Farallone Clipper #15 restoration

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  • bdbFC
    Senior Member
    • Apr 2015
    • 309

    Farallone Clipper #15 restoration

    Hi all,

    Long time lurker, but now a new member. I've been in the process of restoring my 38' Stephens Brothers Farallone Clipper, hull #15 of 19 made between 1940-1962. Launched July 7, 1958 as "Cynosure", and after a string of other names and owners, will now happily be called "Hana". I bought her last September and enough friends and family have asked me if I'm blogging about the work, so I thought this would be a good place to document the progress. (If nothing else, so I can remember everything we've been doing all this time) I'll post often as I get the images up to current date. It's been a fun, tiring, sometimes scary, but amazing experience so far. I've learned a ton, and have met and worked with some great people along the way! I've been very inspired reading about all of your projects too.

    www.faralloneclipper.com



    Last edited by bdbFC; 12-15-2021, 10:08 AM.
  • bdbFC
    Senior Member
    • Apr 2015
    • 309

    #2
    Re: Farallone Clipper #15 restoration

    She has a number of very cool features which I really liked, such as a nicely carved butterfly hatch and companion-way doors, bead-board ceilings (I think many of the clippers had acoustic tiles), custom-made table in the cabin, teak decks, lots of mahogany, and a large cockpit. Beautiful lines too. The flip side which I'll be documenting was her poor condition in a number of areas. A lot of it is pretty rough. When I bought her, I wanted a project and man did I get one!

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    clipercove_zpsdlhuvifp.jpg

    Note the bright mast. This pic was apparently from a couple of years ago. One of the previous owners has since painted it white. I wish it were still bright. Some day...
    Last edited by bdbFC; 07-28-2020, 04:49 PM. Reason: replacing photos

    Comment

    • andrewpatrol
      Senior Member
      • Sep 2010
      • 2510

      #3
      Re: Farallone Clipper #15 restoration

      Welcome and best of luck bringing her back to her former glory, bright mast and all

      Comment

      • Woxbox
        Senior Member
        • Feb 2006
        • 9923

        #4
        Welcome and WOW, nice project.
        -Dave

        Comment

        • Rich Jones
          What boat to build next?
          • Apr 2009
          • 19643

          #5
          Re: Farallone Clipper #15 restoration

          It'll be great following along. At what point of the restoration are you? What's been done and what remains? We love lots of pictures!
          If you've been lurking, you've probably seen chuckt's Concordia restoration, a boat about the same size as yours.
          I was born on a wooden boat that I built myself.
          Skiing is the next best thing to having wings.

          Comment

          • Ted Hoppe
            Irritant, Level 2
            • Nov 2006
            • 21933

            #6
            Re: Farallone Clipper #15 restoration

            Congratulations. I know your boat - she was in Richmond then went to Oyster point. Looked at her a few times and nearly got her myself a few years back. beautiful boats that's for sure. I hope you square her away enough to sail her hard soon. I'd be very wary of the cabinetry around the head and the frames there too - it is there most neglected portion as most problems have been hidden for years. it is the reason that Echo broke up in the south seas a few years ago.

            The FC fieet is going strong with many who want to see you succeed. I hope you join the Master Mariners and click into our super group. There are many who know and can help with original plans and sails and much more just for the asking.
            Without friends none of this is possible.

            Comment

            • bdbFC
              Senior Member
              • Apr 2015
              • 309

              #7
              Re: Farallone Clipper #15 restoration

              Thanks for the welcome!

              Rich - I'm mentally breaking it up into structure vs. aesthetics, with structure being the main focus right now. hull integrity, fairing, & paint, deck repair, etc. Topside varnishing will come second to that, although I've started pieces of that too. But right now, we're at the point that more is starting to go on the boat than off the boat. So that's a good place. And yes, I love the Concordias and have been reading Chuck's thread with great interest.

              Ted - Yes, that's the boat. And yes, the area you describe is a weak spot that we are addressing. I'll definitely check into the MM soon.

              Comment

              • bdbFC
                Senior Member
                • Apr 2015
                • 309

                #8
                Re: Farallone Clipper #15 restoration

                So, the day after I purchased the clipper, I had a few hours to take an assessment of what I needed to do first before I had to catch a flight. The shock of what I'd just committed myself to was in full effect. The boat had been neglected for some time. The head reeked like a port-a-potty (thanks to saturated hoses and a concentrated, full holding tank. It was nasty) The bilge was either full of rusty water up front, or oily water aft. The deck leaked in certain spots, and overall the whole boat had mildew and dirt on most surfaces. it needed a thorough cleaning just to start. So after removing 8 garbage bags full of stuff left on the boat (everything from old paint cans, bedding, food, a santa hat, candles, rusty tools, trash,...), I was fairly overwhelmed and just sat in the cockpit to start making a mental to-do list. The deck and cabintop hadn't been cleaned in quite a while, so I took a bucket of salt water and a brush and cleaned one spot on the deck just before I had to leave. It gave me hope.

                064766AF-4FBF-4E12-9089-5385113438F0_zpsdcayepzr.JPG
                Last edited by bdbFC; 07-25-2020, 09:25 PM.

                Comment

                • bdbFC
                  Senior Member
                  • Apr 2015
                  • 309

                  #9
                  Re: Farallone Clipper #15 restoration

                  More pressing though, in no particular order: the engine, electrical, and hull condition.

                  Original Gray Marine Sea Scout 25 hp gas engine. It actually ran....for a while.

                  292A74BD-9DC8-4715-9849-DE178BD1620F_zpsqpdsdczd.jpg

                  Uh. How has this not burst into flame about a hundred times by now? The mind boggles.

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                  This is looking down next to the v-berth in the forward cabin. Concrete. Ballast in the bilge? Last ditch attempt to stop the leaking? Not sure. Oh yeah, the hull was leaking.

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                  That shiny reflection under the berth? Just sea water, nothing to worry about.

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                  The concrete in the bilge acted like a dam since all the limber holes were filled. So I would hand pump the water out every day until I could get the boat out of the water. And clearly, it needed to get pulled out to see what was going on below.
                  Last edited by bdbFC; 07-26-2020, 12:26 AM.

                  Comment

                  • Ted Hoppe
                    Irritant, Level 2
                    • Nov 2006
                    • 21933

                    #10
                    Re: Farallone Clipper #15 restoration

                    I think you got the best of the restorable FCs. She has served a live-a-board for at least the last 10 years and has suffered from subtle neglect. As for those grays... they always look spooky. Fear not. If you have any questions about this and want to keep her original - it is worth having Tom List look at it. There are very few i trust more than him on boat repowers and engine repair.

                    Be sure to go over where the keel step and the stem meet - these tend to get soft and pudding like too. tap and test every frame all the way down if possible. These boats have flexed a bit, stringers and frames are certainly cracked, things loosened. A program of refastening will be in order. Dowel and epoxy might really do better as upgrades in certain places . Sisters and scarfs done properly can be quite beautiful. (I may take flack for this but know it to be a truer fix not only for you but for the next caretaker too.) There are a few opinions on this but I would consider sheathing the hull once you start to square her away. Being a wood boat hero and going traditionally has some merit but sure does not save your piece of mind. Just be very practical and go forward to using the boat rather than a complete restoration circa 1950's. The sheathing will also allow for a new strength that might be amiss if you try to keep it as it was. Moreover - it does not carry the stigma it once did and has saved many other worthwhile boats like yours.

                    These clippers are quick with ratings around 150. If you keep them in the bay and sail them here, they can be a work in progress without breaking ones heart or wallet. I am excited for you and your worthwhile project.
                    Last edited by Ted Hoppe; 04-09-2015, 07:19 PM.
                    Without friends none of this is possible.

                    Comment

                    • jstarboats
                      Senior Member
                      • Aug 2011
                      • 1416

                      #11
                      Re: Farallone Clipper #15 restoration

                      Hi,
                      looks like you got a great looking yacht there, just in need of a lot of TLC, It looks a great project keep posting updates of your progress, I have been doing my yacht for the last 8 years off and on and hope to have it in the water this year. Good look and enjoy your project.

                      Comment

                      • bdbFC
                        Senior Member
                        • Apr 2015
                        • 309

                        #12
                        Re: Farallone Clipper #15 restoration

                        So at the end of September, I chose to take the boat to Spaulding Boatworks in Sausalito for the haulout and exploration and repairs to the hull. After an aborted attempt to bring the boat over from Richmond under her own power (the motor gave up the ghost), some good friends helped me tow her across the bay. We got up early the first Saturday in Oct. and had a flawless crossing. It was a beautiful day, and I was relieved.

                        1BD2E045-870C-4EA0-90E8-26E7001D8EE2_zpsiqycxfqa.JPG

                        Being towed by Chris's boat, "Puffin"

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                        Safe and sound at Spaulding's dock.
                        Last edited by bdbFC; 07-25-2020, 09:40 PM.

                        Comment

                        • bdbFC
                          Senior Member
                          • Apr 2015
                          • 309

                          #13
                          Re: Farallone Clipper #15 restoration

                          The haulout went without a hitch. You can see from the photos that she was carrying around her own portable coral reef. The prop was getting eaten away. After the initial inspection of the planks, it didn't appear too bad, but we needed to get under the paint first to see what was going on.





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                          A stowaway in the head outflow.
                          Last edited by bdbFC; 07-26-2020, 12:45 PM.

                          Comment

                          • bdbFC
                            Senior Member
                            • Apr 2015
                            • 309

                            #14
                            Re: Farallone Clipper #15 restoration

                            After some scraping and test reefing, it was obvious that part of the inflow was happening above the keel at the joint between the stem and keelson. The seams are toast. The seam at the forefoot was almost a 1/4" gap, and the plank seams were getting pretty wide too. This is the area near the mast step that Ted Hoppe mentioned in his reply above. It's the weak link of the clipper design, and the force of the mast downward on this spot has caused many of the boat's problems. My particular boat had over the years been caulked, recaulked, epoxied in the seams, jock strap installed under the maststep, and even a lead patch on the outside to try to stem the flow. (And possibly the concrete in the bilge too) but the keel kept heading south.

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                            Ugly. You can see the horizontal patches near the bottom of the picture which was where the lead strips had been applied, but had since fallen off.
                            Last edited by bdbFC; 07-26-2020, 12:23 AM.

                            Comment

                            • bdbFC
                              Senior Member
                              • Apr 2015
                              • 309

                              #15
                              Re: Farallone Clipper #15 restoration

                              Access to the maststep and surrounding floors was needed, so off comes the mast. The crane is too cool.

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                              Last edited by bdbFC; 07-26-2020, 12:24 AM.

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