check out this honey of a GG.

[John B]

I peeked at the deck and cockpit from the cradle and she's really well set up to actually go sailing. good systems.

[Jase]

thats nice.... go the B's :P

[Graeme Forrest]

Been visiting Pine Harbour I see John. Had to work today to put some money into the bank instead of taking it out. Ok now until back in water on Wed.

[Jeff Robinson]

Lovely Graeme.

JR

[JimD]

More pics, please.

[Figment]

Lovely boat, but why on earth is she blocked up so high?

[John B]

Jeff!, What part of the world are you in now? last I heard it was a canal in Europe.

I think she's up for an antifoul so she'll be blocked for knees( if Graeme's are anything like mine anyway )

[paladin]

youse guys do it all wrong...I have a little stool, about 18 inches high, with wheels on the bottom....great for sliding around down low.....even more so now...

[John B]

call that low? I lay down on me back and scuttle around on a creeper( see british car thread)

its only a 4 wheeler though. never buy a 4 wheeler. 6 is what you want. don't ask.

[bamamick]

I would imagine that you'd need to throw away the clock when you step on board, though .

Mickey Lake

[John B]

first thing you do on any cruiser isn't it Mickey.

oh I get it, I wouldn't know. Jeff or Graeme might comment on that.

[John Bailey]

GG - Golant Gaffer?

John

[John B]

Yes it is John. I'll try and edit the thread name for clarity.

[CGrant]

I've been to most places in the US, many places across the world and have come to a pt where I hate travel.

However, I would happily make the long trip to NZ to see the beauty of the two islands and the boats and water. Thanks, JohnB, for your understated yet intrepid advocacy of your country. Oh, and happy sailing this summer season for you all.

[John Bailey]

Yes it is John. I'll try and edit the thread name for clarity.

No problem, I've always loved that boat and would like to build one. Just got to figure out how to get it out my shop's 7 ft. wide door.

John

[StevenBauer]

I finally got to sail on a Golent Gaffer this year. Fantastic boat! Watch out for lobster pot warps, though. (Sorry again Mark)

Steven

[bamamick]

When I was younger (a long haired, bearded lad) my dream was to travel to New Zealand. As a matter of fact my wife promised to take me to New Zealand one day. Hm. I'd best remind her of that.

Anyway, the photos and stories that the guys from EnZed post, and of course especially those posted by John, have really awakened that desire to see the place and sail her waters.

So many places that I still want to see before my time is over.

Mickey Lake

[John B]

Thats nice of you CGrant. Of course , I leave out the bad stuff. Like it blowing 78 knots last night, trees getting knocked down etc. Will do, I'm looking forward to a sail soon although if I had some more motivation she'd be ready to go by now but... soon.New bobstay goes back on this weekend and then technically at least, she'd be able to sail.

Mickey, plenty of time left for us young guys.( so I keep telling myself.)( muffled laughter in background)

[The Bigfella]

No time like the present to get to NZ guys. I lived there for 2 years and loved it so much, I brought back a Kiwi daughter.

John B's good for a lunch at the waterside too.

[Graeme Forrest]

Yes the boat is a Golant Gaffer designed in 1995 by Roger Dongray. The reason it is blocked up so high is the width between the base of the cradle arms is fixed and the arms swing in or out to fit different sized boats. With a boat this small (7ft beam) you can see they have quite a lean inwards, if the boat was lower the inward lean would be greater. The room underneath was a hugh help to my arthritic knees.Prior to launching last Feb the same marina company put her in what they call a "launch cradle" which does not have sides on it, the boat being supported by adjustable legs to the bottom of the boat, as per the power boat in the background. The cradle show in John's photos is a "yacht cradle", the marina company insist on using their cradles for any boats in their haulout yard, I presume for insurance reasons. The use of a "launch cradle means there four patches about 200mm square which you cannot antifoul until the boat is in the travellift just prior to launching, hence one quick coat on those patches then five minutes later they are in the water, the result does not last very long.

Steven. Was your sail on "Mallard"? I understand Mark is now in your area, From the photos I have seen of her he made a beautiful job of her and he raves about the sailing of her, I am certainly very happy with the so far limited sailing I have had in "Anahere".

Graeme

[Jeff Robinson]

Hi John

Now in Bucharest packing to fly to Amsterdam on Sunday. Visits to internet cafes lessened th deeper we got down the Danube.

JR

[StevenBauer]

That's her Graeme. It was fun to be aboard a boat I'd been reading about for years in Watercraft Magazine. He built her in England and finished the rig after he shipped her over here. She's a beauty.

Steven

[Graeme Forrest]

Steve
From the photos she certainly looks good. I understand Mark intended to put a teak overlay on the deck over the last northern hem winter, has he done so? I thought about it while building but eventually decided I could not justify the cost, and I had some concerns about the weight( or that is my excuse anyway). However I have seen several photos off GG with full teak overlay on the deck so I presume it is ok. Mallard featured not only in "Watercraft" but also regularly in "Sailing Today" as Mark was their technical editor for a while.

[Jeff Robinson]

Graeme, I am away from my information at the moment - what is the overall length of the mast?

Thanks,

JR

[Helle]

Jeff,
mast length is 6,70 m.
Graeme, I think a teak deck is not too heavy. Some pics:


regards
Helmuth

[Graeme Forrest]

Jeff, confirm 6.7m overall, 110mm dia to the hounds then tapering to 75mm.
Helle, yes I have seen several photos of GG with teak overlays on the deck, I was rather looking for an excuse not to do it. I have teak overlay on the cockpit seats plus both the main and fore hatches.
Graeme

[Jeff Robinson]

Thanks chaps. Looking for dimensions for shipping to Europe next year.
JR

[John B]

whoa! sounds like a plan.

[StevenBauer]

Graeme, when I helped pull her mast a few weeks ago Mark said he was going to try to do the teak decks this winter. She'll be even more stunning.

Steven

[Graeme Forrest]

Steve, sounds like a major operation on an existing boat. I would think it would be much simpler without cabintop,hatches etc in the way. Incidently how did the weight of the mast seem to you? The reason for asking is that Mark used a different construction method to that shown on the plans with I think a much thinner wall thickness. Roger Dongray has a new mast on "Irena", professionally built (birdsmouth I think) which he says is considerably lighter tham his original.
Graeme

[Jeff Robinson]

Bugger. 6.7 m is longer than the diagonal of a 20ft container (6.3 metres). Does this mean I must cut .4 metres off the top of my mast? Can I scarf it back in on the shores of Antwerp? Has anyone shipped anything 6.7 metres long from Oz to Europe?

[John B]

You can do what you have to do Jeff.
I can imagine the scarfs all precut , new head preshaped, perhaps you could lock it with a couple of dowels and have it varnished and ready apart from a couple of spoons of glue and 3 or 4 clamps. easy for a man of your skills.
Does the peak halyard or headstay/caps go right to the masthead? sometimes there's a foot or two of free mast on a gaffer. In that case you could fabricate a new masthead cap with a threaded rod sticking out of it and just screw on the last foot for looks.

I'm assuming you don't want to mess with the step.

[Helle]

Jeff,
perhaps you could use Roger's old mast ...
Graeme,
birdsmouth would save at most 20% to 25 % of the weight of the naked mast, as a boatbuilder said to me. I think, that's not more than about 15 % of the over all weight, including mastband, fittings for shrouds, halyard blocks and so on. Better effect would perhaps be achieved by using lighter wood, perhaps combining with birdsmouth, or you use carbon ...
Regards
Helmuth