Idon't know how it took me three years into our restoration / retirement project to find this site. This looks like a lot of great community.
photos posted CAMPER & NICHOLOSON 58
My wife and I, mad fools that we are, bought a hurricane damaged 1984 Camper & Nicholson 58 Ketch and had it trucked from Ft Lauderdale to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2007. The trip took over a week on the road. The trucker blew 17 tires.
It arrived with just about enought time to rush through a winterizing project. The boat was never intended to run in a freezing climate so it was a lengthy process to empty and or glycol fill the farious systems. Many parts are in the basement for safe keeping. We used this oportunity to trace and label all
lines, pipes, and hoses. We removed 5 truck-loads of inventory and spare parts.
The major first project was to have the two hurricane hull penetrations professionally repaired. One in the port side and the bow stem was crushed. Both were about 8 inches above water so the boat never shipped serious water. All stanchions and pulpits were destroyed as was most of the toe and splash rail. Summer of 08 we scraped and blasted the bottom and ground out thousands of gel blisters. I also found 8 delaminations of up to about 5 inch diameter. These all proved to require a feathered patch of about 12 to 18 inches diameter and about 1/2inch thick. The hull below water is kevlar and glass and about 1 to 2 inches thick - massive. It is also egg-crate reinforced with 4 inch thick fiberglass ribs in two directions. Note that in the hurrican, I am told that the boat took out the docks on the canal where it got loose.
The new bottom went on in August 08. After fairing and filling with West, we ground the entire bottom with 80 grit and applied 6 coats of INTER PROTECT 2000E and 3 coats of VIVID yellow. Note the block M in blue on the keel. GO BLUE.
The boat was moved again, this time to Muskegon Michigan where the remainder of the repairs will take place. With luck and continued employment we will repaint the masts, the hull, step the masts, install new stanchions, pulpits and rails, acquire a winter cover by fall of 09. We are itching to get the boat in the water by 2010.
Our plan is to cruise the Great Lakes short-term and to retire to the boat and cruise blue water. Hope the economy makes a properous come back.
