Restoring my Jollyboat

[scott robinson]

I'm taking off my decks for replacement and wondering how blasphemus it would be to get rid of the 2-3 inch extension (or breakwater) and just have the decks flush with the hull (with a rubbing board). It would save work and weight. I won't be racing so there's no problem with measurement rules.

Thanks,
Scott

[jon711]

Well that's up to you, but it may affect the resale value. I would not buy an "out of class boat"....

[Rupert]

Are you just talking about making the gunwales narrower? I suspect that in the class rules there is only a max measurement anyway, and if you are sailing on flat water, you shouldn't need as much spray deflection. Just be sure you have enough stiffness in the hull without the extra gunwale width, and that the inwales are sound.

[Ed]

There has been at least one other Jollyboat re-built like this and as far as I am aware it raced within the class.

You can check whether it is in class or not by looking through the rules on the Jollyboat blogsite. If they are not there, give me a call and I will send out to you.

But to be honest......the class collapsed in 1971 (as far as I can tell) and there have not been a set of ratified class rules since then. In fact there was a large rule revision on the cards for the last AGM. It had been passed by the committee and was to be put before the membership. However, I have no evidence that this AGM ever took part. So we can not be sure whether these rules were ever accepted, even though we know they are in general use.

It has been over 10 years since we last had over 3 boats turn up to a regatta, and a Jollyboat would be welcomed with or without gunwhales to any CVRDA event.

Quite a few of the 'modernised' boats, would not measure within the original rules, for one reason or another. The extra boom height and free rudder design both being used by most/many boats, mine included.

So I don't think being in or outside the rules of 1971....or 1970, will really make any difference to the value or ease of selling of the boat.

There are other questions.....like we have recently discovered that there are Jollyboats with 2 distinctly different stem shapes.....were there two moulds? Was it changed? We don't know, but either would be welcome.

But back to the Gunwhales....and to cut em out or not....

Personally I would be against it for these reasons:

• The jollyboat is awfully thin with the gunwhales, but without them it looks canoe-width. Turn if over and look at the bottom of hull

• The shape of the decks (the width of the gunwhales) is given by the overhang. With them the boat has lovely long curved sides, but without them you loose the plan-shape along the straight sides

• With a boat this thin....but carrying so much canvas, you need every inch of width to help get the crew (weight) as far out of boat as possible

• The Jollyboat is a pretty wild ride at times and in waves throws LOTS of spray. A major issue for the helm when blasting along on one of those wild reaches...is that you can often be doing it completely blind!!! from spray in the face. This is why you often have to hunker your head behind the bum/body of your trapezing crew to keep the spray out of your face. So I would not remove anything that was in any way deflecting spray.

• In terms of build-time, I don't think the outer edge of gunwhale is the hard bit! The inner edge of decking is the bugger as it has to fit inside the tank edge. The outer edge can just be cut over-size and planed down.
  
  Do you have any pictures?
  
  If so, please do send to me and I will put up on the Jollyboat blogsite.
  
  cheers
  
  eib

[scott robinson]

My father (in his 81 st year and owner of Albacore 2700 since 1972) and I had a discussion about this sunday afternoon and agreed that I should keep the overhang. If for nothing else the boat would look way too skinny without them (probably why Uffa created them in the first place...)

I'm going to try to make the boat look as close to original as possible. But sticking to class rules isn't really necessary considering it might be the only seaworthy Jollyboat in Canada.

Ed, thanks very much for your input.

I've been in contact with Mungo Marsden about his late fathers Jollyboat in Canada. Seems there's a difficult ownership/will issue so we're waiting to see what happens. I've offered my trailer if he needs it. Anything to get another Jollyboat on the water...