420 no. 3

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Pandora
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Joined: Fri May 27, 2016 10:35 pm

420 no. 3

Post by Pandora »

My sailing partner, Geoff Moss, and I have recently acquired 420 no. 3 (we already have Seafly 430, Pandora). The 420 (named Beth by the previous owners as had been nameless) is in reasonable condition and we hope to have her in the water soon. Does anyone know if numbers 1 and 2 are still afloat?
Photo on the Facebook page.
Also, we have some queries re the rigging, if anyone can help.
Thanks
Kathie Applebee
Rupert
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Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:40 pm
Location: Cotswold Water Park

Re: 420 no. 3

Post by Rupert »

I'd assume all the early ones were French? Is it 3rd British boat or 3rd anywhere?
Rupert
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jpa_wfsc
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Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2005 9:52 pm
Location: Oxford (Work) Coteswold Water Park (Sailing)

Re: 420 no. 3

Post by jpa_wfsc »

AFAIK first few hundred were very basic no trapeze, no spinnaker, and transom sheeted. All built by Lanaverre. Here is a link to a french blog where someone has discovered one of the early boats. Even this one is late enough to have centre main sheet. The tanks have mouldings for the traveler to be screwed to. Compare with yours!

http://lanaverre420.blogspot.co.uk/2013 ... e-420.html

As with all early GRP boats, check the condition of the internal wooden blocks that the load bearing fastenings screw into - they often rot away. Especially the bow block under the deck for the forestay. Horrific but not impossible to fix as it would be bonded in before the deck is bonded on. The floors also get very soft often resulting in problems with tanks sealing to the floor. A common fix is to retro=fit another layer of GRP to the entire floor overlapping the side tank flange, this re-seals the tanks and stiffens the boat at the expense of 20 lbs or so more weight.

420 always have been fun to sail - a real handicap bandit when it is very windy as they can keep up with almost anything!

Enjoy!
j./

National 12 "Spider" 2523
Finn K468 'Captain Scarlet'

British Moth, 630, early 60's 'Pisces'

!!!! Not CVRDA !!!!
Comet Trio - something always ready to sail.
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jpa_wfsc
Posts: 1188
Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2005 9:52 pm
Location: Oxford (Work) Coteswold Water Park (Sailing)

Re: 420 no. 3

Post by jpa_wfsc »

By the way an excellent earlier discussion about early 420's .. viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1498&start=0
j./

National 12 "Spider" 2523
Finn K468 'Captain Scarlet'

British Moth, 630, early 60's 'Pisces'

!!!! Not CVRDA !!!!
Comet Trio - something always ready to sail.
LASERTOURIST
Posts: 368
Joined: Wed May 30, 2007 9:54 pm
Location: France

Re: 420 no. 3

Post by LASERTOURIST »

hink the earliest 420 unearthed in france some years ago was N° 62 (manufactured 1959) It was in good condition and had been somehow upgraded.
Lanaverre made conversion kits to upgrade early 420's especially a retrofit traveller kit with fibreglass straps to bolt on the side tanks and a round traveller bar. They usually came with elvström sails , woden mast, built in vang blocks in the mast.

Very long ago I sailed N° 185, 254 and 519 (club boats , rather old sails and crude layoutr even if they had been altered to centre main (without traveller)

The very early 420's had a finn style rudderstock with no pintles a small bock of wood to back the lower rudder fitting on the inside face of the transom (later it was a full bit of wood running from top to bottom of the transom for extra reinforrcement).

The original masts carried no spreaders (but many were retrofitted with round stainless steel spreaders with moulded bronze base plates) .

Number 62 had wooden cleats (later replaced bt the white plastic cleats still found today on hobie cats masts for the halyards, a clever, self locking device).
Restoration of N° 62 is no longer online but there is another example of a good very early 420 on this link, showing how to restore the very cleverly designed centreboard case seals (tucked in a special recess at the base of the centreboard case for protection when dragged on a sandy beach

http://www.forumvoile.com/forum/viewtop ... 8&start=10
LASERTOURIST
Posts: 368
Joined: Wed May 30, 2007 9:54 pm
Location: France

Re: 420 no. 3

Post by LASERTOURIST »

restoration of 420 N° 62 can be found here, but unfortunately a good numbre of the pics are no longer available

http://www.forumvoile.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=33

On this early Lanaverre , not only the cleats were made of wood but the jibsheet fairleads were bronze , typically 40's or 50's ish ...while the boat was way ahead of its times for 1958/1959.

Later the fairleads were translucent white plastic (first half circle , then Half teardrop shaped).

420 was a brilliant design (only a bit to lightly built) with much thought put in the details.
It was intended for sailing schools and kept very simple (even cam cleats were forbidden) and when i have to lift and handle the present day equivalent (the laser Vago or it's clone from RS sailing) I Won der if we have made a lot of progress... the Vago or the RS are some 40 Kgs heavier than the 1958 420
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