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Nicholas Tzarnas and his story of #12985
By Laura Jeffers
Posted: 2019-05-03T15:14:00Z

#12985 From Tired and Neglected to Showroom Gem

A Restoration Tale by Tim Grady

After retiring, Nicholas Tzarnas, a Greek/American with a strong desire to find and restore a dinghy class sailboat began his search for a boat to restore to its former glory and use it for fun and relaxation on lakes in Northern Ohio and then on the gulf waters near his winter home in Bradenton, FL. Growing up his father regaled him with stories of sailing dinghies in his native Greece.

At age 57, Nicholas suffered a heart attack which precipitated the selling/leasing of his Greek restaurant and began rehabbing and doing his homework on what kind of boat to buy. He did not want to buy a new one, but rather to buy a true fixer upper that, as his health permitted, make it his restoration project.  He found a lonesome boat in a field that looked like a orphan in distress. He bought it for $500, trailer and all. It was a 1976 Allen, hull number 12985. Then the adventure really began.

On the way home with the boat he discovered that the trailer was an unruly brat. It wanted to wander all over the road. He took it to Paul Phillips, a professional fiberglass and gel coat guru. Paul normally works on much larger boats and this was his first Lightning as well as his first sailboat.

Starting with the trailer, they extended the tongue 3 ft to balance the weight and eliminate the swaying; then they moved the mast support bar a bit forward. After sandblasting they painted it. The wires were removed and a new harness was installed inside the frame. The trailer was now hi-way ready.

The hull, deck, interior and exterior underwent a complete re-do. They should have made a TV show. The deck was ground down significantly and two layers of fiberglass was laid on.  Inside the drain ‘pipes’ were clogged and the flotation awol. New pipes, and foam flotation installed. All the hardware was removed both inside and out, the entire interior was sanded and the gel coat redone. In fact, all the gelcoat was re-done inside and out. The center board was in good shape and only needed a bit of polish.  The bottom was ok; it just need a sanding and gel coat redo. However the topsides were not in good shape and the gel coat repair was not satisfactory. So, they sanded it, primed it and painted it with a yellow topside coating.

All the hardware was re-installed and cleats added forward and aft with proper under deck backing plates.  The board lift drum was fine.

With the help of Tom Allen and Allen Boat Company, Nicholas had new lines installed for cloth, vang, bridle, traveler etc. The mast was overhauled and the rudder has been re-painted. He is looking forward to splashing it soon. It's been 13 years since his heart attack and in his words, he is “Living the Dream”.

Phillips Marine Fiberglass and Gel Coat repair can be found on Face book at:

Phillips-Marine-Fiberglass-Gel-Repair-393915407335218/  or www.phillipsmarine.com


All Photos courtesy of Paul Phillips.

       


  

        

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