G'day! We just inherited a 14ft family dinghy (Skipper 14) on a trailer. The boat and trailer need a bit of tlc, neither used for 15+yrs, and it's the first little boat like this I've ever had (sailed little cats and monohulls as a teenager, and had some stints on yachts, but have mostly windsurfed/kitesurfed for the past 35yrs) so it's all new to me. Any advice would be appreciated. tbh I'm not sure how much we'll use it so I'd rather not spend a heap on it until I know the family are interested.

First the trailer - I need to get it rolling so I can move the boat to our place.
Wheel bearings and tyres are shot, I got the wheels off (tiny 8" integral bearing things) and bearings & remains of seals out. I'm finding it hard to locate decent highway rated tyres for it though - anyone got recommendations around Melbourne?

It has 25mm parallel stub axles with half torsion axles sleeved into the ends a straight ~52mm OD box section axle that's attached to the central tow beam via U bolts and a large ~10mm plate on the axle. The torsion axles don't move much if I put a jack under them, but I guess the boat doesn't weigh much either, so I'm not sure if they actually need replacing - given the age the rubbers are probably hard. I've read a bunch on those little wheels overheating and there's rust in the drops on the torsion axles so I'm wondered about just taking the whole axle+guards assembly off and replacing with a rectangular subframe+leaf springs, solid axle, studded hubs and larger wheels. Thoughts? I can probably do that for $750 all up if I do the metalwork myself. Does anyone know if changing the axle assembly & suspension would require the trailer to be re-certified?Then the boat - rigging needs replacing which is easy enough, the main work required is replacing all the wooden bits; rudder and centreboard. Whoever previously owned it just made them out of 18mm marine ply, which would be quick and easy, but this is a relatively heavy looking beamy, deeper hulled, boat - I reckon if we tip it over it'll take a bit of leverage on the centreboard to right it, and what I do remember from those little boats when I was a kid is that breaking plywood centreboards when standing on them is a painful experience! So I'm thinking I should really make a decent one out of stripped straight timber. Just curious what timber is best in Oz - I see references to cedar, paulownia?Thanks!

Never heard of a Skipper 14 but have now - links here which you are probably aware of - there are many other links. Designer Peter Milne did the Fireball among others and obviously knew what he was doing.

forums.ybw.com/threads/skipper-14-dinghy-any-good.160166/page-2

sailboatlab.com/data_sheet/6710/0/

You are all over the trailer so no comment needed - you can sort the Vic regs - but it sounds like a used trailer could be a lot cheaper than $750 to fix the one you have been gifted. From the web links the boat is 73kgs - assume this is just the hull mass and spars and other gear will add more to the towing weight.

A centreboard of cedar - even the strongest Australian red cedar let alone much weaker western read cedar which I assume you didn't mean, or paulownia - will snap as you say, even under sailing conditions let alone righting from capsized.

www.wood-database.com/paulownia/

Holmes Brothers wrote an excellent article on centreboard design and construction in Australian Sailing a long while back - I can't find it now.

This article is obviously useful.

www.epoxyworks.com/how-to-build-rudders-centerboards/

This one for GP14s mentions 3/4" ply and epoxy resin and glass reinforcement.

forums.ybw.com/threads/gp14-centre-board-replacement.86257/

I would gauge what use and longevity you and family are going to put into this boat and trailer before sinking a lot of time, effort and $S into it - but this is obviously none of my business.

Cost effective centreboards and rudders could be made of 18mm ply suitably aerofoil shaped, and reinforced with epoxy resin and suitable reinforcement. The reinforcement could range from S glass to carbon fibre - I have bought the latter from Ironbark Composites as per here and they were excellent. Carbon fibre is not hard to work with but it doesn't like small radius bends. You could do the leading and trailing edges with s glass tapes wrapped around tightly and then put the carbon fibre sheets on each side.

www.ironbarkcomposites.com.au/product-category/carbon-fibre-fabric

Of course the finished foil thicknesses must be a suitable width less than the centreboard case and rudder case inside widths - I assume these are a daggerboard type or pivoting case type.

Finally and without making a meal of it righting a capsized dinghy normally needs weight of only one crew on the centreboard right up close to the hull not out at the tip of the centreboard. If more than one crew is needed have them both at that close into the hull location.

? the Trailer as 8in tyres a worry,even at 60km/hr . Had them under a 16ft Jarcat,and were more expensive than 12/13in,if you could find them - Try RTM -

Possibly better with box trailer with extended drawbar,as then have something more useful. Can be inverted for travel or else mounted on detachable cradle . 14ft/73kg is awkward,so need rollers/2 people .

Dinghy worth the effort,and ? keep an eye on Gumtree for free/forgotten dinghies,which are complete,but abandoned . Have got Cherubs/NS14 + Flying 11 over the years with all fittings/sails,with good foils/rudders ( have 8x5 trailer for collection) just for taking them away . Disposal is an issue,so cheaper than tip fees .

Timber easier to bin,as fibreglass is become asbestossy to get rid off ,unless can be rebirthed as vegiebed/playground ?

I really like Planters idea of converting a box trailer.
Ready to go and double purpose.

gary

Thanks, appreciate the advice and ideas. Much easier to find an old box trailer than an affordable boat trailer - they're mostly $2500+ on gumtree, whereas there's a 7x5 with rusted out box but ok looking running gear for $200. Any idea what's required in terms of recertifying a trailer if I extend the drawbar?

A small boat trailer option is to pick up
an old boat trailer from a fisho who's upgraded trailer. The old one will be trashed aft of the axle, chop the back end off, slide the axle fwd & bingo a light weight dingy / tender trailer. That's what I did, it cost a carton of beer & was still registered.( see if I can find a pic) I've had a boat box trailer cradle capper & it was a pita