Thread: Restoring a Rainbow 12' scow

Howdy,

Richard's Rant (if I may call it that) is pretty much spot on.

The first thing to work out is where you are coming from.

Then you can evaluate the advice you are given.

I doubt there is much logic in bringing a 1970s Rainbow up to full modern racing spec. But if that's what you want to do - it's fine. But you do have to be sure that's what you actually want to do.

But if you just want to restore the existing boat to look like the 1970s boat that it is you can still make use of the racing guys info.

For example, I would use the racing guy's positions for all fittings - particularly for all ones to do with mainsail and jib sheeting, but keep the fittings you have now. Use the sails you have now too - or pick some up secondhand. Be aware that Rainbows are not all that common and it is unlikely that there will be anyone selling good sails after a year of use (there are always a few in the most popular classes that do exactly that.

There is value in not updating the boat too much - keeping it in good 1970s condition and use it - also only if that is what you want!

The new sail price sounds about right for three sails and battens. But unless you are racing regularly against other Rainbows you will never know the difference.

Lots of people get caught up in the "Arms Race" of modern dinghy racing. Be aware that with proper fitting placement but everything much the same a top notch sailor could jump in your boat and finish in the top third of a fleet of 100 boats - even with the existing sails and foils.

If you want a sail quote speak to Brett Averay at Binks Sails 08 82946211. He is trustworthy and if you tell him what you have planned - to get a 1970s boat into 1970s form at reasonable cost - he will give you a benchmark price for the lot. There is lots of labour in all sails - the only real price advantage of Richard's discussion of polytarp ones is that you can do the labour yourself. The materials are a relatively small part. (BTW polytarp won't stand up to the loads a Rainbow can put on them - just in case you are thinking of going that way.)

Best Regards

MIK

What about a black paint job, smiley shark teath, ramming rods and small cannon and just go and have some fun sinking everyone!

Now that would be fun, and you can grab a new sail as they go down!

Dazzler,

With an attitude like that, YOU need a PDRacer!

P

from the first piccy, those sails dont look tooo bad. probably blown out of
shape a bit, but just whack some new battens in, fair fix any probs with hull,
varnish and sail... easy its not as though u will be racing against other rainbows,
and they are more sensitive to weight than cruddy sails (says the
6'4 bloke who used to get creamed on the race course by 50kg midgets
every week...)

Originally Posted by bitingmidge

Dazzler,

With an attitude like that, YOU need a PDRacer!

P

Actually a mate and I were politely asked to no longer fly our remote control planes at the local club after we were chasing each other and both collided with a blokes replica tiger moth

Funny thing was mine just knicked the moth and made it wobbly into the path of my mates.

Anyway, sorry seaman you can have your forum back


dazzler

The rainbow project has been progressing slowly with almost all the varnish now removed. I am now spending an hour or so at a time sanding miniscule areas around the difficult areas. Filling and epoxy work will begin shortly, for now though I am concentrating on preparing the boat as best I can. Normaly I charge right into things and regret the rush when the poor results show through.
I have a bone to pick with that bloody puddle duck thing as well. They got me thinking about a land yacht at one part, and the poly tarp seemed simple as well. And so it was with they're way of thinking; read cheap, that a mate and I have embarked on an endeavour to make the cheapest and most fun land yachts possible. We had initialy thought about the poly tarp idea but found for the same cost we were able to source windsurfer rigs. This could also be a path for PD's as well, unless you are a purist and find the need to manufacture your own spars and sail.
Now this project is not even remotely related to woodworking however if you are interested in our Land Yachts you can view it at;
http://landyachts.co.nz/cs/forums/thread/52.aspx
Cheers for now
Adrian

Many moons ago i was a boatbuilder and repaired (some) Rainbows. Mostly redecking etc after clotts dropped or fell through them C/board cases and so on.
For a boat as old as yrs one of the main problems is the glue maybe well and truely on the way out. You can tape up the seams which is not hard but this would not be the thing to do if you want to keep it original. If you want to have a new coat or 10 of clear Poly you will have to get ALL the original varnish off. Your boat looks in great shape so be careful how you go about this sort of thing. Its not difficult to sand through laminations and ruin the ply. Your problem then will be trying to match the ply. If you want to sail this boat pay extra care arounf your C/board case. Its not a difficult job to get your boat in really good shape. But it will take a fair bit of care. And your biggest issue is what do you really want to do with it...Ie...take it out a couple of times a yr. Or use it whenever you can.
Sinjin
PS i'm in Melb so if you want to have a chat over the phone feel free.

From my experience just reglassing the seams will give more than enough strength as epoxy is being used - the old method of using polyester resin worked OK in conjunction with the timber on the inside, but is not reliable enough on it's own for stressed structures.

The advice to check around the centrecase is excellent as it is one of the most highly stressed components.

It might be worth considering running a fillet (diameter 2.5 times the thickness of the ply in the area being considered) along the higher stressed components.

They are - centreboard case, shroud and forestay attachment and mast step and other structure that takes the mast loads into the boat. It might be worth having a bit of a gentle pry and making sure none of them are on the verge of coming off first. If they are coming off it is great - just remove them - clean them up (or replace) and glue in place with the epoxy.

I wouldn't go ahead and epoxy fillet everything - it will add too much weight and the glass tape will be doing the work anyhow. But I would take a 1 inch brush and work a couple of coats along all the pieces of timber inside the boat that hold things together. It will go into any cracks and gaps and make things just a bit stronger without adding too much weight.

Michael

OK here is where I am at.
Mick I respect your advice on glassing and it was definitely what I was considering in order to get back out and go sailing in her.........but.
If you go back to my first post I implied that I was interested in restoring her to her original and authentic condition since it is a well preserved example. The whole boat in its construction had been glued using resourcinol with the only epoxy and tape running along the inside of the seam/join between the deck and gunwhales.
As such I have made many enquiries all around Aus and I have finaly made contact with the son of the designer of this craft. The Rainbow was originaly designed by one R J Hill of Perth and according to his son Graeme was first made from tea chests as the Hill family owned a Tea house over there in WA. Since I first acquired the Rainbow I had a notion that it might be something a little bit special hence my enquiries and investigation before doing anything too detrimental to it, and possibly incurr the wrath of the likes of that rabid dingo fella. To date I have only removed the varnish from it that was in relatively poor condition and had been atacked by a previous owner in parts with a sander.
I have a conundrum that I hope will cause much debate and musing here on this forum between the traditionalists and the sailing enthusiasts. As I have previously said I bought the boat to get back out on the water and sailing again. I saw it as a cheap repair and away we go, and if this was a 20 year old mirror then you would never have heard from me and that is what I would have done. However this boat is circa 1956 - 1958 and is completely original of this era and once again as I have stated before I dont want to be the guy to bodge it up with a dash of liquid nails and a coat of house paint. Graeme hill was certainly pleased and suprised to hear from me regarding this boat and has expressed an interest in acquiring it himself to add to the collection of his fathers memory which may well be displayed in the Australian Maritime museum over in Perth. Now I have agreed to this and only asked for the reimbursment of my initial outlay and I am not looking to profit from him as I know what it would mean to him to have it.
Now the debate that I have is this. What would be of greater value to the memory of the designer, to have a 50 year old example rejuvinated using current methods and materials to sail again and to keep it ongoing for another 50 years or to have it handed over to a museum to be restored and put on display forever more never to be sailed again?
I am not doing anything further with the Rainbow at this stage until I hear more from Graeme. I am however still trying to track the history of this particular boat as it appears from all the documentation I have, to have been built to national standard at minimum weight and additional strength. It appears that it was at the cutting edge of the class design for the time. Sadly however I cannot find any club race records at this stage to prove that it was a worthy contender. But having said that I cant find any records that prove that it wasn't either.....I cant find any bloody class records at all. So if anybody may be able to help then please contact me. Any information whatsoever is valuable no matter how small. This Rainbow carries the Sail no V 62. the sailmaker was one Graham C Douglas of Blairgowrie. The boat appears to have been in storage out of the elements for a considerable amount of time, but I dont know where, surely somebody does.

Cheers
Adrian

Adrian,
maybe you can have your cake and eat it too. As a historical record it's worthy of archiving/displaying in a museum. Maybe you could build a copy using today's technology as a user. That way you'd be keeping the original desgner's work alive in two equally valid and important ways.

Mick

Howdy,

All taken on board - the restoration/rebuilding/preservation argument is a long one indeed - and its part of the process to go through the positives and negatives before doing too much work to any particular boat.

It is truly worthwhile to put the boat in the original condition - there are not many older sailing dinghies that are pure versions of the original - most have bits and pieces that have been added through the years.

Like the NS14 at the Sydney Maritime Museum has one of the very early hulls, but the rig and sails are much more recent.

It will be hard work finding fittings and ropes that are suitable - but you need to stick to your guns!

Even if plywood needs replacing it becomes a difficult decision too. Take the piece out and you lose the evidence of the original material and original workmanship.

Anyway - these are the sorts of things that you willl have to think about and find a satisfactory solution to each of them.

Also make sure the museum has the resources to both display and continue to care for the boat - having documented history may well help that process - ie if there is documentation it makes hte boat more valuable as an exhibit.

Anyway - food for thought - and best of luck!!!

Michael

umm yeah Mick I found all the fittings I need so far....... They are still attatched to the boat. I have also been busy collecting information and pictures from Rainbow sailors past. The work is continuing and I am not doing anyhting further to the actual boat, but I am busy collecting contacts around Australia.

Cheers
Adrian

I still sail at Chelsea Yacht Club (on Port Phillip Bay) where they used to sail Rainbows competitively in the 1960’s and 1970’s. A friend of mine had one which I sailed on occasionally. Not much buoyancy up front during a spinnaker gybe from memory.
To coincide with the centenary of Chelsea railway station, Chelsea Yacht Club is holding a Centenary Regatta on February 3rd, 2007.
Old timber yachts such as Rainbows, Vee Jays, Vee Esses, GP14’s, Skates, Heavy weight Sharpies, etc are most welcome. Visiting yachts can sail in the regatta or participate in a static display on the beach. If you or anyone else with a timber yacht is interested please contact the secretary at www.chelseayachtclub.com.au

I have previously e-mailed Chelsea YC regarding any details they may have or persons of interest that may have had an involvement with the class, but I didn't receive a reply. No matter. As you can see I am trying to establish a history of both this boat ( V 62 circa 1956 - 1958) and of the class so if you could pass on my request once again to your club I would appreciate it. Now might actualy be an excelent time for research as no doubt members of your club may well be digging through old photographs, documents or memories they have in preparation for your event. If the boat is still in my possesion I would be keen to display my Rainbow in the hope that somebody might recognize it. I am in two minds ( or is that three now ) as to whether it should be sent to Perth or should it stay here in Vic where it may well be part of local club history. For now though it is resting warm and peacefuly in the garage awaiting it's fate.
Attatched are just some pics and docs I have uncovered so far.

Cheers
Adrian