S&S 36 - Bits and Pieces

[Brightwater]

Hi all,

Some may distantly recall my very patchily-updated thread regarding the purchase of my S&S 36 ‘One Ton’ design in NZ, and the subsequent move over here to Sydney, Australia (http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthre...at-Have-I-Done). I'll try to be more regular with this one.

Kishmul.jpg

Kishmul has now been back in the water for around 18 months, and much to my shame, has not moved from her mooring in that time. COVID and its interference with interstate travel has played a major role, as I was not living in Sydney until a few months ago when I finally carried out my plan to move here. Being 45 minutes' drive from the boat instead of 4 hours has been very helpful - until, of course, we went into another multi-month lockdown.

A few rambles about my approach to this whole thing...

At 31 years old and with a demanding career, owning an old wooden boat makes zero logical sense. I knew that from the outset. I was, perhaps, more naive about the anxiety/pleasure ratio - the costs and the enormous list of tasks can sometimes feel overwhelming. While I have been around, and worked on, wooden boats my entire life with my father, being the 'primary carer' is quite a heavy burden financially and, more unexpectedly, emotionally - particularly now that my father is older and not really able to help.

I feel a strong obligation to take good care of Kishmul - at exactly 50 years old this year, she represents the sum of vast amounts of expert craftsmanship, history and ocean miles - not to mention a pretty significant investment. For better or worse, I'm also a perfectionist and would not be able to enjoy using her if I felt she wasn't being cared for. Consequently, I'm trying not to beat myself up too much about the rather one-sided work-sailing balance, and instead find satisfaction in getting on top of the 'job list' and making her beautiful and comfortable to be on as a cruiser rather than a racer.

While not exactly on a shoestring I'm certainly trying to stick to a modest budget, meaning that purchases are made and professional assistance sought only when necessary and possible. Big, time-consuming jobs I have to do myself.

A word of warning: this thread isn’t going to contain much in the way of master craftsmanship - mostly just a sometimes-rambling record of maintenance and small improvements. Advice will be gratefully received. I certainly won't be tackling anything structural. ‘Restoration’ would be the wrong word as Kishmul is in very good shape overall, but even at the time I purchased her she was overdue for some cosmetic work, as well as some niggling issues that affect her 'useability'.

More to come...

[Brightwater]

While Kishmul hasn’t been properly used, I have tried to be a responsible boat parent. Over the last 18 months the following has been achieved:

- Standing rigging replaced - probably not necessary but dictated by the annoying 10-year limit from insurers, so I thought I'd bite the bullet and get it done while the mast was down.



- New inflatable tender and 10hp outboard acquired. The only way I can find to access the boat in Sydney’s crowded Northern Beaches without paying insane parking fees is to leave my car a few kilometres away and make a 10-minute dinghy trip. Besides the significant inconvenience of packing the tender and outboard into and out of my small sedan every trip, this has turned out to be a good solution. The tender is a ‘Navigator 300’ from NZ company True Kit – not romantic but light, stable, capacious and fast when conditions allow me to use all the horses (will do around 18 knots with one person aboard). The previous solution was to park closer and use a very dodgy plastic dinghy lovingly nicknamed 'Moet' for the cork I used to plug the leaky bung.



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- Acquired a very, very yellow 2kW camping generator – my main requirement for this was to be powerful enough to run a heatgun. Having it rumbling away on the deck must look quite the Rube Goldberg setup to passing boats but it works, and having the ability to run power tools onboard is a huge plus. It's a bit noisy but not obnoxiously so.



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[Brightwater]

- Staunchion bases removed, some soft wood drilled out, the holes soaked with CPES and then refilled with thickened epoxy. I’m really hoping I caught these in time. The bolts go through the sheer clamp – fortunately it’s easily accessible from the inside so I figure I’ll give the timber some taps regularly and keep an ear out for any suspicious hollow sounds.

No pictures of this undeniably fascinating job due to hands being completely covered in epoxy.

I managed to drop one of the staunchion bases in the drink while prying it off so there’s another few hundred in custom stainless work. In my weaker moments I have considered not re-installing the staunchions as my destinations will be coastal at best in the short term and the absence of lifelines makes for extremely easy access to the boat, but ultimately I need them as attachment points for covers.


- I made up a mesh dropboard for the companionway to encourage ventilation on her mooring by sandwiching the mesh between layers of 6mm ply. It seems to be doing its job as there’s minimal mildew below and no smell of damp despite Sydney’s humid climate. It’s also an absolute necessity while staying onboard in the summer months too, for mozzie protection. Yet to be painted.

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- Next was a friction-fit mesh insert for the forward hatch. No fine carpentry here but it will do the job once it has some rubber strips glued onto the edges. Trial fitting was a serious chore as the rubber strips had to be attached with masking tape, fit tested, some timber planed off (with no decent way to clamp the piece onboard), strips re-attached with masking tape, rinse and repeat.

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The mesh dropboard and hatch insert have already made a huge difference to the liveability of the cabin, and sleeping comfort.

- Making a start on the acres of brightwork, I stripped all the varnish from the inside of the cockpit, which was starting to allow water penetration and blackening of the timber in a few spots. Once stripped it became more obvious that the timber is teak – I suspect some kind of stain had been applied prior to the varnish as it appears much lighter and less reddish after some sanding. This was a tedious and uncomfortable job as there were many corners where neither scraper nor sander would fit, and I had to scratch away carefully with the tip of a screwdriver and a sliver of sandpaper.

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First coat of finish re-applied. I'm replacing the varnish with Awlwood MA, which has been discussed a couple of times on the forum. Originally an NZ product (bit of a theme emerging here) it relies on a primer overcoated with a single-pack clear gloss. I've chosen to use yellow primer (it also comes in clear and red) to give the timber more UV protection and fade resistance. It's brushed on and then rubbed off with a clean rag a few minutes later. I hadn't used the coloured primer before and I'm very impressed with how evenly it goes on.

Using the 'Multi-Climate' gloss, it can be applied over the primer once the primer is touch dry. This is with primer and a single coat of gloss. Excuse the poor photography - it looks great up close, with minimal obscuring of the grain. This is the first of at least 8 coats.


Awlwood First Coat.jpg

From what I've heard, with a brief rub-down and extra coat every year for the first few years, the system should be good for 15 years - hopefully more with full covers, which this will have. It's also very elastic so I'm hopeful it will cope better with the dings that cockpits tend to receive.

The intention here is to strip and re-do the brightwork in sections to avoid leaving wood exposed for too long.

[Brightwater]

One of the upsides of mooring in Pittwater - a substantial waterway north of Sydney - is sharing it with a substantial number of quite lovely wooden boats. 'Kintail' is one I saw recently - a striking and, to my eye, unusual design. I haven't been able to find out much about her. With her semi-flush deck, hollow bow and square portlights, she has an almost 1920s look.

Kintail.jpg

[Crazer]

Beautiful boat! I just love that kind of tumblehome. I'll be watching with interest. Looks like you're doing good work.

[Brightwater]

Completed a very satisfying project with my girlfriend's help - a cockpit awning for use while moored/at anchor.

I had previously bought an off-the-shelf 3x3.2m 'Oceansouth' awning to drape over the boom. To my complete lack of surprise, it was a terrible fit and prevented easy access along the side decks. We jammed a dinghy oar under it as a makeshift spreader batten, which helped but looked hideous.

Tired of the sea-hobo look, we bought a heavy duty domestic sewing machine and some UV-resistant polyester thread, and cut the cover down to fit the boat's fairly dramatic aft taper. We hemmed it, added more tie-out points and reinforced pockets for 4 fairly stiff timber battens (30x20mm). We also cut the sides with mild concave shapes between batten pockets to decrease fluttering. The centreline guys along the boom are VB cord to achieve tension and the side guys are bungee/shock cord to minimise shock loading and keep it all firm. The battens will stay in permanently and the whole 3m bundle will be rolled up and stored when not needed. Once I put snap hooks on the guylines, the whole thing should take less than 5 minutes to set up

While I'd prefer it a little longer (up to the mast) and perhaps marginally wider, we both felt pretty smug about our first attempt at canvaswork. It keeps the sun and most rain off, stands up to decent gusts without batting an eye, and looks pretty good if you don't peer too closely at the stitching (the machine struggled at times until we got the needle sizing and thread tension correct). It also makes the cockpit feel much cozier in the evenings, and should even be usable under power since it doesn't obstruct visibility.

The material isn't Sunbrella so its lifespan won't be unlimited, but I'll likely get the urge to make a second, better version long before it wears out.

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[Larks]

Good to see you posting here, S&S 36 is one of my favourite designs and Kishmail looks lovely. I’d be interested in hearing more about Kintail and her refit if you find anything out, she looks very interesting and her size is a bit deceptive. She’s done a few Sydney Hobarts, starting in 1948 I think.
Nice job on the awning by the way and I look forward to following your updates
Greg

[johnno]

At the risk of being off-topic, but in answer to above, I'm posting my drawing of Kintail from the Hobart 2013 show. I met the owners, a delightful family, and spent a bit of time on the boat, and was later offered a place on her to sail down to Hobart the next trip. Unfortunately I couldn't make it. Designed by Walter Wilson and built in their Tasmanian yard.

Details here: https://www.woodenboat.com/impressions-hobart-2017

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[Brightwater]

Thanks Larks. Johnno, really appreciate that link - great to find out more about Kintail. Interesting that she’s classed as a ‘motorsailer’ - now that I look at her again, that hollow bow and flush deck are kind of motorsailer-y.

[Figment]

Gorgeous boat. I was moored near one for a couple of years and she was positively drool-worthy.

[Brightwater]

Quite some time since my last post...

Small projects continue. One of the things, however, that has continued to be a source of annoyance and difficulty in using and working on the boat is the challenge of accessing her with nowhere to keep a dinghy on shore. The solution thus far has been an inflatable that I have to ferry to and from my apartment to the boat, along with inflation, deflation, washing, drying etc. It makes for a 2-hour process either end of any boat trip - not very sustainable.

For my latest effort to simplify things, I've moved the boat to a slightly more expensive but hopefully much more convenient mooring. This one is only a couple hundred meters offshore from a carpark, and comes with (hallelujah) a spot in an outdoor dinghy rack for a small fee. Because I don't want to expose the expensive inflatable to UV and potential theft 365 days a year, I've acquired a well-worn but sound tinnie to chain up there, meaning all I have to do is get it in and out of the rack. I've also swapped my 10hp for a little Suzuki DF2.5, which is plenty for the shorter distance and much easier to handle. The inflatable, meanwhile, will live on the boat. Theoretically the tinnie will be left on the mooring when taking Kishmul out.

A little side project which might be of interest is my modification to the tinnie to make it suitable as a tender. The problem with all hard dinghies, of course, and especially tinnies, is that they are unkind to hulls - especially wooden ones. I've seen a few posts here and there on the Forum and elsewhere about modifications for gunwale fendering. Most off-the-shelf solutions are expensive, inadequate or aren't available in Australia.

I've come up with a solution which I think will be effective, if a little tugboat-y in appearance - please excuse the complete absence of wood.

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Basically this is made up of pool noodles wrapped in marine carpet. Holes were drilled in the hull first near the top of the gunwale about 10cm apart. One edge of the carpet was tied on to the inside in one long strip, then it was rolled down over the outside with the foam noodles in the middle like a jam roll. I used individual lashings rather than a spiral lacing, with looped ends to pull through to get plenty of purchase. It was surprisingly laborious - at least 8 hours of work.

Compared with some similar solutions I've seen using pool noodles, this one has the advantage of fully encapsulating the gunwale - even the top, which in certain conditions can obviously still contact the hull. The marine carpet should last many years and protect the foam effectively, while adding some cushioning of its own. It's a little abrasive so I will probably still use fenders when tied up alongside for extended periods. I have contemplated gluing some canvas over the top of the carpet.

There's basically 5 standard pool noodles in this, so as a secondary benefit it also adds significant flotation. It may also act as a spray rail and perhaps even add some minor stability in very roll-y conditions. I should, however, do a capsize test to see whether it makes righting the boat more difficult from a full inversion.

[Rich Jones]

That looks like the perfect dinghy for the use intended.
I had one that looked very much like that.

[John B]

A sacrificial tender is usually needed for moorings,should do the job, and not exactly a target for theives eh.
Most proprietry fender strips for hard dinghies concentrate on sheilding the gunwale at right angles but as you've identified , most of the damage comes from the dinghy bouncing up under the counter on a wake or wave where its the unprotected top of the dinghy rail that carves a divot, even in the light. You certainly have solved that issue.

[Brightwater]

Rich - did you DIY yours? I thought I was being clever with the marine carpet so I’m curious whether anyone’s done something similar before me.

Indeed John, I think there’s minimal risk of someone pinching this! Could be a market there. If it does its job, maybe I’ll drop my corporate career and start flogging alloy tenders deliberately made too ugly to steal.

Tom

[Larks]

Good to see you back on deck Tom. How’s life in Sydney treating you and have you been getting plenty of sailing in?

[Brightwater]

G’day Greg!

I have a bit of a love-hate thing with Sydney. Beautiful coastline and waterways for boating, but expensive, crowded, over-regulated - overall I’m not finding it an easy place to keep a boat. I miss Tasmania where you can still pull your boat out and work on it yourself. I have semi-fond memories of scraping antifoul with my father 20 years ago - those days are gone!

Not as much sailing as I’d like! I took all her cockpit cleats off so I could work on the varnish, and I can’t sail her until they’re back on (she doesn’t have self-tailers). I’m happy enough just puttering around for now, though I confess I often let projects get in the way of puttering.

How’s your H28 getting along?

[Larks]

H28’s going really well thanks Tom, taking much longer than planned to finish her off (as all boats do) - and heading to Darwin today for work for a few months so she’ll take even longer now.....

[Priscilla]

Must be a hell of a lot easier getting on and off her from the dinghy without the stanchions and lifelines
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[Brightwater]

Interruptions are frustrating, Greg. I have plenty of my own but not so long. At least you get plenty of thinking and planning time!

Yep, I took the lifelines and staunchions off for her trip back from NZ - and I wanted to drill out and epoxy-soak all of the bolt holes in the sheer clamp and deck which were allowing rainwater penetration. A few of them yielded some alarmingly fuzzy and damp material so I just hope I caught it in time.

I must say it’s nice not having them on. Given the inshore and near coastal sailing I’ll be doing for the foreseeable, it’s tempting to leave them off temporarily…but they’re needed as attachment points for the mooring cover, of all things.

[Brightwater]

Well, here we are again. In keeping with the theme of the thread, a few more bits and pieces.

Like many classics, Kishmul's cockpit is beautiful to look at but not a particularly ergonomic place in its natural form. Hard, flat teak benches, coamings too low to lean against...in terms of a spot to sit around drinking beers at anchor in a nice bay, it's not optimal.

So, girlfriend and I decided to make some box cushions.

I acquired some annoyingly expensive 8cm fast-dry foam (the kind that water goes straight through), some Sunbrella, mesh fabric, a hot knife and a cordless electric carving knife - or as the girlfriend calls it, a kitchen chainsaw. This latter tool is recommended for cutting foam - though I have to say, it's still not exactly easy.

I patterned the benches in builder's plastic then did a rough cut in foam. The knife cuts with some persuasion, but tends to grab - possibly it would be easier on a less open-celled, finer-grained foam.


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Kishmul's cockpit has a number of complications. First, wooden supports for the winches are inside the coamings, on the cockpit benches - these make for a very clean silhouette from the neighbour's boat, but require cushions to have slots cut in them. In addition, her coamings both curve and slope inward. Finally, her mainsheet traveller runs across the bridgedeck and onto the side benches, and the track has large stops protruding at either end which cause the cushions to bulge.

Regardless, there were to be no shortcuts. The boat deserves the best. I eventually got the foam cut and fitted fairly snugly. The distortion from the traveller track is visible - a problem to be solved later.

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To be continued.

[Brightwater]

The two side benches were divided into two cushions each, plus the bench at the rear of the cockpit through which the tiller post runs - five in total.

In a gesture indicating some serious undiagnosed psychological problems, I bought a striped fabric. While beautiful, this introduced a great deal of extra complexity to the process of cutting and sewing plates, especially since my OCD wouldn't allow me to accept any inconsistencies.

Using the foam as a template, the Sunbrella was cut with a hot knife and a steel rule as a fence. The hot knife was an extremely good decision. It's quick and neat, and avoids fraying. Bottom plates were made with black Phifertex mesh to allow the cushions to be flipped upside down for moisture to evaporate. Needless to say, UV-resistant thread was used. Zipper ends were reinforced with webbing, and a little 'garage' made for the zipper to sit in to avoid denting the teak if someone sits down hard.

Girlfriend did the actual sewing, luckily - and a rather fine job of it. The Singer 'Heavy Duty' 4432 had no trouble with a few layers of Sunbrella.


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The end result is, if I say so myself, pretty classy. Against the varnished teak, it gives me a somewhat Mediterranean vibe.

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To be continued.

[Brightwater]

Apologies for the sideways images - for some reason it won't allow me to try again with rotated ones.

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Haven't yet finished the last one for the rear bench - I'll post a full completion picture when we have.

Cheers,

Tom

[Figment]

Well done.

[johngsandusky]

Nice work!

[Hugh MacD]

Excellent! Those will be very popular

[Larks]

Really nice job, is she available for commissions? And nice choice of fabric as well, it looks very inviting.

[Stiletto]

Very nice!

[John B]

Might be a few more undiagnosed out there, very smart.
I presume thats your mainsheet winch on the bulkhead under the man killer, special handle?

[Brightwater]

Thanks all. I do occasionally threaten to hire her out for sewing work. It’s ok though, I’d cut her in for at least 10%. I’m not a monster.

John - actually no, that’s the trim tab! Quite the archaism. Currently disconnected but I believe all the hardware is in basically working order.