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Restoring National 12 1713 "Fugitive"

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Background

This boat was generously  given to us on the 11th of April 2006.  She had been stored in a barn  for something like twenty years, and outside before that.   She is No 1713,  constructed in glued plywood, eight planks a side.   As we received her, she was  complete with sails, rudder, tiller, mast and boom.  We towed her from her former home to our sailing club and workshop.  This is what she looked like on arrival.

From the bow - a nice shape	Um, new decks needed

She is of the classic shape and we will restore her if at all possible.  What follows  below is what we found when we got her home. 

Restoration Diary

We have also started a  Restoration Diary which you can read by clicking here and follow our attempts top get her right.  It is updated regularly.  

What we knew to start with

At this early stage  we knew very little about the boat.  There was no builder's plate.  The sail maker's mark has faded to nothing.  There was no sign of a measurer's signature.  Our good friends at CVRDA were very prompt with their help and by the end of the first day we knew that the boat had been first registered in 58-59 and originally called Fugitive. It may be a Proctor design - perhaps a six - or amateur built - we have other avenues to explore. If you know more do please email us at info@tradboat.co.uk    

National Twelve Owners Association

We joined the National Twelve Owners Association who have also been endlessly helpful and provided a Registration Certificate.  They also provide a superb Members Handbook with a history of the 12s. The boat is thought to be a Proctor VIII but we are still not sure.  The NTOA has an established and  growing Vintage Wing for boats of this kind and provides a competition circuit.  If you have one of these its well worth joining!  Contact them at :  www.national12.org  

Classic and Vintage Regatta

You might like to know that we run a classic and vintage regatta at Frensham Pond Sailing Club in July - 14th and 15th in 2007.  You will be very welcome.  If you have one of these bring it - finished or not.  Contact Charles Smith at info@tradboat.co.uk

Getting ready

Job 1  - make up some sort of cover.  None came with the boat and we want to do a lot of the work outside. (Essential if we are going to use paint strippers.) Polythene sheet to start with  - something better soon.  No point in buying a good made-to-measure at this stage.  Besides we want the air to circulate all through the work. We can move into the workshop as and when we need to.

We brush her out.  Fortunately everything is dry and the  previous owner has already had a go with a broom.  Spiders run in all directions and a few snails are added to the club garden. After that we take stock.  Here are just the main headings - there is more in the Restoration Diary.

We had a good look at her and found ...

The most pressing problem is the outwales which have come detached from the top plank - and from the rubbing strips  - because in many places the glue lines have failed.  So have the glue lines to the side decks one section of which was loose and another missing.  Both are  detached from the transom.  The result is a "squashy"  hull which certainly can't be rolled over without collapsing - and  we must keep the shape.

The outside

The outside of the hull is "fair" at first inspection.  It seems to have held its shape reasonably  well, and fixing the outwales and decks will help with that.  There is a section of ply planking missing in the way of the transom but mercifully no splitting at the stem post.  What the state of the hog may be we will have to wait and see.  Varnish is as you see it in the photograph and will need stripping to the bare wood.  Hopefully the wood which was exposed over the years will not be too stained and it may be possible to varnish again after rubbing down.  If not a tasteful coat of green will do the job.

The transom

Oh dear. Lots of rot at the foot of the transom but that's usual and to be expected.  Alas we also find that the hog has turned to mush on the starboard side adjacent to the transom for about eight inches.  Both are nasty jobs, the hog particularly so.

The decks

They must be replaced if the boat is to look right. We are going to need a supply of "blonde" finished marine ply.  The existing material seems to be 3/16ths so what is the nearest metric equivalent?  Sheets used to come as 8' x 4' but not now of course. Something we are going to think about all the way through the job.

The inside

It is soon obvious that there are a lot of internal problems.  Knees broken and unfastened, centerboard capping gone - and so on. We have listed all these separately and if you click here you can get the full flavour of the inside job. 

Spars 

The mast is wooden and badly bent in a sideways direction - the result we guess of hanging that way over the years.  All the fittings are OK and we hope to do something about straightening it.  By modern standards it seem enormous - probably four inches front to back -  and must put a lot of weight high up.  Anyone used to modern lightweight tapers will find it very odd..  The wooden boom seems to fine.

Sails

Both sails are badly iron stained and the jib cringles have corroded or rusted - perhaps the source of the staining.  We would not fly either this main or jib after restoration.. However we plan to keep both for the moment so that we can take measurements for the new ones if restoration of the hull goes well.  We keep the only working piston hank from the jib because we are not sure how easy it is to get new ones.  To be "right" they should be on the new jib and this one is a sort of talisman!

About us

We twice campaigned National 12s in the past with numbers under 1200, and had the fun of scraping and varnishing between all those ribs. So this boat is a bit of a homecoming although thankfully she is of glued construction and we are spared the ribs..  We have done quite a lot of work on older boats over the years but not previously attempted a restoration job on quite this scale.  

The Restoration Diary has started - click here to see how we go along