The rebirth of the Tanzer 22 #1002 (Part 1)

After doing some research, I found that the Tanzer 22 was the most popular keelboat on my lake (over 50 boats) and that they raced regularly on Wednesday night (15+ OD boats!!)

I already knew the T22 because my father had owned one before he got his T26. The big wide cockpit, the small cabin with 4 berths made the T22 an ideal boat for our family with 2 small children (5 and 7 years old).

So I searched the classified ads to find an inexpensive T22. I just didn’t want to pay for equipments I didn’t need (big engine, lots of old sails, pulpits and lifelines, etc.) or didn’t meet my criteria’s. For me, the cheaper the boat, the more new equipments I could add later.

Research in Québec showed that the market price for a used T22 was between 6 500$ and 10 000$; much more that what I expected to pay. I then searched in Ontario and in the north-eastern part of the United States to finally come across an ad offering a T22 for 1 000 US $ in Newport, Rhode Island! I quickly contacted the owner by E-mail to ask for more information and some photos if possible. His answer surprised me a bit. The T22 in question was #1002 and was built at the Dorion factory in August 1975. He told me that he had never raced the boat but that the previous owner had won a few races in his time! The photos he sent me showed a boat that looked dirty but in fair condition and the equipment list included a North #1 Genoa, spinnaker and even a 7.5 HP outboard engine!

So I made an offer for the boat without even seeing it! (at that point, I think it was the owner’s turn to be surprised!) I wasn’t taking a very big risk because I knew that all T22 are very solidly built and that their mast and rigging are really sturdy. I also knew that I was not buying a new boat and that there would be some work to do on the boat. So, the following Saturday, I went down to Newport with my father to take possession of the boat. For the trip, I had borrowed my cousin pick up truck and a Tanzer 26 trailer from a fellow CVL member. The boat was hauled out, cleaned with a high pressure water gun and put on the trailer on the Saturday evening with the steel cradle placed in the back of the pick up truck. A first inspection revealed some nicks and scratches, soft cockpit locker hatches and anchor well cover. The deck was surprisingly sound thanks to the fact that there where no equipments added (stanchions base, halyards cleats and turning blocks are a good source of leaks!). On Sunday morning, we drove back to Montreal where we arrived early in the afternoon. At that point, the boat, travel, tax and customs had cost me less than 2 000$ CAN!!

The boat was stored at my father’s house where we began its preparation. We completely stripped the boat (windows, cushions, table, bulkhead, cink, icebox, teak trim, handrails, doors, etc) and then cleaned it inside and out with a high pressure water gun. The cradle was sanded and painted.

At the end of the sailing season, the boat was transported to my Yacht Club where we used the haul-out day crane to transfer the T22 from the trailer to his cradle.  Once the boat was at CVL, it was time to make a list of priorities, the things that would have to be done that autumn, in the winter time and in the spring. The list of things to do was long and it would all have to be done before launch time. Good thing my father was there to help me!

In October, we sanded the bottom and then sanded the original pale blue waterline and sheer line to change their color to “hot lime green”. This color was chosen by my 5 year old daughter (the “Coquine” in question) and it was either that or “Barbie” pink! In fact, she decided that it was “her” boat since she was the only one who could fit standing up inside the cabin!

 Then, after all the measurements for the new doors, windows and deck equipments where taken, the boat was covered with a winter tarp and she slept until spring. In the winter time, all the teak trimming where repaired, sanded and varnished and all the interior cushions where recovered. The cockpit lockers hatches and the anchor well cover where strengthened. The foredeck hatch was modified to accommodate a Plexiglas window. New doors and windows where also fabricated from Plexiglas. The outboard engine was serviced. A new tiller was made (in oak!). New sails (mainsail and #1 Genoa) where ordered from Voiles Atlantis and all the new deck hardware was bought.

We started to work early in the spring because there was a lot to do. Priority was given to the top part of the boat because we had to install new equipment on the deck, the mast, the spinnaker pole and the cockpit, work on the new windows, re-install the teak hand rails and trimming (and be very careful that everything is watertight!).  After that we worked inside the boat, the 2 bulkheads where changed, new shelves replaced the old broken icebox, a new battery was installed and all electrical cables where replaced. The plumbing for the sink and water tank was redone. All the inside lockers where painted.

The launch date was approaching quickly and time was running short to do all I wanted to do. At that point I had a small surprise when I found that the hull had a small delaminated area behind the keel. I was forced to remove the gelcoat and fibreglass completely and re-laminate a 12” X 12” section with several layers of new fibreglass mat and resin from the inside (and this is not a very accessible area on a T22!!) and then finish the outside with VC Watertite. This didn’t left me enough time to sand the bottom to my liking but I was still happy with the work done. On the eve of launch date, I finally had time to put 2 coats of VC17 on the bottom and wax the side of “Coquine” second edition!

After the launch, we stepped the mast and finally got to sail the boat. We got our first look at the sails (new and old) and found the primary settings. Our first impressions where quite good; the boat was light on the helm and glided well but seem difficult to accelerate after a tack. We also had to be careful to keep the crew weight centered (our crew is a bit heavy at 600 pounds!). Personally, I was quite surprised with all the possible adjustments. Looking at a T22, you would think that it is not that complicated; you just sheet in and go! Big mistake!! Getting the boat up to speed is one thing but getting better speed than other T22 is another story! But we where lucky to have a very good speed gauge in our own Club with Patrice Delhaes’ Turbo who is surely one of the fastest T22 on the LTM.

The 2003 season was spend learning the boat, racing OD on Wednesday nights and going cruising with the family. The assessment at the end of the year was quite positive; the boat was comfortable for short cruise and we won 3 OD races, finished second 3 times and finished the year third overall in the LTM fleet. We also placed third T22 in the HYC Labour Day long distance race. We felt we had very good speed in stronger wind but we also saw that we could not match Turbo or Gene Leier’s SunTanz speed and height in lighter condition. 

Following the 2003 season, we had some work to do to catch up with the faster T22 on the LTM. We decided to work on two things; the boat bottom and the sails.

In autumn, we completely stripped the bottom of all previous coats of antifouling paint; lots of work for my father and I. After that we left the boat to dry all winter. In the spring, we used Interprotect to barrier coat the bottom and then sanded the whole surface with 220 grit sandpaper. The keel and rudder where also covered with Inteprotect and sanded. We finished the bottom preparation with 2 coats of VC17.

It was a bit more complicated to deal with the sails. We knew that we needed more power from our sails (more depth?) but without loosing pointing ability (less depth?) Big dilemma!!

The knowledge and experience we gained during the 2003 season came in handy at this point. Race after race, we observed our competitors up close and their sails profile in particular. This helped us to recognise that our sails where too flat in 2003 and that we needed to deepened their profile (mainsail and #1 Genoa). Benoît Charette from Voiles Atlantis was a big help. He came sailing with us 2 times and modified our #1 Genoa to our liking. For the mainsail, he recommended we used more flexible battens for our light air race setting. One last modification, a new Voiles Atlantis spinnaker was added; the old one was really starting to show his age!!

The 2004 season was the result of all the work done on Coquine since 2002 and went beyond our expectation. We won 8 of the 11 Wednesday night races (with 2 second and a third in the 3 other races) against sometimes 15 other T22. This race record confirmed that we where going in the right direction with the modification we did to the boat.

We also better knew how to set up the boat, how to make her go fast quickly, the crew worked well together, everything was going great! So by year end, the list of things to do was a lot shorter than the year before. But we also knew that our competitors would react and that’s what they did. Following our example, many T22 owners from CVL, HYC and CVMO bought new sails and worked on the bottom of their boat to up their game!

So we had to work even harder to try to extract more speed from Coquine. We also had a very good reason to be at our best in 2005 since the T22 North American Championships would be held at CVL at the end of the year.

More work was done on the bottom, the keel and the rudder; sanding with 400 grit sandpaper and then with 600. Special attention was given to the forward third of the hull, the keel and rudder to make them as smooth as possible. After that the VC17 antifouling paint was wet sanded with 800 grit sandpaper and burnished.

For the sails, the mainsail and #1 Genoa only needed small adjustments. But the new spinnaker came out too wide when Doug Patterson measured it and it had to be re-cut to fit within the Class rules dimensions (a good exercise for Benoît!). I also had my #2 Genoa re-cut to improve its shape (just in case!).

We then optimised all systems on the boat, always asking if there was a better way or a better equipment to do the job. Some cleats where replaced, other where added. New lighter sheets where made. We became very weight conscious with the equipment we used but still had the Class and Government mandatory safety equipments on board.

Several time during the season, we used windless days to clean the bottom of the boat. We also removed the rudder from the water after each outing to keep it in perfect shape. So when it was time to race, it helped to know that we had done the best we could with our boat preparation.

After all this work, 2005 was a very rewarding season. Again we won 8 of the 11 Wednesday night races, we where first T22 in the HYC Labour Day long distance race (against 29 other T22) and we got a big win at the 2005 T22 North American Championship!!

When I look back at all the work done on the boat in the last 3 years, I have to thank my crew for their help and ideas; Chantal, my wife, Roland, my father and Jean, my helmsman. Also a big thanks to them for dealing with my temper even if it was not easy at time!

In conclusion, I would like to tell you that anyone is capable of a restoration project like that. Just take example on the best, don’t be afraid to ask them for advice, experiment with your own ideas, always ask yourself if there is a better way and you will see…

Recently I wrote back to my American seller to inform him that his old T22 had just won the 2005 North American Championship!  He answered by congratulating me and telling me that it was a fantastic result for a boat who had sunk in the past!!!

He told me that in 2002, his boat was moored for a long time in Wickford Bay , RI, when it took water (surely by the delaminated area at the back of the keel) and sank to deck level! The boat was then hauled out, dried, quickly repaired and put on sale (real cheap!). When I bought the boat, he just told me that I was buying it in the condition I was seeing it (without mentioning the sinking!).

As you can see, the Tanzer 22 is really a great boat. In fact you can take a Tanzer 22 back from the grave (or the bottom of a bay) and with some hard work have a Championship boat!

By Pierre Marois
SLVYRA PHRF Chief Handicaper