Sailboat Restoration
Start Of Sailing
During college, I found that I loved watching sailing videos to relieve stress. I started to dream of sailing but assumed it would have to wait until retirement and a change in latitude.
In 2020 I discovered there’s an active sailing community just 45min from Corvallis on Fern Ridge Reservoir. I started looking into buying a boat and was surprised to find they are surprisingly affordable.
At the end of the Summer my wife and I purchased a 1976 Laguna Windrose 24 that was ready to sail and came with an outboard and trailer for 2200$. I took it for a test sail on the Columbia with the seller and although it needed some TLC, everything seemed to work.
The Work Begins
Over that winter we repainted the interior, re-carpeted, replaced the windows, sanded and refinished all the wood, wired it up to run an electric trolling motor, and Kristen made amazing cushions. We were both incredibly happy with the results.
The Fun Begins
Over the next several years we’d sail camp on Waldo Lake’s crystal clear water with my Dad and Sister, sail right up to the hot springs on Paulina Lake to soak and watch the sunset with my Dad and Sister, sail camp on Detroit Lake, and take family and friends on a number of great sunset sails on Fern Ridge.
Waldo Lake
Paulina Lake and Hot Springs
Racing
For the last 3-4 years Kristen and I have been racing Santana 20’s as crew for a Skipper named Ted. Every Thursday there’s a race followed by a BBQ which is a ton of fun and a great opportunity to socialize with other sailors.
A few boats have been racing with the same crew since the 70’s, there’s a wealth of knowledge and everybody is more than happy to share which has been incredibly helpful for learning.
LiFePO4 Battery Bank
We had been using a Newport Vessels 62lb trolling motor on a dual lead acid battery bank charged by a 30w solar panel. It’s cleaner, quieter, easier, and when we went to Waldo Lake it’s electrics only.
We decided it was time to upgrade the battery to extend our range in case of emergencies and I built a custom fiberglass battery box with a BMS and 4 230Ah LiFePO4 cells. It’s been working awesome and gives about 4h run time at full throttle, which drives the boat at about 3knts.
The Red Boat
After doing some sail camping we decided an enclosed bathroom and standing headroom would be really nice to have, but to continue going to Waldo and Paulina we’d need a shallow draft for the shallow boat launches.
Although they aren’t the fastest boat, Chrysler 26’s only draw 27″ with the keel up and I can nearly stand up inside when I’m at the sink.
When I saw the Red boat on Craigslist, I knew it was exactly what we were looking for. The boat has 2 berths, a sink, an alcohol stove, a table, a really nice anchor system, and a chain locker.
Unfortunately the Red boat also needed some TLC….
The Windows
Unfortunately the windows leaked which can lead to deck rot very quickly.
I decided to completely replace the windows and go frame-less. I tore out the windows, scraped and sanded until there was no longer silicone contamination, filled the window sills with thickened epoxy, inserted magnets for holding window blinds in place, and faired.
I used tinted acrylic with VHB tape and DOW 795. By going frameless, there’s only a single continuous seal that could leak, as opposed to 3. By filling the window sills with thickened epoxy, any leaks will be into the interior of the boat where they can be seen, rather than into the wall and deck core.
The window replacement has been a success and we haven’t had any leaks.
The Wiring
The wiring gave me nightmares. The previous owner was active in the ChryslerSailors forum and even wrote about melting a bunch of wires and nearly starting a fire. After seeing the wiring, I’m surprised he didn’t….
Fires on a boat are extremely dangerous and electrical problems are the leading cause of fires.
I decided to rip out every wire that was on the boat. Some of the wires were scavenged from old headphones, some were just duct taped together, some just blobbed on with solder. Many of the 12v positive wires were black and color coding meant nothing. Every light fixture had a dozen things spliced in for access to power. It was ugly…
The Lockers
The previous owner drilled holes into the bottom of the cockpit lockers for mounting batteries and other items. Unfortunately water got in and completely rotted the core.
I ripped out all the plywood that had been glass in, replaced it, and glassed over it. I glued sacrificial boards down for accepting screws and preventing it from happening again.
Currently In Progress
The Red boat is still a work in progress….
I’m currently working on re-sealing the entire toe rail to fix a major leak, sanding down to glass on the bottom and grinding out blisters, filling and fairing the bottom, and then painting the hull. I’m also installing the natures head composting toilet.
Next winter I’ll re-bed all the deck hardware that hasn’t already been done, paint the deck, re-do the plumbing and install an electric pump, and install/rewire some of the instruments that were removed or are being added.
The boat has been around for the last 45 years, I’m hoping it’ll make it another 20 more!
Saint Vincent and The Grenadines
In April of 2024 Kristen and I took ASA 103, 104, and 114 on a week long sail in the Grenadines! We had an awesome time and hope to return someday for a bare-boat charter.
The San Juan Islands
At the end of September of 2024, Kristen and I spent a week sailing the San Juan Islands with some other members of the Eugene Yacht Club.
We had a great time and can’t wait to take our own boat for a few weeks in the San Juan’s as soon as it’s ready.
