Hi all,
I would like to weigh in on this free boat conversation if I may. Few if any of you know me, but a couple of years ago I picked up on a Free Boat, and have been doing the extensive and complete restoration off and on since. I make no claims to expertise. The reason for this posting is not to encourage or discouraging anyone from taking on a project like mine, but to offer whatever I have learned to anyone who might benefit from the knowledge gained from my work on this boat. I got this boat for the learning, knowing full well that I might come up to the impossible and then I would have to junk the whole project and chalk it all up to experience. I can truly say that I am still enthusiastic about rebuilding my S22. (including a lot of work on the trailer.) I am currently about 85 to 90% completed.
To detail all I have done is way more than could be posted here. What I would be willing to offer anyone contemplating such a journey as making the commitment to take on the free boat, is to be willing to share any of the things I have learned along the way. I have many photos taken during the course of this project, and I can relate what I came up against and how I dealt with the issues. I must also say I am not primarily interested in racing my boat. It is intended to be a safe little day sailor cruiser for my enjoyment. That enjoyment has already included doing a lot of work on the boat. It is a good feeling to stand back after a day of sanding and wet sloppy epoxy and know you succeeded and have done a good job. I will have a very nice boat to show for it when I'm done. I know I will never get back the money I have spent, does anyone? but I will have a very nice boat of proven design that I will enjoy for a long time and in the end it will probably cost far less than buying a new boat. This of course does not consider the hours spent, but I like what I see every time I look at my boat. What one gets out is what one puts in. If I can be of assistance to anyone with a decision to make or a problem to solve, send me an Email and we can talk. Again, I am not an expert by any means, but I now know far more than I ever thought possible and I would enjoy sharing the story. The Free Boat is definitely not for everyone, but maybe you are the right person to do it and if you are I can be here to help. Its been a great trip and I am winning the battle.
Sincerely
Ted Macklin
ctm47 at cox.net
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