Update: Meeting with Bruce Askew
Back Story:
Since over a week ago, there’s been no pressure on the mast and there has been no leak. Rogue is still dry inside.
Upon telling Nelson Marina that Rogue needed to be put on the hard to investigate the keel bolts and have the mast removed to put on a new track, they bluntly said the only fix was to pull off all the paint and fibreglass the entire wooden hull for about $18,000. These were the same people who surveyed the boat and forgot to mention the leak. I thanked Nelson Marine for their time, that they were jumping the gun, and I'd get back to them.
Going further with the keel bolt theory and a bit of research, I started calling around to inquire about the price of getting copper bolts made. Barton's Marine here in Wellington put me onto a man named Bruce Askew, suggesting he would be the only man in New Zealand to talk to.
This afternoon, meeting him for the first time as a total stranger who brings a box of chocolate as a gift, I had a three hour lunch with Bruce at his beautiful house as he shared volumes of knowledge about classic wooden yachts. Last in the family line of classic New Zealand yacht builders and in his late 70's, his knowledge is hard to come by and something I value. It reiterated to me life is about the journey, not the end point.
While laughing about how fast the good classic yachts can still go compared to their modern counterparts, he drew diagrams, opened dusty books, and pulled out old photos to show me where to start investigating.
Though the currently rigged backstay according to Bruce does put unnecessary pressure on Rogue, he believes the primary problem lies where the hull is attached to the keel. Gavin’s hunch was right.
Moving Forward:
Providing names and phone numbers of his contacts who could help fix Rogue, Bruce convinced me the problem can be fixed for no more than a couple thousand by a few old friends.
Sunday I'll be flying back down to Nelson to clean out the engine and photograph the hull knees, mast step, and any visible bolts. These will then be sent to a shop in Piction belonging to an old friend of Bruce's for review.
In a couple weeks I'll plan to motor the 43 miles from Nelson, around d'Urville Island and the mouth of the Sounds over to Picton where, if needs be, the mast can be repaired and the keel can be reattached with new copper bolts by people who know what they're doing and have an understanding of boats like this. Along the way from Nelson to Picton, Bruce gave me the names and numbers of friends who have places on the water I can pull into if serious trouble starts to happen along the way.
As soon as I mentioned Bruce's name to the Picton shop, things became dead serious in fixing Rogue and in "calling in the old boys who still know how to help." He ended the conversation in anticipation of the pictures with "good on you for saving Rogue, you're doing the right thing by not letting those people in Nelson butcher her."
Back to Nelson Sunday morning.
Since over a week ago, there’s been no pressure on the mast and there has been no leak. Rogue is still dry inside.
Upon telling Nelson Marina that Rogue needed to be put on the hard to investigate the keel bolts and have the mast removed to put on a new track, they bluntly said the only fix was to pull off all the paint and fibreglass the entire wooden hull for about $18,000. These were the same people who surveyed the boat and forgot to mention the leak. I thanked Nelson Marine for their time, that they were jumping the gun, and I'd get back to them.
Going further with the keel bolt theory and a bit of research, I started calling around to inquire about the price of getting copper bolts made. Barton's Marine here in Wellington put me onto a man named Bruce Askew, suggesting he would be the only man in New Zealand to talk to.
This afternoon, meeting him for the first time as a total stranger who brings a box of chocolate as a gift, I had a three hour lunch with Bruce at his beautiful house as he shared volumes of knowledge about classic wooden yachts. Last in the family line of classic New Zealand yacht builders and in his late 70's, his knowledge is hard to come by and something I value. It reiterated to me life is about the journey, not the end point.
While laughing about how fast the good classic yachts can still go compared to their modern counterparts, he drew diagrams, opened dusty books, and pulled out old photos to show me where to start investigating.
Though the currently rigged backstay according to Bruce does put unnecessary pressure on Rogue, he believes the primary problem lies where the hull is attached to the keel. Gavin’s hunch was right.
Moving Forward:
Providing names and phone numbers of his contacts who could help fix Rogue, Bruce convinced me the problem can be fixed for no more than a couple thousand by a few old friends.
Sunday I'll be flying back down to Nelson to clean out the engine and photograph the hull knees, mast step, and any visible bolts. These will then be sent to a shop in Piction belonging to an old friend of Bruce's for review.
In a couple weeks I'll plan to motor the 43 miles from Nelson, around d'Urville Island and the mouth of the Sounds over to Picton where, if needs be, the mast can be repaired and the keel can be reattached with new copper bolts by people who know what they're doing and have an understanding of boats like this. Along the way from Nelson to Picton, Bruce gave me the names and numbers of friends who have places on the water I can pull into if serious trouble starts to happen along the way.
As soon as I mentioned Bruce's name to the Picton shop, things became dead serious in fixing Rogue and in "calling in the old boys who still know how to help." He ended the conversation in anticipation of the pictures with "good on you for saving Rogue, you're doing the right thing by not letting those people in Nelson butcher her."
Back to Nelson Sunday morning.
posted by SF BUCKALEAU at 3:53 PM
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