Y Flyer

[vola_a_vela]

Hi all,
I have a fully functional 'glass Y Flyer. I find that I'm contemplating selling it and finding an older (wood) Y to tinker with and race a little.

Background: the Y was designed ca 1940, and is built with ribs attached to a keelson, and the deck, bottom, and sides are then attached to the ribs, much like a plywood aircraft wing.

I'd like to be able to finish the deck in varnish, but many of the surviving older boats have a couple of coats of paint. Is it possible to strip multiple layers of oooold paint and still have a presentable bright surface? Or is that fraught with too many unknowns and just not worth the effort?

Also, please feel free to discourage me.

Thanks,
Howard

[WWheeler]

I'm presently working on a wood Y-flyer. I had her out a few times before starting the restoration. Y's are an incredible fun boat, lots of speed and power. SWMBO has sworn never to set foot in it again.

I've stripped the paint, and I'm working on an epoxy seal (outside only). Her condition is pretty good, considering she was left outside for 10 years, even though covered.

Having stripped the paint, I've found that the plywood is in ok condition for most part, but it's only fir, not mahogany. So a bright finish is out of the question, and she's going to be re-painted mostly. However, as a pleasant surprise, I found that the coamings are mahogany. However, the mast step, which was also mahogany, had delaminated, and I'm making a new one. Y-flyer paint schemes were often quite flashy. This one was blue with a "Y" painted in white along the centre. However, as befits her age, I'm going for a more dignified paint scheme. But I'm going for a green/white, with the mahogany bits finished bright.

I think you'll find that most of the Y's are like this, and a real "woody" look is out of the question.

Weak spots that I've found:

--The ribs in the Y are prone to cracking, especially around the mast. There appears to have been some cheesy repairs in this area.

- leak around the CB trunk. Appears to be coming from a wood patch over the pivot point. (CB rests on a steel pin that hangs off the wood sides, not a great arrangement.)
- some rot in the keelson, where it was epoxied on the inside.
- some areas where the fastenings have worked or popped.
- some cracks in the ply. epoxy should fix that
- fibreglass taping along the seams is a little bit dodgy, but easy to fix.

However, all things considered, it's a pretty easy restoration, since there's been no major structural replacement. I say go for it. It's been a good learning experience, and there's no major "historical" significance to worry about, but you can keep a wood boat going.

PS I think they're pretty cheap to pick up. I bought mine for 600$ CDN.

[ 08-23-2002, 09:06 AM: Message edited by: WWheeler ]

[vola_a_vela]

W2, thanks for the reply.
It finally occurred to me that a glass boat has a finite useful life. (duh). While they require less initial maintenance, once they're shot, that's it - much like an all metal or composite aircraft or the discharge curve of a NiCad battery. A wood boat, OTOH, would be like a fabric covered a/c. Every so often, it needs a complete teardown, but after refinishing, it can be as good as or even better than new.
Which school of thought is a better example for my kids? Buy a newer boat every so often, toss the old one, and eat a kilobuck or two in depreciation, or spend effort periodically to keep an older boat going?
But this sort of thinking is nothing new here,huh?