The SSS Loch Smyth
It's common for Sea Scout ships to go by a ship name rather than its unit number. Even more so when a Sea Scout ship owns a vessel. When this ship was founded, our namesake vessel was an inflatable raft. But, in November 2023, that changed.
Thanks to some friends in Oklahoma, we learned of an Eagle Scout alumni wanting to donate his old sailboat to Troop 185 in Jenks, OK. They had no need for it but knew of some Sea Scout friends in Kansas City that did! Luckily, one of our committee members' parents live near Grand Lake, where the vessel was stored.
On the day before Thanksgiving, Sea Scout Ship 7394 became the proud owner of a 2007 Hunter 216 21-foot sailboat. Only 250 boats were made as an experiment to see if sailboat hulls could be made of ASA thermoplastic.
Based on the comments online (and the condition of this particular boat), ASA thermoplastic was not a great material for sailboat hulls.
The main deck has a number of cracks around the cabin area.
These cracks on the port and starboard sides seem to line up to where the mast stresses the main deck.
This is the crack that keeps the boat out of the water. It extends from the main deck to the keel.
Cracks aside, this sailboat is in good condition and is a great opportunity for Sea Scouts in the Northland to learn to sail!
The good news is that the boat seems repairable. And, given that every Sea Scout rank requires eight hours of boat maintenance, it's a perfect project for us. Our goal is to put this sailboat in the waters of Smithville Lake in the early summer of 2024. But, we need your help. Specifically, we need three things:
A Place to Work
If we're going to get the SSS Loch Smyth on the water by summmer, we need a place to work during the winter. Currently, the ship is stored outdoors and we have no access to an indoor workspace.
We need a corner of a workshop (albeit a large corner) where we can leave the boat and a small selection of tools. We also need to be able to access the workshop on Saturday afternoons, which is when we plan on holding our boat days.
Repair Know-How
In our research, we have learned one thing for certain: We cannot use traditional fiberglass hull repair techniques. The thermal expansion differences between fiberglass and ASA plastic are too great, and any repairs made in this fashion would just create more damage.
Therefore, plastic welding is our best bet. But, we don't have anyone associated with the ship that has experience in that. So, we really need a repair advisor that can help us understand how to repair ASA plastic properly.
Materials
We've identified a working list of what we need:
- West Systems G/flex 655 Thickened Epoxy: Estimated 10-20 epoxy kits needed (bulk not available) @ $35.00/kit
- West Systems 406 Epoxy Modifier: For thickening the epoxy. 5-8 cans needed @ $20/can
- Tools and Safety Equipment: Example - Dremel bits, sandpaper, putty knives, dust masks, safety glasses, nitrile gloves
We are working on a fundraising campaign that should launch in February or March. Until then, we would love to discuss donations of workspace and materials. Email Skipper Jeremy Fuksa if you are able to assist.