Back in March, I was contacted by an old friend who had acquired what turned out to be a Newport 12 meter sailboat hull (he was'nt sure what he had at the time). The hull is definitely old, but in very very good shape. There are a few chips around the edges where the exposed edge of the fiberglass gets rubbed, but no scratches or cracks in the gelcoat or deck. I'm very surprised, there are no cracks whatsoever in the hull.

So, here's the story from what I know so far of the history: The hull was donated to the local Public TV station KQED somewhere around 1980-83. I presume it was donated by the manufacturer or someone who owned the hull. The hull was won in KQED's annual fund raiser auction by a man who stored it in his attic/garage for 20+ years. He then sold it to my friend 5 years ago and I purchased it back in the spring for $150.00 (!)

So, here we go with my largest (model) sailboat build. I have to relocate to the garage for this boat and since all of my shop tools are there, that's a good thing!

I discarded the kit rudder in favor of making my own. The kit rudder is not symmetrical and age has caused the bondo filler to crack around the the brass rod. The new rudder is made from laminated oak and mahogony with the original brass rod epoxied into a slot carved between the last two laminations.

The hull bulkheads are also traced and cut out on the band saw. The fit is fine tuned on a benchtop belt sander.

That's the extent of the work so far... This boat will be getting a wood deck and deck houses. I'm looking forward to this build!

Sweet!!!

That is going to be a Beautiful Boat. Good Luck with her.

The bulkheads are installed along with the mast step and chain plate bases. All of these parts are cut from 5 ply 1/4" plywood and fixed with epoxy.

The rudder post sleeve is also fixed in place with microbaloon filled epoxy. I'll have pictures of the rudder shoe later. Since I don't have a brick of brass to make the rudder shoe, I carved it from a good piece of straight grain Birch with a brass sleeve insert (pictures to come).

Gonna be nice Vince!!!

This hull is old, circa 1981. Being stored on its side for so long has caused the edges to curl inward slightly and the seams along the deck to crack.

Spreading the hull to the original shape is no problem with the installation of bulkheads, but the cracked and damaged seam along the deck areas required cutting out. I used a dremel tool with a fiberglass cutting wheel to remove the damaged areas.

The mast step and back stay reinforcement braces are cut from scrap 1/4" ply and epoxied in place with microbaloon filler to give the epoxy stiffness to fill the gaps under the deck.

Nice yachts and pens? Can't you sit still, Vince? Seriously, my hobbies have hobbies, too. Interest in one thing always lead to more related reading, research, buying, making stuff, etc, etc. Can we see the making of the pens, too?

I get a rash if I sit still for too long... must keep moving... must keep moving...

Becky and I took the weekend and traveled up to Bend OR to spend some time with our friends and see some the local sights. Who would have known there were so many volcanoes in central Oregon! Crater Lake is a sight to see!

Today's work consisted of attaching the bulkheads in place with thickened epoxy and fiberglass cloth. The main bulkheads and mast step bases were already affixed to the deck with epoxy, but the bulkhead sides are still loose. They, along with the forward and aft bulkheads are faired with thickened epoxy with a piece of 1" x 4" lightweight fiberglass cloth laid over for strength. The non-essential bulkheads are affixed with epoxy only.

The thickening agent is glass microbaloons added 1:1 by volume to the epoxy to form a paste the consistency of toothpaste which is easily holds its shape when spread into the corners.

King planks are installed, made from clear grain spruce. The frame for the main hatch is mahogony which will be finished to match some of the deck finish material. The aft hatch framing has not been installed yet...

Looking nice, Vince! Can't wait to see it at the lake! I love the 12 meters... the America's Cup should have never gotten away from the class... (but don't get me started!)

Indeed, I love the shape of the 12 meter boats. I found a link to some pictures of the disassembly of a metal-hulled 12 meter boat... this one had a winged keel.
http://www.molnar-marine.com/us49-demo.html

I completed the deck framing last night and fitted the aft hatch framing (pictures coming soon). So this weekend I'll work on getting the hull sanded and primed and perhaps get a little work in on the radio tray.

The inside of the hull will get an extra layer of fiberglass inside the hatch and a coat of paint to clean up the looks a bit. The hatch frames are mahgony and will be bright finished to match the deck.

Originally Posted by Aerominded

Looking nice, Vince! Can't wait to see it at the lake!

Bernard,
If you're coming to the tug-off at Sprekles on the 26th, I'll bring it up for show and tell. I should have the deck sheathed and the planking started by then.

What a sad end for a 12 meter! He should have given it away. I'd be first in line!

Yep, "USA"... that boat and its revolutionary sistership inspired a lot of us in the SF bay area during 1986-87... the home team... it really is a sad end...

I'll be in SF for the event, Vince! looking froward to seeing you and the 12 Meter!