28 replies to this topic

[touch too]

My partner & I have spent the past 18 months re-building "TT". She was built in 1977 as an Admirals cup boat but it seems did not take part. During the 2004 Cork week she hit a reef & was dismasted causing some structural damage. We bought her & after a lot of work are starting to see some daylight at last. There is a website www.touchtoo.co.uk describing the work we have undertaken. Any new information regarding her history will be welcome. I will add some pictures to this thread shortly.

[Mogle]

Good to see that you are bringing her back to life.

Http://www.touchtoo.co.uk

[jackson19540316]

Keep up the good work................Please !!

[touch too]

Summer is over & we managed to get all of the outside jobs on the list done. The hull is painted, the deck has mostly been replaced & is at last watertight.
Next on the major item list is the mast, it has be overhauled & is ready for painting we are hoping to get it indoors for this.
I have added a few pictures of the boat here & there are lots more on the website.

 Pic02295.jpg   110.51K   107 downloads

There are some nice graphics to be added in the spring.

 Pic02233.jpg   109.75K   117 downloads

The deck has been repaired & epoxied.

 Pic02241.jpg   100.63K   82 downloads

All of the fore deck is new including the toe rails.

 Pic02282.jpg   136.01K   77 downloads

We made 3 towers to lift the mast & 3 trollies to move it with.

 Pic02289.jpg   137.3K   68 downloads

Our back garden cast mast step is a perfect fit inside the mast.

 Pic02301.jpg   202.55K   53 downloads

The latest item is a spinnaker track which we made then had anodized.

[boomer]

Cool! Looking forward to seeing her launched and under sail.

[thebigdirty]

Awesome rebuild. Great site!

[Darkside]

Thats some serious work and an impresive show of craftsmanship. Casting and machining your own parts with a homemade furnace and hommade CNC machine. Did you mine and refine the aluminum yourself? I have a bridgeport mill with Mach-3 that I'm always looking for reasons to use for building parts for my boat or others.

http://www.touchtoo..../Parts Made.htm

[touch too]

Thank you Darkside.
I had a mentor many years ago (Dougie Bennett) who was a retired shipwright, he taught me that if you can't get it or afford then make it.
Next on the casting front will be a base for the hydraulic anchor windlass. I have a new reduction gearbox & old manual Lofrans windlass from which the main shaft is a perfect fit through the gearbox, this will be driven by an hydraulic motor from an engine mounted magnetically clutched pump. Loads of power & hydraulic pressure to drive other items.
Locally all we have is iron stone (going a bit too far?) so I have to melt old gearbox casings & other quality aluminium. However I have found that it pays to melt the scrap first then remove the dross & cast into ingots before remelting for the actual casting.
The mill I use for all sorts of things including engraving the lettering on the inside of acrylic electrical panels, picking out in white then spraying over with black plastic paint.
Although I started hand programming the mill with "G" code recently I discovered "CamBam" which uses layered dxf drawings to produce the code & works really well.
Anyway thank you for the encouragement.
Best regards,
Malcolm.

[touch too]

 Gearbox-1.jpg   102.91K   63 downloads
In the pipeline is an anchor windlass
 Engine control panel-2.jpg   41.66K   74 downloads
Waterproof acrylic cockpit panel with reversed engraving

[FOP]

Hi, just checked your homepage, it is always interesting and rewarding to read about the work you are doing. I saw that the fuel tank was done and ready, why did you put isolation on it? How many liters?

//FOP

[FOP]

and here is a photo of the tank

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[touch too]

FOP
The fuel tank holds 77 Ltrs & is insulated to deaden any drumming noises as it is located under the aft bunk.
Also I hope that the insulation will reduce any build up of condensation inside the tank. I have no evidence to prove that it will
work but for a little extra effort I thought it was worth a go.
For insulating the hull I have a cunning plan which involves making quilts from 100mm of glass insulation wrapped in breather
membrane with some stitching to prevent sagging then fixed to the inside of the hull using either Velcro or double sided sticky tape.
It will be cheap to make, easy to fit & remove (most of all no spray glue).
During the recent snow I have been in the workshop making parts which as you know are shown on the "TT" website.

Great to see your work is being displayed & appreciated at the boat show!
Is your space frame new or original?

Picture attached showing new windows.

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•  Acrylic windows.jpg   131.52K   57 downloads

[FOP]

Hej TT, Ok then I understand, If I remember correct our tank is approx 120 l but no insulation, it will be interesting to learn if your tank insulation will perform as you hope. The hull insulation will be even more interesting to follow. The boat show will be really nice, grand opening on Friday and tomorrow I will clean the boat and bring parts to the show area.

Our space frame has been modified by Maria and the keelson is new since it was really badly corroded. Now everything is Awlgriped and looks nice.

[touch too]

FOP
Our tank is smaller than I would have liked but to squeeze it into that space it is as big as it can be, we shall carry fuel in cans as a back up & I might put another
tank in. As a race boat it had the tank near midships in the main cabin which took up a lot of room where you need it most. The original water tanks are midships
under the settee's & hold 68 ltrs each.

As soon as the weather improves I will spray the mast white using Jotun Mega Gloss, the standing rigging is ordered, all of the electrical panels are made & soon
I hope to start the engine.

We went to the Southampton boat show last year ( free tickets from the paint supplier ) & really enjoyed it.
I am sure that your boat will attract a lot of attention & that you will make some useful contacts.

Good luck, enjoy the show,
TT.

[touch too]

We have started insulating the hull with quilts made from glass fiber mat wrapped in breather membrane, I had this idea when looking for insulation that was cheap, light, effective & removable. It consists of 100 mm of glass mat covered with plastic breather membrane & held together at the seams with waterproof gaffer tape. The quilts are attached to the hull using strips of industrial double sided carpet tape. Some horizontal loose stitches through the quilt will prevent the mat from slumping inside the bag. Cutting holes through it can be done after fitting & the cut edges can be sealed with gaffer tape. Total cost of insulating a 12.6 mtr boat should be around £200 or less.

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•  Insulation-1.jpg   40.38K   76 downloads
•  Insulation-2.jpg   41.87K   71 downloads

[touch too]

Most of the insulation is fitted & this is how we made it.

1/ We measured the panel size & added 5%, the membrane & glass was cut to this size.
2/ The cut parts were placed on top of the membrane front panel which was cut with a 100mm overlap.
3/ Corners were then folded & tack taped.
4/ All of the overlap seams were folded then sealed with waterproof gaffer tape & double sided carpet tape placed at 400mm centres.
5/ Horizontal loose stitches can be put through both membranes at 400mm centres to prevent the insulation slumping.
6/ Fitting is done by sliding the quilt into place, removing the backing from the carpet tape then pressing to the hull.

Viewed from the front none of the tape or seams can be seen.
Holes or slits can be cut in a finished quilt then the edges sealed with gaffer tape.

This idea is our solution to the problem of a low cost DIY removable hull insulation, in due course we will find out how it performs & report the results on our website.

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•  Taped Corner.jpg   227.65K   3 downloads
•  Outer Cut to Size.jpg   206.37K   5 downloads
•  Glass cut.jpg   70.25K   10 downloads
•  Finished bag.jpg   96.2K   11 downloads

[touch too]

On the electrical front a new engine starting battery has been fitted along with the nav-station fuse & switch panels (picture below).

The engine has been started & run for 15 mins then the oil & filter was changed. We also changed the gearbox oil
& checked it with the engine running.
It seems that the engine was only a few months old when it was last used & not had its first oil change. This is born out by
how well it started & ran.

Attached Files

•  fitted panels.jpg   131.95K   30 downloads

[opa1]

Holland sure could design a PRETTY boat. This one is a fine example. I like the shape of the new rudder.

[touch too]

This weekend I have been laid low with a stomach bug so will use the time to update this thread.

First thank you OPA1 for the comment she is a good looking boat, I think Ron Holland IOR yachts have iconic design features much like the E-type Jag.

Recent work completed includes overhauling the forward hatch with a new seal, 12mm acrylic glass & respraying the frame. The seal was a real swine to fit & took several attempts to complete.
I have made new settee top frames which are fitted with zigzag springs for a bit of comfort, they hinge up giving access to lockers below & will improve ventilation to the underside of the cushions unlike plywood.
It has been really cold here recently so we have been using an electric fan heater & since fitting the insulation the inside is really warm & pleasant to work in.
E-bay has been kind recently both with selling surplus items & buying bits like a B&G fluxgate compass & a Webasto heater, during the past two years we have bought a lot of items from E-bay for "TT".

All of the standing rigging has been made & delivered, new hydraulic hoses will be fitted to all of the rigging rams & as soon as the weather improves we intend to spray the mast, spreaders & boom.
After the mast has been fitted we are planning to launch "TT" & go sailing for a month, although she will not be entirely finished it will be a good idea to try her out before finishing the fitting out.
We hope to be in the water sometime in May which would be two years since we bought her & nine years after she hit a reef near Cork.

[SloopJonB]

I thought I had developed some skills building things over the past 45 years but youse guys are making me suicidal! In the next life I'm coming back as a machinist.

[touch too]

Don't do it SloopJonB, I am not really a machinist my working life started on a North Sea trawler & developed from there into engineering & now CAD design.

There is nothing like a fishing boat to develop multi skills. 

 

Some pictures including settee frame with zig zag springs, nav-station, gas locker & repaired rudder.

 

Lots more stuff on our website link below.

 

http://touchtoo.co.uk

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•  Pic02459.jpg   188.42K   87 downloads

[Throatwarbler-Mangrove]

Settee frame is interesting bit of work.  What's it made of?  Did you fabricate it or source it (if so, where?) 

[touch too]

I made it from 25x3mm welded steel angle & zig zag springs from E-bay. Don't think it weighs much more than a plywood base & would ventilate much better.

Could be made from aluminium angle if weight is a consideration.

There is a central "U" part to the frame to stop the springs pulling the middle together.

It is very comfortable to sit on.

[Ajax]

Just visited the site. Your machining and casting skills are incredible. You have the talent and resources to resurrect practically any yacht!

[touch too]

Some more pictures of the latest work which included sanding & painting the cockpit, fitting the new traveller track & teak ends, replacing a teak trim at the cockpit edge, fitting the hydraulic backstay ram & bolting two new genoa tracks to the deck. Two years of work so far & about two months to go still loads more to do but its good to be fitting parts instead of removing them.   

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•  Pic02482.jpg   178.39K   87 downloads
•  Pic02479.jpg   262.53K   61 downloads

[touch too]

Vinyl graphics added to hull, not an easy job but looks ok.

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•  Pic02500.jpg   115.06K   36 downloads

[touch too]

Engine control panel with shore power connected. ( see website for panel construction info)

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•  Pic02496.jpg   140.43K   29 downloads

[SloopJonB]

I've been boat shopping and just recently checked out an old Peterson Two Tonner. It was in better shape than what you started with but I decided the amount of work and then crew needed to sail it were just too much for me.

 

Man did it fly when we took it out though! One of the best sails I've ever had. I was astounded by how light it was on the helm - barely more than my old Quarter Tonner. It was like sailing the worlds biggest dinghy. Standing at the rail, steering that battleship with a tiller extension was quite an experience.

 

You're doing very nice work and are in for some incredible sailing when you're done.

[touch too]

Thank you SJB, hopefully launch day will be this summer, the plan is to sail her for a month then back into the yard for more interior work followed by an early launch next year.

I can only assume that she will sail well, this is according to "if she looks good then she goes good".

This is my last big project I want to spend more time sailing & less time scrubbing Sikaflex or Gorilla glue off my hands!