Hi gang,

I need some advice on whether to accept an offer of dubious generosity...

Friends of mine have a neglected 14' Enterprise sailboat mouldering in their back yard. The build style is plywood nailed to inner ribs, presumably all coated with epoxy? No glass, anyway. They have offered it to me for free, hoping I can get her afloat again. It was built in the 1960s, improperly refinished a few years ago, and left to the elements. Sails and rigging seem good. The topsides varnish is all flaked off - no problem, easy sanding! But the hull is worse: flaking paint, spot delamination of the plywood, and apparently some substantial leakage from somewhere near the keel. So...

- Can anyone offer an educated opinion on how big a project this sounds like? I'm not scared of sanding and painting, but the delamination and leakage may be endless...

- Can anyone recommend books or web sites to help me?

Thanks! I know this is unrelated to kayak building, but it's the kayak building that landed me in this situation... I sure hate to see a nice old boat go to waste.

Chris
Victoria, BC