5.5 metre project

[Pertsa]

I have always admired lines of classic metre boats and wanted to own one. I have been looking to buy cheapest of metre boats - 5.5´s and last summer I found one which suited my price level in other words cheap.

It is one of oldest ones in its class designed by Tore Holm in 1950 and its class certificate was gifted in 1951. It has pretty successfull racing career sailed by its second owner 1951-54 and it even competed in olympics being in results at the bottom of best 1/3. Boat was sailed until early 2000´s when it needed serious work done for its deck. After work was stalled it stood from 2007 to this date on dry land.

Now what I plan to do with it. I have searched all the data I could find from it and results are little disappointing. I have just few pictures, but highlight is line drawings and measurement certificate. Boat today lacks deck, deck frames and needs approximately 20 new frames around bilge but luckily rest of woodwork is in almost great shape. Goal of this project is to make this boat good racer for 5.5 metre "classic" class. https://www.5.5class.org/about
So this is not going to be restoration to original look as I dont even have enough pictures of boat to do anything other than guesswork. What I am planning to do instead is to return this to close original look (placement and type of cockpit) and otherwise just keep period correct look while taking advatanges of modern equipment/modifications that class rules allow.

Current workplan is following:
Removal of ballast keel & paint - done
Repair of deckframe shelf - in progress
Making sure that boat matches with original measurement certificate and line drawings
Making new deck frames
Replacing broken frames with new ones, steam bended in fore and aft, laminated in bilge
Fixing rot damage in keel stock which is against rudder
Finishing outside of hull and replacing boards that need replacement
Making new deck - will be plywood as originally

I will dump quickly recap parts I have already done.

[Pertsa]

Re: 5.5 metre project

Luckily good looking mahogany was found under white paint. Removal of keel started by removing lower boards from keel. Looks bad but it is actually just dirt. I had to scoop few buckets of leafs and other dirt from bilge. Old fashioned lead paint makes wonders.

[xkdrolt]

Re: 5.5 metre project

Which Olympic Games did it compete in? 1948 London was too early, so that leaves 1952 Helsinki. I doubt it went to Melbourne in '56 or Rome in '60. There's a good chance there are photos of it competing, as well as in competing at the trials. Great project btw.

[Pertsa]

Re: 5.5 metre project

That is correct it was 1952 Helsinki, I thought that it is easy to get pictures from olympics, but I have had no luck so far. I have one bad picture from olympics and one bad picture from trials. I would guess that there is pictures in newspaper archieves, but I really dont have way to get them.
Here are the ones I have.

Edit. And boat is A-1/ L-1 in these pictures.

[John Meachen]

Re: 5.5 metre project

I hope Mickey Lake sees this thread.

[Pertsa]

Re: 5.5 metre project

Here is pictures of keel removal process. DIY puller worked like a dream. Bronze keel bolts are great thing, this job would have been horror with steel bolts. I am going to replace them with new ones made from bronze also.
As I did not have lifting equipment I had to pull keel forwards and then turn it on its side. Had to be careful as it weighs 1250kg.

[xkdrolt]

Re: 5.5 metre project

Which boat? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailin...aily_standings

[Pertsa]

Re: 5.5 metre project

Which boat? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailin...aily_standings

5. Gullvinge, it won Finnish trials but for some reason 8. Teresita was selected.

[debenriver]

Re: 5.5 metre project

Actually why did you remove the ballast keel? Is the wood keel decayed?

Just asking ....

Cheers -- George

[Rich Jones]

Re: 5.5 metre project

Great looking project!

[Pertsa]

Re: 5.5 metre project

Actually why did you remove the ballast keel? Is the wood keel decayed?

Firstly ballast keel itself needs some repairs because water has gotten into keel bolt apertures and when frozen it has cracked the cast. Repairs are easier without it being in boat.
Secondly I had some suspects for part marked in picture, which ended up having rot in area marked with blue.
Any ideas what should I do with it. I am tempted to change just part of it as rest of wood is good and it would need lots of disassembly of rest of boat to get it removed completely.

[Slacko]

Re: 5.5 metre project

Does the 3rd photo in post #6 show almost buttjointed ribs at the turn of the bilge? It looks like a line of bolt heads securing them to the planking.
That area marked as rotten is on a key component of the backbone.
I've never repaired a carvel yacht, so my instinct to scarf that sternpost from the bottom forward corner to 2/3 of the way up the back edge reflects my epoxy ways.
It would mean the disruption of the planking and shape control caused by replacing the stern post would be mitigated.
I do like metre boats though, so will be watching closely.

[Pertsa]

Re: 5.5 metre project

Does the 3rd photo in post #6 show almost buttjointed ribs at the turn of the bilge? It looks like a line of bolt heads securing them to the planking.

It does indeed looks like it, but it is actually early unsuccessful try to repair cracking ribs. They are upside down U shaped supports made from brass or bronze. Plan is to replace those frames with laminated ones like suggested by boatbuilders that have restored 5.5m class boats. They will be replaced completely or just partially from keel to halfway up (picture). Upper part of ribs are still like new and sit properly fixed on planks.

That sounds like plan I have been shaping, I do also accept epoxy as tool in these kind of repairs as it does not cause any danger to other parts of structure and does not make future work any harder. In that kind of repair bolts that are already in construction would help securing the repair. Area of rot is quite small and some would be probably OK with just carwing it out and filling the hole, but I prefer using as large pieces of wood in repairs as possible.

Current time estimation I have is at least 2 years of work with hull, so there will be quite many posts.

[debenriver]

Re: 5.5 metre project

The sternpost is a pretty big piece of timber and the blue area is a relatively small part of it.

I would chop out the decayed timber and let in a graving piece, epoxied in if everything is dry and clean enough for that to be viable. If the rot is deeper there is really no reason why you can't cut off most of the bottom and let a whole new piece in. You could then let in a graving piece each side housed into the new piece and the deadwood forward of it – this would tie the parts together, though they're probably not tied together now in any real sense.

The rotten area is below the wood keel and the stern knee, so really you are into an essentially non-structural area – basically a deadwood that performs little structural function.

I certainly wouldn't consider removing the sternpost if it is basically sound.

Cheers -- George

[Alan H]

Re: 5.5 metre project

I'm of no help at all, I know nuthin' but

wow.