RENEGADE - A MARBLEHEAD YACHT

Introduction	My brother-in-law found this yacht on a rubbish dump. The previous owner had obviously lost patience repairing or restoring this yacht. As you can see from the photo's (Figure 1) there is no keel, rudder, deck or radio gear. The thin fibreglass hull was OK, but a lot of work was required to get it back on the water. This  project involved molding a new fibreglass deck and transom as one piece. Building a new keel, fin box, winch system and rudder. Three deck hatches were built to give a semi-scale appearance.	Top of page
	Figure 1a: Marblehead Yacht before repair Figure 1b: Marblehead Yacht before repair Figure 1a & 1b: Marblehead Yacht before repair
Hull	I decided to build the new deck from epoxy reinforced fibre glass. Epoxy does not stick to PVC, particularly if mold release wax  is applied. Work started with building a temporary deck made of PVC sheet. It was shaped to match the contours along and across the deck. Form work was added for mast anchors, rudder, winch and forward compartment openings. A PVC transom was also fitted. Mold release wax  was applied to the top. Masking tape was run around the edge and waxed to prevent epoxy sticking to the hull. This formed the plug to make the mold. See figure 2.	Top of page
	Figure 1: Marblehead Yacht before repair Figure 2: Marblehead Hull with temporary grey PVC deck. Figure 2: Marblehead Hull with temporary grey PVC deck.
Deck	Approximately three layers of West Systems epoxy fibre glass were laided, first was fine mesh followed by two coarse mesh layers. After curing, the mold was released from the plug. Next wax was applied to the inside of the mold. Then 3 - 4 layers of epoxy fibre glass were laided into the mold to form the deck. After curing, the deck was released from the mold and edges trimmed to about 10 - 15 mm. All balsa framework was removed from inside the hull, except for the rudder tube block which was square, true and solidly glued in place. See figure 3.	Top of page
	Figure 3: Empty Hull with Grey Temporary PVC Deck, New Fibreglass Deck and mold Figure 3: Empty Hull with Grey Temporary PVC Deck,  New Fibreglass Deck and mold
Keel Box	A keel box made of Formica sheet was glued to the under side of the deck using CA glue. The box was cemented in place using fibre glass tape and epoxy. The new deck was glued into the hull using epoxy thickened with some microballons. The hull and keel box joint was sealed using balsa strips. Balsa ribs were added inside the hull to add stiffness to the thin hull material. All these components were sealed in place using epoxy. See figure 4.	Top of page
	Figure 4: Formica Keel box wrapped in Fiberglass Figure 4: Formica Keel box wrapped in fibreglass
Rudder and Keel	Rudder was made from plywood and brass rod. It's shape was styled upon other Marblehead yacht rudders. Keel was made from two pieces of plywood glued together and shaped as shown. The top was cut to form a snug fit in the keel box. A piece of threaded brass rod with nut was inserted deeply into the top of the Keel so as to hold the fin in place through a hole in the deck. Two lead half bulbs were joined together around an aluminium strip and connected to the Keel. The fully loaded hull was test floated and the size the lead bulbs reduced until the proper water line was reached (tip of transom and bow just above water). It 's adviseable to remove slightly more weight to allow for fiberglass sealing, filling and paint adding extra weight later on. Both rudder and Keel were covered in light cloth and epoxy. See Figure 5.	Top of page
	Figure 5: Keel and Rudder Figure 5: Keel and Rudder
Winch	A Hitec 785HB winch servo was used in an under deck single loop configuration for jib and main sail control. A spring mounted bow pulley connected to the under side of the jib stay kept the loop taught. This was attached through the deck and fastened top side via a bracket, bolt and nut. A thin layer of silicone made a water tight seal. Winch and rudder servo's were mounted on a platform inside the central hatch. A fixed pulley was mounted on the rudder block. Two small 6 mm stainless steel rings were tied along the loop and attached by fishing swivels to Dacron jib and main sail lines. These passed out through two small holes in the deck and connected to jib and main booms via fishing swivels. Bowsies were fitted to both lines to provide adjustment of sail positions relative to the winch. See figure 6a, 6b and 6c.
	Figure 6a: Spring Mounted Bow Pulley Figure 6a: Spring Mounted Bow Pulley
	Figure 6b: Sail Winch and Rudder Servo 6b: Winch and Rudder Servo
	Figure 6c: Rear pulley 6c: Rear pulley	Top of page
Hatches	Three hatches were constructed of light ply and Balsa. The front being a simple hatch, the middle resembled a cabin and the rear a steering cockpit. A small figure of Snoopy the Dog and a yacht steering wheel were attached. After being sanded to shape they were covered with light cloth and epoxy.	Top of page
	Figure 7: Deck Hatches Figure 7: Deck Hatches
Final Yacht	Sailing trials established the optimum location for the mast and mast stay anchors. Stay anchors made of aluminium angle were fitted through slots cut in the deck and epoxied in place. The rear stay was also made of aluminium and fitted through a slot the the deck in the same manner. A mast locating plate made of aluminium with a range of holes to suit sail conditions either side of optimum was screwed to the deck. A removeable flagstaff was fitted behind the steering cockpit. All exterior surfaces were filled with spray putty and sanded until smooth. Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover 2X Grey Primer Spray was applied to all surfaces. Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover 2X Gloss White was applied as two coats to the deck and transom. All other surfaces received two coats of Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover 2X Gloss Deep Blue. White 3 mm pin striping was run around the hull for affect. The word "Renegade" was added to both sides of the bow in white vinyl lettering and to the transom in black lettering. Finally, all surfaces were covered with Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover 2X satin clear spray paint. Launched December 2015. See figure 8a abd 8b.	Top of page
	Figure 8a: Snoopy the Sea Dog Figure 8a: Snoopy the Sea Dog Figure 8: Renegade yacht Figure 8b: Renegade yacht