A number of ideas evolve through use of our website "owner to owner" forum and we have also developed some useful solutions to commonly occuring problems. A few are listed below for your interest and some of the items can be found in our equipment list in the magazine centre page.

(1) Washboard replacement. All Sadler washboards were made in marine ply without hardwood edging border. Worse still, the teak veneer on the exterior surface was quite thin. This meant that not only did they look unattractive (with the end grain being visible), but over the years severe degrading does take place.

An alternative method of construction for replacements is to use marine ply, sandwiched between two substantial layers of teak (inside and outside), about 4mm thick each piece. At the joining surface of the two washboards, the lower portion has an upstand "tongue" and the upper portion has a "groove", thus centralising the one over the other and ensuring that any exterior water readily runs off. An alternative method is to make the washboards out of solid teak (maybe 12mm) and stick self adhesive rubber pads inside the washboard retaining channel, to prevent chatter and to take up the slack. A third method is to use marine grade teak-faced ply and to border all edges with teak trim.

Your local yard or shipwright could make up replacements for you, using one of these methods.

(2) Circular washboard lock. These locks as supplied to Sadler and most other boat-builders at the time, suffered through some of them being assembled with ferrous internals. We supply replacement locks, c/w two keys to exactly the same pattern as the original. Replacement is straight forward and indeed this new lock could be fitted to the new washboard.

(3) RORC pattern washboard lock. An alternative to a key lock is to use the all stainless steel RORC type lock into which you can put a substantial padlock with key, or use a barrel combination-lock. This type of latch enables the washboard to be locked in the closed position when sailing, but at the same time can be opened from either inside, or outside - deemed to be such an essential piece of equipment following the disastrous Fastnet Race.

(4) Washboard apron. As an additional feature to the sprayhood we supply an "apron", which zips into the underside of the sprayhood. The apron has a large window (same material as sprayhood) and has the advantage that in wet weather one can leave the hatch open and the washboards off and then have good protection from any rain driving up from astern. This arrangement could be retro-fitted to your existing sprayhood by your local supplier.

All the above equipment is described in the equipment list and information available from the website - click the "Equipment" button.

(5) Starlight 35 power windlass. You will be aware that the Starlight 39 and 35 both have a platform in the anchor locker about 12" below deck level, designed to take the windlass. This platform was carefully designed, so that the plough anchor could be removed from the stem fitting and would stow immediately forward of this platform. However, there was a price to pay, in that when a power windlass is fitted on the platform, the chain does build up from beneath, to a point that it is not possible to winch up any more chain until the first pile is rearranged in the chain locker (painful and inefficient!).

Bowman have introduced a design change, so that the platform is moved forward in the sail locker and there is then ample opportunity for the chain to stow itself in the anchor locker. The downside is that there is now no possibility of stowing the anchor in the chain locker. Nevertheless, for anybody that has a powered windlass, the Bowman method is preferable. Older boats can be converted.

(6) Starlight 35 sail controls. Both the Starlight 35 and Starlight 39 were originally set up with seven clutches per side on the coachroof (total fourteen). This is sufficient to provide for the normal requirements of two genoa halyards, main halyard and spinnaker halyard (four), three reefing clew pendants and two tack pendants (five) and kicker, topping lift, spinnaker boom lift, foreguy and main outhaul (five), total fourteen clutches. Purpose of the following ideas is to provide "food for thought" in modifying the arrangement for sail controls coming aft, to suit your own particular requirement.

My suggestion is that if you have a Selden gas-strut boom vang, then you do not need the topping lift coming back to a clutch. Arrange to have a cleat fitted at mast and make fast the topping lift fall to this cleat. It is then handy to use as a stand-by main halyard, or for bosun's chair. Leave the tail long enough to get back to the winch. This move will vacate one clutch and I would use that for the third reef tack pendant.

Alternatively, if there is a chute rather than a spinnaker, you can delete the spinnaker boom foreguy and use this clutch for the third reef tack pendant.

A third alternative would be to delete the mainsail outhaul and revert this to the stopper at forward end of boom. In this case, bring back the third reef tack pendant as previous, but it is possible then to retain topping lift and spinnaker pole foreguy.

Clearly, the object of all this is to enable one to have an efficient reefing system when the third reef comes in and not have to change the tack pendants over (when it matters most!).

Initially, we set up the 35 with the larger Spinlock clutch for halyard use and the smaller Spinlock clutch for other control lines. I notice that Bowman have been fitting a full battery of Lewmar clutches (8mm/10mm size), which is a reasonable alternative.

(7) Stanchion bases - Sadler. Over the years, there have been a number of different types of stanchion base used. We have dealt with most types of repair and can now supply replacements for the various designs used.

(a) Moulded socket. This was fitted on all the 26s upto about 1988 and the 29s up to about 1985, when the 29 changed to a recess in the deck moulding and location provided by a single ss screw. The single biggest cause of the inserts cracking is through crew members boarding the yacht from dockside or tender. By heaving outwards on the guardwires, the inserts will get progressively more brittle and then crack. Light is also responsible and UV degradation does contribute to the problem.

To replace the insert, the offending component should be chiseled out carefully, thus leaving a clean recess into which a new base should be inserted and bonded into position. Stanchions are removed by turning through 90º and withdrawing (same action as a light bulb). Component available from MLY @ £28 plus vat.

(b) Stainless steel base. This was used on both the 26 and 29 from about 1988 onwards. We have noted that the base of this stainless steel component is too thin and distorts quite badly when strain is put on the guardwires. The only solution is to remove the stanchion bases and have these remade by a stainless steel fabricator, with a thicker stainless steel base.

(c) Cast aluminium bases. These were fitted to the Sadler 25 and 32 and then in due course to the Sadler 34. We have noticed that two distinct shapes are used. The older one is an isosceles triangle (centre distance 70mm x 51mm) and the more recent one is an equilateral triangle (centre distance 70mm). We can supply both these types.

Good luck with these jobs and good sailing.

Mike Lucas SO/July-01/26-Jul-01