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Have you contacted the Beneteau dealer in Vettre, Giramar AS? Of the three dealers in Norway, they seem to handle the sailboats. If they can’t order the fabric, they could at least put you in touch with the right department to deal with in France to find out more. A quicker idea might be to take a sample of the fabric to an upholsterer near you. They are likely familiar with a wide range of fabrics. They could probably identify it and get it, perhaps more cheaply. They might also have suggestions for material that would hold up better than the original and look nicer too. We have had good luck dealing with an upholsterer near us for fabrics for our boat.
New steel centerboard sounds like the best solution. Better stability when the board is down, from having some weight lower down. Better performance upwind from having a centerboard. Better results if you want to sell the boat from not having an “owner customized” (read “ruined”) version. Probably not too difficult to find & make, or have made. Do try to have forward edge rounded and trailing edge tapered, for better performance.
Thanks for the picture – it makes things much clearer. Part of my confusion is vocabulary. The brochure for this boat https://www.sailrite.com/Balboa-27-Sail-Data says it has a 147 pound centerboard. Your saying the boat was without the iron keel threw me off. If the stub keel is still there with its ballast intact, then the centerboard slot should still be there too. If you want to do away with the centerboard, and not replace it, then the easiest thing to do would be to fill the centerboard slot with lead and cover that over with fiberglass. No need for bolts or screws that might cause leaks. No need for other metal that might lead to corrosion or galvanic issues. No need for added stuff underwater that would slow you down. Upwind performance without a centerboard may suffer, but as the saying goes: “Gentlemen don’t sail to weather.”.
Why put lead into SS square tubes? Pictures might help. The boat is supposed to have more than a ton (2400 pounds) of ballast in the stub keel that you seem to say is missing. Attaching that much weight to the bottom of a boat that may have been damaged when the original stub keel was removed could present problems. Whatever you end up doing would need to be engineered carefully. You would not want the new encapsulated keel torquing off the boat and preceding the hull’s trip to the bottom by just a minute or two. Not having the centerboard may make going upwind a problem as well. What happened to the stub keel?
Atomic 4’s are both revered and reviled, depending upon whether they run or not. Hour meters had probably not been invented back when they installed it. ;). There are lots of threads, videos and other materials about how to maintain them. Give Google a look-see for stuff that suits your level of expertise and abilities.
Can the boat be moved & hoisted with the board down? Would save a cold wet dive, and the board could be inspected & lifted in the hoist. Yards haul boats with more than 7’ draft keels all the time.
Bayliner makes powerboats. This website is focused on sailboats. Contacting a Bayliner dealer or
https://www.bayliner.com/global/en/find-my-bayliner.html may be more useful.No hay una orza. El Seafarer 34 hay una quilla:
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/seafarer-34If you take your broken forestay to West Marine or a rigger they can make up a replacement for you that will be the right length AND the right diameter (for strength). The forestay for a Flying Junior – similar to your boat- is listed at WM for $35. Scavanging from another design may not be safe.
Ipé (Eepay) is a South American hardwood. It is used extensively for exterior decks on houses.
https://www.gardenista.com/posts/10-things-nobody-tells-ipe-wood/ If you only need a little, and it’s gray, it’s probably teak and you should be able to find some.
Rgds,
Paul K.Probably teak. If you have trouble finding it, Ipé seems to be a workable replacement; more readily available and somewhat less expensive.
Your best bet might be to check for used sails online. Bacon’s is one source. You can enter the dimensions and their system will let you know what they have that is closest to what you need. Of course, any sailmaker would be happy to make you a new jib…
We calibrate our depth finder to show the depth beneath the keel. We get nervous when it gets down to .5 Yours might be set the same way, so that 3.5’ would mean no problem; you’re sailing in 9’ of water (5.5’ draft plus 3.5’ water= 9’.)
If the iron in an encapsulated keel is rusting, it will expand. This may cause bulges in the keel, or possibly on the top of the keel in the bilge. Lead does not have this problem.
The way the cockpit seats and coaming are set up hiking out would be an uncomfortable thing. There is no flat side deck to sit on and hike from – the coaming/backrests and rubrails would quickly cut off circulation. The backrests on the cockpit seats also prevent leaning out much if you sit in the cockpit. A trapeze might be feasible if the mast is strong enough, but you’d need a trapeze harness and the rail would need roughing up to keep your feet from slipping. With a trapeze it’s important for the skipper and crew to coordinate movement so you don’t capsize to windward more than you have to.
