Skimmar 12' restoration in progress
- Thread starter Tony D. Woodpussy
- Start date
Skimmar Undercoated - Ready for final finish
We're all set to apply two coats of Rustoleum Sand Beige to the Cockpit and deckl:dance:. We installed jib block mounts on the side decks similar to the ones on Rob's 1977 Skimmar (New Hampshire). My boat was built prior to Nov. 1972 since there's no H.I.N. anywhere on the hull. Photos below show the jib block mounts, the rudder, from another boat (none came with this boat) and the bow eye installed through a hole in the bulkhead, as described earlier in this thread.
We're all set to apply two coats of Rustoleum Sand Beige to the Cockpit and deckl:dance:. We installed jib block mounts on the side decks similar to the ones on Rob's 1977 Skimmar (New Hampshire). My boat was built prior to Nov. 1972 since there's no H.I.N. anywhere on the hull. Photos below show the jib block mounts, the rudder, from another boat (none came with this boat) and the bow eye installed through a hole in the bulkhead, as described earlier in this thread.
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Hull nearing completion
One more coat of finish will be applied on the interior and the deck and we can begin to rig her. You'll love some of the bronze fittings we've been able to locate to replace the crummy originals on the deck. We took photos today to get an idea how the boat will look when completed. The seats and floorboards were placed in temporarily and the rope rub rail isn't yet secured. Notice the three 4" access ports. The one in the forward bulkhead was used when we installed the missing bow eye. The two in the centerboard trunk were used to gain access to the pin and to repair a leak found at the forward end of the trunk,(inner hull).
One more coat of finish will be applied on the interior and the deck and we can begin to rig her. You'll love some of the bronze fittings we've been able to locate to replace the crummy originals on the deck. We took photos today to get an idea how the boat will look when completed. The seats and floorboards were placed in temporarily and the rope rub rail isn't yet secured. Notice the three 4" access ports. The one in the forward bulkhead was used when we installed the missing bow eye. The two in the centerboard trunk were used to gain access to the pin and to repair a leak found at the forward end of the trunk,(inner hull).
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I'll pick up a few items needed to complete the rig at Bill's Marine consignment shop http://www.castawaysli.com/ near Islip MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkama. I'll return the double block with becket and replace it with a "fiddle block" with becket and swivel. I hope he has a cheap one for me, so I can rig the traveler.
I spent about an hour freeing up the mainsail sheaves at the top of the mast and totally destroyed them in the process...... picked up two new ones at West Marine ($10 ea.) and found they were about 1/32" too thick so I spent two more hours filing down the sheave housing. My arms are still sore.:cussing: When I hoisted the sails I found the main sail didn't go to the top of the mast (by about 3'). The mast no doubt was replaced with a longer one than the original at some point. Luckily, there was a larger sail in my garage (I'll be darned if I know where it came from) which fits almost perfectly (red white and blue sail in the photo).
I'm delighted with the bronze fittings replacing the cruddy ones on that came with the boat. Check out the stem fitting and the foredeck chock, as well as the mooring cleat my friend Peter Tomlinson made for me; hand carved from a block of Lignum Vitae.:dance: It's in two pieces; the bolts are hidden under the "cap"... epoxied in place. Also check out the centerboard cap where the controls are secured. There wasn't a wood cap originally. The jib jam cleats on the cap are original but the bronze main sheet block and the aluminum jam cleat for the mainsheet are new to the boat. (The aluminum jam cleat was from my 1975 Island 17'.) The centerboard pennant is secured to a small bronze cleat on the starboard side of the cap (not seen in the photo). The two bronze traveler blocks were from my Dyer Dow sailing dink which I never got around to rigging as a sailboat.
I'm not happy with the look of the jib block mounts. Although the bronze blocks look great, they're a bit of "overkill" for the small jib. At some point I'll tear off the wooden mounts and replace the fittings with two smaller bullet blocks on cars found at the consignment shop ... great price. The track will be mounted on the gunwale and "cheeked" with small wooden strips to prevent the track from presenting sharp edges to captain and crew.
I have an envelope with the receipts for stuff I purchased for the boat. ....afraid to add it up....spent a lot more than anticipated...I hope SWMBO doesn't find out!:naughty: ....or she may reneg on her offer to paint Skimmer birds on each topsides (rear).
Can't wait to see how Skimmar sails!
Regards.
Tony
I spent about an hour freeing up the mainsail sheaves at the top of the mast and totally destroyed them in the process...... picked up two new ones at West Marine ($10 ea.) and found they were about 1/32" too thick so I spent two more hours filing down the sheave housing. My arms are still sore.:cussing: When I hoisted the sails I found the main sail didn't go to the top of the mast (by about 3'). The mast no doubt was replaced with a longer one than the original at some point. Luckily, there was a larger sail in my garage (I'll be darned if I know where it came from) which fits almost perfectly (red white and blue sail in the photo).
I'm delighted with the bronze fittings replacing the cruddy ones on that came with the boat. Check out the stem fitting and the foredeck chock, as well as the mooring cleat my friend Peter Tomlinson made for me; hand carved from a block of Lignum Vitae.:dance: It's in two pieces; the bolts are hidden under the "cap"... epoxied in place. Also check out the centerboard cap where the controls are secured. There wasn't a wood cap originally. The jib jam cleats on the cap are original but the bronze main sheet block and the aluminum jam cleat for the mainsheet are new to the boat. (The aluminum jam cleat was from my 1975 Island 17'.) The centerboard pennant is secured to a small bronze cleat on the starboard side of the cap (not seen in the photo). The two bronze traveler blocks were from my Dyer Dow sailing dink which I never got around to rigging as a sailboat.
I'm not happy with the look of the jib block mounts.
Although the bronze blocks look great, they're a bit of "overkill" for the small jib. At some point I'll tear off the wooden mounts and replace the fittings with two smaller bullet blocks on cars found at the consignment shop ... great price. The track will be mounted on the gunwale and "cheeked" with small wooden strips to prevent the track from presenting sharp edges to captain and crew. I have an envelope with the receipts for stuff I purchased for the boat. ....afraid to add it up....spent a lot more than anticipated...I hope SWMBO doesn't find out!:naughty: ....or she may reneg on her offer to paint Skimmer birds on each topsides (rear).
Can't wait to see how Skimmar sails!
Regards.
Tony
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Skimmar had a "test sail" What a rush!
Sat. I spent about an hour and a half sailing Skimmar. .... 8-10Kts, initially with the red/wht/blu sail and later 15 kts. with the white "Skimmar" sail.
I can't identify the RWB sail since I don't recognize the emblem and I'll be darned if I know where I found the sail; but it was in my loft, fits perfectly, and the boat handled well with this sail until the breeze picked up and I was a bit overpowered. I changed over to the regulation white "Skimmar" sail and the boat handled well in the stiffer breeze. The mast must have been replaced along the way with a mast a couple of feet longer than a standard Skimmar mast, so It can handle the larger sail.
In the photos below you'll note my weight was too far aft for best performance. The main sheet fitting did not rotate 360 degrees and I had to trim it from the far aft position. Today I replaced it with a more suitable fitting.
Thanks to my friend Joe Resch, who guided me during the restoration process. There were several technical challenges to overcome along the way :cussing:and Joe, with his keen engineering mind, was able to offer solutions and helped me complete the project.
The "Skimmar" may soon be going to a sailor in the Cape Cod area. :cry:
Does anyone know of a small boat needing my TLC?
Sat. I spent about an hour and a half sailing Skimmar. .... 8-10Kts, initially with the red/wht/blu sail and later 15 kts. with the white "Skimmar" sail.
I can't identify the RWB sail since I don't recognize the emblem and I'll be darned if I know where I found the sail; but it was in my loft, fits perfectly, and the boat handled well with this sail until the breeze picked up and I was a bit overpowered. I changed over to the regulation white "Skimmar" sail and the boat handled well in the stiffer breeze. The mast must have been replaced along the way with a mast a couple of feet longer than a standard Skimmar mast, so It can handle the larger sail.
In the photos below you'll note my weight was too far aft for best performance.
The main sheet fitting did not rotate 360 degrees and I had to trim it from the far aft position. Today I replaced it with a more suitable fitting.Thanks to my friend Joe Resch, who guided me during the restoration process. There were several technical challenges to overcome along the way :cussing:and Joe, with his keen engineering mind, was able to offer solutions and helped me complete the project.
The "Skimmar" may soon be going to a sailor in the Cape Cod area. :cry:
Does anyone know of a small boat needing my TLC?
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The Skimmer will be delivered to Ma. at the end of this month.
You won't believe this.......! I had such fun when I test sailed the Skimmar two weeks ago today I searched every Craig's listing on the East Coast and guess what????.... I found another one and will pick it up on Monday. This one I'll keep for myself. I'll hold off restoring it till the spring and will have it ready to sail by Memorial day 2013. My WoodPussy is up now for sale http://capecod.craigslist.org/boa/3069798233.html and there's some interest being shown. Stay tuned!
You won't believe this.......! I had such fun when I test sailed the Skimmar two weeks ago today I searched every Craig's listing on the East Coast and guess what????.... I found another one and will pick it up on Monday. This one I'll keep for myself. I'll hold off restoring it till the spring and will have it ready to sail by Memorial day 2013. My WoodPussy is up now for sale http://capecod.craigslist.org/boa/3069798233.html and there's some interest being shown. Stay tuned!
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I've been fortunate to locate two "Skimmars" which I'll restore in 2013. Neither owner was aware of the type of boat they had so I identified them it from the Craig's list photos provided. (see below), One was found in New Jersey and one in Ma. The Trailers aren't useable but the boats have real potential. I'll restore one for myself and the other I'll sell when completed.
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Re: Skimmar's hull is painted - Final Coat Today!
Love the photos!
My house purchase came with an unexpected bonus - a 12' Skimmar on a trailer. It's been sitting in a garage for years.
Can you possibly tell me where I can find out anything about it - besides a cleaning, no idea what repairs it will need. I am new to owning it and want to see it restored and back on the water.
Thanks in advance,
Glenn
Love the photos!
My house purchase came with an unexpected bonus - a 12' Skimmar on a trailer. It's been sitting in a garage for years.
Can you possibly tell me where I can find out anything about it - besides a cleaning, no idea what repairs it will need. I am new to owning it and want to see it restored and back on the water.
Thanks in advance,
Glenn
Glenn,
I had such a good time test sailing my restored Skimmar before I sold it , I searched Craig's list on the East Coast and found two more needing TLC. I plan to keep one for myself and sell the second one.
I was unable to find anyone with knowledge of these boats but as you can see from a few of the comments, I did get support from a couple of Skimmar owners.
If you'd like to contact me by email (santone@optonline.net) I'll provide my Tel # and will be glad to chat with you about solutions to restoration challenges you'll face. None of them are major but some may require elbow grease.
Regards,
Tony
I had such a good time test sailing my restored Skimmar before I sold it , I searched Craig's list on the East Coast and found two more needing TLC. I plan to keep one for myself and sell the second one.
I was unable to find anyone with knowledge of these boats but as you can see from a few of the comments, I did get support from a couple of Skimmar owners.
If you'd like to contact me by email (santone@optonline.net) I'll provide my Tel # and will be glad to chat with you about solutions to restoration challenges you'll face. None of them are major but some may require elbow grease.
Regards,
Tony
It's mid Feb. and we've had a nasty snowstorm. My Skimmars are both covered with snow and I can't wait till the weather warms up so I can start work on them.
Tony, I bought one of these pretty little boats 2 years ago. I know nothing about boating or fiberglass restoration, but it looked like it had nice lines and shape and size to me and I wanted a little boat. It has some holes here and there and the fittings do seem chintzy. No mast or step or other parts I don't know the names of. Glad to see you are supposed to put a floor in - I wondered about that.
If the next two restorations involve dealing with that hole on the bottom where the centerboard trunk meets the hull, would you please document your repairs with a few pictures and post them? I think mine suffers a similar hole in the same place. Also, can I put oarlocks (on pads or holders?) somewhere? It may get rowed before sailed if the holes are patched.
Lord she is cute.
Thanks,
Susan
If the next two restorations involve dealing with that hole on the bottom where the centerboard trunk meets the hull, would you please document your repairs with a few pictures and post them? I think mine suffers a similar hole in the same place. Also, can I put oarlocks (on pads or holders?) somewhere? It may get rowed before sailed if the holes are patched.
Lord she is cute.
Thanks,
Susan
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Skimmar Restoration
Susan,
I haven't started on my two Skimmars in the yard yet but the weather is warming up this week. Send me a note and I'll forward my telephone # if you want some ideas before you start your restoration project (santone@optonline.net ). I've restored 5 small boats in the past few years so I'm getting the hang of it!
Regards,
Tony
Susan,
I haven't started on my two Skimmars in the yard yet but the weather is warming up this week. Send me a note and I'll forward my telephone # if you want some ideas before you start your restoration project (santone@optonline.net ). I've restored 5 small boats in the past few years so I'm getting the hang of it!
Regards,
Tony
Susan... The fittings are chinzy, as you noticed. I replaced most of them on the boat I fixed up last year. Floorboards are not a necessity on these boats but do add a nice touch. I'll fix one up and sell it by Memorial Day this year; the other one I plan to keep for myself so I'll do a bang up job on it, including buy new sails for it. I'll probably make lightweight floorboards for the boat I'm keeping. My favorite color scheme for these small boats is a white hull with a sand beige deck and interior .
Wow! Great job! I've just found this site/thread and would like to share a couple of pictures of my 12' Skimmar Seagull. I was surprised to see that there are some significant differences from yours. Although mine is in fairly good shape, I'd like to ask you more about your seats and how I might fit something like that into mine. I've attached a couple of shots of her.
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Hi (Bob?)
I'm not sure you have the same hull as mine. We'd need to compare measurements. There's a possibility it's the same exterior but the mfg. changed the interior design for some reason.....perhaps to make it rowable.
Email or call me and we'll chat.
Regards,
Tony
I'm not sure you have the same hull as mine. We'd need to compare measurements. There's a possibility it's the same exterior but the mfg. changed the interior design for some reason.....perhaps to make it rowable.
Email or call me and we'll chat.
Regards,
Tony
One more comment.....I picked up two Skimmar 12' hulls last year, planning to restore them and keep one for myself. I ran into heath problems (big time) this year so I need to kill that plan. Anyone interested in one of these hulls call or e/mail me. Both boats are sitting under tarps in my yard and I need to get em gone. I want to shed tear each time I walk past them...Both need work, neither need the massive work I did on the boat in the blog above.
Regards,
Tony 631-368-8253 (Long Island)
Regards,
Tony 631-368-8253 (Long Island)
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