She's Home!

Finally!! Since that Sunday evening in October when I was told I was a boat owner I have been dying to get my new girl home. This past Friday it happened!! After weeks of talk, prep and dreaming she now sits in the backyard.

It started about 11am Friday morning. My good friend Chris (without whom I could NOT have done this) and I left for Georgetown. The order of business for today was to replace and pack the bearings on the trailer, bolt the trailer frame back together, get the lights to work, load the boat onto the trailer and, if daylight permitted, get her home. Armed with a makeshift toolkit, a print-out on trailer maintenance from Shipshape Boating, and a lot of will-power we arrived at my uncle's house at noon. The plan was to stop off at his place and pick up the keys (he had planned on being out that day) and proceed to the storage area near Russellville. Fortunately for us, my uncle was there and offered to help. He knew how to properly replace and pack bearings, and was able to complete it in half the time it would have taken us to complete.

*** From here on out, the pictures are fuzzy. I forgot my camera, but Chris had his phone***

We started with the rear section of the trailer which contained the wheels, axle and bunks. We removed the wheels, the hubs and the old bearings. As you might expect on a boat that was last registered in 1990 the bearings were shot. A trip to Auto Zone resulted in new bearings and races, Bearing Buddies , and a ratchet strap. After a quick bite from BK, Fred proceeded to pack and replace the bearings. In the meantime, Chris struggled to put a new 1 7/8" ball on his receiver. With new bearings in place, we placed the hubs back onto the trailer. The tires were in sorry shape. Dry rot was setting in, and I was a bit weary of the trip back to Covington (1 hour drive-all highway). However Fred seemed confident that they'd get us there, so we decided to chance it.

After much struggle with hand wrenches (my apologies to Chris and Fred) the trailer was back together. About that time, Chris gave up on replacing the 2" ball on his car with the new 1 7/8" so off we went again. This time, we went to Seip's in downtown Georgetown to pick up a new receiver and lighting kit. When we got back, we were having problems feeding the new wiring through the tongue. As daylight was running short, we decided to zip-tie the wires to the outside frame until they could be properly fed.

Finally, the time that we were dreading had come. Time to get 360 lbs of boat out of the barn, past a incompacitated Chevy Blazer and onto our freshly assembled trailer. The first time we tried to move her was a bit of a struggle, so we faced the task with much trepidation. Fortunately we were able to get a good grip and were able to move it on without too much trouble, and in no time we were ready to hit the road!

Chris and I started the long drive back to Covington, keeping a watchful eye on those nasty tires. We got to the house around 7:30, and after moving a panel of our privacy fence we slipped the boat into her new home. Now, the real work can start! But first, a well deserved rest after a long day. Happy Thanksgiving!

Boat Survey 1

This weekend marks the first time I've seen my boat since she was given to me. She is currently sitting in a storage barn near Georgetown, OH (approx 1 hour from where I live). Her hull is in great shape, but as you might expect for a boat that hasn't been sailed in 10 years she's a bit dirty. Nothing a litle rubbing compound and elbow grease wouldn't fix (you know I've never understood that phrase?). Unfortunately I was so excited to see her that I forgot to take any pictures of her hull.

Her trailer currently sits in two pieces: The axle, wheels and bunks and the tounge. The pieces are attached via U-Bolts which were completely rusted. My uncle cut the bolts using a saw with the intention of buying new u-bolts and putting it back together. He got halfway there (buying new u-bolts a few weeks before). Not a big deal. One of the tires is dryrotted, but my uncle was able to secure a new wheel and tire. Check. However, one of the bearings is about to go and should either be repacked or replaced. Since the boat hasn't moved since the 80s I vote new bearings all the way around. I also need to add a wiring kit from Wally-World to complete the deal. Otherwise trailer is in great shape.

Her rigging seems to be fine. May need new shrouds. There's also a few stains on the mast and boom, but should clean right off. Will definitely need some new lines for the running rigging.

Our plan is to try and move her on either the 25 (weekend after Thanksgiving) or December 1st. In the meantime I thought it best to take her sails home and see what I was in for.

Yikes! Look at that nasty sail bag!!! We're going to try and let it soak in a bath of hot water and Oxyclean... otherwise it looks as if I'll be adding a new sailbag to my shopping list.

As with may boats left to sit, her bag was thrown into the storage compartment in the bow. Inside, her jib! I was frightened to death to see what waited inside...
Hmmm.. not nearly as bad as I thought! A few dirt spots, but surprisingly no mildew! No tears, no holes. Sail looks good for its age. Now...onto the mainsail...

Unfortunately, the main has lived for the past several years wrapped tightly around the boom. Hmmm... looks like the main didn't fair as well. Large dirt spots which may be stained. The top batten is broken and will need to be replaced. The orange stripe at the top of the port side has been bleached by the sun :-( However, still no mildew and no tears! We may be able to live with these sails at least a couple of seasons if not longer. For now both sails will be placed indoors and await springtime when I can wash them and hang them off their mast to dry.

While I was at it I grabbed the tiller and rudder. Definitely in need of some sandpaper and polyurethane. Kirsten has volunteered to make this her winter project!

Next weekend is the Strictly Sail Annual Garage Sale. I'm going to try and do some shopping there and at least get a new sailbag! I am also going to spend this week trying to figure out exactly where to put the boat for the winter. I want to have her closer so I can work on her on weekends.

-Joe out.

Welcome to my Lockley Surpise Page!

Ahoy! Welcome to my Lockley Surprise page!

In July of 2006 my uncle Fred purchased 2 sailboats at an estate auction: a 1980 Hobie 16 and a 1981 Lockley Surprise. He bought the Hobie for his son to sail around their lake property and had planned on restoring the Lockley and keeping it for him and his wife for leisurely day sails. As with many of my uncle's projects, he lost interest and contacted me about buying it. Unfortunately I was in the middle of several home improvement projects and couldn't part with the $$$$.

In October my inlaws (with help from my wife and my mom) purchased the boat from my uncle and gave it to me as an early Christmas present. SURPRISE!!!!!!!

The purpose of this blog is to document the boat's restoration and to share any and all info I find in my research about this boat. So far I haven't found much on the web other than postings from other Lockley owners asking similar questions. I am in contact with others regarding their boats and am compiling any and all info I find and posting it on this site.

Here's the specs on the boat:

Manufacturer: Lockley-Newport
Length 14' 7"
Beam 5'3"
Hull Draft 4"
Sail Area 110 Sq. Ft.
Mast Length 19'7"
Ballast 50 LBS
Hull Weight 260 LBS
Rigged Weight 360 LBS

If you have any questions or have any info to share please feel free to contact me. Happy sailing!