Thursday, September 13, 2007

Alacrity pics: Cecilia






Gerry Lavoie from Vancouver Island, Canada sends me this:

I have finally finished my reconstruction of my Alacrity 19, 'Cecilia' and had her out for the first sail yesterday. Thank you for your advice during the process. Attached are some pictures of the work I did.
Since all the interior wood was rotted, I tore it all out and made it one big lounging area. The local upholstery place made me some beautiful cushions and voila! One big berth!
The original traveller holding the main sheet had pulled out of the deck, and I had a new one made. Worked well yesterday, not getting in the way of the engine controls. Tiller fits in the space below the traveller track.

The old exterior paint had been applied without removing the gel-coat wax, so came off fairly easily. The bottom had suffered from a bit of osmosis damage too. So, all paint was stripped and the cracks and gouges were filled. Below water area was painted with four coats of Interlux epoxy paint. Final painting is far from perfect as the hull still has many dents and bruises, but everything is bright and sealed and clean!

Our first sail was great! I like the way the boat handled. Downside of the day was waiting too long to run back up the river to the marina. The little engine pushed us against the current alright, but we ran aground. I had a couple of hours to wait, thankful for the twin keels!

All in all, a wonderful boat, now suited to my sailing needs. I look forward to many adventures on her.

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