Robinetta: Her five year mission to seek out the places everyone else says are good: Robinetta, #1

By Alison Cable and Julian Cable

We bought our 22'6" Gaff cutter in 2007, and have been lavishing love, attention, and time on her ever since. When she was 75 years old, in 2012, we decided to collect together our various blog posts and edit them together to publish in book form.

We sail Robinetta on the East Coast of England, in waters familiar to many people. There are tales of adventure, misadventure, and maintenance within, but we do our best to avoid high drama! 

Robinetta is a pocket size boat, but we think she is just the right size for a couple who enjoy week long cruises. Cheap to berth, and pretty to look at; what's not to like? Well, she's made of wood for a start.....

• Language: English
• Publisher: AJ and Family
• Release date: Feb 24, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524257668

Book preview

Buying Robinetta

Julian found the gaff cutter Robinetta advertised for sale on the Old Gaffer’s website in September 2007. Mike Garnham, the owner, wanted £8500 for her. We were immediately interested because we like the rig (same as Eve of St Mawes that we did our Dayskipper on), and although small enough to be easy for 2 to handle, and cheap to berth she promised full head room and a double berth. These are almost unheard off in a 22’6" boat.

Julian contacted Mike, who replied that he thought he’d sold her to the original owner/builder’s son, who was due to see her at the start of October. So that was that. We kept looking around for other boats, but nothing attracted us both as Robinetta did, despite her wooden hull.

Mike Garnham phoned at the beginning of October and said the other sale had fallen through, because the original owner’s grandson was over 6’ tall, so did not think Robinetta had standing headroom! Plus the only place he could keep her was in fresh water, which would destroy her hull. We arranged to go and view her on at Shotley Marina, near Ipswich, where she was berthed.

We drove up to Shotley on a beautiful autumn morning. We arrived half an hour early, but Mike was already there, chipping a tiny limpet off the propeller while he waited; Robinetta had been taken out of the water to let the other prospective buyer look at her undersides, which was a shame for us, because buying a one off boat with no idea how she sailed was not something I felt comfortable with.

She looked rather shabby, but study. Some of the planking lines showed beneath the blue enamel paint of her topsides and she needed antifouling (which is hardly surprising at the end of the season). Julian immediately spotted that the planking on the starboard bow was not flush to the prow and needed nailing back into position. Mike fetched one of the boat yard supervisors, who gave an estimate of £300 to strip the paint and re-screw/caulk the planking in that position; this would be sufficient if the wood was sound enough for re-screwing. I clearly heard a but it would cost more if more is wrong implied in that statement!

Mike told us she had been re-rigged six years ago, with artificial hemp, which looks traditional but is a modern durable rope. Her sails were about ten years old, and while the topsail needed repair the rest were sound. The old main sail still survived as a spare, to stay with Robinetta.

Once we had had a good chat we climbed up a ladder laid against the hull and into the cockpit. Mike did not come up with us, but waited below and answered any questions we had from there.

Once on deck the neglect became more obvious. Robinetta's topsides were grubby, with peeling varnish on the cabin door, and Sadolin instead of varnish in most places. The foredeck and cabin roof were covered with painted fibreglass, as was the seating in the cockpit. Her gloss white bulwarks should have been repainted last year. Despite that she definitely projected a basic sturdiness, being an over designed enthusiasts vessel with life in her still rather than a modern fibreglass last until the purchaser gets bored boat.

Once we went below the differences from a fibreglass boat were even more obvious. We could see the ribs and planks behind the cushions and in the ceiling plus the varnished wooden mast running down into the bilges below. The headroom was stunning. Every boat this size we have ever been in boasts sitting headroom at best, meaning crouching down to move around, but we could stand up in Robinetta, albeit on a rather grubby long pile carpet. A table fitted permanently between the benches made it impossible to convert the two single bunks into a double. Mike said he had a hammock that he slung across the cabin to use when there were three on board and could act as extra storage under way.

The galley area to port of the companion way steps was well equipped for its size. There was a cold water tap, but no sink to speak of, just a small deepish tray to catch drips from the tap, so the washing up was done in a bowl stored separately. The cooker was a two ring gas type, with a grill, and oven. It was fixed, rather than on gimbals, and according to Mike it would not be possible to change this to a modern yacht safety spec. Plates and mugs were stored on open racks above the tap. The only work surface was in front of the hob, and its presence meant access to the oven was concealed inside a cupboard!

Opposite the galley were a set of four drawers, (cutlery in the top one) and a hanging wardrobe for oilskins and life jackets. This was supposed to be self airing, but Mike told us this did not work well, and the door needed to be left open to keep it aired whenever possible.

There was plenty of storage space throughout in original (?) cupboards and under the benches, plus Mike had added enclosed box cupboards along the sides. These had pictures of Robinetta and other boats Mike owned (he got his first boat when he was twelve) set into them. Drinking glasses were stored in these, plus the compass which was mounted on the sliding hatch when in use.

The cabin lights were electric strip lights, but only for use when Robinetta was plugged into the shore power. She also has two chromed gimballed oil lamps in the cabin. They were not in great condition looks wise, but fully functional.

There was only a single cabin, but an old shower curtain hung across from the mast to the starboard side, to give privacy for the heads in the forepeak. These contained a proper sea toilet, with a rather smart curved vanity unit for washing, but Robinetta became a small boat again at this point, with sitting head room only.

The kedge anchor was stored on a shelf beside the heads, with the motoring cone, anchor ball, and foresails, while the main anchor sat on the foredeck. The anchor chain ran down through the deck to a shelf just above the floor of the forepeak, with the chain boxed in to stop water splashing on the sails stowed alongside. Water drained out from the anchor locker into the bilges, then back along the boat to the engine area and automatic bilge pump.

Drinking and washing water came from two tanks, pumped electrically to the heads and the galley area through a charcoal filter to remove any taint from the tanks. (Cold water only). The water tank switching taps lay beneath the engine but in easy reach. They were turning taps like you would find in a house, rather than the in line levers normal on a modern boat.

The echo sounder was from the 1970s, a Seafarer 3 with a swinging arm and not a type we had seen before. It was mounted in the cabin, on the forward bulkhead, and not visible from the tiller position. The radio too was much older than anything we were used to.

All the electrical systems were supplied by two batteries, stored one each side in the cockpit lockers. They were not proper marine batteries, but caravan ones, and Mike gave their life as about three years (one was totally dead and needed replacing, cost £50). They supplied power to the fresh water pump, echo sounder, radio, lights, and bilge pump, and were mostly charged by the engine, but topped up through a small solar panel when the boat was left for any period of time. This was necessary as the bilge pump was controlled by a float switch so turned itself on whenever there was too much water in the bilges.

The engine was a diesel, a 10 hp Yanmar GM10 which Mike fitted himself new 12 years ago, and had self maintained ever since. A pair of fuel tanks lay one on either side in the cockpit lockers like the batteries. Access was very good, under the companionway steps as we are used to, but with plenty of clear space around it. The key and coil heater switches were mounted in the cockpit just under the companionway door, but the throttle was concealed inside the starboard locker on a panel that swings forward when needed. It could be concealed even when in use, for example when motor sailing; this meant ropes would not get caught on it, and it could not be accidentally knocked by someone moving past. Mike designed it himself when he rebuilt the cockpit, and it was certainly unusual.

The cockpit lockers were a generous size, with lots of usable room despite the presence of the diesel tanks and batteries. They were full of ropes and fenders, plus the manual bilge pump, an electric tiller pilot, a bucket, and boat hooks.

The cabin roof ran all the way to the hull at the sides, with no side decks. This was one of the features that gave the good headroom below, but it did mean a step up from the cockpit to go forwards, and then a step down onto the foredeck. The main (fisherman’s) anchor lay loose on the foredeck, with its chain running down through a hawser pipe with a rear facing cover to stop it shipping water in a sea. The anchor winch (hand ratchet variety) lived down in the cabin. This was necessary as the anchor was heavy, but so was the winch, and I did not fancy having to carry the winch on deck to use it! Mike said he normally used the kedge anchor instead, which was enough to hold her in most conditions. The navigation lights were in mounts that looked like old fashioned oil lamps, but they were in fact electric. The anchor/motoring light however was an oil lamp! The stern light was not permanently mounted, but plugged in to a power socket by the tiller when needed.

Mike had owned Robinetta for 21 years, and although he did a lot to her at first (he totally remodelled the cockpit) he had not sailed her for eighteen months. His wife did not like sailing, and he was in much demand as crew for his friends’ boats, leaving no place left in his life for solo sailing. He kept Robinetta at Shotley because it is available at all states of the tide, but it cost £1800 a year, plus about £300 for insurance, and he was just not getting value for money. He would have loved to keep her, but having a boat you don’t use, and aren’t going to, is not sensible.

Robinetta needed work before she could be put back in the water (the anti fouling and bow planking), and then a lot of general maintenance to get her back up to a good condition. She definitely appealed but the size of the commitment made us hesitate. The price seemed sensible, (she was cheaper than anything else we had found) but on going maintenance costs would soon erode any savings we might make on the purchase, and we could not even sail her before deciding. We walked away without committing ourselves.

Next week Mike e-mailed us the logs written by Robinetta’s original designer/owner about his first two seasons cruising out of Liverpool up to the Clyde, north through the Crinan canal, up to Skye, then back to Liverpool. After than she was laid up though the war, then sold to a friend, who sailed her down from Liverpool and round to a new home port of Plymouth, and also wrote up the log for publication. We therefore got a good picture of her sailing performance as designed. She was never fast, and is not desperately comfortable in heavy seas (no boat her size is going to be) but she sails well in light winds, and will go though rough seas and over falls with no signs of instability. I started wanting to sail her, and after talking about it more with Julian I e-mailed Mike and said we wanted to buy.

Mike mailed back, asking for £8150. That was the original price less the £300 estimate for the bow repair and the £50 to replace the second battery. We didn’t bargain for that, he just did it on his own!

I drove up to Shotley with the cheque on 18th October and took possession. With Robinetta out of the water I could not take her anywhere, so Mike gave me the key and all documentation without waiting for the cheque to clear. He also introduced me to the marina staff in the lock tower, and I picked up a form to change the berth holder. We decided to keep Robinetta where she is for at least a year. Julian had been saying for years that if he had a boat he wanted to keep her on the Orwell, and Shotley is at the mouth of the Orwell. The berth ashore was paid for up to December, and Mike did not want a refund, same with the insurance, so that was two expenses put off for two months... I called the boat yard and asked them to get on with the work on the bows.

Once Mike confirmed that the cheque had cleared, making Robinetta officially ours, I contacted the boat registry. Unfortunately Robinetta’s blue book registration had lapsed, and even though we had the original documentation putting her back on the class 1 registry would cost a lot of money. It might have been worth it if she would get her original registration number back, but this was not the case. I was told to re-register her as class III, which cost £25, with no need for proof of purchase!

Another small cost was family membership of the Old Gaffers Association. Mike had urged us to join when we bought Robinetta, and we decided we might as well. We had found Robinetta through their website, and Mike seemed very positive about them.

Next weekend Julian and I drove up together, and began the work of emptying out, and taking inventory. We intended to strip Robinetta internally to get a good look at her and aid cleaning.

We started by unscrewing the table, and taking up the faded carpet wedged beneath it. This revealed the timber floor, the original set of teak planks in good condition except for a few paint splashes. Over the winter I cleaned off the paint and sanded them down, then oiled the boards to restore them to their original state. We did not replace the carpet as being able to lift the floor easily is a bonus.

When we lifted the boards on this first occasion we found the bilges had about two inches of water in them. They were supposed to self drain back towards the engine where the bilge pump will reach it, but the slots through the ribs were narrow, and had blocked with rust. Luckily sponging them out cleared them, and showed the rust was only sludge. With the floor lifted it was possible to reach the lead ballast packed around the mast.

We took the table, carpet, and bench cushion home, plus all the crockery, glassware, cutlery, and galley supplies. We also took the port and starboard lamps and brackets off, then sorted the ropes and fenders.

We paid our first visit to the Shipwreck Bar (the marina’s food/drink outlet) and had a nose around the chandlers, then headed home, pleased with our first day's discoveries.

I drove up to Shotley alone in the middle of the week, hoping to start on the anti-fouling, but found the paint on the bows had been stripped back then left. When I talked to the boat yard, they gave me the bad news; the bows had already been re-nailed, and the wood was not strong enough to just do the same again. If we wanted Robinetta to last we needed to get the bow planks replaced. I was afraid of something like this, but prepared. I arranged for a marine surveyor, Paul Stevens, to come and have a look at her as we had to know how much work needed doing before Robinetta could go back in the water. A full surveyors report would cost £500, (the reason we did not get one before we bought her, which is generally considered essential). Julian said it would be my birthday present!

I took all the removable painted wood home with me, together with the sails, and anything else loose in the cabin. Painting the locker covers would be far easier in the garage than on the boat!

With the table out of the way it was easy to see how the single long ways bunks could be converted into a crossways double berth. There were supports for an infill already in place, and since I had wooden slats from an old wooden bunk bed available I cut them to the right length and tacked them on to two lengths of upholstery webbing. The two end slats were converted to an L shape to stop them moving on the supports, and the base was done. It would be rolled up and stored beneath the bench lockers when not in use.

The mattress needed a bit more thought. Robinetta already had foam mattresses/seat cushions for her single berths, and thinner foam oblongs to lean against when sitting. If I made a cushion to fit the infill it would be quite large, and we had nowhere to store it. In the end I made two thin cushioned strips, of slightly different widths, which could be combined with the back rests  to make the infill mattress. During the day these would live alongside the back rests without problems.

Julian has a good grasp of electrics, so while I was getting on with the interior woodwork he traced the wiring, and ended up stripping it all out. None of it was marine grade, and there were chocolate blocks connecting bits of wire together all over the place. He decided he should redo everything, so left none of the electrics in place except the bilge pump and engine starter. The electric lighting was all caravan type, fluorescent bulbs in plastic housings which needed shore power to work. Julian decided we should install LED lights everywhere, including the navigation lights, to cut down the current needed.

The surveyor’s report arrived in November. The following quote sums it up.

"Robinetta is in sound structural condition insofar as sufficient structural strength remains. However this survey has identified some general deterioration to structural members and fastenings, and it should be borne in mind that any dismantling of this type of vessel inevitably reveals some further deterioration. However for her age she is in satisfactory condition and with normal maintenance will continue to give good service. She is a very unusual design with an interesting and well documented history and as such deserves some time and money spent on her now to secure her future."

The estimate for the repairs from the yard was over £6000 due to the high labour costs. They needed at least 14 days labour to get the keel saddle bolts replaced alone! The chain-plates also needed re-fixing, and the top ends of the ribs repaired.

Much work was done by the yard over the winter, but they only seemed to work on Robinetta when they had nothing else to do, so it took much longer that we expected. A list of work we did ourselves includes;

Alison

Strip out all bench woodwork, clean, sand, and repaint. Refit.

Wash all internal paintwork

Repaint cabin inside, including bilges and anchor locker.

Repaint decks

Strip off varnish from cockpit cabin side and re-do.

Remove all porthole surrounds and revarnish. Refit

Remove all locker doors and revarnish. Repair or change hinges, and refit.

Make new (larger) housing for fuse box.

Antifoul below waterline

fill and fair hull above waterline, and repaint.

Julian

Strip out and replace all wiring.

In March, when the weather was a bit warmer I started thinking about painting the exterior of the boat, especially the bulwarks, and while preparing them found some rot. Julian decided that this was a woodwork repair he could do himself. It was above the waterline, and not structural.

By the first week of May the new plank was in place, Julian's first bit of woodwork since school, but not his last! He used Russian redwood from our timber merchants in Bishops Stortford.

The weather was warming up really quickly, and we were afraid Robinetta would dry out too much. There was still some work to do, but we decided she should go back into the water before the temperature rose any more.

2008

On the water

I went up to Shotley to see the yard put Robinetta back in the water on the 14th May They showed me where the lift points were, and told me to write them down for next time she came out, then lowered her in just before lunch, leaving her in the sling over lunch to see if she started taking up too much water (i.e. started leaking, I was learning a whole new vocabulary!) She was fine, but they had to jump start her engine as both batteries were totally flat. We needed two new ones, not one!

The engine itself worked perfectly, and for the first time I heard the distinctive thump of a single cylinder diesel engine. Yanmar GM10s are not rare, but no new yachts are built with them, and I had never used one before. I was on board for the trip round to the pontoon berth that had been Robinetta's while Mike owned her, and would be ours from now on, but felt nervous about helming her, and was glad a yard worker offered to come with me to show me the way.

We continued to work on Robinetta on the pontoon for another month, then finally, after lunch on Sunday, 8 June 2008, we headed out through the lock of Shotley Marina and took her for her first trip.

It was a lovely day, with a light north wind, and once we were clear of the lock we turned up the Stour, and hoisted the mainsail just off the Ganges pier. I was skipper, and helmed her on a reach down to the Erwarton S Cardinal. We then turned back down river and sailed back to Shotley. After working on her for so long it felt odd to be out on the water in her! Everything seemed to work though, so our hesitant trial journey, though short, was satisfying.

We were out for about three hours, with the engine on for one of them as we also did some manoeuvring practice in the marina. The yard had a little more work to do on her, so we put her on their work pontoon rather than back in her own berth before heading home

The next weekend saw us sailing again, in a truly life changing way.

The Old Gaffers hold regular events throughout the year. We had not attended any over the winter, but after our first short sailing foray I looked at their website and saw there was a rally at Wrabness the following weekend. This was only a couple of miles further up the Stour than Erwarton, easily within our capabilities and it would make a nice easy weekend away. We drove up to Shotley on Friday evening and slept aboard, then left the marina early and motored up the Stour and into Holbrook Bay.

The programme was simple; anchor in Holbrook Bay a couple of hours before high water, row ashore in the inflatable dinghy and have breakfast at the Royal Hospital School, then have a short tour of the school before heading back to the anchored boat. Holbrook bay is shallow, so we could not stay there after the tour, but there was a race round Shotley Spit and back in the afternoon, then a barbeque on the beach at Wrabness

The morning was great fun, and all the other old gaffers were friendly and welcoming, so we had a great time. I was nervous about racing on only our second sail in the boat, but Julian was keen so we took part, even raising the topsail for the first time.

We were soon at the back of the fleet, which was not surprising. I had raced only once before, as crew on a Sigma 33 in the Solent, and Julian had no racing experience at all. Coming back up river we could see the boats ahead suddenly heeling in a squall. We knew we should get the topsail down before Robinetta did the same, but we were not quick enough, and needed