The Resurrection of 2182

Many of you will have seen, or seen the photos of, the restored Australian Sailfish 2182 Goofy Footed, sailed by Warren Jones at the 2023 Inverloch Classic Wooden Dinghy Regatta. What you may not have seen is just how enormous this restoration job was.

In January 2022 Ian Milton was contacted by his brother Richard to tell him that a Sailfish had been dumped next to a nearby park. Of course Ian jumped in the car and headed over to see what it was.

It was a boat that Ian recognised immediately as one he had sailed against many years ago at Narrabeen, so on the roof it went and back home for a bit of work (!). When Chris and I saw what he had recovered our immediate reaction was to say “strip it of fittings and burn what’s left”. Ian had other ideas.

From here it is probably best to go with a photo record so you can see just what a job this was. But let’s just say that from now on I have to seriously doubt if any boat can’t be saved.

January 2022

As it was found, leaning up against a park railing like a drunk after a particularly hard night. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Transom and the remains of the spars, those rudder fittings look good. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

And here’s the deck, or what is left of it. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Just a few of the holes in the hull. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Some (most?) of the deck ply. These became the feet on the new deck of the restoration. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Ian’s final count was, I think, 36 different holes in the hull. Some from rot, some from damage, all a different shape and a different size which meant that it required 72 pieces of individually shaped plywood to be made up.

Deck ply remains removed, alternative lifestyle around centreboard case revealed. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

More of the local wildlife, this time settled in under the mast step. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

That bit of deck ply looks good! [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Around the mainsheet track, rot and delaminated ply. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Did I mention the rot? Just one side of one frame, and the bottom ply. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

The start of cleaning up one of the many holes in the hull. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Another section cut out. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Rot in the side of frame 2. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Rot gone! But might need a patch. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Other side, showing the cleat used to secure the frame. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Piece fitted to replace rot, frame 2. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Centreboard case cross bracing showing damage. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Ply sides of centreboard case showing damage and stiffening bracing. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

That’s one side of the centreboard case off then. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

And that would be the other side off as well. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Both sides removed. Ian made the call to replace both sides while there was no deck as it is easier repair any problems then. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Some of the cutouts for patching the hull. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Backing pieces for the patches in the hull. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

Rough fit of hull patches, still to be trimmed. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

A few of the backing pieces in place. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, January 2022]

February 2022

Problem? Distorted frame. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

Solution? Reuse old stringer offcut to stiffen and straighten the top edge. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

Centreboard case sides and taped spacer pieces ready to fit. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

New centreboard case sides fitted and awaiting gluing. Spacers are to stop any distortion of the sides and are taped to stop them being accidentally glued in [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

New centreboard case sides in position and LIGHTLY clamped while epoxy sets up. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

New centreboard case sides fitted. Tape is to make any epoxy squeeze out easier to clean up. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

A backing piece glued and clamped. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

The filling piece of the previous backing piece clamped in place. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

Another backing piece glued and clamped. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

Many holes, many backing pieces. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

Clamping arrangement, and note the stiffening piece for the deck stringer spreading the load through two of the bottom stringers. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

Clamping a fill piece on the edge is always challenging. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

Small holes on the underside of the hull, fill pieces in place. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

And another example of the challenges faced, at the transom. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

Good shot showing squeeze out. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

Fill piece sanded and faired. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

Patches in place around the centreboard case, very fiddly. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

Long shot, showing many of the patches fitted. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

Let the sanding commence! Chasing a smooth, fair finished hull shape. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

First primer coat on. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

Many blobs of filler chasing that fair hull shape. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

Second coat of primer on. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, February 2022]

March 2022

March in Sydney, and much of NSW was VERY wet, so little progress was possible with the Goofy Footed project.

More filling, more sanding. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, March 2022]

Bow detail, this shape was a NSW speciality and if not carefully sealed the joins could be a source of leaks. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, March 2022]

First finish coat on hull. Now that’s a colour to get you noticed! [By Ian Milton, Sydney, March 2022]

April 2022

Second finish coat on hull. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, April 2022]

Remember the scraps of deck ply that were still on the hull when it was recovered? Being used, left foot first . [By Ian Milton, Sydney, April 2022]

And then the right foot. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, April 2022]

Hull flipped, new stringers and sub frames test fitted. Check out the various patches that can be seen. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, April 2022]

Inside of hull with first epoxy coating, again, check out the patch work. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, April 2022]

Removing excess ply from the frames to offset some of the weight gain from the repairs. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, April 2022]

Rot Repair on one of the frames. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, April 2022]

Test fit of rot repair piece on the previous photo. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, April 2022]

New rudder box and tiller being assembled. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, April 2022]

May 2022

May in Sydney was once again, very wet. So, once again, Ian was limited to some of his other projects.

Starboard rear stringers glued in. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, May 2022]

Stringer/frame join, check out how neat that filleting is. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, May 2022]

Wider view of stringer/frame join, here you can see the notch for the second stringer waiting fitting. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, May 2022]

June 2022

A bit of weight reduction, stiffening pieces under the mast step. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, June 2022]

Wider shot showing the stiffening between frames one and two. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, June 2022]

All the bracing pieces for the mini-frames neatly laid out. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, June 2022]

Bracing pieces for the mini frames fitted throughout the rebuild. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, June 2022]

A clear shot of the mini-frames and the bracing pieces to support them. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, June 2022]

Mini-frames clamped in place. This not only helps support the stringers but stiffens the hull as well. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, June 2022]

Mini-frames glued in place, clamps removed. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, June 2022]

July 2022

Everything epoxied on the inside now, fittings and traveller blocks resting on the deck beam. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, July 2022]

Closeup of some of the mini-frame details. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, July 2022]

Traveller and supporting blocks waiting to be fitted, the hollowing out you can see is another weight offset measure by Ian. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, July 2022]

Traveller supports glued and clamped in place on the front side of frame 4. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, July 2022]

Traveller track, footstrap fittings and mainsheet fitting screwed down. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, July 2022]

August 2022

August was all about the deck, prepping, fitting and finishing. Things have come a long way since January!

Lots of filleting, to make sure everything is secure and watertight before the deck goes on. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Test fit of the foredeck, ply roughly cut to shape. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

And with the ply for the aft section test fitted as well. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Cutouts around the rebated mainsheet track. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Rough fit with cutouts for the chainplates. Blue tape is to stop the ply tearing at the cutouts. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Clamped down and now with the centreboard case slot cut out as well. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Underside of deck epoxied, except where the areas to be glued down are, prior to fitting the deck. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Foredeck glued on, lots of clamps, bricks and other weights to hold it all down. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Aft deck glued on, more clamps, more bricks, more weights. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

More squeeze out, this time at the mainsheet track/deck ply join. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Squeeze out at the bow, just waiting to be cleaned up and sanded back. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Ply at the bow sanded back flush. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Epoxy squeeze out at the transom. This is a good thing, as long as you clean it up before it sets. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Ply at the transom sanded back. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Great shot looking aft of the centreboard case slot and the rebate for the mainsheet track. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Great piece of ply for the deck. Gunwales glued in place but not yet shaped. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Mast step fitted. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Chainplates, mast step, traveller, footstraps, and now with gunwales clamped in place as well. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Footstraps and mainsheet track fitted. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Aft fitting for the footstraps. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

Footstraps and mainsheet fittings in place. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, August 2022]

September 2022

September was all about finishing touches, those bits that make a boat really stand out.

Time for some artwork, ‘rope’ to be inlaid up the centreline. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, September 2022]

Hands to hold the ‘rope’ shown in the last photo. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, September 2022]

Centreboard case surround glued into place. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, September 2022]

Centreboard case surround with ‘rope’ to be rebated in. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, September 2022]

Artwork for the aft deck all worked out. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, September 2022]

And while all that is going on, there is still a rudder and centreboard to be made. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, September 2022]

October 2022

Start of rebating the deck for the artwork to be fitted. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, October 2022]

Ghostly appearance of the hands in the night? [By Ian Milton, Sydney, October 2022]

And by day, test fit after rebating completed. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, October 2022]

And artwork fitted, note the writing on the deck at the stern, more on that later. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, October 2022]

‘Rope’ rebated in the centreboard case surround. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, October 2022]

Remember those scraps that were all that were left of the original deck? Now appearing as feet on the new deck. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, October 2022]

Long view with the second coat of epoxy on. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, October 2022]

Deck sanded after the epoxy and the name added. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, October 2022]

And while all that was happening, make a centreboard! [By Ian Milton, Sydney, October 2022]

November 2022

November was all about finishing and getting the restored Goofy to Cairn Curran for their annual Wooden Boat Weekend. It was here that Warren was able to see the boat he had built with his father back in 1981 for the first time in decades.

Shaped gunwales, inlays done, time to put the fittings on. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, November 2022]

The finished inlay work. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, November 2022]

Padded hiking pads, luxury! [By Ian Milton, Sydney, November 2022]

Rudder box detail. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, November 2022]

Centreboard case slot cover. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, November 2022]

Gunwale detail now they are shaped and sealed. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, November 2022]

Looking down the hull, footstraps are folded forward out of the way for this photo. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, November 2022]

Not the right sail, but rigged at last and ready for some lawn sailing. [By Ian Milton, Sydney, November 2022]

Across the deck at the stern – ‘Built by Ron and Warren Jones 1981’ on one side, ‘Resurrected by Ian Milton 2022’ on the other. [By Ian Milton, Cairn Curran, November 2022]

And then, at Inverloch this year, Warren sailed Goofy Footed. Having not sailed a dinghy of any kind for nearly 40 years, he promptly went out and led the first race for the first lap and won the second race, just to show it wasn’t a fluke!

Warren Jones on 2182 Goofy Footed. [By Andrew Young, Anderson Inlet, 18 & 19 February 2023]

2182 Goofy Footed. [By Ian Milton, Inverloch, 18 February 2023]