Another Sidewinder Resurrection

After observing a sailboat in the backyard of a house in my neighborhood, buried deep in overgrown landscaping, I knocked on the door to ask about it. The family had purchased the boat years ago and tried to use it one time. They could only remember that they thought it was called a Sidewinder. It was sold to them with a wooden daggerboard to replace the lost aluminum original. On that first attempt to sail the boat, the daggerboard snapped, the boat flipped and that was the end of it for them. They offered to give the boat to me, but being a generous person, I gave them fifty dollars and towed it to my house. Other than the missing daggerboard, the only other immediate issue was a missing autobailer. The original Gibbs mainsail #454 is in working condition, but apparently somewhat stretched out. The furled jib had been left outside in the dirt and has some rotten spots along the leech, but after a few patches, it looks fine. The deck of the boat is faded yellow gelcoat, but original, while the hull was white (house) paint which I've now stripped down to the light grey gelcoat. Only after finding this website did I realize the treasure that I had found. The many Sidewinder owners with missing daggerboards will be interested to know that it was not too big of a problem for me to resolve. I found a metal supply business near my home in West Palm Beach, FL that sold me an 18" by 48" piece of 3/16" aluminum plate for $45. Using the dimensions from this website, I outlined the shape and was able to cut it out with a cheap electric jigsaw. I purchased a new Holt-Allen model 4155 autobailer online from Annapolis Performance Sailing for another $50 which fit exactly into the original hull opening. I also had to replace the trailer's wheels/tires, a bearing and lights for another $100. But for a grand total of $245, this boat has now returned to the water and sailed successfully about a dozen times in the Lake Worth Lagoon of the Intracoastal Waterway. Even my twelve year old son and a friend have been enjoying sailing it. I'll try to post some pictures and updates of any more repairs, improvements or modifications I make to this boat.

Welcome Scott,
Now I'm really jealous. Although I'm closer to getting it in the water, I still have a bit more to go. Hopefully I will be sailing around TN lakes come fall. Can't wait to see some pictures and let us know how it does in the water. It's other peoples stories that help motivate me to get out and work on mine.
This looks like it's turning into a Sidewinder forum.

Joe
Sidewinder #327