Schnoogie84 Posted December 29, 2011 Report Share Posted December 29, 2011 Hi, I've been getting the urge to get back into sailing, and my dad has an old Windrush 14 catamaran which hasn't been used in a few years (its got fiberglass bulkheads - one of the early 'Shannon' boats) I had a look at it yesterday and the hulls don't look too bad, though it will need a new trampoline, set of sails and some new ropes (the Dacron main is probably OK, but the jib is hopeless). I use to sail at Chelsea yacht club years ago as a junior, and there was a pretty big Windrush fleet there then. I went back to the club a few weeks ago and it doesn't look they sail there anymore. i figure it will cost me approx $2500.00 to get this into race-worthy condition, allowing for new Mylar sails, a new tramp and some new ropes etc, along with some manual labour. I would definitely consider used Mylar sails if they were in the right condition. Is there any clubs that have a competitive Windrush fleet racing in Victoria? If not, are there any other cats which you can recommend that can be sailed single handed, with trapeze, that I will able to find a used competitive boat for around the $3000.00 mark which has an established racing fleet in Victoria? Cheers, Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozzie1724 Posted December 29, 2011 Report Share Posted December 29, 2011 Taipan or Mosquito are probably your best choice if you want to race Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsshaw Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 Andrew, If you dont end up using the windrush let me know, Im looking for a few spares............ Cheers Andrew Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Peter Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 Macrae would be worth a look as far as sailing cats on Port Philip Bay. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TornadoSport260 Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 Pretty much all of the Windrush that raced at Chelsea sold up and the boats are almost all over at Barwon Heads, club racing only. A bulkhead boat restored for $2500 seems pretty good to me. I'm assuming you are getting a "donation boat" from your dad? I say that because the cheapest Foam boat will cost you $4k atleast by the time you do some maintenance work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schnoogie84 Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Thanks for your replies. I have a friend who used to build fiberglass boats for a job, so I am going to get him to have a look at the hulls to give me an idea what state they are in. Its a shame that the Chelsea fleet is no more, it used to be a really good fleet. There was a couple of Nacra's there for a while, I wonder if they still appear occasionally? If the hulls are fine I think I will fix it up. I always wanted to eventually sail a Windy, so there is a bit of a sentimental attachment to them. I will definitely head over to Mccrae to see what they are sailing, I can always compete for the Handicap trophy Its kind of a donation boat. Its been sitting at my parents place unloved for years, though will definitely have to work out the 'terms of use'.. I'm sure it will just be letting dad sail it occasionally Is there anything I should be particularly looking for once I have the hulls removed? Darcy: - Will let you know about the tramp and sails after looking at the hulls - thanks for your reply (have been in Thailand for the past fortnight) Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TornadoSport260 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Cracks around the beam mouldings, anywhere the gunwhale appears to be soft or seperating & check the bulkheads for integrity, they were marine ply and they were prone to rotting out but some owners did fix them by glassing in a bulkhead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TornadoSport260 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 also check that the horizontal foam is still inplace and not moving, this stops the hulls from compressing which stops the boat nose diving... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schnoogie84 Posted January 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 Cheers for your help everyone, I had a good look at the hulls yesterday and it appears that it is actually a MK1 boat, with some DIY foam which runs along each of the hulls. Unfortunately, most of this has become unstuck... Whilst the gel coat on the outside appears in good shape, and the glass around the beam moldings appears in good shape, I can see this becoming one of those 'never ending' projects. I had decided I would much prefer to use the small amount of free time I have to try and get out on the water, rather than fixing up a boat in the garage. So I am back to looking for a cat which I can handle by myself, though occasionally take friends or my girlfriend out on (two up max), which has a decent racing fleet around Port Philip bay, preferably has a trapeze and remains in my budget of $2500 - $3000. Am I asking too much? I went down to Parkdale yacht club today and spoke to a couple of guys about Cobra's. There are a few of them there, however not sure if this is too big a boat to sail predominantly single handed, especially considering that I have been out of the water for a number of years. The mosquito was another boat which we discussed. Thoughts? Will I be able to find a good race worthy boat in my budget? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remo Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 16sq Nacra.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badboy 6340 Posted January 26, 2012 Report Share Posted January 26, 2012 Hi Your Dads old Windy would'nt be to hard to sort out, It would take less than a weekend to fix it. If you want to fix the foam blocks in the hulls buy 3 tubes of black sikaflex and one white, buy 4 5in inspection hatches or bigger if they fit, you can get nice flat ones which are good with good oring seals. Fit them to the hulls, one behind the front beam, and one up the front, as far in front of the front beam as possible. It needs to be placed as far forward as it will fit on the deck. The deck in front of the front beam looks flat but its not. When fitting the hatch screw it together ( lid & base) and glue it onto the hull with white sikaflex dont rivit or bolt it or it will go out of shape and you will have issues with it sealing. Now you will have access to the inside of the hulls you can get your arm in there and glue the foam back in place. I glued the foam then fitted the new hatches so I had the full 5in hole to get my arm in the hulls. Note use an old long sleeve top and gloves, the hole you cut in the deck ( I use a jigsaw) can be rough and sikaflex can be messy. A bit of thinners on a rag is a good idea. The gun wont fit in the hull so put some on your glove and put it on the sides of the foam and push in place. For the middle of the hull I used a broom stick with a nail in it so I could move the foam around and push down on it. Make sure the bottom layer is good, the top layer wont help stiffness its just for floatation if you forget to put the bungs in or get a hole. The hole job should take 3 tubes, you dont need to put lots on just enough for it to stick. It would take you and your Dad around 2 hrs each hull & a box of beer. You would then have a stiff boat for free, any boat you buy for a few grand will need some work . Go buy some mylar sails and your set. cheers Quin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schnoogie84 Posted January 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 Hi Remo, I would definitely consider a Nacra, however I do not believe that there is a club sailing these in any numbers in Victoria. If you know of any clubs, please let me know. Badboy6340, Cheers for the info for fixing the foam in the hulls. Is this foam common to all MK1 boats? There is already an inspection hatch on this boat just before the front beams, and it looks as if the foam has been worked on before. I think if I decide to touch it, it will be something i will leave to the winter season. The boat would still need to new tramp, I would like to replace most of the ropes and would definitely need some new sails. A 2005 Windrush currently still in boatsales.com selling in Victoria was advertised for $3500 on a registered trailer (unfortunately after speaking to the seller the boat is sold). Whilst this may have been a very low price for a foam sandwich Windrush with Mylar sails, it is a lot better than what this boat could be, even after throwing time and money at it. Considering the time in the season, it is looking like I will be most likely looking for something to sail next season, so I have plenty of time to look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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