One of the first polyester boats from the Beneteau shipyard
The Tio Pekeu, which came out of the Vendée shipyard in 1967, is a version of the Gobie, of which several hundred were produced. With a length of 3m90, this boat is very simple. Two watertight boxes at the front and at the back serve as both reserve buoyancy and seating. A wooden bench in the middle position is reserved for the rower of this small boat, which is approved for a crew of 3 adults. Made of polyester, it displaces about 250 kg.
A boat used by Sunday sailors
Based in Kerlouan in the North Finistère, Tio Pekeu has been a joy to its owners for several decades. Dedicated to cruising and fishing, it is moored on the family's dead body several weeks a year in the summer.
In the summer of 2015, the Tio Pekeu began to show signs of weakness. Cracks appeared at the junction between the wall and the transom, which was showing some flexibility. A nighttime grounding due to improper mooring put a premature end to her summer sailings.
Badly damaged, it was stored at the bottom of the garden until better days. Deteriorating more and more with each Breton winter, the decision was made to re-sail it in the spring of 2022.
A long list of work
The transom is made of 14mm plywood, which is sandwiched by two layers of lamination, and reinforced by a second sheet of plywood on the rear part.
Both plywoods are completely rotten from seepage, and need to be completely replaced. The scroll has been broken on the port forward third, the floor supports are peeling off the bottom of the hull, the plywood floor is sunken in several places and the keel sole is missing due to the grounding.
And Tio Pekeu looks bad. His colors are faded, eaten away by the weather and the lichen that grows on his curves. He doesn't realize it, but he's close to being cut.
A construction site with a sea view
Not having a garage or the budget to rent a shed, the work was started in the open air.
First of all, we have to remove the water soaked CP from the transom. Cutting out a part of the inner stratification which is cracked, and scraping the deteriorated part, let appear a rather healthy hull.
A new piece of CP is inserted, then several layers of fabric are epoxied. Then the finish is awkwardly provided by a white Gel Coat.
A second 10 mm CP sheet is added on the outside of the transom, as originally. A new protective plate is installed at the engine presses.
The floor supports also provide some rigidity to the hull. They are epoxied. The floor, in bad shape, is also replaced by new plates.
The dead body being in a grounding area, a new steel keel sole is cut and installed.
A new paint and a border in its original colors give it a new shine
A reduced budget
As for the budget, the restoration of Tio Pekeu cost about 700euros. The price of a similar boat on the second hand market is about 1000euros. Considering the hours spent, the operation is not necessarily profitable, but it allowed to keep a ship full of memories and adapted to the local program, while avoiding a sad end under the shovel of the deconstructor.
