Hi Everyone,
I pleased to say that I just purchased Viper #29 from Fred in New Jersey. She's still in her original form, so this will give me a winter project to work on over the snowy season.
She's sat in a garage for the past 7 years, only seeing the water 3 or 4 times. Prior to that she lived in Florida and rarely was splashed. So needless to say, the hull is in great condition.
The plan for year one is to upgrade the bulb, lines, hardware. I'm on some what of a limited budget (saving up for a September wedding) so I'll be doing much of the work myself. I'm sure I'll be on here quite a bit looking for tips.
Late 2011/Early 2012 will see new rags, and ultimately a new rig. Those are the big investments!
Anyway, I'll post some pictures up ASAP so everyone can see my new toy. For now she's living in my driveway.
Cheers!
Darren
Viper #29
cool, where you at?
Looking forward to seeing you out on the water! Congratulation.
Dave
#55
You're going to love it! These boats are a blast to sail!
Thanks for the congratulations.
Both the Boat and I are in London, Ontario. It's about an hour from Sarnia.
Great to hear that this worked out--welcome to the fleet. I am just 15 minutes away, so contact me if you have any questions at all. Looking forward to seeing you on the water next year!
another mid-west boat to play i love it!
43 is now in suburban detroit, i bought it from rob in marblehead. keel mod was done as part of the deal, but like darren i need to move hardware and get the carbon stick. have been out phrf racing and holding our own with 40 footers, awesome! looking forward to travelling a bit in 2011!
Scuba Steve!
I heard you bought a boat. Congratulations!
So within an hour of Sarnia there are now 5 boats?
yea 5 boats, looks like we have a decent fleet starting! phyc spring series in 2011?
Spring 2011 is possible, but I'm not a member at either SYC or PHYC so I'm not sure how that would work out.
Did you sell the J24?
still got the 24, trying to sell it to get a carbon rig. im not a member either but kelly thinks we can use sarnia for a few weeks which would be huge
All I can say is what a wonderful engagement/ wedding shower gift. She must love you very much!
Here's some shots of the old gal...
Out for a car ride
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yUxrPoPDuFk/TN1XlMuR9fI/AAAAAAAAAA4/lDSHhjaTlZ4/s1600/IMG_0354.JPG)
Out for a car ride
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yUxrPoPDuFk/TN1YM8qOacI/AAAAAAAAABA/LgIhMevNbC0/s1600/IMG_0355.JPG)
A pic with the old owners
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yUxrPoPDuFk/TN1YNuVeGDI/AAAAAAAAABQ/BB7y7u2xuOU/s1600/PICT0003.JPG)
In it's old home in Florida
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yUxrPoPDuFk/TN1YN2AVnWI/AAAAAAAAABY/AgRMzac-4-M/s1600/PICT0012.JPG)
The Interior
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yUxrPoPDuFk/TN1YORr3fhI/AAAAAAAAABg/Wsq72QEW4MA/s1600/PICT0025.JPG)
The Interior
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yUxrPoPDuFk/TN1ZJUjtLmI/AAAAAAAAABo/tHLtSuCyesI/s1600/PICT0039.JPG)
On the Trailer
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yUxrPoPDuFk/TN1ZKKeN8xI/AAAAAAAAAB4/Yt5bJQb303Y/s1600/PICT0080.JPG)
Old owners taking her for a sail
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yUxrPoPDuFk/TN1ZKrIv7hI/AAAAAAAAACI/9RKwKCbMyAk/s1600/PICT0180.JPG)
That's it for now. I'll be posting pictures of the upgrades once they start happening. Keel is first on the list...waiting for the clam shells!
Darren - Boat looks really great. Like the color. Congrats. Quick suggestion. That eye strap on the bow is not designed and is not strong enough to be a trailer tie down point. Most of us go up to the bow fitting where the forestay attaches - very strong.
That little eyestrap on the bow is fine for the pole bobstay If you damage it or get it loose, there is no access to get in there to fix it!
Nice Job Darren.
Get some bigger bunks under her. She'll love the extra cushion.
I just wanted to post to thank the Viper Forums for all the help with Viper #29. My restoration project is close to complete. The boat should be good to go for this weekend's Viper regatta in Sarnia!
These forums are a great wealth of knowledge and the help I've had getting my boat updated shows how eager the class is to work with new owners. I've tried my best to keep notes along the way so if someone else finds an old boat in a barn there's some good instructions on how to bring her up to speed.
In particular I'd like to thank Kelly Bechard, Brad Boston, Lee Shuckerow, Eric Vigrass, Ben Steinberg, and Jeff Jones.
Looking forward to meeting many of you in person at a regatta soon.
Thanks again!
Darren
Congrats!
Any idea on how you made out on the weight?
No idea at all. I'd love to find out though!
I'd love to see some pictures of the process. Especially the spinnaker bar.
Hey Kyle,
There's some pics up on my blog. The link is in my signature line. I'm in the paint stage right now, and still have to put my new spin sock in, but all the epoxy work is done.
Thanks again for sending your old spin sock to mast head. They were great to deal with from my standpoint as well. So much so that I bought a top cover from them and it fits very well.
Darren
We had the pleasure of sailing against Darren on #29 in sarnia recently and the boat looked great and didn't seem to lack in the speed area at all. Glad to have another Viper in the area.
Thanks Lee. I had a great time sailing the Sarnia regatta as well. I really wish I was sailing NA's but other commitments (damn weddings) got in the way. I'm glad that my boat will be racing, only problem is if it does well I'll be out of excuses other than 'Operator Error".
Sarnia is truly an amazing place to sail. Everyone with a Viper should be there for NA's (you'll regret it if you're not!). Fresh water, steady breeze, beautiful facilities, wonderful volunteers, and all at a very inexpensive price when compared to other ragattas. Lee, Kelly, and the Bostons have done everything they can to make this regatta a great success. I'll be there to watch at least one day of racing.
Good luck to all!
Glad you'll be at sarnia for one day. Look fwd to congratulating you personally on the project. Come and share some EFG rum with us all.