This page contains tips and advice on maintaining your 707 and where to buy the bits.

We all face the same issues, so please let the rest of us know about any problems you’ve fixed. At the bottom of the page is a section listing suppliers for various spare parts. Please contact the secretary with details of others and updates, or post to the 707 Sailors Facebook group for discussion.

Winches

The winches on a 707 are Harken B8s. There is a service kit listed as BK 4512, which is a set of pawls and springs. All the other parts can be ordered separately. The only other parts that are likely to have worn out are the two nylon bushes. The part numbers are: B1087 and B426. There are comprehensive servicing instructions on the Harken website but basically it just tells you to dismantle the winches, wash all the parts in white spirit, then wash them with hot water before (and this is the important bit) lubricating all the plain bearings and gear teeth with winch grease, BUT only use light oil on the pawls when reassembling. If you do this twice per season the winches usually give no trouble. Putting grease on the pawls is a common mistake as it hardens and sticks them in the ‘off’ position.

Curing rudder play

After relatively little use, most 707 rudder fittings seem to wear, causing a certain amount of “float” which manifests as rattles and clonks or even vibration at speed and generally detracts from the pleasure of helming.

Changing all the fittings for new parts is labour-intensive and expensive, even if you can get the parts. Fortunately there is a much less expensive and easier way. To do this job properly you will need:

Length of 10mm diameter T316 quality stainless steel bar
White Sikaflex sealant/adhesive
10mm HSS drill bit
4mm HSS drill bit
Centre punch
10mm hand reamer and tap holder
Pillar drill
Cordless hand drill

Remove the rudder from the boat and take it home. Unbolt and remove the rudder pintles then mount them in the drill vice and drill out the holes to 10mm with the pillar drill. This is important, as the holes must be exactly perpendicular. Then use the 10mm hand reamer to finish the holes.

This is also a good time to repair any damage to the rudder surfaces and repaint it.

Cut a length of the 10mm stainless rod the same length as the original (3/8 inch) rod. Ours was 470mm but they may differ from boat to boat.

Slide the pintles onto the new rod and re-fit to the rudder using Sikaflex to seal the joint. It may be necessary to pack out the joint to achieve a tight fit. We used mylar strips. It is important to fit the pintles with the rod in place to keep everything in line. Note that the slightly beefier pintle should be fitted at the bottom position.

Remove the new rod and mark the position of the holes for the retaining split pins and drill 4mm holes for the split pins to pass through.

Back down at the boat, whilst it is out of the water, use a cordless hand drill to drill out the gudgeon fittings to 10mm and again use the 10mm hand reamer to finish the holes.

Re-fit the rudder using a little waterproof grease to ease the process and minimise future wear.

We did this job some time ago and after 12 months, so far no rattles have developed. Whenever the opportunity arises, apply some fresh grease to the bearing surfaces.

If the wear in your rudder bearings is so severe that a 10mm rod still rattles it may be necessary to go up to the next size of rod, which is 7/16 inch diameter.

Stainless rod is easily obtained from your local steel stockist (just look in yellow pages). The drill bits and hand reamer can be bought on-line from the excellent Tap and Die Company in London (www.tapdie.com)

Hatch replacement

The hatch is easily removed by first removing the rectangular end stops and then simply sliding the hatch cover out. It seems to be made simply from smoked perspex so you should obtain a sheet of this from a local stockist (try internet), but take the old hatch along to make sure the correct thickness and material are supplied and then cut a new hatch using your old one as a template. It should be possible to re-use the nylon rail as it is only screwed on and sealed with clear silicone. If you don’t enjoy DIY its likely that your perspex supplier can fabricate your new hatch. Most seem to be 600mm x 480mm x 10mm thick.

Ropes – lengths and sizes

Spinnaker halyard 18m x 8mm

Jib halyard 19m x 8mm

Main halyard 19m x 8mm

Pole Uphaul 16m x 6mm

Pole Downhaul 6m x 6mm

Jib sheet (cow-hitched to jib) 12m x 8mm

Mainsheet – 15m x 10mm or 12mm

No liability accepted. Terms and conditions apply etc etc etc….

Coachroof removal for replacement of cleats, jammers, clutches

This is a job requiring patience. It is held in place by sealant and the four screws are not what holds this down.

You will need a couple of flathead screwdrivers or chisels, some plastic or wooden wedges – like doorstops, and a hairdryer or hotair gun to soften the sealantRemove the screws and start to heat a corner area. Carefully prise a gap with one screwdriver and leave it in place, then start to lift it a little further along with the other lever. You might only manage to lift a very small section and only 1cm along at each time. If you have wedges then insert these once a big enough gap appears. Do not rush and do not strain the lid too much. To lift the first edge might take 30-60 minutes if you want to avoid breaking the gelcoat and fibreglass. Ease your way around the back edge and then the other side in the same way.
Clean the old sealant off using a scraper.
Replace the clutches, cleats etc as required. This may also prove tricky as the stainless steel bolts may be seized into the aluminium plate. You can try heat and/or an impact driver to release.
Re-apply sealant such as Sikaflex and re-position the lid with the 4 screws keeping it in place until dry.