Back on the Water

[FDUSA1426]

I am a novice sailor living in upstate New York who recently purchased 1968 FD, which had been rebuilt and updated in 1995. The rigging had been a bit neglected, but after a couple of months of cluelessness, I was able to get her properly rigged and on the water at my local club.

As I am sure you can guess, she was everything I hoped she would be. She sailed amazingly well and fast, an absolute dream on the water.

I had been launching and recovering her via the concrete ramp, but last week we had some heavy weather and I decided to take her out of the water using one of the club’s hoists. But being a complete dumbass who had never used a hoist on my own before, I failed to noticed that my spreader arm was caught under the arm of the hoist. The bracket of the spreader arm bent of course, and even worse, the mast is now bent. The lifting bridal broke and the rudder and centerboard were damaged when she fell, glancing off the dock and back into the water.

I think that the centerboard may be repairable and I have ordered a new rudder. But I have no idea what to do about the mast. Can it be straightened or do I need a new one? Are there used 1990’s era aluminum masts available for purchase?

I absolutely love my boat and I am committed to doing whatever it takes to get her back on the water, and sailing in top condition if possible. But I am not a wealthy person and I need to find a solution that is economically practical.

I like my club but they are mostly advising me to toss my boat out and get a thistle. I love my FD and wouldn’t trade her for 10 thistles.

Does anyone have any constructive ideas? Yes, I know that I am a dumbass who should probably take up ping-pong leave the sailing to people who know what they are doing. Maybe someone has a more helpful suggestion.

[Flyingdutchmansailor]

Get in touch with some US sailors; you'll come up with a mast and the other bits fairly easily. You might even come up with the exact match. http://www.sailfd.org/USA/

For heaven's sake, pay no attention to the Thistle-ey folks; even an elderly FD will be more fun and get you wet faster.

[FDUSA1426]

Good news! Flying Dutchman USA 1426 is back on Seneca Lake with a replacement mast, rudder and centerboard. She also needed major repairs done to correct soft wood in her centerboard trunk.

She sails beautifully. We are still very inexperienced sailing her but I'm hoping that we will be able to acquire enough skill to participate in some of the Canandaigua Lake events. I can't always find someone at Seneca to sail with so I've been taking her out single handed with just her main sail up. Last week I did find a more experienced skipper to sail with me, so I could finally try out the trapeze and Genoa sail. Wow. Crewing this boat is incredibly fun and exciting.

I'm getting more comfortable with her complicated rigging. I've got the spinnaker sail rigged but I still need to work out how to rig the topping lift. And I don't even know what a "mast inversion preventer" is, and have no idea how it should be set up.

The starboard side air space is now pretty dry, thanks to the work on the centerboard trunk, but the port side airspace still fills with water, even in very mild conditions. I wish I knew how to correct that. My outhaul lines are worn and won't stay cleated. Other than that, I'm very happy with the condition of this classic racer.

Mostly I need a lot of time on the water and maybe even some practice racing.

Thanks to all in the Flying Dutchman community who have been so helpful and supportive.

[Flyingdutchmansailor]

You gotta' find that leak. It's inconvenient at best. And slow.

Put the boat upside down on a couple sawhorses. Prepare a small bucket of soapy water and a rag. Stick the wand from an able vacuum cleaner through a coffee can lid and stick that assembly through one of the access ports. Close all the other accesses and drains; tape up small fitting holes, and the opening for the spinnaker. Turn on the vacuum cleaner with the wand plugged into the exhaust (pressure) side. Wipe all the suspect areas with the sopping, soapy rag. You'll see the bubbles if you've got any sort of pressure in the boat.

The leak will probably be along the CB trunk - hull joint, or at the ends of the trunk, or at the screws that held the trunk flaps.

If not, turn it right side up, repeat the soaping, and have a look where the tanks meet the hull or cb trunk or where the double bottom meets the trunk.

Also look where freezing could have broken something. (For example, a 1960's Newport is susceptable where the cockpit drains pass through the transom.)