![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Overall/Benford 38 fantail as purchased.JPG)
As purchased - September 2014 |
-
June 2016 9' shorter mast with hammock :) |
COCKPIT
The cockpit did not drain, there were two
small, inadequate scuppers and there was
no arch in the deck to direct water to the
scuppers. There was a 1/4" high sill
around the hatch which was 3/4" higher
than the deck and a trip hazard so that water
backed up on the deck and flooded the engine
compartment/steering gear compartment.. We
had to build a new deck over the old to have
room to fit gutters around the hatch. There
was no propane locker so we had to build
one of those too, into the aft end of the
cockpit. Neither were there gutters around
the side locker hatches so those filled with
water when it rained.
We started with a new bimini / stern rail
and progressed through re-sking the deck
with an arch to improve drainage, the addition
of a proper propane locker, new hatches with
drain gutters. ( Can you imagine a huge engine
hatch with no gutters ? ) and Sharons impeccable
new non-skid.
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![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Cockpit/002 (2).JPG) |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Cockpit/cockpit 1.JPG)
No propane locker, raised deck hatch without
gutters routinely flooded engine compartment.
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![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Cockpit/cockpit clamped.jpg)
Building new propane locker
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![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Cockpit/Sharon fillets.jpg)
Sharon fillets the new deck before glassing
over |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Cockpit/003.JPG)
New gutters drain to scuppers, and
finished
propane locker
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![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Cockpit/IMG_3082.JPG)
Enlarging the inadequate scuppers |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Cockpit/005.JPG)
A little paint and new scuppers with be finished
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![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Cockpit/001.JPG)
New propane locker, new arched deck with
flush engine hatch with gutters,new stern
rails & propane locker |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Cockpit/cockpit 3.JPG)
Cockpit .... finito !
Finito ! |
RUDDER mod & bottom job
The odd shape of the rudder and lack of balance
(contrary to Benford's original design) meant
that a lot of the prop wash did not move
over the largest part, this made turning
at low speeds quite difficult without using
the bow thruster.
While hauled for fresh bottom paint we added
two 20" X 7" stainless steel "fish
tails". The greater surface area within
the prop wash and the 15° angle on the
tails has made a dramatic difference to turning
ability in close quarter manouvering.
Re-painted the bottom. How many wives would
get under the plastic with a sander, my wife
is awesome !
My photo is the aftermath of sanding with
goggles and a mask. That crap gets under
everything but Sharon looked as cute as a
button in her painting outfit.
PS. I'm too old for this stuff. I will never
do another bottom job ! |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Bow thruster/new rudder tail.JPG) |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Bow thruster/new old rudder.jpg) |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Bow thruster/new rudder profile.JPG) |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Bow thruster/sharon in suit.jpg)
My wife is so damned cute !
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![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Bow thruster/IMG_0580.JPG)
I didn't fare so well even with goggles,
suit and mask. What a crappy job |
WINDOWS -
Between September 2014 and June 2015 we installed
17 custom Bomon windows and one brass
port
hole. I've installed Bomon windows
on my
two previous boats so obviously I am
quite
pleased with them. The windows were
by far
the biggest job we will undertake on
Dirt Free as the old windows were simple wooden frames
over glass rabbeted into the structure.
The
damage done in getting these rotten
wood
frames off was substantial. We also
repainted
the entire superstructure and Sharon
did
all the non-skid after re-glassing
much of
it.
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![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Overall/Sharon Gouk at work on Benford 38 fantail.JPG)
Days and days and days of sanding |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Overall/Saron Gouk at work on Benford 38 fantail 1.JPG)
Sharon doing the new non-skid |
![Benford 38 fantail](PHOTOS Our new boat/Windows/001 (11).JPG)
Caulking will NEVER seal plywood ! the screw
driver slides in like in butter |
![Benford 38 Fantail wallace gouk](PHOTOS Our new boat/Windows/001 (7).JPG)
First of 17 new windows going in |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Windows/IMG_7409.JPG) |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Windows/old windows new.JPG) |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Windows/old back windows.JPG) |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Windows/new back windows.JPG) |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Windows/Benford 38 fantail almost front windows.JPG) |
New hatch and new structure glassed in place
ready to be trimmed out for the new
windows.
I had planned an entire morning to remove
the badly leaking butterfly hatch that
you
see in the "before" photo
at left
below ... it was completely rotten
and took
all of 30 seconds. The butterfly hatch
was
replaced with a heavy duty aluminum
frame
unit. |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Windows/Old front windows.JPG) |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Windows/New front windows.jpg) |
New Bow rail, $50.00, Stachions and life lines free from
a boat being scrapped, 55lb. Rocna
$300.00.
All in Canadian dollarettes so actully
close
to free :) |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Foredeck/Bow rail.jpg) |
PILOT HOUSE -
DOORS - The pilot house doors are securely mounted
on sail tracks at the top, there was
no track
or method of securing them along the
bottom
so they banged constantly in choppy
weather
and opened whenever they felt like
it. The
plan is to rebuild them and fit them
with
matching Bomon windows then devise
a securing
and locking method along with a lower
track
then replace the forward wooden (rotten)
track with aluminum. We'll be doing
this
job over the winter under shrink wrap
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![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Pilot house/doors.jpg) |
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![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Pilot house/Fantail pilot house.jpg) |
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![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Pilot house/006 (7).JPG) |
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![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Pilot house/fantail helm.jpg) |
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![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Overall/fantail on trailer.jpg) |
BOW THRUSTER -
Hull shape, smallish propleller, smallish
rudder with flow directed low all add
up
to the fact that Dirt Free does not like to turn at low speed so the
old single crew trick of hammering
the throttle
with the rudder hard over and then
going
to reverse does not work as well as
it did
on my other single screw boats so a
thruster
is the immediate fix. Later on I will
make
some rudder modifications and see if
that
helps.
Note the illegal below the sheerline
placement
of the stern light. She also came with
no
forward running light or anchor light
and
had been cruised in that condition. |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Bow thruster/005 (2).JPG)
First ..... cut a really big hole ! |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Bow thruster/008 (2).JPG)
Slide tube into place |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Bow thruster/009 (2).JPG)
Trim tube for flared fairing |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Bow thruster/004 (3).JPG)
Add lots of filler then sand, sand, sand
and sand some more. |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Bow thruster/005 (3).JPG) |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Bow thruster/031.JPG) |
INTERIOR |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/joiner work.JPG)
Typical "before" joinerwork |
SALOON
The entire saloon was panelled with yellow
painted plywood with the most amateur
joiner
work imaginable. There were so many
things
wrong that it's difficult to list them,
no
access to the bilges, leaking windows
, atrocious
joinerwork, an aluminum (dumb, dumb,
dumb)
waste tank that was inaccessible, a
head
compartment without a shower or any
means
of draining one, no refrigeration and
the
list goes on ..... |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/A 1 old saloon.JPG)
Yellow painted plywood panelling, Hard
wood
floors glued to deck with no bilge
access |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/x3.JPG)
Much more comfortable. Yes, that's a fireplace
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![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/B saloon 1.JPG)
More yellow painted plywood |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/Fireplace new.JPG)
Love that fireplace |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/A 001 (5).JPG)
Cut through floor to make bilge access |
XAwaiting photo |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/A 001 (6).JPG)
Hardwood sole chiseled out a plank at a time.
Hinged bilge hatches being fitted |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/New cork sole bow.jpg)
New cork sole and hatches where none existed
before
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![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/A 001 (7).JPG)
Hinged engine compartment hatch integral
to settee fitted and functional
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![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/New cork sole aft.jpg)
Hard to believe it was built with no bilge
access ! Table now retracts. |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/fantail saloon 2.jpg)
Tore the wall out behind the forward dinette
bench ... also torn out |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/NEW GALLEY COFFEE.jpg) |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/fantail dinette.jpg)
Fixed table and two dinette benches |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/Sharon at table.jpg)
Retractable table and one less dinette
bench |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/saloon 8.JPG) |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/cupboard light.JPG)
Teak Teak frame cupboard doors with laminated
glaas panes |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/fantail saloon.jpg)
Got rid of this wall with sliding privacy
pabel and settee The ceiling, the only thing worth keeping. |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/NEW AC PANEL.jpg)
Now we have much more room and much more
storage space |
GALLEY -
Consisted of a stove, sink and delaminating
formica countertop |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Galley/2.JPG)
First - install a refrigerator |
X |
V-BERTH |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/V-berth/vberth 1.JPG)
Carpet removed from walls |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/V-berth/004.JPG)
Nice piece of drift wood huh ? |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/V-berth/vberth 2.JPG)
Horrible carpeted walls |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/V-berth/001.JPG)
Beaded board walls and custom headboard by
Sharon |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/V-berth/vberth 3.JPG)
Before |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/Crown day.JPG)
Sharon has always wantee crown molding. Who
am I to deny her !
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![](PHOTOS Our new boat/V-berth/Rinho 1.JPG)
Mid- way |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Saloon/Crown night.JPG)
Then she asked for hidden lighting behind
the molding..... I can deny this woman
nothing
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HEAD / SHOWER
The head compartment had hardwood floors
which we ripped out. We then built
a drain
pan so we could install a shower and
covered
all surfaces with the same FRP panels
we
used in the saloon and elswhere. |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Head/001 (8).JPG) |
Awaiting photoX |
PILOT HOUSE
The ubiquitous yellow painted plywood,
a
wheel that will impale you in rough
seas. |
X![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Pilot house/fantail helm.jpg) |
XAwaiting photo |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Pilot house/Fantail pilot house.jpg) |
Awaiting photoX |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Pilot house/006 (7).JPG) |
XAwaiting photo |
ENGINE |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Engine/A 002.JPG) |
Awaiting photoX |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Engine/engine 1.JPG) |
XAwaiting photo |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Engine/engine 2.JPG) |
Awaiting photoX |
ELECTRICAL |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Electrical/1.JPG) |
xAwaiting photo |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Electrical/002 (2).JPG) |
Awaiting photox |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Electrical/A acdc.JPG) |
Awaiting photoX |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Electrical/acdc 8.JPG) |
Awaiting photoX |
![](PHOTOS Our new boat/Electrical/dc 1.JPG) |
Awaiting photox |
MAST AND DINGHY (and hammock)
We Cut 9' off the mast so we could do the
New York State Canal System then rigged
a
hammock to the boom. At some point
this summer
the boom will be rigged to lift our
new dinghy
on to the cabin trunk If all goes well
we
will also rig the mast with a steadying
sail.
I don't really think it will accomplish
much
but it will look kinda neat especially
if
we can get a tanbark square top.
![](PHOTOS Home Page/fish button.gif)
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