Small Boat Restoration: December 2014

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Capri 18 "Sugar 2" Stories

Capn Jack had a Capri 18 a few years back and had the hankering for another one. She sailed great and turned on a dime.

We tracked another one down in good shape at the NAS Marina and brought home Sugar 2. We wanted to play around with leaving a small wing keel boat in a slip and see how much we used her balanced against maintenance and security of the slip. And ease of rigging, down rigging, trailering, launching etc with an 1800 pound boat.

Played with mast raising a bit.

Took the boat to The Boat Yard for bottom paint.

Before.

Somewhere along the way we checked the old motor, it had a rusty gas tank so we opted to buy a new Suzuki 4hp 4 stroke motor from Gary at Lou's Marine. It runs on non ethanol gas and is very quiet. Pushed the boat to hull speed at 1/3 throttle.

We put the boat in at a local ramp and the Skipper expertly navigated us out down the river channel.

We had several nice sails on Sugar 2.

20 Oct 2014: On the Capri 18 Sugar 2, ghosting our way back to the dock with the help of the iron sail...

From SBR 4: Jun 2014 -

22 Nov 2014: Plan A: Motor to the River ramp and put the Capri 18 back on its trailer, but we learn a little more about the local tide and river inlet instead. Plan B: Practice ungrounding from soft mud shoal (s). Motor the Capri 18 for an hour and a half, a little more break in time for the Suzuki 5 hp. Tim gets to troll for a bit, nothing biting. Check out Osprey nests. Practice docking and securing the boat in brisk crosswind. Beautiful crisp day, 60F, East wind 12-15, nice salty chop on the Little Bay, coffee and company were outstanding.

From SBR 4: Jun 2014 -

24 Nov 2014: Capri 18 for sale, it needs some bigger water.

From SBR 4: Jun 2014 -

05 Dec 2014: Motored Sugar 2 to the Holley Ramp and brought her back to the casa for some cleanup.

From SBR 4: Jun 2014 -

16 Dec 2014: Picked up Sugar 2 from The Boat Yard in Ft Walton Beach, she had the bottom cleaned and Pettit SR60 touched up.

From SBR 4: Jun 2014 -

19 Dec 2014: Glued a cabin hatch trim piece with Titebond III, it sets well, cleans up easily and dries waterproof.

From SBR 4: Jun 2014 -

20 Dec 2014: Sugar 2 has a new owner, they are midsizing between a Capri 16 and a 25 footer. We are all excited about her awaiting adventures!

From SBR 4: Jun 2014 -

21 Dec 2014: Hmm, I think the new owners are enjoying their Capri 18 :)

From SBR 4: Jun 2014 -

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Grumman 17 Double Ender Canoe Parade

Here's the crew pulling the Grumman 17 double ender "Scout" in to the garage. She is scheduled for cleaning, light sanding, a repaint in Fire Red and Gull Gray, maybe some shark's teeth and a Firebird logo.

From SBR 4: Jun 2014 -

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Murray The Sailor and Sailboat Restorer

Our friend Murray came by to pick up the Highlander trailer, he will use it under his "new" project boat, a Viper 15 named "Lillian." Murray has one of the coolest trucks we have ever come across.

From SBR 4: Jun 2014 -

Friday, December 12, 2014

Minifish Pickin Tennessee "Smoky" and "Bandit"

We wanted to try out some Minifish, to se whether we liked the lighter weight hull and smaller sail plan. Found a great deal on one in Kingsport and another nearby in Knoxville, fun road trip to pick them up.