Project of Best Intention

I delivered an oversize Four Winns cruiser to Essex, Maryland, late last year and was able to bring this San Juan24 back with me as my company was "dead-heading" me home.

I purchased it on e-bay actual sight unseen, but with several pictures the owner had posted and a previous SJ24 restoration behind me, I thought I knew the boat, what it need, and the weak points needing attention. The price was extremely right.

At first glace it didn't look too bad.

I got back home late and unloaded it onto my triple

axle trailer I built for Our 1964 Pearson Vanguard.

The Vanguard has been on a cradle for a few years and the trailer has not been used till now. I almost sold it a while back, but decided against it. Good thing as the SJ24 looked at home on it. I was wondering at the seemingly perfect fit of the Vanguard when I first brought her home from Ontario.

I bought this SJ24 so we could have a trailer sailer as the Vanguard project seemed still years away from completion, and Laurie and I were hungry for the water.

My first SJ24 project is happily sailing down in Lake Monroe, Indiana. Where to my suprise I found several over 40 foot ocean capable sailing vessels in winter storage. Tack - come about - run off-come about- repeat?

I should have keep that boat, but we were building the war chest to pursue a boat rehab buisness, but that's another story.

Once home and under closer inspection the delamination of the deck was most obvious. The hull itself was delaminating and the whole thing was flexing and pushing in. Nothing short of complete deck removal and much much labor was going to put this boat into what I considered sea worthy shape. I could doctor it up, but whose life was I willing to risk?

I've taken a half dozen ugly ducklings and made swans of them and felt pretty cocky about what I could accomplish with resin, glass and paint. This boat is my reality check - not the boat appaiser I thought I was. Faced with the reality - I convinced Laurie that we were not heading to the sea in this boat and savage was the better part of humiliation.

All in all it was a break even deal. The tally?: Wasted time; Vanguard still not finished; Lost lbs' loading and unloading; discovered new combinations for all the words The Navy had taught me while removing the 1600lb lead keel; had the joy of seeing my wife's hands to mouth reaction as the soggy SJ24 partially stripped, keel-less and chained to a tree, hung in mid air, released from its earthly bonds, as I engaged the S-10 Jimmy's 4 wheel drive and jammed the pedal.

We have a few acres here and could use a pond..........