the Weekly Whiffle
Wayfarer news of all kinds
Special Edition
a trip to the boat refurbisher's proverbial candy store with Wanderer sailor, Jonathan Daniel
Monday 12 December 2022

From Jonathan Daniel [mailto:jdaniel1000@yahoo.co.uk]
Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2022 4:35 AM
Subject: the Wanderer

Dear Al,

I regularly use the resources on the Wayfarer Institute of Technology website, thank you for this incredible resource.

I sail a Wanderer dinghy, which is basically a smaller, lighter Wayfarer. The layout and equipment are largely the same (images attached). We've come up with some interesting solutions to things such as trailer, mast step reinforcement, lifting tiller etc. that would likely be relevant to your readers, and we have shared with Wayfarer sailors here in England. Would you like me to send you this information for the site? ...

Many thanks,

Jonathan Daniel
There has been at least one Wanderer sold to North America

Richard Watterson sailed it solo in the 2013 Chesapeake Cruise.

From: Jonathan Daniel [mailto:jdaniel1000@yahoo.co.uk]
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2022 6:00 AM
Subject: Replacement thwart

 






 

Hi Al,

As discussed, this is the process I used to replace my thwart. It's made from 5 layers of 4mm marine plywood. Initially, I laminated them with an extra inch of curvature, thinking it would spring back when released. It didn't, and when I tried to flatten it a bit, the top ply layer buckled. So the curvature needs to be measured exactly and made as a centre support. Also, using 4mm ply instead of 6 allows the epoxy to soak into more of the wood, sealing it better. The clamps are just strips of pine with screws in the ends, although it's important that the holes on the sides with the screw heads are large enough for the screws to slide through without threading. This ensures sufficiently tight clamping. However, only clamp until the epoxy comes out along all of the edge, then stop. Don't starve it of glue... I rounded the edges with a spokeshave, but a router would probably be faster. I made the ends 2mm shorter than the original and made up the difference with glass cloth, so if the thwart rubs at the edges it doesn't go through to the wood and soak up water. There's also a layer of glass cloth on the underside where the thwart sits on the supports. All holes are drilled oversize and filled with epoxy before being re-drilled to the correct size. I use aluminium sheet anywhere where blocks etc. flail around, to avoid wrecking the surface. Probably a bit overkill.

Epoxy coating - I've added 3 layers of coating epoxy. Re the debate on whether to sand between coats or apply onto a tacky coat underneath - I prefer the latter. You can get it done more quickly by going onto a nearly dry layer. Also, I've found when screwing fittings on, that if you have allowed it to dry fully and sanded between layers they can still separate and peel for example where the corner of a fitting touches. To further prevent this, I add pro-grip to the bottom of every fitting before securing it.

When securing the thwart, I filled the screw holes and surrounding cracks with epoxy then greased the screws before putting them in. Tha way the screw holes are strengthened, and I can still get the screws out when needed! Screw heads are set down into clear sealant.

Hope this proves helpful to anyone else trying this job!

Jonathan Daniel

 

From: Jonathan Daniel [mailto:jdaniel1000@yahoo.co.uk]
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2022 6:04 AM
Subject: Trailer guides

 

Hi Al,

Another one that may be useful. Having got tired of trying to align the keel with the centre rollers in waves and crosswinds, we added this to our trailer. Now we just pull the boat on and attach the bow. It's just construction timber coated with epoxy and bolted to the bottom of the trailer. We use pipe insulation, cut in half longways on the timber then cover it in carpet. The supports just touch the hull, but the timber is flexible enough to allow the cover to slide down the sides.

Jonathan Daniel

Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2022 6:45 AM
Subject: Lifting tiller

 


This is our replacement tiller, our old aluminium one started to get a bit worn and loose. While replacing it I decided to make it so it lifts, so that I could open the rear compartment at anchor without removing it. Not sure if it's class legal or not but we mainly cruise. I suppose that this would only work on boats with a bridle at the rear instead of a traveller. As a further improvement, I'm going to add a turning lock on the top so no-one can lift it accidentally while sailing. As with our thwart, 3 coats of epoxy finish it off.

Jonathan Daniel