L-16 Past Projects: Domino
Domino was one of five L-16s damaged in Hurricane Katrina that were purchased and brought to Northeast Harbor when interest in building a Luders fleet was peaking. A fiberglass boat, there was some hull damage and the mast had torn a hole in the deck when it was flipped on its side. Even before the hurricane, the boat was in sad shape so despite making those repairs, a total restoration was still necessary. The owner, a very competative sailor, had a very clear goal with this project: to create a racing machine.
The full length cockpit seats were removed and replaces with a thwart across the back of the cockpit and small single seats against the bulkhead. The cockpit sole was raised so rigging and sail control lines could be places under the sole. A mahogony barney post for more control lines was installed in the cockpit and to top it off, a spinnaker launcher was installed with the opening in the bow covered by a sliding plywood door and the tube for the chute coming out under the seats in the cockpit. Departing from the traditional look, the high coamings were removed and replaced with low sweeping coamings for more comfort when sitting on the deck. An array of jam cleats for sail control lines were places at the back of the cuddy for the crew--or owner if he's single-handling the boat--and more lines placed within reach of the helmsman through the coamings or from the barney post. Comfort definitely took a backseat to speed when redesigning this boat, but the classic lines of a Luders combined with the varnished wood still make it a beautiful boat.