Eric Boinard’s Restoration of Zephyrus

I have been asked if I would agree to write some lines on the restoration of Zephyrus as I go along. I quite liked the suggestion as it makes me keep some sort of records on the work done.

Background

I thought I would provide some background on my view and aspiration for a classic boat like the God(dess) Zephyrus is. My philosophy regarding classic boats is that we are only their guardian and that, hopefully, they will still be there well after we are gone. This means that any job on the boat needs to be done properly with the view that it should last years rather than just a couple of racing seasons. I also intend to restore Zephyrus, within reason (and within my financial means), as close as possible to the original. As examples, I would have like to remove the cabin to bring her back to her 1924 look but the rules prevent this, however, I will be setting her up with a double ended mainsheet as per the original set up. Originally, she was fitted with pillar cleats and iron and brass blocks for the control lines but I will compromise and refit her with cam cleats and more modern blocks in order to stay competitive. This being said, these cleats and blocks will be made of tufnol rather than plastic as I think they will be more sympathetic to the boat, even if they may not be the most e!cient in terms of racing. My aim is to have as little plastic and stainless on her as possible. On the other hand, I will be using modern materials in her restoration such as epoxy and its various fillers, polyurethane and its moisture resistance, polyester and its easiness for fairing as well as modern paints. Finally, I am anticipating that it will take several years to get where I want to be and that what you will read here is only the first step in this process.

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Charles Darley and Chris Ings as they have both provided a lot of good advice, Charles from a racing point of view and how to make the boat competitive, Chris from a shipwright point of view and how to conserve the boat.