Paint, Paint, Paint

Since i didnt really do anything on Dogmatic today, i thought i would go ahead and write a quick lil entry bout which paint i plan on using to paint her hull.

The first few coats which go on the entire hull after its been prepared are the undercoat, and for the undercoat on Dogmatic we are using International Pre-Kote in white, which is pretty cheap and i have used many times in the past and it has always been relia

ble and cheerful. About 1.5l should be enough to cover the entire hull. The purpose of the undercoat is to add another layer of protection to the hull in terms of waterproofing and protecting it, as well as providing a surface for the top co

at to stick to and in some ways make the top coat even smoother.

For the inside of the hull, on the decks where we will be working and sailing, we will be painting over the undercoat in Blakes Deck Paint. This is a waterproof, grippy paint that is hardwearing and should help with grip inside the boat. We have 750ml that should cover the inside in a few coats in no time.

For the top coats on the outside of the hull i am going to use International Brightside in the colour Rescue Orange. The reason for it being painted orange is because that was the original colour of the hull before it was re-sprayed by Phil Cobby (See Dogmatic's History in an earlier post). I haven't 'acquired' any of the brightside yet so no photo is as of yet available. When it does arrive ill post it up for all to see.

The Work Begins: Washing

Today i began working on the hull, i cleaned it and moved it into the garage ready for the long arduous process of sanding and priming ready for painting. The first job i had to do this evening was to move the hull into my garage. This involved 4 people, one on each corner maneuvering the relatively heavy hull between bushes and the side of the house, back onto the previously prepared trolley, strategically placed to take the hull off our hands as our arms gave way.

Dogmatic moved into our garage:

From there it was washed, first pressure washed before being broomed and pressure washed again (it was more like a semi-pressure wash, since the washer kept braking/

cutting out/being a tad gay). Anyways heres some photos of lil Dogmatic tucked up nice and safe in my garage.

The Stern after it had been washed:

A History Lesson

Dogmatic is a 1975 National 12 built by amateur builder Tim Tomlinson to his Greyhound design. There were in total 5 Greyhound boats constructed between 1974 and 1975, of which Dogmatic is the third.

The early part of Dogmatics History was provided by John Murrell of the National 12 Class Assocition, the rest was sourced by us, mostly by asking around. John Says: Looking at the old class handbooks, she has always been called Dogmatic.

The handbooks from 1975 - 1978 list the owner as I A Rice (he was an association member) and I believe sailed at either Northampton or Middle Nene. In 1979 the boat changed to G J Oxley of Halifax. My 1980 handbook is missing but in 1981 she is listed as being owned by Cheltenham College SC and the last Handbook I have which still listed owners is the 1984 one which again shows Cheltenham as the owner.

The history of Dogmatic from where we picked up begins with St Clement Danes School in Hertfordshire, where she was purchased as a school sailing boat by the headmaster at the time Peter Conway. There it was frequently sailed by Phil Cobby who maintained her in his lunch times. Phil resprayed the original orange hull white using his dad's car automotive garage (circa '95) which is the colour it is atm.

After being owned by the school there is a slight hazy patch in the boats history, however we believe that she found her way into the hands of Nick Edwards. There she lay until 2005 when she was found abandoned in the BLYM Boat park and adopted by Paul Knight and Steve Swinchett.

Paul and Steve took the boat into their care and soon had it into a functional national 12, not going to win any races soon but definately sailable. They too soon lost interest in the boat and Dave Blakesley and Dave Langston took charge of it.

We got hold of Dogmatic after a quick phone call to paul who donated her to us. She is now located at my house in Amersham.

The Birth of a Blog

Welcome to the new blog for our recently acquired National 12, ' Dogmatic', which we are starting to restore as currently shes in a pretty sorry state. Im going to post a history of her later tonight, but first some photos are our little beast and the work done so far. Also contributing to this blog will be my partner in crime Dave 'Pixie' Langston, who is currently caring for her foils, meanwhile i tackle the hull.

 

As you can see the hull has been completely stripped, including the wooden rubbing strip around the side, and the hatch covers. She is being prepped for the few repairs needed to the hull before we apply the first few coats of Pre-Kote. The one major bit of damage is the mast step:

As visible there is a bloody great big crack through the center and the plan is to rip it out and new bit of wood in then fibre glass over the top. Should be the most complicated thing to do before finishing. Theres a few little gel boat repairs that need doing but no big deal...