Dinghy restoration?

[Chris152]

Thanks Eric - really helpful advice, and definitely keen to keep it all safe. More investigations needed!

One thing's confusing me. I just went up to check dimensions - it's 13'4" (4.06m) long and 5'4" (1.62m) wide (which seems to match what you've said, Eric) . But the Wayfarer dimensions according to Wikipedia are:
LOA 4.827 m (15.84 ft)
Beam 1.855 m (6 ft 1.0 in)
and for the GP14:
LOA 4.27 m (14 ft)
Beam 1.54 m

I've searched elsewhere in case Wiki's got it wrong but can't find different measurements - it's v old, so maybe dimensions changed? Can anyone advise? Thanks.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Thanks Eric - really helpful advice, and definitely keen to keep it all safe. More investigations needed!

One thing's confusing me. I just went up to check dimensions - it's 13'4" (4.06m) long and 5'4" (1.62m) wide (which seems to match what you've said, Eric) . But the Wayfarer dimensions according to Wikipedia are:
LOA 4.827 m (15.84 ft)
Beam 1.855 m (6 ft 1.0 in)
and for the GP14:
LOA 4.27 m (14 ft)
Beam 1.54 m

I've searched elsewhere in case Wiki's got it wrong but can't find different measurements - it's v old, so maybe dimensions changed? Can anyone advise? Thanks.

That all sounds right - I've always thought of Wayfarers as roughly 16ft.

The Ent (that you are considering) has a thickened transom which probably explains the extra inch and, as someone else said, I think, GP 14 stands for "General Purpose 14ft".

Both the Ent and the GP14 are Jack Holt designs. According to Wikipedia the GP14 is older (1949), and the Ent was designed in 1956, so a bit older than I thought, although ours was built in '59.

Note this from the Wikipedia page below about the Enterprise:

"They are also relatively unstable in comparison with other dinghies of similar performance, they have handling characteristics which would generally be associated with much faster designs. "

IMHO, the Wayfarer (designed by Ian Proctor) makes a better dayboat for a family, because of the extra space, higher boom and dry stowage space. I think it is also intended to take an outboard. I've never seen a wooden one, but then I don't get out much these days! They also handle in a more "user-friendly" way under sail (but usually aren't as much 'woo-hoo' fun!).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GP14
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_(dinghy)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayfarer_(dinghy)

The Mirror is also mentioned (another Jack Holt design), and it's quite a bit smaller, and the only one that you might reasonably put on a roof rack on a modern car - the three above really need a trailer. But it is really easy to build, in comparison.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_(dinghy)

Hope that helps. E.

 

[Chris152]

Thanks for your patience, Eric - and everyone else. I've been reading Enterprise in the three posts that identify it for me- as well as my own post where I actually write the name - as Wayfarer. Then I've been wondering how the boat in question fails to match what I'm reading about the Wayfarer.




Long silence, feeling rather embarrassed. Must try to sleep in a bit more in the mornings...

I'm off to start reading about the Enterprise. Thanks again.

 

[Chris152]

Right, some further thoughts in relation to what you've written (esp Eric), think I might be changing tack.

The Enterprise is clearly a tippy boat for a newbie.
Tho I like to think of me and the kids sailing together, smiling to each other with the wind in our hair as we set out on another adventure on the boat I restored, the reality is it'll probably be me sailing single handed in conditions likely to turn squally at any moment. And from what I've been reading, an enterprise (like any larger dinghy) isn't so easy to right on your own after capsize. And if I did get the kids into sailing, do I really want them going out on their own in a boat that dad fixed, with no experience of fixing boats?

You can row and motor an enterprise, but will either work well? I don't know, but it seems not to be designed with that in mind.

Another thing about the boat is that it has numerous darker patches (rot) elsewhere, not going through the ply but a couple of mm into the surface - I've scraped away at them with a screw. Having read about how rot spreads beyond what you can see, this is more work.

Finally - checking prices of sails etc, turns out you can get a whole setup (boat (in better condition) and all bits) that needs work for a few hundred, which is pretty much what I might pay for sails/ mast alone.

Sooo, I think maybe I'm best leaving this boat alone.

I next looked at other boats, esp the Wayfarer, but again, not so easy for a newbie single-handed and difficult to right once on its side or worse.

Finally, I think I'm thinking(!) about going back to a Mirror. Row, motor and sail it for a year and then, as the tune goes, review the situation. I'll look for one that's had no repairs and needs none to the hull (tho I really want wooden), but that needs re-finishing to keep cost down. I've searched but not really found any alternatives to the Mirror that are so flexible and relatively cheap.

Any thoughts/ corrections very much appreciated!
Chris

 

[HappyHacker]

In my teenage years I went on a sailing course to Loch Fyne. They had Enterprises. One of the instructors demonstrated a capsize, the side buoyancy bags floated around to the top of the seats so although he got the boat upright the sides were level with the water so it was impossible to bail it out. The water was so cold we avoided capsizes.

Once you knew what you were doing it was possible to sail them with one side just under the water, if the wind was strong enough, which if your crew was inexperienced would cause them to start getting worried.

On the sailing holiday the safety boat sank on the first day as there was a patch of rot on one of the hulls, it was a catamaran. So we had no safety boat for the course.

Your planned course of action sounds good. There are often better boats available for not a lot of money. But they can be money pits, I have shared a few boats with a friend and the helped keep the costs down. We had a Flying 15 for a while which someone described as like swimming only wetter. I sentiment I can confirm.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Ents are tippy, it's true, but no worse than other boats of that size. The more tricky thing, in my limted experience is the tendency to luff up in a gust. The helmsman ends up using their mainsheet forearm as a sort of on-off piston. In a gust you let the sheet out sharpish, and haul it back in as soon as the boat starts to right itself again - you do get used to it!

Ours had two suits of sails when we bought it, a cotton cruising set (museum quality), and a Terylene "racing" set. The latter were so baggy it was really hard to make ground to windward, but we could never afford to replace them. Racing it was pretty rubbish, as I simply couldn't keep up with newer boats with better rigs.

Dinghy sailing, and in particular racing, is a wonderful thing for older children and teenagers. It can be expensive, but it's excellent exercise (mental and physical), and teaches leadership, self-reliance and an element of self discipline.

A Mirror might be a good first boat - if you like it you can then choose something bigger later (they grow up fast!), if you want to. They do get a bit cramped though with children over 10-12 years, but they have spinnakers, so there are jobs for three people (jolly important!).

More importantly, IIRC there are a number of sailing clubs in Cheshire (reservoirs, etc.). Great places to get started, as people love to help, and they have safety/rescue boats out on week-ends and summer evenings, meaning you can let the kids potter on their own, without worrying about them unduly. Clubs often have members selling/buying boats, too, and the noticeboard is a good place to look (or their web sites these days!).

Enjoy. E.

 

[Phlebas]

Chris152
here is a route to sailing you may not have considered.
Step 1.
Take an ordinary Vator12 (a Finnish motorboat hull) that you have inherited with your house in Sweden.

Step 2.
Cut down three of the straightest trees you have on your land, and make a mast and spars.

Step 3.
Make a sail out of a tarpaulin, carpet tape and reinforcing rings.

Step 4.
Make a frame supporting the mast and the rigging points that can be lashed to the hull.

Step 5.
Install the mast, make a rudder and a lee board.

Step 6.
Check every thing works.

Step 7.
And away we go.

It was a great hoot. And annoyed the sailing purists. And of course anyone with an ounce of concern about safety.
So perhaps don't try this yourself.

 

[novocaine]

The only Mirror I've ever sailed in was a wooden hull. I've been reliably informed the plastic tubs are a bit more nimble but I couldn't really make that claim.

yes, we in Cheshire do have a large number of sailing clubs (think there are 5 or 6 in a 10 mile radius of my house), not much use to you Chris down in Cardiff though.

you can buy a kit to build yourself and at one point there were plans available for them, as you said, you'd like to build one, seems like an ideal boat for a first timer build.

don't think the orignal plans are available from the daily mirror any more. (something like 50 years old now).

 

[Chris152]

Thanks for the replies, all.

My latest cunning plan is to store the Enterprise til it's fully dry, then gradually repair it, making complete panels for the two sections that have rot in the hull and replace the deck. Two sheets of ply should do it. I'll also have to replace a few of structural pieces. Done slowly and thoroughly, I'm confident I'll be able to sort it, and it'll be just me that uses it starting Spring 2021.

Til then, I think I'm going to try to find a Mirror to keep here that doesn't need any work, tidy it up and we'll start using asap, potter with oars and the motor and try to get sailing , then sell it on once I feel I'm ready for the enterprise (by which time I'll have realised the kids aren't that interested/ want a Laser/ have left home/ whatever). It'd be nice to get the kit and build one - apparently we still have mast, sails and rigging from the one dad built - but it's expensive once you factor in resin, especially if it's something to sell on.

Phlebas - that's brilliant. Just need to get that house in Sweden.

Thinking about sticking a mast and sail on things, anyone noticed how cheap used windsurfers are now? Apparently it's flagged as a sport in the UK, which explains it. As the surf gets increasingly crowded, it's got me wondering...