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Greetings
from tropical Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. I just Googled UFO while
eating lunch at my desk and stumbled across your site. I am the proud owner
of a UFO34 "Wanea", built in Perth, Western Australia c1982. It seems from your
site that refits are a common experience among UFO owners - I've been working
my way through the list ever since buying the boat 5 years ago. She had been
on the hard for quite a few years at that stage but I knew the owner and was
confident that she would be sound, if shabby! First job was getting her launched.
There was nothing left to polish, so I sanded the topsides and a mate sprayed
her using Luxathane over Luxepoxy - it was only intended to be a 5 year job
and it's time is coming to an end. Antifoul and splash! Oh, and a few things
like a new battery, regas the fridge, service the motor. Next job was replacing
the standing rigging so we could sail! The first weekend away, the rope anchor
rode wrapped around the keel (in crocodile infested waters). The next trip away
the anchor dragged (despite plenty of scope) while we were walking around the
island we were at. It was time for all chain! To manage the chain, a Muir Atlantic
1250 anchor winch was fitted - have you ever noticed how there's no flat spot
on the UFO foredeck? A complicated shape was fashioned from teak to act as a
mount, and a pipe dropper feeds the chain to below the V-berth. While I was
working in the forepeak I refurbished the whole area and it also got the Luxepoxy/Luxathane
treatment. The for'ard hatch and pulpit were removed and re-seated to fix some
leaks and the whole area looked a lot better! A footswitch (up only) was mounted
on the foredeck, and the main control for the winch was fitted in the instrument
hood over the companionway. The unit contains a chain counter and displays the
amount of chain deployed. Another set of anchor up and down buttons was mounted
aft at the wheel so I can drive the lot single handed (except that the chain
pyramids after 15 metres and needs to be "knocked over"). Since then we have
anchored without problems. Every year a number of jobs are undertaken - according
to a very limited budget! Last year I stripped the head area and completely
refurbished that. Painting largish areas white that were previously varnished
has lightened the interior considerably (in the tropics you don't want an interior
that looks like an Austrian ski hut). Timber trim is retained. I used a Dutch
(Ithink) product called Marinedeck 2000 as flooring through the head and forepeak
and it looks great. It's cork planking with white PVC strips - a similar effect
to teak and holly without the cost and hassle. The forward part of the boat
now looks so good, I was instructed to bring the rest of the boat to that standard!
The result is that I'm in the middle of the destruction phase and the boat is
a total mess! However, it will be worth it in the end. All timber is sanded
bare and then sealed with West System epoxy resin. &nbs p;Over that will go
either varnish or epoxy undercoat and then PU topcoat. A delightful couple from
the UK (Dennis and Marti?) passed through Darwin last year in their Vancouver
34 "Inti". Dennis replaced the boat's stove as it was 10 years old - but it
was in as new condition so it will be fitted to replace "Wanea's" very shabby
unit - if the galley ever goes back together! I will try to send some photos
and will bookmark your page - it's always handy to share ideas with other people
who have similar boats. Regards Rick Edmonds PS Another UFO34 "Scimitar" sailed
from Perth to Darwin last year. She was tiller steered and had a much taller
rig than ours, double spreader and smaller in section. Perth is pretty windy
so I don't know how ofetn her number 1 would get aired! Her baby stay was on
a track mounted forward of the for'ard hatch - Wanea's is on a track between
the hatch and the mast. I think Scimitar could use the baby stay for her storm
jib rather than the main forestay, which is a good idea, but tacking would be
difficult. I noticed she had just the fibreglass deck, which doesn't have much
in the way of non-skid. Ours is sheeted with a cork product variously known
as Treadmaster and a few other names. It has a raised dieamond pattern and is
very effective - although it's beginning to show the ravages of time. I dream
of fitting a laid teck deck one day .... |
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Hi
Adrian I have been following some of the links on your site. I did not know
that the UFO was the original Oyster! And the comment from Mads Moeller about
internal ballast was news to me also - the Australian boats have a moulded "sump"
but the ballast is external and bolted on. Other than that there seems no appreciable
difference between the UK boats and the Australian ones (although I understood
the design displacement to be a touch over 5 tons). Many years ago now I was
sailing in Perth (WA) in a twilight race with the principal of Hood Sails. We
were on an S&S34 - a very popular boat in Australia (the original Ted Heath
"Morning Cloud" design, but with a different deck) and were very well up in
the fleet as we came to the finish line. The breeze was rapidly softening as
the sun had gone down, and suddenly a boat went through our lee at twice our
speed. It was a UFO34 - renowned as extremely quick in a light breeze, but also
"the only boat you want to be on in 45 knots in Bass Strait". "Wanea" was apparently
built by the Australian builders as their own boat, intended for world cruising.
When she was brought to Darwin she was raced in offshore races and won the 560nm
Darwin - Ambon (Indonesia) race one year. These days "Wanea" is the family cruising
boat, sailed by my wife and myself, and our son who is now 13. One of our favourite
cruising spots usually results in a beat home (35 miles) into 25 - 30 knots
with steep seas. "Wanea" loves the conditions. We use a No 2- 1/2 headsail and
full main - sometimes a single reef. She will put an hour on the 40 - 45 footers
and we stay perfectly dry (all the spray flies straight at the forward hatch,
which must be closed in any breeze over 8 knots). The sailing is so much fun
that I've never bothered to fix the quadrant mounted auto pilot! Perhaps when
we get the time to cruise further afield. Bye for now, Rick Edmonds |
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