Thread: Quest B2, Or Quest B3

Originally Posted by BillAU

How can I tell which Quest I have, a B2 or a B3

Contact one of the yacht clubs that used to sail them. McCrae or Carrum? Also try catsailor.org. Someone there will know.

Originally Posted by BillAU

What paint should I use to paint the ply hulls

Probably no right or wrong answer. It depends on what you want to do with the boat.

If you want a pristine show boat use spray applied 2 pack polyurethane after fairing off any dings and carefully sanding. If you want a good looking functional boat use single pack polyurethane brush applied, or use a roller then tip off with a brush. If you just want something functional that floats use exterior house paint.

Good luck with it anyway. They were a great boat in their day. So too the Stingrays and Cobras of that era.

Cheers, Cameron.

G'day Cameron,

Thanks for your advice, I think I'll go with useing single pack polyurethane paint, brush or roller applied...I'm not the best when it comes to painting

Cheers mate,

Bill

Originally Posted by BillAU

G'day,

I have a Quest B2, or B3, not sure which one I have. The cat is all original and in good condition but the hulls (plywood) need renovating, they are both sound so they just need sanding back and painting.
I plan on removing the two hulls in my workshop, striping of the hardware, sanding them back, then doing a paint job on them.
How can I tell which Quest I have, a B2 or a B3 and, what paint should I use to paint the ply hulls

Thanking you in advance for your advice.

Bill

i haven't been back her for a while so apologies for not replying sooner.

I had QB2 sail number 86 .. and was about the umteenth owner. i did a restoration in 1994-5 when I bought my QB in Townsville. I took the hulls to the tip about 5 years ago after they delaminated beyond repair in Queensland's heat and humidity. Interestingly my marine ply repairs deteriorated worse than the original hull ply. I upgraded from a Maricat to the Qb and sailed it solo on lake Cootharaba.

The only difference between a QB2 and 3 from memory was the 3 had a bigger mainsail with more roach which required the centreboards to be moved back towards the sterns by about a foot or so to reduce the centre of effort forces and rebalance the rudders. The 3's also had rounded decks and bows rather than flat sections. Some 3's had the beams fibreglassed into the hulls rather than bolted on top which made a much stiffer platform.

I had a problem with the deck paint continually cracking so after a disastrous exercise with two pack paint which took a month to dry, (which is another whole story), went to the dark side and used el-cheapo housepaint. This led to my repainting the decks every year or so and they rotted out faster than they should have. Your hulls should have been everdure treated when built to protect from rot. Go with the best possible two pack marine paint you can as it will save you in repainting and repairs later on. After a respray keep the hulls out of the weather where possible and they should give many more years of service.
The QB was a hell of a cat for its day and in the hands of a good skipper would still be pretty comptetitive today . They had a QB owner and sailors reunion in Melbourne last year and gave owners a CD with 1970's QB fleets in action.



Mark

Hello Mark,

Thanks for responding with your advice. I have sent you a email explaning what's going on with me and my boats at present.

Thanks again Mark.

Bill