www.dockrell.com

Hey guys...so I've moved from Suffolk to Bristol and Im now on the brink of upgrading my wayfarer for something bigger to put on the dinghy trot outside my new club.

I have been offered a Dockrell 17, sat on a trailer, and with some nice bits and bobs included...and I am definately going to take it. However there are issues that need resolving, and I am looking for help....

The wooden bearers underneath the floor have started to break down and rot, so the floor has become slightly flexible, allowing the join around the centreboard case, stern, and side benches to split and open slightly when the floor is walked on.

Has anyone here ever dealt with this issue, and if so can new fibreglass encased wooden bearers be installed through the various hatches without having to cut the floor out first?

I have also noticed that the bow section has been filled with expanding foam, and I have a feeling that I will be digging it out, as it seems its already suffering from water ingress and retention. Has anyone ever had to re-seal the bow section and make it a buoyancy chamber again?

I am very keen to bring back some of the buoyancy chambers, so they are useful again as just that, and not as areas where water could just get trapped if the boat capsised...

I would love to chat/make contact with any current or previous Dockrell 17 owners, and I look forward to getting it done and having her out on the water soon!

HATCHES EITHER SIDE OF MAST...



INSIDE ONE OF THE HATCHES, YOU CAN SEE THE WOODEN FLOOR BEARER ROTTING...







EXPANDING FOAM UNDER FRONT HATCH...



ATTEMPT TO RE-SEAL FLOOR AROUND SEATS....



CLOSE UP....

Hi,
Sorry I have only just seen your letter. Last year I bought a Dockrell 17 with the cuddy cabin. The bulk head under the cockpit sole at entry to the cabin end was totally rotten. I removed the cabin seats and then the rotten bulk head. A big job, but successful. I cut out sections of 12mm marine ply and coated them with 3 coats of polyester resin and then fiberglassed them into place. I then gave three coats of polyester top coat and have a very strong and waterproof fixture. I did lots of other little upgrades including painting the inside of the hull with polyester top coat and now have a very nice boat.

My only query now is regarding the Cockpit drain . I notice from the drawings that the cockpit opening is higher than the waterline. Is this drain only used when draining rainwater from the cockpit when the boat is on the hard or does it also work when the boat is in the water? Science tells me that water should not ingress when the bung is removed, but I am a bit skeptical. If this is ok , then how does rainwater drain from the cockpit when the boat is in the water and the drain is open? Can anyone enlighten me. I have put an automatic pump into the bilge powered by battery and solar panel, so my plan is to block off the drain outlet in the hull and divert any surface rain water in the cockpit to the bilge where the pump will deal with it.

If anyone has any ideas on this I would love to hear. Sorry I can't attach photos at present.

Welcome back to the Dockrell Owners website. It is nice to see new postings from members.
I hope you have plenty of replies to your questions. I am a Dockrell 22 owner so I will have to rely on Dockrell 17 owners to reply to you.

Dave (Website owner)