1978 Reinell V-204 rebuild in the UK

[PCUK]

Having seen Crazy Finn's thread I thought you boys (and girls) might like to see what I'm doing here in the UK with this old Reinell. I needed to down size from a 40 foot steel flybridge cruiser, (you'd probably call it a trawler). Anyway the gallon a mile running costs was getting prohibitive (even though a UK gallon is more than a US gallon -why?) Along with insurance and marina fees I was paying about ?3500 (about $4000) a year just to have it sitting there as we no longer had the time to use it and money was getting tighter anyway. It was obvious that we needed to save money but I can't be without a boat so selling the steel boat for a good price I decided to buy a production boat around 26 feet that would be trailable in the UK (as UK regs are much tighter than US). Having look at various boats like the Jeanneau Leader and the Beneteau Ombrine I realised anything I bought would need extensive reworking to get it how I wanted it. I didn't fancy spending the equivalent of $50000 and then cutting it up! It wa obvious I had to do yet another rebuild like all my previous boats (apart from the steel one) I had rebuilt. I built the steel one from scratch! Down at the marina was a very sorry looking Reinell laying on one chine on the ground in the yard. It transpired that the owner was years behind with his fees and the marina were trying to recoup some of their costs. I liked the overall style of the boat and with hindsight I paid over the odds for it, but I got it and we trailed it back to the workshop where the full horror of its condition was found.
So to start things off, here's the first pics of the boat back at the shop.




I don't like:-
The colour,
The rails,
The port lights.
The petrol (gas) engine had ben replaced with a GM 6.5 V8 diesel which started OK and an ancient OMC Stringer drive which was seized solid.

 

[CrazyFinn]

That looks like fun! When the boat is pretty much a wreck, it really gives you the freedom to do whatever you want, without worry of ?ruining? something.

 

[PCUK]

Exactly my thoughts, and it means you can make the boat unique and totally suited to what you want rather than what the makers think you want.
Some pics up of the real horror.

Out comes the engine for rebuilding.



Engine compartment bulkhead - aaargh!



Aluminium fuel tank removed for cleaning..



Then found to be porous and scrapped - buggeration!

 

[CrazyFinn]

Will be good to see what you do (or have already done) with this one. Might give me some inspiration as I move along with mine. Stopped at a local rental place yesterday to check availability of a Gantry so I can pull the engine (they have one, at a reasonable cost).

Keep posting the pics!

 

[PCUK]

Our gantry is made from scaffold poles that we welded and it's still working some 25 years later. Very cheap and manageable by one person.

 

[PCUK]

A few more horror pics to be going on with:

The rot in the engine compartment bulkhead had extended forward to the midships half bulkhead. Note the plastic water tank behind the bulkhead prior to removal of bulkhead and tank.


Forward saloon floor cut open to reveal more oil and slabs of closed cell foam prior to removal.


Just a few more horror stories to come and then work can begin on the rebuilding!

 

[CrazyFinn]

Some of that wood is looking pretty ripe! I?m expecting a similar sight when I dig into mine. You putting the foam back in when you?re done?

 

[PCUK]

Not decided about the foam as I'm not certain about it's function. Looks like it was put in to support the floor which was solid before I cut it open as I like to have access to all areas of the hull. I can't see that it had any hull strengthening properties. I think I'll probably leave it as it is and see how the hull behaves when under way. It would be an easy job to add stiffeners later if required.