Many people dream of owning a classic wooden boat. The following article on the restoration of a wooden dinghy shows that if you go small, this dream is actually quite affordable. You will have to invest some serious time, but the result is well worth it.
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About the Wooden Pirate Dinghy Class
The Pirate is a dinghy class that had a huge success in Germany. Since the 1930s, more than 6.000 boats of this class have been build. While Pirate-class dinghies in perfect sailing condition are not particularly cheap, there are many boats in need of restoration one can get for very little money or even for free.
Sailor's Heartbeat
This made the pirate a perfect candidate for boat building apprentice Lennard Voigt. He was looking for a dinghy restoration project to do on the side. In 2005 he found his boat: a wooden pirate build in 1962. Although he knew it would be a lot of work, it took even longer than expected. He put in a total of 520 hours, mostly on weekends and during after-work hours. Even though it took him more than two years to get sailing again, he states that it was totally worth it.
We agree on that, but look for yourself.
Restoring the Deck
Rebuilding the Dinghy Below the Waterline
- Unfortunately the dinghy was covered under a layer of fiberglass below the waterline.
- The wood was rotten in many places.
- The hull was in such bad shape…
- …that Lennard could easily drive a chisel through the bottom of the boat.
- So he decided to remove everything below the waterline.
- The frames were mostly in bad condition.
- Even the stem…
- …had to be completely renewed.
- Lennard built new frames…
- …and alligned them with the keel timber.
- New stringers are installed…
- …new sheets of plywood are cut to shape.
- After fastening the bottom…
- …the lower side planks get renewed as well.
- The planks are glued in place…
- …and fastened with screws.
- The screw holes are filled…
- …and everything is sanded.
- The bottom is treated with primer…
- …and anti fouling,
Rebuilding the Centerboard Case
- The old centerboard case could not be saved.
- Lennard thus cut new boards and varnished them on the inside.
- Gluing the boards together.
- Adding the reinforcements on the sides
- Installing the new centerboard case
- The top cover of the case could be saved and reinstalled.
- After varnishing the centerboard case…
- …the dinghy looks almost new in the inside.
Varnishing after the Rebuild
- The hull is sanded…
- …and ready for the varnish.
- The high gloss varnish helps restoring the old wooden dinghy to its former glory.
- Wooden dinghy restoration as it should be done!
- Now the rudder…
- …and the remaining deck hardware are put back on.
- The hull of the restored dinghy is now ready for sailing again.
- The mast and boom get a proper overhaul as well
Refloating the Wooden Dinghy
- Now everything is ready for the big moment:
- For the first time after two years of restoration…
- …the dinghy leaves the boatyard.
- Is that travel lift strong enough?
- The restored dinghy has beautiful lines!
- Ready to splash!
- And off she goes…
- …for her maiden voyage in Travemünde/Germany.
Do you also have a story to tell about a dinghy restoration? Or any other refit or rebuild project? Please let us know in the comments or write us a message. Maybe we can also feature your project on BosunsBox.com...
