An old Ford 20 sailboat was found last summer. The tires on its trailer were severely weather checked; one tire was flat. The foredeck and cabin top were covered with fungus and moss. Dirt and debris covered the cockpit and cabin floor. There were hornets galore in and around the boat. Later nine hornets nests were eventually cleaned out that were in the cabin and behind the cockpit seats using a hot water sprayer at a car wash.
The mast, boom, rudder, tiller and rigging was all there; along with the sails.
The flat tire was replaced and it was hauled 100+ miles to the cleanup facilities and home port.
There's a lot to be said for the high-pressure, hot water hand wands at a car wash. Those things clean off decades worth of dirt, grime and growth from the inside and the outside of a fiberglass sailboat in a very short time; if . . . you do mind getting damp yourself.
Multiple, live, active hornets nests? No problem.
The Ancher Sailboat Co. designed the Ford 20 as an ultra-light, high-performace, racing sailboat; which, is an accurate description.
I had owned a Ford 20 a couple of decades ago. That sailboat was decidedly nimble, fast, balanced and stable. I vividly remember leaning back over the weather side; with the lee rail buried; in 20mph winds with gusts to who-knows; reaching through the angry whitecaps; with the sailboat not minding a bit; calm as a cucumber. It must be admitted, I wished I'd never sold that racing sailboat. As it is, lengthwise, a 6 meter sailboat; it has plenty of room in the cockpit; and, the windlass controlled centerboard performs
like a dream. So now, I have a Ford 20 again.
The mast, boom, rudder, tiller and rigging was all there; along with the sails.
The flat tire was replaced and it was hauled 100+ miles to the cleanup facilities and home port.
There's a lot to be said for the high-pressure, hot water hand wands at a car wash. Those things clean off decades worth of dirt, grime and growth from the inside and the outside of a fiberglass sailboat in a very short time; if . . . you do mind getting damp yourself.
The Ancher Sailboat Co. designed the Ford 20 as an ultra-light, high-performace, racing sailboat; which, is an accurate description.
I had owned a Ford 20 a couple of decades ago. That sailboat was decidedly nimble, fast, balanced and stable. I vividly remember leaning back over the weather side; with the lee rail buried; in 20mph winds with gusts to who-knows; reaching through the angry whitecaps; with the sailboat not minding a bit; calm as a cucumber. It must be admitted, I wished I'd never sold that racing sailboat. As it is, lengthwise, a 6 meter sailboat; it has plenty of room in the cockpit; and, the windlass controlled centerboard performs
