Re-build a Dragon?

[Ian G Wright]

Would anyone like a part restored wooden Dragon?
A pal of mine aged 82 finds he has bitten off more than his bank manager can chew,,,,, and if his girl friend ever finds out he will be in trouble, lots of trouble.

IanW

[Thaddeus J. Van Gilder]

I would take a dragon in a second to restore...

But can you truck it to Southern New Jersey?

That is the big question!!!!!

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

I've always wanted a Dragon... absolutely stunning boat in its design and simplicity... smile.gif
Think it would make a transatlantic voyage :D

[John of Phoenix]

I'd love to be 82 years old and be in big trouble with my girlfriend. :D Good for him.

[Wild Dingo]

As would I John!!! :cool: Although possum might have a few problems with it too and that I dont need! :eek:

As for the dragon... theres been a minx over east thats been advertised several times over the last couple of years and is again being advertised this time down to $9000ono... named "Vixen" and man what a wench she be! ;) ...very tempting indeed... mmmmm may just zap of an email and see what other info I can gleen :cool: This be the only pic Ive seen of Vixen VI

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid44/p6aba2dfe1cfa19ddbbb01e408ae23312/fce044f1.jpg

Sorry about that Ian but I sorta really sorta like this lady and she keeps showin up every few months... sigh :rolleyes:

Now about that trans atlantic... why bother? send her on downunder we'll look after her no worries... and if the old fella wants to come on down Im sure theres a swag of sheilas down here who he could get himself into trouble with easy as!! :D as long as none of them are any of mine! :mad:

Take it easy
Shane

[ 12-28-2002, 06:37 AM: Message edited by: Wild Dingo ]

[Leon Steyns]

Ian,

I'm sorry to hear your friend is in trouble.
The Dragon is a really beautiful design! Particularly an original Anker would be worth quite some cash, if properly restored. Do you have some more info on this boat (designer, what condition 'part restored' reflects, asking price)? Also a picture would be nice... smile.gif
For more info, look also at http://www.intdragon.org/classic_home.htm.

Greets, Leon Steyns.

[Ian G Wright]

Originally posted by Leon Steyns:
Do you have some more info on this boat (designer, what condition 'part restored' reflects, asking price)? .Very little info as yet for reasons that I can't go into,,,,,,,,,not my boat or my money you understand, but,,,,,,,,.
The Dragon was bought in secret by two old friends of mine to give thenselves some real sailing after their lady friends decided they were all to old for anything but motorsailing.
The boat was hauled after a sail or two to let a boat builder look at a frame suspected of being cracked. It turned out that ALL the frames were cracked,,,,,,,, couple of planks needed replacing too. Re-framing went ahead. When about £7000 had been spent one of the partners died. The survivor can't afford to continue on his own and has now had a mild stroke, so the boat is effectively abandoned at the back of a small yard and will vanish if no one takes an interest in her.
I'd love to pass on an address to my old pal of someone who might be interested in rescuing a sad(but sound) old lady and her less sound owner.
It might cheer him up.

IanW

[Leon Steyns]

Ian,

Thank you for the information, although it is a sad story indeed. It does sound like a great movie script, if it weren't for the harsh reality. I tend to like people who cook up actions like this beforehand, so it would be a shame if the good work would come to stop...

I will try to see if there's a way to cheer up your old friend. To make a start, I've sent an email to Sir Richard Rycroft, the Classic Dragon representative of the British Dragon Association. I'll keep you posted on any developments...

If at any way possible you could get some identification on the boat (sail/hull number), the BDA might be able to fill in the blanks.

Greets, Leon Steyns.

[Ian G Wright]

Leon,
Thanks for your interest, belive me the full story is even more of a film script. smile.gif
I shall, I hope, be seeing my pal early in the new year and hope to get you further information then.
Thanks again.

IanW

[ion barnes]

Shipping is not a worry. My dad and a pal had two shipped by freighter from Norway or Sweden a couple of years after WW2, to Vancouver,BC and then rigged and sailed to Victoria. A real fun boat to sail, but that all changed when T-birds arrived. Ah the good ol' days. Life was simpler then.

[Herb Locke]

Ian, Your friend must be very disappointed at the need to part with his Dragon. I have been restoring a Dragon that was built in England in 1948 that was originally named "Shady Lady" and then re-named "Wind Fire" when it came to Canada. I rescued mine 5 years ago just as she was to be cut up and destroyed. After replacing all but 3 floors, the wooden keel, all of the deadwood, the deck, 5 rows of planking on each side, the stem and the stern post she will sail again this year. I can only hope that sailing her will be as much fun as working on her. Her sail number is KC-5 and her new name will be Ali-Kat (after my son, Alan and my daughter, Kate). I hope that your friend's Dragon finds a home like KC-5 did and is saved from the chain saw.

Herb Locke, Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada

[Rocky]

Hey Dingo, that pic you posted, is that one only $9000? What a beauty. If I could find a sailer like that up here for that price I might lose my outboard.

[Wild Dingo]

Yeah Buster shes been up for sale several times since 2000 {which is when I first noticed her transom in the boatpoint mag!} 9000 is the cheepest shes been so far... heres the blurb

Blue Ensign Marine Brokers Pittwater NSW

DRAGON TIMBER YACHT
Built by Green in 1954, with Sail Number KA37, this graceful yacht enjoyed a major refit in 1997 and has a good sail wardrobe. Classic yacht in good condition, ready for racing or day sailing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Features
DRAGON
TIMBER YACHT
Metres: 9.14
Feet: 30
Price: $9,000
Currency: AUD
Locn: NSW
Country: Australia
Stock No: TM004-022-02

---------------------------------------------------------

So yer reckon she'd be worthwhile investin in? after suitable survey of course! :cool:

I be sorely tempted I be... Now I wonder what young TonyH is up to this weekend?? mmmm???.... Oi Tony mate you wanta go have a lookeesee at this wee Dragon yacht thats fer sale in yer neck of the woods mate??... I may need yer to keep her at yer place till we get there! :eek: ... okay mate if you insist you can do any work that needs to be done on her :rolleyes: ... whassat?? go for a sail? sure mate go for it!! let me know how she slips along mate :cool:

$9000AUD whats that in USD? $4000??? $4500??... sigh :rolleyes:

Take it easy
Shane

[John Gearing]

Shane, if the guy's been trying to move that Dragon down under for the past 2+ years, his asking price is too high. You can get him to come down, I'm sure. Offer him something rediculously low and see what he says--the worst is he'll say no. ;) Post-survey, of course...

[Hugh Paterson]

Ian, keep us informed please what still needs done to her? £7000 seems a lot of $$$$$$ for rib replacements, sounds like she might be worth a sniff if the asking price is right :D
Shug.

[KimApel]

The scuttlebutt I've heard about old Dragons is that they were built as true racing machines, meaning light as possible and not expected to last long -- think Formula 1 race car. So the few that remain in existence have beat the odds, but either have structural problems or require extraordinary care to keep them afloat. If that's true, it's easy to see why some owners still go to the trouble; they're exceptionally beautiful.

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

If I remember right, pedigreed dragons would be built out of honduras mahogany on oak, with brass or bronze fastening, but planked extremely tight. Kingston Ontario, Canada, where I grew up, has been the site for Canadian Olympic Regatta Kingston (CORK) since 1969. At that time dragons were still an olympic class. Cork drew probably about forty of them or so in the early years.Most were still mahogany, but the dragon organization allowed fibreglass starting just about that time. Because they were racers, they were mostly trailered to keep them light. The Kingston Yacht club had five of them in mahogany at that time, but high maintenance on the brightwork and the usual wooden boat stuff allowed most of them to fade away.The late acceptance of fibreglass and the IOR rules change sealed their fate. I have seen the Knud Reimers designs, the tumlarens, and others that look similiar.. anyone know the story as far as shared designs? I always wanted one, they are a stunning boat, and go like hell. P.S thats a great website... I LOVE these boats

[ 01-13-2003, 03:18 PM: Message edited by: Peter Malcolm ]

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

My second boat ever was DK6, built by the illustrious firm of McGruer and Co at Clynder, Dumbartonshire, in 1936, and I bought her in 1971 for three hundred pounds, complete with three mainsails, etc....

She was one of the very early Dragons, with what passed for a cabin. Built of pitch pine on rock elm....

She leaked like a bucket; she got me up and down the Thames Estuary for a season and I parted from her without regret - she had been raced into the ground.

[Ian McColgin]

It sounds like the elements of one of those poignent british isles movies like

"The Waking of Ned Devine on Innish Full Monty."

[Phil Young]

Hey Dingo, I reckon $9000 might be a bit rich for a dragon in Oz. There was one in Goolwa not long ago for 3 or 4. Most of the ones that used to be in SA went West 10 years or so ago I think. Must be a club over there races them, why not check that out? Phil