Restoration of a Dyer 29

Winter 2023

In late fall of 2022, we were contacted by a customer who had found a 2001 Dyer 29 in New Jersey which he wanted to buy and have restored. PJ Campbell, our yacht broker, and Tom Campbell worked with the customer and his captain in getting the boat purchased and shipped to our Campbell’s Bachelor Point location to have the work started.

After removing all the gear and cushions from the boat, the first phase of the restoration was to remove the radar arch and the associated wiring. We also removed the bow pulpit. This was saved for reinstallation. By deleting several added-on features, the lines of the boat were becoming more evident with each step.

We removed the bulky rub rails from both sides of the hull. These covered the hull to deck joint and managed to hide some significant voids as well as a general unevenness of the side decks. Filling these gaps and fairing the decks resulted in a much more eye-pleasing appearance when viewed from the transom. The finished rub rails are much more pleasing with a stout 1.25” piece of solid stainless rub strip running the length of each side.

We removed the teak toe rails and preserved them. These rails were small but overall were in great condition. We secured all the loose scarf joints and epoxy coated the teak. There was more in the works for the toe rails.

The bow pulpit and swim platform were removed. These solid teak pieces were wooded and left unfinished, allowing them to season to a weathered grey patina.

The glass in the windshield was removed and prepped for replacement. The solid teak windshield frame was removed and stripped. The exterior of this piece was sanded and prepped for epoxy coating.

The Yanmar engine was removed, serviced, painted, and reinstalled after the engine space was thoroughly cleaned and updated with new sound insulation.  The engine space was repainted to provide a new appearance. Fuel lines and filters were replaced and fuel plumbing was simplified to eliminate dated valves.

The hull and decks were faired, filled, primed, and painted with Awlgrip Majestic Blue and the decks with Oyster White and Moondust on the non-skid pattern. The brightwork was stripped and given a faux teak finish, with clear Awlgrip to protect the artist’s work. 

After the bottom paint was removed, the hull was moved to be prepped for a new topcoat of Majestic Blue Awl grip. While the boat was inside, the toe rails and windshield were prepped for a hand-painted application of paint designed to mimic the appearance of varnished teak. The wood had to be faired and primed. This was done with the toe rails in place and the windshield on benches. The owner contracted with Everett Nautical Finishes to apply the faux teak finish. Campbell’s crew then applied several layers of clear Awl-grip to fully seal the new finish. The point of painting teak to look like teak is to reduce annual maintenance of the brightwork. The combined efforts of these two highly skilled groups resulted in an outstanding finish for a long-lasting product.

The teak remaining in the pilot house and cockpit was stripped and varnished with 8 coats of Epiphanes finishes.  After the weathered decks were faired and primed, they were painted and had new non-skid applied. The contrasting design of Oyster White and Moondust non-skid resulted in a beautiful finish.

 Final assembly of the project brought all the separate aspects of the job together. The new windshield and glass were reinstalled. The helm was refined, eliminating a series of dated electronics which resulted in a cleaner space with no unnecessary gear or switches. The existing bimini was reinstalled and a new name and hail applied to the transom. Sea trials went well and the boat cuts a very traditional and attractive figure on the water.

  The boat was picked up by the Owner and his Captain in early June and a successful trip on her own bottom was made to North Carolina