I recently inherited an O'Day Javelin. The hull is in good shape ( as is the trailer) but it has neither rigging nor rudder. How can I find replacements without breaking the bank? Any help would be appreciated.
A blessing or a curse?
- Thread starter fredlan
- Start date
My wife still holds a grudge against the friend who took me on his sailboat the first time! So I am going with CURSE. But I a bit obsessed…so there is that 
Searching Facebook Marketplace, Craig’s list, local boat yards, etc may turn up some used stuff you can but cheap. You may be able to make a rudder (assuming it is hung externally) if you have some handyman skills.
Does she have a mast? Sails?
A mast would be hard to come by I would think. Sails can be purchased (new) but are pricey. Again, you may find something that could be made to work.
What part of the world are you located?
Greg
Searching Facebook Marketplace, Craig’s list, local boat yards, etc may turn up some used stuff you can but cheap. You may be able to make a rudder (assuming it is hung externally) if you have some handyman skills.
Does she have a mast? Sails?
A mast would be hard to come by I would think. Sails can be purchased (new) but are pricey. Again, you may find something that could be made to work.
What part of the world are you located?
Greg
This reminds me of a plakard my Dad kept in our Columbia 22 - "Like a woman, the rigging costs more than the hull".
I had two sailboats for a while and determined that was one too many.
If you don't have any projects needing done on your current boat and just like working on boats, a blessing.
If you are like a dog with a bone when it comes to boat projects (just won't let go), a curse.
I had two sailboats for a while and determined that was one too many.
If you don't have any projects needing done on your current boat and just like working on boats, a blessing.
If you are like a dog with a bone when it comes to boat projects (just won't let go), a curse.
Aside from what Greg said, the real consideration has to do with the condition of the boat beyond the hull. Hulls tend to fair up pretty well to all sorts of insults and neglect. The deck, rudder, cockpit, coamings, and bulkheads - those are the things that can make this more trouble. Many of these areas are wood-cored - they have a thin layer of wood between layers of fiberglass. When water gets into that space and the wood gets wet, it does damage that can become a huge project to repair.
You will want to look for "soft spots" - areas where the wood core is damaged. This is frequently done by sounding with a mallet or screwdriver handle and takes a little bit of practice to get a sense of what a healthy area and a damaged area sounds like. Not hard to do, though, and there are plenty of decent YouTube videos on the subject.
You'll also want to look at any structural wood like compression posts or bulkheads. Look for evidence of water damage.
Carefully look at each place something is attached to the deck or cockpit. Look for signs that the area around that hardware is not sound (such as cracks in the gel coat). For each hole in the deck/cockpit, inspect the underside. This is where damage is more likely to be evident.
Assuming she still has chainplates, remove and inspect them. Do a little reading on what to look for, but the most likely problem is corrosion right where the chainplate passes through the deck. This won't be evident until you remove it.
If this inspection doesn't reveal serious problems, you might have a viable project. But, one very important question:
Is your goal to have a boat you can sail? Or, is your goal to fix up a sailboat? Both are perfectly valid. But, if you just want to have a boat to sail, this will NOT be the easiest or least expensive way to achieve that goal. If you want a project and like the idea of spending 6-12 months fixing up a boat, then this boat MIGHT be viable.
Ignore people who tell you to walk away without knowing your goals, skills, disposition, budget, etc. Some people like to rehabilitate boats that others would have written off, and some people have a hard time understanding that. I don't know you or the boat well enough to advise you about what you should do. I will just say that, you are looking at months of work and likely thousands of dollars to get this boat seaworthy.
Some good pictures of the boat would help the folks here give you some more specific advice.
You will want to look for "soft spots" - areas where the wood core is damaged. This is frequently done by sounding with a mallet or screwdriver handle and takes a little bit of practice to get a sense of what a healthy area and a damaged area sounds like. Not hard to do, though, and there are plenty of decent YouTube videos on the subject.
You'll also want to look at any structural wood like compression posts or bulkheads. Look for evidence of water damage.
Carefully look at each place something is attached to the deck or cockpit. Look for signs that the area around that hardware is not sound (such as cracks in the gel coat). For each hole in the deck/cockpit, inspect the underside. This is where damage is more likely to be evident.
Assuming she still has chainplates, remove and inspect them. Do a little reading on what to look for, but the most likely problem is corrosion right where the chainplate passes through the deck. This won't be evident until you remove it.
If this inspection doesn't reveal serious problems, you might have a viable project. But, one very important question:
Is your goal to have a boat you can sail? Or, is your goal to fix up a sailboat? Both are perfectly valid. But, if you just want to have a boat to sail, this will NOT be the easiest or least expensive way to achieve that goal. If you want a project and like the idea of spending 6-12 months fixing up a boat, then this boat MIGHT be viable.
Ignore people who tell you to walk away without knowing your goals, skills, disposition, budget, etc. Some people like to rehabilitate boats that others would have written off, and some people have a hard time understanding that. I don't know you or the boat well enough to advise you about what you should do. I will just say that, you are looking at months of work and likely thousands of dollars to get this boat seaworthy.
Some good pictures of the boat would help the folks here give you some more specific advice.
This will give you an idea about the shape of the rudder. Looks pretty simple: JAVELIN 14 (FOX) - sailboatdata
I just realized how small the boat is. That changes my answer to about half the time, expense, and complexity. Absolutely doable.
I would think that if you are reasonably handy you could fashion a rudder out of wood. I am assuming the boat will not be docked in the water and will be day sailed off the trailer. Almost any 1 inch board would probably be fine. You could always sheath it with fiberglass, but if your only sailing it a few hours once or twice a month that would probably not be necessary. Rigging for the mast you will have to measure and have made unless you can find an old Javelin. I learned to sail on a Javelin.
You can probably make a better rudder than the original. It can be a fun project. Get informed on ideal foil shapes and you'll like the results.
