A1’s keel plates and hoist have been completely refurbished.
The lifting gear is of interesting design – the same principle was used in the production Atalantas but the original has cables in place of stirrups.
(Click on a photo to expand)
-
A1 The cockpit. New everything including the bottom of the main bulkhead. The cardboard box hides the new engine.
-
A1 A1’s keel hoists operate to the same principles as the production Atalantas, but with cables instead of solid stirrups.
-
A1 New keel plates and clamping bolts in stainless to Mike’s own design. These are more inline with production boats than the originals.
-
A1 Keel plates
Oh, something’s gone a bit wonky with the website?
[Webmaster – it did! Apologies. I believe it is now fixed so you shouldn’t see any strange code on the screen.]
And this….
Hi
Interesting. Are the threaded rods fastened to the clamping plate? What keeps the water out. do you use something like the original rubber grommets?
I recently came across this article in a 1956 Yachting World Annual. You may have seen it…
Hello Murray – apologies for delay in replying.
A1’s original keel support brackets and bolts were unique – it was only on the later production boats that the standard keel clamping arrangement was introduced. A1’s support bracekt and bolts were a solid lump of corroded and rusted mild steel – beyond redeption and scrapped once I’d managed to get them out of the boat. The keel boxes themsealves have been completely renewed as well, as the originals were badly rotted and then covered with fibreglass matting.
I took the opportunity of replacing all the support bracket steelwork with specially designed and fabricated stainless steels brackets, bolts, clamping plates etc., – very similar in concept to the later production boats One of the pictures show the new brackets and whilst they are similar to those on production boats, they are unique to A1.
The keel lifting screws are original though I have replaced the stainless steel wire lifting strops as a precaution. The screwed rods are held top and bottom by two 10mm botls through the main bulkhead.
Keeping water out – the bolts have neoprene washers – which have yet to be tested, but I see no reason why they ought not to work! As to the keel boxes, the majority of their length is in the cockpit, so they act as “holes” for the self draining cockpit. As to the short length right at the for’d end inside the fore cabin, a cover plate still has to be fitted.
It’s coming on…………!
Cheers, Mike