't realize that was something missing from the site. Before I put the deck on, are there any specific pictures I should take? This was a 1964 Super Sailfish, built from a pre-made kit.
 
Last night I laid the tape for the hull/side joints. I need to pick up a few disposable rollers this afternoon, so these can be epoxied. This morning, I took a few pictures of the tape waiting for epoxy.

(Don't be thrown by the hitch on the right side. It is a snag in the tape weave that will be sorted before epoxy goes on...)
 

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:( I had to look up Meranti wood:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/meranti.aspx

Why not Okoume plywood?

If you buy a metal (aluminum) roller—and do a lot of glassing—you can save some cash by reusing it.

My trailer is similar—mine tilts—and what should a trailer in a similar (good) condition sell for, used? I may have to bump up my price. :cool:
 
Meranti and Okoume are very similar. Okoume is lighter, but is more susceptible to dings and damage. Meranti is heavier but more durable. For my purposes, the more resilient Meranti was preferable as the boat will be used heavily by kids.

Additionally, the Meranti is about $40 per sheet at 1/4". Okoume can be twice that. Strong motivator. :)

I bought this trailer for $200, but it does not tilt. Take it for what it is worth.
 
Sorry for the delay in updating this project. What with the onset of winter and the rainy days of spring, my launch date of January clearly didn't account for the demands of epoxy.

Nonetheless, the boat is progressing well, and I have plenty of photos of the internal structure of the hull.

After completing the taping of the hull, the epoxy was laid. In the future, I will be smart and wet the tape before applying it as wetting it in place is a nightmare.

9406-5d8b4dea88e7fe03edf80e75d4f97f8e.jpg
 

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At this point, I moved outside, to get overall pictures of the hull structure and to show the taping. Note that the port side (up) has been sanded and cleaned up, whereas the starboard side (down) has not.
 

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I took a number of photos of the internal structure of the Sailfish, because it didn't seem like there were many available.

From the bow:
 

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By section:
 

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From the stern:
 

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The next step was to fit the deck:
 

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Since the last picture, I have now taped both edges of the deck, as well as the stern. I have spent the last few weeks filling and sanding, getting something akin to a smooth surface.

I have pulled together the assorted deck parts that will need to be refastened, including new bronze fasteners. The carriage bolt was replaced, though I could really use a bronze wing nut if anyone has a spare...

Last night, I sanded down the old varnish on the mast block. I also drilled the pilot holes for the mast block and new teak handrails, along with the last bit of fill on the deck.

Tonight I will sand that last bit of fill on the deck, then check for any fill needed on the sides or hull.

In theory, I will be painting her on Saturday!
 
Do you know how much a wooden sailfish is supposed to weigh? My neighbor has one sitting in his back yard that he wants to be rid of. It looks to be in decent shape but it must weigh about 175 lbs. I think the wood must have soaked up some water, either that or whoever built it made the frames out of white oak. LOL
 
Friday night, the deck fill was sanded, the hull flipped and final fill completed on the hull side.

This morning, I woke up early and sanded the fill spots that had cured overnight. Switching to 150 grit, I sanded the entire surface as prep for the first coat of paint, applied later this morning.
 

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"This afternoon, I waited until the paint passed the "thumbprint test", and applied the second coat.
I am hoping to get a third coat in by nightfall.That will allow it to cure overnight, with plans to flip the hull Sunday, and start the deck color (red).
 

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The deck was painted with several layers of Fire Red. Heads up to anyone using Interlux, this stuff is thin and will need several coats.
 

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