Hello,
I just become the owner of a iroquois mk2, nr.221, wich is a full restauration project.
For the outside of the catamaran it i pretty basic, but the inside is a different story.
It is completele stripped and i am looking for pictures or drawings of the inside.
There used to be a navigation corner ( with a foldable tabel?) and there is no light, heat or kitchen….
could really use some help to make it a worthy iroquois…
Thank you for any assistance..
witth kind regards,
Benjamin de Bie
Hi Benjamin,
Congratulations on getting an Iroquois! No doubt it will be a lot of work, but you will have a great boat in the end!
According to our boat list, No. 221 was once called Lady of Urr and owned by H Tappel and M Baert, but we don’t have any further information about her.
We will do our best to help you with your restoration project. I will email you some pictures of my own boat, which is also a Mk2, and I’m sure other owners will also be willing to help. If you need detailed drawings and/or dimensions of particular parts, please let me know. We have a number of the original Sailcraft drawings.
Before you start work, I think it is a good idea to think carefully about whether you want to have the same interior layout as the boat originally had. A number of owners (me included) have removed the big fold-down chart table on the starboard side of the saloon, because electronic nav-aids mean we don’t do as much old-fashioned chartwork as we once did. Your boat may have a ‘dip’ in the floor of the saloon, and that can be a nuisance – again, some owners have filled it in, giving a flat floor which allows seats to be put anywhere in the saloon. On some boats the sea toilet has been moved forward in the port hull, allowing the port side saloon seating to be similar to the starboard side.
Before starting work on the interior, I would also check the condition of the leeboards and their cases, which should have been modified with extra GRP on the outside and also (in some cases) through-bolting of the hinge pins with extra reinforcement on the inside face of the cases. It is easier to get at the starboard leeboard case without the galley in the way.
I’m sure other owners will be happy to send you pictures of the interior of their own boats.
Best wishes with your project,
Martin
Hello Benjamin,
Welcome aboard! You have chosen one of the best and affordable production catamarans.
For Iroquois interiror plans go to this website which offers Iroquois for sale. The photos should show you some typical interiors and improvements:
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/cache/searchResults.jsp?slim=quick&sm=3&luom=126¤cyid=100&searchtype=searchbar&Ntk=boatsEN&Ntt=Iroqouis
Sailcraft offered interior options to their purchasers. The original owner of my Iroquois loaded it up with wood paneling. custom cabinets and headliner. He wanted his comfort not speed. I wish I was in your poisition in a way, for if I were you I would take your stripped down Iroquois out on a windy day for a white-knucked romp on the sea! I could even look around for a good race to enter at your local Yacht club.
Have fun with what you do with yours. This is a great website to stay in touch with other Iroquois owners.
Jb MARTES I-32
Hi,
Welcome and good choice of boat for your project.
I own No 150. She was bought from Sailcraft by arry Bucknell (TV DIY man) and he departed a long way from the standard layout. Its all very light and open.
Happy to put tgether some info to give you some design ideas. However, thats not much use to you if you want to stick tot he production layout.
Not many multihull owners are traditional thinkers so let us know what your thoughts are and we will probably try to help.
Paul
Hi,
Thanks all for tips and ideas about the iroquois.
Today i’ve been at the lady again and (through your commens) i’ve noticed that the leeboard cases are not reinforced and the leeboards are in bad shape. next time I will try to get the leeboards out and take them home and see what to do about it.
My intention is to find a mix between comfort ( so i can also bring my wive and kids sometimes) and speed.
The charttable has been removed by previous owner and wil not return. There is no gas on the boat for cooking an heating, but perhaps it’s a good idea to do everything with a battery.( two)
Can I expect problems with removing the leeboards?
I think to know where I should look on the inside to remove the pin from the leeboard, I saw a small
square witch is cemented shut,, is this correct?
The top of the leeboard has completely cracked open, so first let it dry and then? not completely shure what is the best solution…
Well, all thanks again, I’m glad there is such a active owners forum….
Kind regards,
Benjamin
Hi,
Thanks all for tips and ideas about the iroquois.
Today i’ve been at the lady again and (through your commens) i’ve noticed that the leeboard cases are not reinforced and the leeboards are in bad shape. next time I will try to get the leeboards out and take them home and see what to do about it.
My intention is to find a mix between comfort ( so i can also bring my wive and kids sometimes) and speed.
The charttable has been removed by previous owner and wil not return. There is no gas on the boat for cooking an heating, but perhaps it’s a good idea to do everything with a battery.( two)
Can I expect problems with removing the leeboards?
I think to know where I should look on the inside to remove the pin from the leeboard, I saw a small
square witch is cemented shut,, is this correct?
The top of the leeboard has completely cracked open, so first let it dry and then? not completely shure what is the best solution…
Well, all thanks again, I’m glad there is such a active owners forum….
Kind regards,
Benjamin
Where are you Benjamin?
Paul
Hi Paul,
I live in the north of the netherlands…
how many iroquois are still in europe, perhaps it is an idea to organise a meeting sometimes……
Regards,
benjamin
Welcome to Iroquois membership benjamin.
I am particularly glad to learn that you are bringing one of these brilliant boats ‘back to life’. It has become very apparent to me that a large proportion of Iroquois are lying in boatyards, rotting away from neglect by their owners who no longer want to or are unable to sail them.
My situation is very similar to yours in that I have taken on someone elses refurbishment project part way through but mine will be a very sound and pretty boat when it is finished. I have a MK2 no 292 ‘Catcracker’.
I would like to make 2 points to all Iroquois owners:-
1. There are quite a lot of newish owners in the same position – doing up neglected boats – who would benefit from ideas, photographs of peoples boats, fittings, interior layouts etc SO (a) could you please write the odd article about what works well and what does not for you and for your style of sailing so that we can all benefit.
2. When replying to someones article could you please send a reply to this site – not just to the person concerned – as we all want to take an interest. After all we can all learn from other peoples ideas.
Dave Webber
Benjamin,
Congratulations from my side as well with the ownership of your Iroquois. Welcome aboard.
A few quick remarks on the situation you sketched.
> Standard interior or self-designed? I’ve experience with both. My parents fitted out their iroquois completely by themselves. That give way to some very clever ideas and some that didn’t work out. The weight was kept low so boat speed was always good. It was a lot of work though. The boat is sold and now supposed to be in Denmark. My recently boat nr 260 is standard equipped, very comfortable and stylish. With the odd cons as well, and heavy stuff! So conclusion has to be: think carefully, take the best of both worlds.
> Gas for cooking? I’m going to remove that from my boat as I hate the idea of leaking gas. Origo cooking instruments are fantastic and completely safe (taking spirit or “brandalcohol”). Highly recommended.
> Carefully check the current state of your rudders. Forces here are huge and weak points can cause serious trouble. It’s all wood (multiplex) and often delaminated or simply rotten inside. (I’m fully renovating mine just now).
> Centreboard: same story. However more important still is the lower end of the centreboard casings. Only putting additional glass at the outside seems to do the trick…but chances are it is delaminated (rotten) inside the front and back end. If you start digging in, you might end up inside the boat as the casing has a backside which is…inside your boat. Complicated details, but very important to have sufficient strength here. For the pivot pin: see this website and articles and the relevant suggestions. I’m going to solve the problem slightly different myself…will show results next year on the site.
> check the complete top side of your boat (including cockpit floor) on moist/water. It has a reputation to get wet…and this ends definitely in leaking.
> to round off: My boat is lying in Makkum, we can meet there sometime. email: roukema@delphiconsult.nl.
regards,
Dirk Roukema
#260.
Hi Dirk,
Thanks for your reply, nice to know there is sombody closeby with the same problems/challenges.
In the beginning of April we wil sail her to lauwersoog ( noordergat)but before that we have to do something about the rudders ( one looks pretty ok and the other has cracked open) and the leeboards , they are in bad shape but not shure what to do about it.
One of the leeboards is completely rotten on top and the wheel has broken off.
The leeboard cases are not yet reinforced but that wil have to wait til next winter.there is no delamination
The previous owner sailed her for 7 years but never used the leeboards.
For coocking there already is a origo 3000 and im happy to hear that that wil do the trick, I was thinking it would produce a smell, but never realized the danger of smelling gas……
In lauwersoog there is also a nother sailcraft iroquois ( vriegend hert) witch has added length en looks in mint condition.
So that are 3 iroquois living nearby…..nice….We could have a meeting sometimes.
I did check the top and it looks dry exept at one point ( where there is a small,round window) the balsa is rotten. but it looks like that’s the only spot. ( im an optimist though…)
Kind regards,
Benjamin de Bie
bendebie98hotmail.com
#221 Lady of Urr
Hello Benjamin,
I’ve had good luck with a LPG Force 10 heater that I’ve installed on the portside daggerboard case. The heat shields are baking sheets but no one including the wife knows!
The door to head still opens all the way too. We leave it closed while the stove is in operation. We stayed inboard while the temps dipped below freezing and did fine. I will line the hull and cabin in the bunk area next though.I also put a gas sniffer in the bunk below and all new tanks and hoses. ( they now make fiberglass LPG tanks now, you can see the gas level right through the tank. No more rust rings either).
The trick was the exhaust pipe though, no convenient traditional exit. So, I ran the pipe up and out venting into the board case through a sort of inverted sink trap I fabricated to keep the water out. This may not be for everyone though. I give rule-makers and in-the-box
People heartburn something terrible.