Petrel 12' Aluminum Sailboat - Anyone familiar with this?

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Toller

Cadet
Joined
Mar 27, 2012
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I bought one of these yesterday. It hasn't been in the water in 30 years and needs alot of work, but all the major components are sound.
Does anyone know this boat that could possibly give me some help? If not, is there another website that might?
I would dearly love a manual, but I know that is too much to expect.
Thanks.
 

scoutabout

Lieutenant Commander
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Oct 14, 2006
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Hey, welcome to iboats. I have one of these boats and am having a blast with it. Got for cheap including a trailer a couple of years ago. I've posted about the experience here before in the sailing threads. I'll see if I can scare up a link. I've done some poking here and there on the web looking for info and discovered it was created by designer Philip Rhodes of Americas Cup fame (Weatherly, winner in....'62?). This little day sailer was designed in around that time. The plans are on file somewhere on the bowels of the Mystic Seaport Museum archives. I was planning on scaring up some for fun but haven't followed through. My boat came complete with all rigging, sails, etc. but everything is quite ratty. I've been slowly tinkering and replacing the odd bit of rigging or line as needed. The only wooden bits on here (centreboard trunk cap and transom insert are pretty well rotted away so those are definitely on my list. The entire thing could use a paint job too but I'm working my way through the important stuff first. My biggest improvement to date was sorting the problem of the UV-weakened plastic fair lead on top of the mast for the mainsail halyard. It was literally crumbling to pieces, jamming the line itself as I would try to raise or lower the sail. I tried to fabricate one and screw it in place but the plastic tubing I chose wasn't up to the friction created by the rope running through it. Finally someone on this site sent me a link to a custom rigging outfit and I was able to find a complete mast cap with integral pulleys. It's not a perfect fit but damn close. Other issues on the list to tackle is sorting an issue with the centreboard vibrating noisily when she's really heeled over and boiling along. I think there's probably a worn bushing on the pivot assembly that needs replacing. At least I hope there's a bushing and the board doesn't have an oblong hole worn from 40 years of rotating up and down on the hinge pin. Finally, and probably the biggest issue is one of saturated flotation foam between the cockpit sole and hull. The defies of this foam are visible along the forward edges of the seats and it's sopping. I assume the rest that's hidden is too. Getting at this would be a major undertaking, requiring drilling out the rivets and essentially disassembling the boat. Either that or cutting access holes through the existing cockpit sole, cleaning out the mess then creating hatches to enclose the foam in once more. Allot of work either way for a boat that's so far cost me less than $400 all in with trailer. The extra weight of the soggy foam does nothing for her speed but much for stability. It's great ballast! ;-). Anyway, here's a pic or two. Looking forward to hearing of your Petrel adventures too.
 

katiekatsails

Recruit
Joined
Sep 6, 2023
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Hi Scoutabout. I have a Petrel dinghy sailboat with the fair lead plastic completely worn away. I have been looking for how to replace it and your post gave me some hope. Where did you purchase your replacement piece?

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