Philippe lives in Sanguinet, on the edge of the Cazaux Biscarosse lake, below Bordeaux. In 2018, he starts his sailing apprenticeship by renovating an Edel 2 that he was given. This one is waiting at the bottom of the park of a professional who does not have the time to refurbish it: " You want a sailboat? I'll give you this one in exchange for fixing the clutch of my euro truck "It didn't take long for this car mechanic by profession to accept this barter. But his wife found this 5.60 m Micro too small and too unstable. Philippe sold it and bought a 7.00 m Daïmio. But the Covid and a draught too important for the lake in summer, incite Philippe to resell it in 2020.
A harbour space to fill
Nevertheless, Philippe did not give up and maintained his request for a place in the port next to his home, in Sanguinet. It was at the beginning of January 2022 that the port offered him a place for a boat of 6.90 by 2.50 m maximum. But it is imperative that he has a boat to place on it, under penalty of having the place withdrawn.
Philippe starts looking for the rare bird, wanting above all to fill the empty space. He is looking for a sailboat that fits in the dimensions of the harbor, habitable enough to spend a weekend with two people on it, but above all that offers a shallow draft. Indeed, in the heart of summer, the entrance to the port of Sanguinet has little more than a meter of water in some places. He finally found a Jouët 680, a full dinghy that had not seen the water for 4 years, and that was languishing at the bottom of a professional's yard, installed on a dry bank.
A dry hull filled with water!
" When I discovered the boat, it wasn't exactly shiny. At the bottom, it was a real swimming pool, as seepage through the portholes and other fittings had filled it. And with all the water at the bottom, I was at least sure that the hull was not leaking! "jokes Philippe. He will spend the next 6 months, with the help of a friend, to refurbish it to allow sailing this summer season. " I just launched it in early July 2022. I haven't completely finished reworking it, but it's already clean and seaworthy. "
Hull paint
After a total sanding of the living and dead works, Philippe will repaint the hull in blue. The handyman sailor details: " I used International Toplac Plus paint applied with a roller. Each of my boats was blue. I don't like to have the same white boat as everyone else ". In his haste, he made the mistake of attacking a coat of paint on a hot evening. The heat and humidity of the night will make a mess, forcing Philippe to respray everything. " I wasted a can of paint, but I did understand the importance of weather conditions for application. I only got screwed up once, choosing the morning to apply the other coats. "An antifouling was also passed under the boat.
A scary interior
The interior of the boat is not a pretty sight. Indeed, the humidity has ravaged everything. Thus, the ceiling is flaking everywhere. The woodwork, which holds the chainplates and the sponge, is all rotten at their feet. Philippe dismantled them and had them re-cut in marine plywood by a carpenter friend. These partitions will then be treated with Tonkinois varnish. For the ceiling, after a deep scraping, he will repaint it with a bilge paint, Danboline from International. This thick paint corrects the small defects, and even if the whole does not offer a mirror finish, it leaves a pleasant feeling of cleanliness. The fittings in the lower parts are in gelcoat and could simply be cleaned.
New Plexiglas to eliminate leaks
Philippe also took the opportunity to replace the plexiglass of the portholes, in order to avoid new leaks. He also opted for a solar ventilator that will ensure the ventilation of the cabin. For the cushions, Philippe was able to reuse old foam that he aired and dried beforehand. A saddler friend of his made covers with skai. The boat has a double berth in the forepeak and 2 bunks on each side, which extend under the cockpit. The small kitchen area remains the same, with a basic stove and a sink, which will soon be completed with a water cow to offer some comfort on board.
No change on the bridge
At this time, no renovations have been undertaken on the deck, other than the installation of a few pulleys. The boat also has a working Suzuki 6 hp 4 stroke outboard. The nice surprise was when we discovered the sails. " This was my question when I bought the boat, because I had not seen them. The boat has a furling genoa, a mainsail and even a spinnaker. All in perfect condition! "Another pleasant surprise is that the simple metal sheet that makes up the daggerboard, which seemed to be seized up, is easily released.
All shell passes renewed
After a bad experience on his Edel at the time of launching, Philippe decided to replace all the through-hulls. Thus, the old log/speedo is replaced by a new one and the kitchen sink drain, hatch and valve are also changed. These are the only "holes" in the hull since the toilets are portable chemical toilets of the "caravan" type.
Ready to sail
In the water, this Jouët 680 will take Philippe and his wife on mini-cruises for a weekend on the Sanguinet lake. It is now named Zakynthos, after a Greek island that makes the couple dream : " In love with Greece, we wanted to call it Paros, but it was too short for my taste to dress the hull, so we chose Zakynthos that we hope to visit one day, but probably with another boateuros "
