Mustbeyakkin
New Member
Hello,
My neighbors gave me a Vagabond 14 that had been sitting in their property unused for roughly 14 years. I told them I would make an attempt to restore it but scrap it if it that was not feasible. I brought it to my house and performed an inspection. Here are some of the troubling things I discovered.
1. Water in the hull. I elevated the bow and removed the bilge plug. Water ran out in a constant stream for several minutes. It was discolored and contained sediment.
2. Cracks in the gel coat above the area where the boat rested on the trailer crossmembers. On the port side, there was a 1/4 inch by 5 inch crack in the gel coat, exposing the fiberglass underneath. On the starboard side the cracks were extensive but no fiberglass is exposed.
3. A large upward depression in the hull where it rested on the trailer crossmember. I would have expected the entire hull to remain flat from bow to stern but it bowed upwards at the contact point. I have no idea whether this is normal for this model of boat.
4. Extensive cracks in the gel coat topsides due to weathering.
5. A separation of the upper and lower portions of the hull at the edges of the boat. This would be roughly 1/3 of the entire perimeter.
6. Rotting of all the wooden pieces of the boat including rudder, dagger board and trim pieces. I am competent with woodwork so I could recreate these pieces if the hull is salvageable.
In my life I have restored many things but have never attempted the restoration of a sailboat. I would appreciate advice from members of this forum. Would it be a fool’s errand to try and fix this boat? I can provide photos if my descriptions are not clear enough.
Thanks,
Mustbeyakkin
My neighbors gave me a Vagabond 14 that had been sitting in their property unused for roughly 14 years. I told them I would make an attempt to restore it but scrap it if it that was not feasible. I brought it to my house and performed an inspection. Here are some of the troubling things I discovered.
1. Water in the hull. I elevated the bow and removed the bilge plug. Water ran out in a constant stream for several minutes. It was discolored and contained sediment.
2. Cracks in the gel coat above the area where the boat rested on the trailer crossmembers. On the port side, there was a 1/4 inch by 5 inch crack in the gel coat, exposing the fiberglass underneath. On the starboard side the cracks were extensive but no fiberglass is exposed.
3. A large upward depression in the hull where it rested on the trailer crossmember. I would have expected the entire hull to remain flat from bow to stern but it bowed upwards at the contact point. I have no idea whether this is normal for this model of boat.
4. Extensive cracks in the gel coat topsides due to weathering.
5. A separation of the upper and lower portions of the hull at the edges of the boat. This would be roughly 1/3 of the entire perimeter.
6. Rotting of all the wooden pieces of the boat including rudder, dagger board and trim pieces. I am competent with woodwork so I could recreate these pieces if the hull is salvageable.
In my life I have restored many things but have never attempted the restoration of a sailboat. I would appreciate advice from members of this forum. Would it be a fool’s errand to try and fix this boat? I can provide photos if my descriptions are not clear enough.
Thanks,
Mustbeyakkin
