Randy’s Thistle Resources

Restoration of Thistle 153

Adapted from a summary by John O’Connor

John’s Intro

“Here is the history of my Thistle... I've had a few glass Thistle', but had always wanted a woodie. I found 153 advertised in the Bagpipe (class magazine) as "The strongest, least used D&M ever, perfect condition - $6500". After several conversations with the boat owner I learned the following; this is a D&M "kit" boat that was purchased in 1947 and shipped to New Hampshire. The original owner installed some rails, seats and painted the hull black. He never got any further, but the boat remained inside a barn. The fellow I bought it from (we’ll just call him Owner #2) found it that way in 1987.”

First Restoration

The boat was shipped by Owner 2 to Great Midwest (Doug Laber) where:

1. it was "sandblasted" with walnut shells to remove the paint

2. the old rails were stripped off

3. new rails (mahogany/ash), gratings, stanchions, thwart, etc., bailers, and centerboard trunk were installed

4. the boat was then shipped back to NH

5. Owner #2 completed the boat and launched it in June of '88. He sailed in a few local regattas per year until his health deteriorated in '91. The boat had been in his garage since then.

This is the history as told by Owner #2. John was excited! He thought he had a perfectly built, unused wooden Thistle.

John’s New Boat…

John sent Owner #2 a deposit and traveled to NH. When he uncovered a portion of the hull, the boat was definitely not "perfect". The varnish had been applied with a roller and was covered with "runs". The bottom paint (Imron) looked nice, though, and the rig and hardware appeared ok. John bought the boat and took it home.

On the first launching, they pulled the main and jib out only to discover that the main had been home to a family of mice that had nested, eaten, relieved them selves, and then died in it! (This is not good.)

The spinnaker had been something's nest that had turned it to shreds. When launched, the boat sank (up to the flotation) before John returned from parking the trailer!

Repairs

The leak was easy to find, once back on the trailer they filled it with a hose and watched water cascade out of the centerboard slot. The bailers also leaked.

At home, while fixing the trunk (hull upside down) there was a peeling portion on the Imron. It came off as a 36" strip, and John learned that the hull had not been sanded prior to painting (it had been "sealed" withepoxy), and it hadn't been primed either!

Hull

The hull was very "lumpy" and "unfair" – so much for buying a boat that was “perfect”. The hull was sanded, primed, and coated. The work was completed just in time for last years Midwinters (hardware was actually still being installed in the St. Pete yacht club parking lot).

Trailer

The trailer was structurally sound, but also needed attention before any lengthy trip. It was sandblasted/painted, new bearings, tires and wheels were installed and custom bunks (closed cell foam pads, covered with Sunbrella) were also built.

Try Again…

The breeze was up (15-18) for their first races - other problems quickly surfaced. NOTHING was through bolted or bedded with adhesive sealant. The attaching screws were way too so the entire mainsail block/cleat assembly came off of the CB cap while still in the harbor. Other attachment points had dry rot surrounding them (resulting from no caulk or other sealant around the hole). The boat was basically pulling apart.

Once John returned home he stripped everything off the boat (this is the right way to do it when you don’t know how the boat was put together). Remember most sailors do work on their boats. You need to find out what quality of work they did on your boat..

Third Try…

This is, the work completed on this Thistle in 2000-2001:

Flipped the boat over. For a month rolled it out into the sunshine in the mornings, in the evenings back into the garage with heaters under it to make sure it was "dry" before the repair was started.
CB trunk/ keelson/ hull joint (inside the CB trunk) was ground out and filled with Interlux Interconnect, a waterproof epoxy filler).
The joint was then "taped" with 1 ply of 2" fiberglass cloth. Inside of the hull, the joint was lightly ground and filled with an epoxy - cabosil "bog". This joint is very strong and does NOT leak.
The hull has been covered with 1 ply of fiberglass matt. Below the waterline has been "faired" with epoxy-cabosil filler.
Below the waterline was primed with Interlux waterproof, epoxy primer (Interprotect 2000 E) and top coated with InterluxPerformance Underwater Epoxy withTeflon (.75 Gal to get the specked 10 mil thickness).
Above the waterline (and the interior) are coated with 6 coats of Bristol Finish Acrylic Varnish (Bristol).
The interior was stripped, coated with epoxy, questionable wood replaced, and coated with varnish.
All hardware was "bedded" with 3M 101 waterproof caulk.

The sails were cut by Omar Sails - a local sail maker. They were measured at last years MidWinters East.

Contact John O’Connor for questions

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