Restoration of '65 International One Design

[wampum]

Greetings Fiberphobics and Woodchucks! This is my first posting to this forum. In preparation for buying my first wood boat, I've subscribed to Wooden Boat for 15 years and read through 185 pages of archived threads.

I await a purchase survey of a 1965 IOD (33'), built mahogany on oak in Norway, purportedly for the King of Norway and originally named 'Kitty' a derivitive of Katrina. She's still in beautiful shape here in NY, finished bright , varnished interior/cockpit with her deck canvas removed a few years back. She's been wet-stored during winters and in general, well cared for by her present owner of sixteen years.

My goal is to restore her to as 'new' condition, perhaps with minor enhancements in the area of creature comfort inside her small cabin. While she will be raced in the local IOD fleet, she will be enjoyed even moreso as a fast day sailor and occassional overnighter.

From what I can see, she has a small leak at the rudder post, perhaps one at the mast step and has a dubious plank joint above the water line. Her chain plates were addressed a couple years back. Four frames forward of the mast were sistered by Bruce Dyson about four years ago. Her deck has no leaks but may flexing a bit too much in spots. Obviously, the survey will tell more.

Aside from finding a competent and reasonable shop to restore her (both Bruce Dyson and Andy Giblin have been recommended), the three hot questions requiring feedback are these:

1) To Epoxy or not epoxy the bottom? Ideally, the boat will be winter stored on a Triad trailer inside a shed vs. in the water. This is both a financial goal and a practical one as it costs me virtually nothing to store her out of the water and I can get more work done to her over the winter. In addition to making her more trailer friendly, would not an epoxied bottom also give me a superior finish for baltoplate?

2) To paint the topsides or leave bright? How valuable do purists consider a bright-finished hull? Over the years, this boat has had repairs, including a couple replaced planks, that have left her topsides looking minorly patched and inconsistantly colored. A bleaching and staining is first choice. But is a painted hull (assuming a layer of varnish applied first)heracy?

3. To teak the deck or reapply canvas? I admit to being partial to the similar square meter boats with their teak decks. If this deck requires strengthening, would it be crazy to apply a glued teak overlay, better to replace with marine grade plywood and epoxy, paint or recanvas?

I realize the 'epoxy'question is controvercial. Obviously, I would fix any underlying structural issues first to make her independently watertight.

Any thoughts, opinions and suggestions will be welcome.

Regards,
Michael

[Noah]

Sounds like a really nice boat.

Ok, Don't epoxy the bottom...don't even think about it...

Painting the topsides: Well it's really up to you. This is a racing boat, and racing boats get crashed from time to time. I say leave her bright and wear her battle wounds with pride.

Decks: I understand that you want teak, but that is going to add lots of weight up high, and also cost lots of cash. I would probably go with Dynel and epoxy, but Canvas would work as well.

Good luck, and have fun racing her!

[wndsnd]

Who are suppliers of Dynel?

[Venchka]

Defender Industries is one supplier of Dynel.

DEFENDER (http://www.defenderus.com/)

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[Tom Robb]

A rubbery deck will be no help when racing hard.
It isn't classic, but plywood/epoxy/dynel (or glass) will be much stiffer and if done correctly, won't leak.
Epoxy/glassing the bottom is championed by some, but it's really best reserved for tired old fish boats that need to have the last few years of life squeezed from them. It's then really a FG boat shaped container for a rotting hull - poor form, not at all "yar."
Varnished hulls are for obsessive/compulsives who have lots of time or money going to waste. But if you like, go for it. Paint is perfectly suitable on your boat.
And welcome to the clan.

[ 12-01-2004, 11:19 AM: Message edited by: Tom Robb ]

[buhmkin]

"Obviously, I would fix any underlying structural issues first to make her independently watertight."

No prob.

If by watertight you mean monocoque and it's my guess that you do. This is usually done by splining the seams with wedge splines.

IMHO, once a hull is restored to the point where it's ready to be epoxied, it's just as good to leave it without. It comes down to a matter of taste.

If you're lucky, the putter'll chime in now with his 2 cents and the debate will be off and running.

[bamamick]

wampum, first off, great boat. I have seen them mnay times in Maine and have always thought that they were gorgeous. Ralph Stanley stores a bunch of them in his shop over the winter and my wife and I were lucky enough to get a tour.

Now, from a completely different point of view: my Dragon is epoxied from the deck down. It was either that or burn it. I wanted a racing finish and we have an 11 month season down here, so epoxy it was. I know, I have seen the beautiful finish on the IOD's in Maine, but those are boats sailed two months a year and kept inside the other 10. I'm not saying for you to do it, I'm just saying that I don't feel it to be the sacrilige that so many of our colleagues here do.

Secondly, about Baltoplate. As I understand it Baltoplate loses it's protective properties when exposed to the sun for any length of time. We used Trinidad for that reason. I wanted to be able to do all of the work myself, and Trinidad is an easy paint to apply. My Dragon sits on the trailer all of time.

Thirdly (is that a real word?), to paint or not to paint? I have a schooner that is varnished, and when I pull it this winter to refinish it I will varnish it again. Unless you want to spend a fortune or are either retired or independantly wealthy I would recommend just sanding and replacing the existing finish. Once you commit to changing your finish from one to the other the prep work is awesome. Then again, I'm a work-boat finish kind of guy. I paid a friend to spray the Dragon, but my other boats are all tip-and-roll.

I guess the one factor that I haven't thought of is the peer factor. What do the other guys in the fleet do? I suppose that they are really the ones you should be asking this stuff. But it's fun for us to talk about, eh?

Best of luck with your boat, wampum. I know she'll be a beauty.

Mickey Lake

[JimConlin]

One of the benefits of a one-design boat like the IOD is that there are other people who've faced your issues already. I would seek out the advice of people who know the boat and the builder and not get inventive if i didn't have to.

If you do decide to paint the topsides, you might discover that considerable fairing is needed to get it looking right. A bright finish de-emphasises a hull's wobbles.

[Chris Coose]

There are a few racing fleets.
Marblehead, Northeast Harbor and Bermuda.
I've had the occasion to sail on IOD's in each port.
There are some long time dedicated owners.
I'd be getting in touch with a few of them and run by your ideas.

Ralph Stanley, as mentioned, has some in storage John Butler over in Northeast Harbor, MDI Boatyard probably still has some.
They could steer you around as well.

I'd guess there must be an association like us catboaters and the Concordia folks. They likely have a history of your boat from when she was shipped over. They'll know about keeping that vessel in "new" shape.
Epoxy??? Yikes!!

[Don Z.]

Just because no one else has mentioned it, I'd like to point out that the IOD fleet has one of the strictest class rules... In other words, before you do any of this, you may want to contact the NA.

When I say "strict rules", I mean like they buy sails for the fleet once a year, from the same sail maker. That way no one has a sail advantage.

So tread carefully, because while you'll make a pretty day sailor, you could make it so you can't race other IODs...

[rbgarr]

FWIW, the OLN (Outdoor Life Network) will be airing a half hour show on professional matchracing in IODs from Bermuda on Dec 11 or 13, not sure which or what time of day.

[wampum]

Thanks to everyone for the welcome! I'm familiar with the IOD class rules, etc. as I previously owned a Shields with the same mentality. It works well for the Class. regardless, I'm planning to order a set of North 3DL racing sails for it just because the combo of bright varnish and high tech sails for PHRF races is sex on water.

My betrothed IOD is due to be hauled this Friday in Mamoraneck, NY and surveyed on Saturday. The restorer (Andy Giblin) is due to look at her later in the week to formulate a plan of attack. Should be interesting...let's hope for no major surprises. Great point about the fact that once the bottom is prepped properly for epoxy that it probably doesn't need it by then anyway....I'll keep that in mind! If I can get a smooth, water tight finish without plastic, all the better.

[rbgarr]

I own a Shields and have not (yet, anyway) gotten any fiberphobic comments on the fact. You may get some gentle criticism for putting 3DLs on a bright IOD, however. The contrast in technologies strikes some as a jarring clash.

[JimConlin]

Strikes me as sorta like a fifty-ish woman with too little clothing and too much makeup. As a package, it doesn't work.

Jim (old fart)

[John B]

doesn't that depend on whether you're fifty-ish yourself? :D

but getting back to the boats....they can probably/possibly hack it but sometimes the extra loadings of newer technology can cause compounding problems with older hulls.

[bamamick]

I very much agree with JohnB about how much load the hull will take. We discussed this yesterday in the Dragon thread. Talk to the other guys in the fleet.

As far as 3D sails on your varnished hull, most of the meter classes have boats like that. I think that it looks o.k.,and if it makes the boat faster without damaging the hull, then that's the point, eh? Just know for a fact that the whole point of synthetics is less stretch. That means that for them to do their jobs properly that no link in the chain (sails,rig,hull) can stretch. I have never seen the inside of an IOD, but be thinking of a way to bulk up around the mast step and chainplates for the shrouds.

Mickey Lake

[buhmkin]

Yeah, if you can beef up the mast step and chainplates without disqualifying yourself from racing, check out the Farallone 'jock' illustrated in - IIRC - Issue 159.

Eli

[ 12-02-2004, 05:03 PM: Message edited by: buhmkin ]

[True Love]

Hi Wampum,

Nice boat, great lines. I'm curious about one thing - you are willing to consider splines and epoxy, keeping her hull bright, and have a "restorer" for her, but you want to save a few bucks by storing her on a trailer? She's carvel planked, right? Why not do her a favor and store her on a cradle in a shed w/a wood floor. I can see where you might not want to run the risk of fire by storing her in a boat yard shed where flammables are kept near by, but I don't understand storing her on a trailer, unless your Triad is more than just glorified jack stands.

Just curious.

[rbgarr]

Trailer, cradle... what's the difference to the hull as long as she's well supported?

[lagspiller]

I'm sure you already have this, but....
http://www.internationalonedesign.org/
There is a very informative table over minimum requirements on the site.

As far as the discussion on bright or painted, I don't think it will be any diffence as far as legality goes. Many of the boats in older classes end up painted as the number and size of black stains in the wood increases. There are just so many times you can sand down a hull before it starts to be alarmingly thin.

I looked though a book titled "Norges Seiler Konge" on my bookshelf... about the sailing career of the present king. It doesn't mention an IOD. He started out in a 12.5 sq.meter and now sails One Ton class. WC in 5.5 meter and medals in Soling. His father King Olav started in 22 sq.meter but changed to 6 meter in the '30s... Olympic gold - several times, I believe.

As an apropo, something I just came over. I noticed your connection to the Shields. The IOD was originally designed by Bjarne Aas (Norwegian designer) at the request of Cornelius Shields, who wanted a new one design for på Long Island Sound.

[True Love]

I think a cradle gives better support than jack stands.