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Saved from the scrap heap

2022 January 1

After falling off its jackstands, a J/105 gets repaired and retrofitted by a new owner

“I changed all the mast sheaves and replaced all the halyards and running rigging, put on a new forestay, and changed all the rod rigging,” he said. “I also rebuilt the Harken furling system.”

Another one of Dexter’s sailing buddies, Kenny Harvey of Harvey Rigging, supplied the materials and expertise for that phase of the project. Dexter set up a temporary workshop in the basement of his home in Swampscott, Massachusetts, where many of the boat parts were laid out. 

“I was able to restore some of the parts, but others I actually had  to make,” he said. “I had to build all the bulkheads. Take out the damaged ones, make templates, then cut new ones from marine plywood and Formica.”


Dexter found the marine plywood at a lumber yard in Somerville, the Formica at Home Depot, and a roll of vinyl for the headliner at Zimman’s in Lynn, a fabric store favored by interior designers. 


“I bought 14 yards of vinyl,” he said, chuckling at the memory of attempting to glue the vinyl seamlessly onto the headliner’s curves. “It was like wallpapering in three dimensions.” 


The boat’s Yanmar 2GM20F diesel engine was unscathed from the accident. That was good news, but the fuel tank was in rough shape, so Dexter removed and reconditioned it. 


Putting the boat back together was preceded by months of meticulous grinding, polishing and rebuilding everything from the keel and rudder to the winches and hatches. Pumps were dismantled and given new seals and gaskets. The head was completely removed and rebuilt. The boat’s sails were in somewhat decent shape, but Dexter bought new ones. 


“This is the first boat I’ve ever owned,” he said, clearly pleased by the refit’s outcome and the opportunity to continue sailing with his crewmates from Circe’s Cup. “We’ve all been sailing together since 1989 and we do quite well.”

Ric Dexter takes the helm of the repaired J/105.

With the boat just about ready for launch and in like-new condition, Dexter had to come up with a name. He decided on Brouhaha since some earlier suggestions might have raised a few eyebrows at the dock.


Brouhaha is an old word for uproar or confusion. It signified our crew work,” he said. 


Bill Mann from Vinyl GraphicWorks in Marblehead was hired to create and apply the 9-foot-long name on the hull.


Since Dexter and his wife Lesley are members of the Dolphin Yacht Club in Marblehead Harbor, they can take the launch to a Brouhaha’s mooring just off the harbormaster’s office. It’s an ideal situation, one made even better by news that Dexter is now among an extraordinarily small number of pancreatic cancer survivors. 


“Survivability is rare,” he said. “Only seven to 10% beat it. But here I am.” 




Retrofit budget


Six-months rent on indoor, heated repair bay............... $3,500


Hull, including $2,000 materials, $1,000 

professional labor, plus 100 personal hours..................$3,000


Interior, including $3,000 materials, $800 

professional labor,  plus 250 personal hours.................$3,800


Keel and rudder, including  $1,500 materials, 

$1,200 professional labor and 

100 hours personal hours..............................................$2,700


Maintenance, including $9,500 materials, $500 

professional labor; and 250 hours personal labor........$10,000


Electronics, including $1,000 chartplotter, $400 

NMEA 2000/0183 and Seat Talk translator, $300 AIS 

receiver/amp, $100 marine-grade wire, connectors, 

panels; $700 NOS KVH Sailcomp.................................$2,500


Bulkhead and headliner fabrication, including materials 

and 40 hours personal labor............................................ $400  


Engine Maintenance, with 20 hours personal labor 

and parts, including raw water pump, exhaust elbow 

replacement, fresh water pump, lift pump, fuel tank

 removed, cleaned and primed......................................$1,000


Standing rigging, including upper rods, forestay rod, 

mast sheaves, turnbuckles, Harken MIV furler parts, 

four life lines..................................................................$1,900


Running rigging, including four halyards, tackline, 

main sheets and traveler lines...................................... $1,600


Total refit, including 760 personal hours..................... $30,400


A new suit of sails was purchased above and beyond refit for 

about $15,000. With the boat now back in like-new condition, 

Dexter estimated its value at $70,000 to $75,000. 

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