Mosquito 126

Hi All

I thought I would start a topic about Mosquito 194 126. I bought is last week to use for parts for my Cobra and Arafura Cadet.

I am not sure what will happen to her yet, but I thought some here might be interested in her journey.

Here are some photos from when I got her home:

Some photos from today.











[img]http://www.dawson.id.au/mosquito194/194_23.JPG[/img]

In the last photo there is a plate with the number 126 on it. Does that mean the boat is actually number 126? The plate was attached to the rear beam.

She actually looks in reasonable nick for her "194 build" age, even the rigging looks as if it's been updated not that long ago.

interested to know what the hook fitting on the end of the rope that runs to the very rear of the hull/transom area is for


So whats missing that prevents your from taking her out for a spin ???




edit:
forgot to ask......

whats her name ???

I think if I took her out the mast may not have been up for too long and/or it may have filled with water. When I was taking the port chain plate off I was on the last bolt and the plate just pulled out, nut and all! Water got in and it is rotten.

I think the snap hooks at the transom are some kind of righting system. It was a continuous system to both sides with shock cord and a stainless ring for take up.

No centreboards either.

No name just yet.

in the rear beam its a suicide cord when going downwind wind on the rear beam on trap, u hook the hook on from rear beam so it prevents you goin forward

That makes sense Matt. I wondered about that but I didn't think you would use a snap hook. Seems like it could be hard to unhook in a hurry.

I will weigh the hulls next weekend if I have a chance.

Just remember its a mini tornado, most tornados have them but a ring cos I hook can do damage, and yes its number 126 prob made in the 60's
Matt

Thanks Matt

I have updated the topic title to 'Mosquito 126'. Are there any older Mosquitos still sailing?

I am getting more and more interested in taking her on as an upgrade project! Don't tell my partner!

More likely I will strip back the hulls to see what's there and then see if anyone else wants to take her on.

I did notice that the hulls seem to have a strange shape in the bows. The sides of the hulls (at the bottom) really 'flatten out' about 300-600mm from the bows. Is that typical? I will post some photos to try to show what I mean when I can.

I have photos of 94 at Lake Bolac's easter regatta both last year and this year....
Theres a thread here with a pic of it somehere.....

Edit:
Because I'm using the phone I dont know if this will work ...

http://www.catsailor.com/forums/ubb...;Main=21843&Number=260313#Post260313

I seem to have lost the ability to edit my posts. I must have changed a setting somewhere. Any suggestions?

You can only edit a post for a short time after you make the post.

yep..... Tim is correct

its set for ~24hours or until there is a post by another user after yours.....

24hours is an extreamly long time compared to most forums, I'm on other forums that have 10mins to edit a post before its locked in, that's about the norm from what I see, however, on another forum I'm on is zip - zero - nadda ability to edit a post at all.

we're lucky here

OK I see ... it makes sense ...
Thanks guys

The little rudder blades seem to be coming up ok after some work with the heat gun and sander.

I think they need a layer of glass - there are quite a few cracks



I am thinking that I need to sand, fill, paint then glass. Suggestions?

You need to repair the cracks first ....

Then its ......

Glass .....
Sand .....
Fill .......
Sand ....
Paint ...
Sand ..

How do you reckon I should approach the crack repairs?

providing the blades are straight then its a simple case of injecting resin directly into the cracks.... remember that trip to the vet and asking for the syringes, grab a couple of needles aswell
if you can 'open' the crack ever so slightly then the repair will be much stronger as you'll get more resin into the break, SLOW is the GO here, gentle persuasion will win over inpatient brute force.

If they are not straight then its gets more complicated and they can be broken very easily if you not carefull...
clamping them back straight sounds easy but its one of those tasks that SLOW is the GO, better adding half a turn every couple of days rather than just trying to force them back straight in half an hour = broken blade



Once the cracks have been resined and its set then use a long-board sander (panel beaters tool) and use ~80grit paper to rough up the entire board, don't worry about 'fluffy' bits of timber that are still attached to the board but DO get rid of any excess dust (air-compressor )

Lay cloth (& I'd suggest a woven cloth around the 100gsm mark - NOT chopped cloth !!) and resin it onto the boards... the application would be very similar to the way I did the main decks on Shy....

Once its set, gently run the long board over it again, this will show you instantly where the highs and lows are in the boards and the glass, now you can fill those low spots (micro-ballons and resin mix => mixed to peanut butter consistency)

When that is set then you'll need a sanding block and some 180grit paper..... sand it back to a smooth finish and if needed add more filler as required and sand again...... repeat as often as need be

Once you have a finish your happy with then spray on a high-build primer ( auto-pro / autobarn / supercheap carry this OneStep Primer)
Directions on how to use it are on the can but a basic application is run it straight out of the can for a really high build primer or thin it down to 3:1 to use as a 'ordinary primer'

now its dry (and that will take about 30mins) you grab the sanding block again with some 320grit paper and start sanding.....

If you have any rub-throughs then just mix up some thinned down primer again (1:1) and give it a very light touch-up then GENTLY re-sand it again

let its stand for 24hours

Wash the spray gun out...... mix up your chosen color .... spray on a light coat ... have a coffee ... add another light coat ... have a sandwich...add another light coat..... turn the lights off on your way out.




EDIT:
I'll gather up my "tool kit" and take a happy snap for you so you have a visual reference to the gear you'll use.....
this gear will also be invaluable if you were to build a new boat for example

Rather than inject resin into cracks, I personally would thicken the resin a bit with filler or glue powder, heat the rudder/board a bit with the heat gun, then squeegee the mix on, firmly as to force it in, the heating will draw the resin into the cracks as well as the surface, this will make the rudder a lot 'harder' as well.

as promised....



left to right.....

long board
sanding block
small pointy-nose pliers (to pull staples)
primer paint (this brand works well with 2-pack / acrylic / & enamel paints and as a base or high-build primer)
staple gun ( must have soft /hard setting and be able to take 10mm staples)
"horse syringe"
flat file (a round one isn't a bad idea too for case slot corners)
18 & 10 millimetre chisels
scissors for cloth cutting
grouting trowel (ideal for tight corners)
#4 Stanley hand plane
elcheapo plastic party cups for mixing the resin in... about $2 for 25
and the masking tape (on top of the paint tin)


whats not pictured......
dirt-cheap paint brushes for the resin
latex gloves so I don't get sticky hands, far more pleasant when one needs the little mans room / light a smoke / or pick ones nose

and ofcourse the resin and the cloth