Puppeteer Micro Tonner

connel42

I have just bought one of these pocket 18ft racers.
To be honest it's in bits and was badly damaged when it broke its moorings and ended up on rocks.
Anyway I am fairly proficient with grp and repairs so have no problem with whats required.
My problem is that I can't find any information about these boats.
If anybody knows of a class association or manufacturer where I could get specs I would be very grateful
Here's a couple of pics of my winter project.

noby

No idea. I see you got a bit of a lead on PBO.
Nice bit of grp repairing there - good luck with it. I hope you got it at a bargain price.

JamesM

There are lots of Puppeteer 22s in Howth - maybe this guy could help you.
Jim.

"Further enquiries to Puppeteer Fleet Captain, Noel Davidson at 086-2599531, or C/o Howth Yacht Club, Harbour Road, Howth, Co. Dublin"

Alkers

My dad has a Puppeteer 31, I'll see if he knows anything.

connel42

Hi
Thanks for all the interest shown.
I still have not come acroos the 18ft Micro's
Apart from Hollywood YC in Co.Down where I bought it.

farr08

I believe there was around 18 to 20 of them built. There is quite a variation across the 18 or so boats. Some were factory finished (Designed and built by C.Boyd in NI back in the late 70s early 80s I think), others were bought and home finished, similar to the 22s. The later hulls have a moulded interior (roof panels etc), the earlier hulls just had the buoyancy tanks. Also, the mast post on some boats (earlier boats??) was a wooden post, others were aluminium.

They were designed to the micro tonner rules but specially for Holywood Yacht Club I believe but they were more of a cruising design. They ones in Strangford sail off a PY around the 1170 if I remember correctly. There are now 3 at my old yacht club.

I had looked at buying one several years ago, not the same one you bought though! Although I didn't buy it because it had gone on the rocks at some point in its life and the hull had a lot of delamination. They suffer badly from extreme wear around the keel area in the hull caused by the rocking of the centreboard when on the mooring. I have seen about 8 of them close up and I think that only 2 of them looked good. The one I looked at had worn the laminate at the trailing edge of the centreboard casing so thin, a low powered torch would shine right through it! There is a simple way to stop this though.

There is a sailmaker locally who owned a couple for a while and knows the sail shapes quite well.

connel42

Farr08,
Thanks for the info.
Mine has the moulded interior and roof lining.
I have had to remove about half of the mouldings from the interior to gain access to the damage.
The daggerboard box seems ok but I will reinforce it anyway.
Would you have the name or number of the sailmaker?
The sails a just ok so I may spring for a new set.
Thanks again.

farr08

Sketrick Sailmakers (in the Yellow pages), 02897 541400 or mobile 07712067731.

Another contact that may be useful, Alistair Morrison Boat Repairs, 02844 828215 (also in Yellow pages). I understand he built them originally and so he may be helpful. I know he did a lot of work on one of them a couple of years ago.

If you need a new mast in the future, I may be able to get you the details of a company that has made them recently. (one of the boats at my old club broke the mast a couple of seasons back) I'll see what I can find out.

connel42

Thanks for that - great information.
Thankfully the mast is in very good condition.

Micro Class

Hello

I hope you will be able to restore this badly damaged boat.
I found one Puppeteer Micro in France. The boat was totally unknown in the Micro Class until we found this one.
I don't have the sail plan (a copy is welcome)
Even if the boat is old, you are always welcome in European regattas (France, Belgium, Germany) and as owner of a Micro, you are even entitled to claim for a similar boat and enter the Word Championship August 8th-16th in Moscow see www.microcup.org

Philippe DE TROY
President International Micro Cupper Class Association
http://www.microclass.org - http://jamais203.detroy.org

Micro Class

Even if a good source of information could be found in Howth YC, the best is the origin of the boat Holywood YC. On this site, just 3 pictures of a Puppeteer Micro in the gallery of a regatta in 2005.
4 boats of this club appear in handicap table of Belfast Lough Yachting Conference with PY 1100

There where three on Holywood YC parking when the satellite of Google passed 2-3 years ago, three also but on the water for the aircraft of live.com (requires a plugin Virtual Earth). Note here, when you are looking North, the tide's gone away...

michaelennis

I work for Skettrick Sailmakers, recently we were contacted in writing from a guy in France i thin, looking for a sail plan. I don't know if Mike Sanderson the loft owner ever got round to sending the information. But we found original design information and advertising. Chris Boyd designed and built some of these boats as well as moulds so that they could be built by others. He currently races Lasers at Ballyholme Yacht Club in Bangor NI but has left the industry.

He also repaired my 1/2 Tonner in the early to mid eighties after she crashed into a rock that had broken its mooring. He used Isopaun to build the hullback to its orgional shape. Made a mould of the damaged areas chipped out the filler, used the moulds to glass up the hull the end result was perfect! you could never tell where she was damaged. As stated above our number is 02897 541700

icedtea

Hi,
I had a look on the internet and I couldn't find any owners association so your man from Howth would probably e your best bet to be honest.

Micro Class

Howth YC publishes results with a list of up to 28 Puppeteers. But in other lists you find that only Puppeteer 22's are sailing there...

connel42

Hi Thanks for all the interest.
I decided to sell the boat after all as there was just too much work for the time I have available.
I bought a Copland Harrier 20 ft trailer sailor which is also to the Micro regs.
The boat went to a guy and his two sons and i think they want to put it on the shannon at Banagher!
Don't recon she will ever feel the wind in her sails again - pity.