45 foot 1970's IOR racer stored in a barn for 25 to 30 years

[Russel2]

Hi all,

This past summer I repositioned MYSTERY and her trailer so that the travel lift can get over her.

Ric

[Russel2]

The marina travel lift picking MYSTERY off the 1948 lowboy trailer. MYSTERY has sat on this trailer for the past 33 years. The first 30 years she was hidden away in a barn on this trailer. She then spent a year parked outside of the barn in a pasture on the farm while I refitted the trailer. She was then hauled by a heavy tow truck to the marina.

[Russel2]

Travel lift positioning MYSTERY in the cradle I built for her this past summer.

[Russel2]

MYSTERY and the 1948 Lowboy trailer side by each. MYSTERY is in a proper cradle in a marina for the first time in 33 years.

[Russel2]

MYSTERY and the unloaded 1948 Lowboy. It is empty for the first time in 33 years. The concave sag in the trailer's deck disappeared completely after the 10,000 pound Etchells 45 hull plus the trailers shoring/bunk materials were lifted off by the travel lift. The trailers deck is now perfectly horizontal and straight.

[Russel2]

In the cradle stern view.

[Russel2]

A view from aft of MYSTERY sitting on her new wooden keel in her new cradle.

[Russel2]

A view from starboard of MYSTERY sitting on her new wooden keel in her new cradle.

[Russel2]

A view from starboard forward of MYSTERY sitting on her new wooden keel in her new cradle.

[Russel2]

The old 1948 US government surplus lowboy just before it was hauled away. A friend of mine bought it. Doug will refit and repurpose the trailer to suit his 42 foot Sea Ray power boat. He will store his boat on it when it is hauled for the winter. So the old trailer lives on with a new purpose in life.

[Russel2]

Here are a few more pics of MYSTERY this past fall of 2023, just before I put the tarps on her for the winter.

Current status of the refit.

I have removed almost all of the deck hardware and gear off of the decks. I have also stripped the upper skin and damaged wet balsa core off of MYSTERY's fore deck and the full length of her port side deck from the bow to the cockpit. Those areas have been recored and glassed over complete. Unfortunately I forgot to take any pictures of that part of the project because I was working outdoors. I was always in a rush to put the tarps on at the end of each day's work to keep either the rain and dew off of the coring or the sunlight and rain off of the wet polyester resin. My sailing buddies drop in and help me when a boat job needs to have four paws on it.

I will try to take more before and after pictures next year during the 2024 summer refit season. For anyone who has not noticed. I work on the refit in the boat yard during the sailing season and then post the updates here sometime during the winter. I only check this thread occasionally, when I am home, during the sailing season.

Cheers,
Ric