Thread: Restoring a Rainbow 12' scow

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwCfrzURrTU"]YouTube - Historical Sailing; 12' Rainbow scow, Brighton and Seacliff YC, circa 1960's[/ame]

fantastic .. wonderful. Maybe a Brighton person will know .. but looks like late '60s or maybe a bit earlier.

MIK

Gee that brings back memories i sailed a rainbow for about 9 years during the seventies and early eighties thy were a real hoot down wind. we built tow R36 and R45

I have just stumbled across this website and was most interested in reading about restoring a Rainbow.
I sailed Rainbows in Hobart for 6/7 years in late 60's early 70's. My boats were called Miyako and Misaki. Reprsented Tas in Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth and had a 2nd and a 3rd in Australian Champs. Won two Tasmanian senior titles and one junior title.
Terrific boats and many happy memories.
I have lots of photos and may be able to be of some assistance. Give me an email if I can help with anything specific.
I also mess about making models and would love to have some design specs/plans to make half hull of a Rainbow. If anyone can help me, that would be good.

Hi Stuart,

The thread about the rainbow is from a while ago, but the great thing that this forum does is to get stuff up on the net so people can find it later. So anything you can add here is great.

Personally a lot of the info of the heyday of Australian plywood boatbuilding needs to be saved ... so anything you can put up here would be greatly welcome.

Michael Storer

The video brings back memories of the plywood days in Sydney, VJs and Skates, twin planks and big kites and everyone built their own boat! The Skate is still sailing (in a highly modified form) but the 50th anniversary was held earlier this year at the Concord and Ryde Sailing Club on the Parramatta River. Well over a hundred old Skate sailors turned up, proving that they don't die, they just smell that way with wet woollen jumpers, football shorts and not a wetsuit or buoyancy vest in sight!
Thems were the days!
Cheers
Graeme

Mick, exactly why I started this thread so long ago. There was bugger all info available to me so I figured by asking around people might come out of the woodwork ( pun intended ) and thus those others that may well be looking like I was may stumble across it.
I still call by here from time to time but it seems Meerkat and the young fellas have let the thread slip. Nevermind I just hope that the job got finished and she is proudly bashing about the bay again.
I did enjoy the short journey I had with this boat. Following up history and talking with those that did sail them along with those that designed and built them.

Oh and stuart
From the 1st page of this thread http://www.dngoodchild.com/5365.htm
I did also acquire some original drawings and plans for the Rainbow from Sandy Bay Yacht club when I was researching this boat - they went with it so contact the current owner and see if you can get a copy.
Adrian

Sonic 5115
nearly ready for the water, only a few weeks away

Nice looking boat Draculam.

There's another one up on EBay at the moment.

It's a shame it's so far away. I'd really love to do up one of these babies for myself. I really can't justify it yet until my boys know how to sail.

Rainbow Sailing Boat 12ft - eBay Sail, Boats, Boats, Watercraft, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 13-Oct-09 16:18:42 AEDST)

Hi Chasing Rainbows,
I am an ex rainbow sailor and builder. My father Ron Hill is the only designer of the class so I really had no option but to build boats with him and race them.
I am currently sailing a sharpie from East Fremantle Y.C. in Perth. I also own and manage Hill Sailmakers in Hilton near Fremantle.
The construction of a Rainbow is very simple ie western red cedar frames, gunwhales, chines and stringers. The king plank that runs the whole length of the bottom was usually made of meranti as the centreboard loads on the centrecase usually ended up with a leaky centrecase that is impossible to repair.
External glass tapes were often used on the chines, usually the resourcinal glue and brass brads or copper nails are enough to hold the boat together for many years.
The bow transom was usually made from Nyatoh or Meranti and the bow chainplate was screwed on with strong self tappers, often being glued in with epoxy- removal was done by heating the screw with the tip of a soldering iron softening the epoxy for easy removal.
Cheers,

Thanks for dropping by. That helps enormously filling in more of the picture about repairing the boats and also some more of the background.

Thanks hugely

MIK

I had a Rainbow in about 1967, which I raced from Mordialloc Sailing Club on Port Phillip Bay. They planed at amazing speeds downwind with the flat-cut spinnaker set on an 11ft long spinnaker pole. They were a National Class at that time, with fleets in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. A modern stitch and glue ply/epoxy version would be simple to build and be a great boat for young teens. I forsook my Rainbow for the more sophisticated and sexier Cherubs, another wonderful speed machine. I suspect the instigator of this thread made a mistake in selling his Rainbow restoration project.

Originally Posted by Stuart Harris

I have just stumbled across this website and was most interested in reading about restoring a Rainbow.
I sailed Rainbows in Hobart for 6/7 years in late 60's early 70's. My boats were called Miyako and Misaki. Reprsented Tas in Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth and had a 2nd and a 3rd in Australian Champs. Won two Tasmanian senior titles and one junior title.
Terrific boats and many happy memories.
I have lots of photos and may be able to be of some assistance. Give me an email if I can help with anything specific.
I also mess about making models and would love to have some design specs/plans to make half hull of a Rainbow. If anyone can help me, that would be good.

Hi Stuart,
I have rainbow plans and a copy of the manual used when building a new boat, I also need copies of any photo's of rainbows , please contact ([email protected])
cheers
sailfast

Originally Posted by sailfast

Hi Chasing Rainbows,
I am an ex rainbow sailor and builder. My father Ron Hill is the only designer of the class so I really had no option but to build boats with him and race them.
I am currently sailing a sharpie from East Fremantle Y.C. in Perth. I also own and manage Hill Sailmakers in Hilton near Fremantle.
The construction of a Rainbow is very simple ie western red cedar frames, gunwhales, chines and stringers. The king plank that runs the whole length of the bottom was usually made of meranti as the centreboard loads on the centrecase usually ended up with a leaky centrecase that is impossible to repair.
External glass tapes were often used on the chines, usually the resourcinal glue and brass brads or copper nails are enough to hold the boat together for many years.
The bow transom was usually made from Nyatoh or Meranti and the bow chainplate was screwed on with strong self tappers, often being glued in with epoxy- removal was done by heating the screw with the tip of a soldering iron softening the epoxy for easy removal.
Cheers,

Hey Fred... Was busy surfing da net and what do ya know... Must pop in and say g'day.

For others I raced these fantastic little boats during the seventies. Even crewed with Graham on Angel a few times out of Perth Flying Squadron in Perth.

The highlight for me was when crewing on Pete Chappells Quecumber and sticking twin trapesses on for the 1972 nationals at Sandy Bay in Tassie. Had a blast during many seasons and 4 national regattas.

Jack (Gary Whitcombe)