by Tim Pettigrew
The following notes are based on my experience with a GRP Lugger but many of the checkpoints will apply to other boats in the Drascombe range. The checklist concentrates on the structure of the boat and ancillary equipment such as sails, trailer and outboard have been omitted.
What are the main options?
So you have set your heart on getting a Drascombe, have decided on which kind
you want and that available finance excludes the possibility of purchasing
a new boat. Drascombes are incredibly durable boats and hold their value
well, but as with any other second hand commodity, the newer the boat the
more expensive it will be. The options can be summarised as follows:
Option one - Look for a boat between about two and six years old
You will pay more for this option but significantly less than for a new boat.
Both boat and trailer should be in good condition and require a minimum of
annual maintenance to keep them in first rate sailing/running order.
Option two - Look for an older boat
The obvious advantages of this option are a cheaper asking price and a larger
number of boats to choose from. The disadvantage is that it is more likely
that the boat may need a considerable amount of maintenance/repair to bring
it up to spec. You need to evaluate how much work is required and how much
it will cost, as it is possible that it may cheaper to purchase a newer boat
or to wait until a boat of similar age but in better condition becomes available.
Are you able/willing to restore a Drascombe?
If the boat is cheap but needs a lot of restorative work, have you the resources
and expertise to do this? Some prospective Drascombe owners are prepared
to devote many happy hours and take infinite pride in restoring grossly neglected
boats. I was most impressed by one owner who was restoring a Lugger that
had suffered the unspeakable fate of being used as a garden pond and had
to be drained and dug out before restoration could commence!
What you should be aware of with an older boat
Sources of second hand boats
These fall into the categories of professional brokers and private vendors.
One of the advantages of purchasing from a broker is that a refurbishment
service may be offered. By mutual agreement, any noted defects can be professionally
repaired with a corresponding adjustment in the purchase price. This is particularly
useful for would be purchasers who are unwilling or who lack the necessary
DIY skills to do the restorative work themselves.
Viewing a possible purchase
Get as much preliminary information as you can about the boat and its condition
by phoning the vendor. You can then decide whether it is worth travelling
to make an inspection. Enquire about the previous history of the boat and
how the present vendor acquired it. On most, but not all Drascombes, a serial
number is stamped on the bronze stem head from which the date of manufacture
can be deduced. If there is no obvious number then the vendor should be asked
if there is any other documentation which could verify the age of the boat.
On the day of the visit arm yourself with a torch for exploring nooks and crannies and a small screwdriver for prodding suspect areas such as rotten wood, de-laminated GRP and loose fittings. Also take some heavy-duty polythene sheeting or similar which can be spread out on the ground beneath the trailer to provide personal protection when crawling beneath the boat to inspect its nether regions.
What you should expect from the vendor
The viewing should preferably be in an outdoor situation so that the boat can
be examined in daylight without any access restrictions. The vendor should
make every effort to comply with your request to look at the boat in detail,
which might include, for example, the removal of the floorboards and the
teak centreboard case capping. Ideally some sailing should also be included
but if this is not practical, there should at least be a demonstration of
rigging the boat so you can see at first hand the state of the spars, running
and standing rigging, the condition of the sails and how everything fits
together.
Detailed Examination
The following checklist is not exhaustive but includes the most significant
areas in terms of difficulty of repair/ refurbishment. After checking out
all the features you should be in a position to weigh up the pros and cons
in respect of the asking price, and make a reasonably informed decision whether
to purchase or not.
GRP 1 - General
Gelcoat condition has already been mentioned. Look out for impact damage (typically
evident as cracks radiating out from the point of impact), bulging cracked
areas, which may indicate de-lamination of the GRP or makeshift repairs using
filler. Look at the bottom of the hull as far as is visible to see if there
is any evidence of impact damage.
GRP 2 - Mast steps
Movement of the masts under load when sailing can cause significant wear and
tear of the GRP mast steps, particularly in the aft step supporting the mizzenmast.
It would be embarrassing to say the least if, on your first sail, the mizzenmast
suddenly subsided though the rear decking.
GRP 3 - Centreplate trunk
The GRP centre-plate trunk takes a considerable amount of lateral stress from
movement of the steel centre-plate, particularly when sailing close hauled.
With the floorboards removed, look along the base of the trunk on both sides
for evidence of stress crazing in the GRP. Likewise check the GRP trunk supports
for stress cracking. Any cracking in these areas would count as a serious
structural defect. Enthusiastic raising of the centre-plate can cause it
to strike the top of the trunking with considerable force. With the Teak
trunk capping removed, inspect the GRP top of the trunk, towards the back
for cracking caused by plate impact.
Woodwork 1 - Teak Fittings General
The teak may have weathered to a silvery grey colour. There is generally no
problem with this as it is skin deep and sanding followed by coating will
restore pristine appearance - if required. Much more serious are splits caused
by impact damage; Teak is expensive to replace and, due to the oily nature
of the wood, difficult to repair.
Woodwork 2 - Rubbing strakes/gunwales
Check the rubbing strakes (gunwales), particularly if they consist of several
lengths of teak scarfed together. The scarfed joints can exhibit failure
along the glue joint. The strakes should also be firmly attached along all
their length to the GRP of the hull.
Woodwork 3 - Transom board
This most distinctive feature of the larger boats in the Drascombe range consists
of curved laminated teak. Check for splits at each end of the board and for
any sign of de-lamination. This is an expensive item to replace or repair.
Woodwork 4 - Centreplate trunk cap
Usually secured by stainless self-tapping screws into the underlying GRP of
the trunk. Check for damage caused by the steel centre-plate impacting into
the back of the slot. If there is also impact damage from the shackle attached
to the centre-plate arm then this could indicate a loose pivot allowing the
arm of the plate to swing down at a lower level in the trunking (See centre-plate
pivot check below).
Woodwork 5 - Rudder Trunk Capping
Check for splitting of the teak along the grain induced by movement of the
mizzenmast.
Woodwork 6 - Outboard motor mounting board
Check for serious splitting of the teak. If the boat is in excess of about
15 years old then the bolts (two ring bolts at the top and two conventional
bolts at the bottom) securing the teak outboard mounting board to the boat
are suspect. If they are the original galvanised steel bolts then, although
they may look fine on the outside, the combination of water interacting with
the natural corrosive organic compounds in the wood will almost certainly
have severely corroded and wasted the bolts within the board and they will
need replacement. The consequences of failure of these bolts under power
could be catastrophic. Although not practical to remove and inspect them,
it is worth asking the vendor if they have been recently replaced. Many owners
replace the galvanised bolts with A4 grade stainless steel bolts.
Woodwork 7 - Spars
The spars are normally made of Sitka Spruce. If the varnish is in poor condition
check the exposed wood for weathering (prod any dark coloured areas with
a screwdriver for softness indicating wet rot). Check for obvious splits
in the wood, which could cause the spar to fail under load. Particularly
check the base of the main and mizzen as the mast steps or sockets tend to
fill with water so that the spars are standing in water for prolonged periods.
Without regular varnishing the water can enter the exposed end grain and
cause wet rot and extensive splitting of the wood. The mainmast chafing against
the teak mast support is another potential area of wear and weathering. Sight
along the spars to see how straight and true they are. If the gaff jaws are
wooden then check for splits or other damage. On newer boats the jaws may
be made of galvanised or stainless steel which should be firmly screwed to
the wood of the gaff. The bumpkin can get a lot of knocks, check its general
condition and also the condition of the wooden socket (if applicable) to
which it attaches on the after deck. This socket should be firmly bolted
in place.
Woodwork 8 - Floorboards
The floorboards should be removed for inspection top and bottom. There may
be considerable variation as regards design and in the wood used in the construction.
At the more expensive end they may be made of teak or mahogany. More typically
they will be made of pine in which case they will be particularly prone to
weathering and splitting unless well maintained and varnished. Check to see
if the underlying crosspieces, holding the main planks together, are firmly
attached and not split by screw or copper nail fastenings.
Woodwork 9 - Keel Plank
Typically a keel-plank, made of Iroko hardwood, is screwed and bolted into
a recess running along the bottom centreline of the hull. Two slots pierce
the plank, providing access for the centre plate and rudder. The keelplank
takes most of the weight of the boat when it is beached and also on the trailer
so is therefore prone to wear and impact damage. If possible crawl beneath
the boat to inspect the plank and also inspect the slots for the rudder and
centre-plate. Is the plank loose (can you move it)?
Metalwork 1 - Centre-plate
If the boat is old it is likely that the galvanising on the centre-plate will
have corroded away in places and the mild steel will have rusted. The crucial
area to examine is the leading edge of the plate as this is constantly immersed
in water when the plate is raised or lowered. I have seen an example of one
plate that looked immaculate along the top edge but was completely eaten
away by rust along the lower edge. Inspection is difficult but the easiest
option is to crawl beneath the boat with a torch where, depending on the
design of the trailer, it may be possible to see the edge of the plate by
looking up into the slot in the keel plank. If the galvanising looks sound
in this area then it is likely that the rest of the plate is OK.
Figure 1
Metalwork 2 - Centreplate pivot
This is a crucial area of inspection but difficult of access. On some early
Luggers the pivot consisted of a bolt passing right through the two sides
of the centre-plate trunking. On later Dabbers, Luggers and Longboats, the
bolt was superseded by a 12 mm diameter stainless steel pivot cemented within
the GRP of the trunking. The condition of the pivot is usually not a cause
for concern. It is much more important to check that it is still firmly cemented
in place. Remember that the centre-plate is often inadvertently used as a ‘depth
sounder’ and as such will almost certainly receive some hard knocks.
These impacts are transmitted to the pivot and, in time, can loosen it so
that each time the heavy steel plate is raised or lowered the pivot will
move with it. In turn this will wear away the supporting GRP and allow the
pivot to work down towards the bottom of the trunk. Eventually this will
allow the loosened pivot to drop out of the trunking leaving the plate suspended
solely by the up-haul tackle.
Test for a loose pivot by:
Metalwork 3 - Rudder bearings
There has been considerable variation in the design of these. On early boats
the bearings consisted of long steel plates accommodating a rudder with a
fixed blade. On later boats the bearings consist of two square pieces of
cast iron with circular cut-outs for the rudder pivot. One of these squares
is screwed to the top of the rudder trunk to form the top bearing, whilst
the other one is screwed to the bottom of the boat above the keel plank to
form the lower bearing. The same design is still in use but instead of cast
iron the bearings are now made of cast bronze.
Figure 2 A corroded rudder bearing
The potential problem area is the lower bearing, above the keel plank. On older boats the cast iron is likely to have badly corroded. If the boat has been used with a fixed rudder then the lower bearing will have taken the brunt of any impacts and it is likely to have become detached above the keel-plank. Test to see if this is the case by crawling beneath the boat and inserting a finger at the forward end of the rudder slot. You should be able to feel the metal of the bearing and it will be easily moved if loose. A loose lower bearing can result in the rudder pivot damaging the GRP of the trunking. It is an extremely difficult job either to re-attach or replace the lower rudder bearing, as the keel-plank has either to be displaced or removed completely.
Metalwork 4 - Rudder
This may either have a fixed blade or, with later boats, a kick-up blade, which
helps prevent the rudder bending if it encounters an obstruction. Check that
the rudder is straight, as a bent one can be exceedingly difficult to insert/remove.
Check the condition of the galvanising and that the attachment of the rudder
stock to the rudder is secure. Older aluminium stocks can corrode with a
risk of the rudder parting company with it whilst sailing.
Metalwork 5 - Stem head
The stem-head consists of a substantial bronze casting and is likely to be
in good condition. Check that no parts have been broken off or cracked through
impact damage and also that the fitting is firmly attached to the GRP/Teak
fabric of the boat.
Figure 3
Conclusion
The above checklist covers the principal features of the boat and should be
sufficient to enable an evaluation to be made. The checkpoints for a trailer
are outside the scope of these notes and deserve an article in their own
right.
A summary of this article was first published in the Drascombe Association Newsletter DAN68. Members of the Drascombe Association receive the printed newsletter 4 times a year. See this page for details of how to join the association.
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