History

History of the Wildwood Sailing Club flagpole
constructed by Jack Payton





Today you enter The Wildwood Sailing Club by a road which winds through a pretty woodlot and opens onto spacious lawns. These lawns slope gently to the waters edge where sailboats bob colorfully beside neat wharves, or rest onshore.
A number of tall landmarks can be found at the sailing club, including a fiberglass flagpole constructed by founding member, Jack Payton, in 1971. The flagpole has long stood proudly on the lawn, and, in 1994, in a special ceremony, a plaque was added to the base of the flagpole to commemorate Jack's association with the club. The plaque reads, In memory of Jack Payton, Founder 1967, Boat Builder, Environmentalist. Jack's wife, Norma, active in the club along with her husband, was guest of honour at the ceremony. Today, two classes of sailboat designed and built by Jack (the Flying Canuck and the Kerry Dancer) are still sailed at the club.
(From Pam's History of The Wildwood Sailing Club)



















(From Les's Flagpole webpage)

Every spring, the flag is raised to open the new sailing season and every fall it is taken down to end the sailing season (always a sad day). This ceremony is not always a big event, but it has gone on as long as I've been a member at the sailing club. During the summer this flag is used as an instrument for gauging the wind direction and speed and its gentle flapping is a constant reminder that it's time to go sailing. When the flag is full, it's time to hit the lake and when it's hanging there limp, you can pull up a chair and enjoy the scenery or the conversation around the fire pit.

















This year (2007) the flag raising ceremony may be put on hold. A strong wind has blown the flag pole partially over and it has a precarious lean and is ready to fall over. The flag pole will need to be fixed before a flag can be flown again, high above the Wildwood Sailing Club. Shown below is the flag pole in its precarious position and the temporary fix to support it till spring when a more permanent fix can be performed. Pipes were pounded into the ground around the flag pole and ropes have been tied from the pole to the pipes to support the leaning mast.















Paul Carter testing the weight of the flag pole (just like Charles Atlas).


























Les standing beside the flag pole with the temporary fix.



We hope the temporary fix will hold till spring. See you all in the spring and here's hoping for an early spring and a mild winter

Damage

During the last part of the winter of 2006/07, the Flagpole developed a precarious lean during a storm.

Les Leonhardt and Paul Carter fashioned a temporary support system to prevent further damage.

June 4/07, Peter Case asked me to have a look at the flagpole to determine if the fibreglass base could be repaired.

June 6/07, flagpole was lowered after splitting the rusted nuts on the hold down bolts and the flagpole was moved to the pavillion, with the assistance of Paul Carter and George Mulholland.



















June 9/07, Ted Thomas, all by himself, brought the flagpole to the orchard and photos were taken of the damaged base and published on the club’s website.






Observations


#1 Jack's flagpolehas been standing for 30+ years without any maintenance with the exception of raising a new flag each year and replacing the halyard several times during this time period. An excellent testimony to Jack’s fibreglassing abilities.








#2 Base has suffered damage from snow, impact damage from lawnmowers, animals?, etc and is in very poor condition.(A suggestion would be to make a flower bed, etc. around the base of the flagpole to keep lawn cutting machinery from getting too close to the structure).




















#3 Although the actual flagpole is in reasonably good shape, fibreglass strands are starting to show through the gelcoat(?) from ultraviolet damage but should be able to be restored to good condition with 2 coats of a good fibreglass paint (Interlux?). (See note re ASSmosis)






Another example of Jack and Norma's handiwork was the flagpole that adorned the St. Marys water tower. The following is a brief comment on that flagpole from Don Van Galen,

"The flagpole on the water tower was a payton fibreglass mast. approximately 28 feet high. In high winds it broke off about mid point. Originally it was thought that it could be repaired by using an insert and re glassing. However it was not a clean break, the rest of the mast was shattered internally as well, and it could not be repaired. It was replaced with 2 aluminum poles welded end to end. Cost a few hundred dollars. Basicly, purchase cost for 2 poles at steel yard plus welding".
Don Van Galen (Feb. 17/09)

The flagpole atop the water tower was probably subjected to much higher winds than our flagpole, in its sheltered location, but another possibility of failure might be damage to the resin from ultraviolet rays from the sun once the original gelcoat(?) was broken down.

In my opinion, it is essential to protect the resin from ultraviolet rays with a good coat of fibreglass paint.

ASSmosis
More information on the breakdown of the resin.
Owners of KERRY DANCERS and FLYING CANUCKS have encountered a curious malady-FIBREGLASS ASSMOSIS. Besides enjoying the obvious pleasures of owning one of Jack Payton's creations, these owners also experienced an interesting feature of their crafts. After approximately 10 years, these sailors and crew would experience an itching sensation and often feel they have slivers from sliding around on the seats of their boats. The only remedy for this affliction is a fresh coat of paint on the topsides of their boat as the direct rays of the sun have broken down the resin and exposed the fibreglass strands which are now showing thru the gelcoat. Our KERRY DANCER topsides have been painted twice in the last 30 years.
Back to the flagpole, which has been exposed to the elements, not for 6 months a year like a boat but has been out in the sun's rays for 12 months every year and will have experienced a much greater deterioration of the gelcoat.
SO, prior to applying two coats of good quality fibreglass paint, I am also recommending applying several coats of resin to strengthen the flagpole.












(FOR ENGINEERS ONLY)

One question that was always a mystery to me was that since most sailboats have an aluminum mast, how did Jack&Norma construct a fibreglass mast that was light, flexible yet strong enough to stand up to the rigors of sailing on a KERRY DANCER and a CANUCK?




Our KERRY DANCER with its fibreglass mast that was recently painted with AWLGRIP 2 part urethane and looks as good as the day it was made!!











And how did they ever manage to create a flagpole over 35 feet in length that would stand up to the extremes of weather that we have in Southwestern Ontario?





Norma let me in on the secret when she brought out a box of fibreglass rope and a roll of fibreglass mat.





The masts and the flagpole were constructed on a cardboard tube of the required length.





The fibreglass rope was attached to the outside of the tube at one end and then strands were run to the other end, around a pin, and then back down to the starting end, around a pin and then back to the other end as many times as necessary to provide a suitable framework for resin.





Resin was then applied, working it well into the fibres so they were completly saturated and then the pole was finished with a final coat of resin, with colour added.





And that in a nutshell is the secret of a fibreglass mast/flagpole.





Jack certainly was an innovator and a master of working with fibreglass.


#4 The base hold-down straps (actually strands of fibreglass rope) have deteriorated (obviously the weak link in the system) and are broken, which caused the flagpole to develop the precarious lean.













#5 The side panels of the base have deteriorated beyond repair as they were made from very thin fibreglass cloth. Actually the paper used as a form for the side panels was still inside the base.
























#6 The bottom of the base was in better shape as fibreglass mat was used in its construction.



#7 The hold-down studs(actually mild steel- threaded rod), embedded in the concrete pad, were in reasonably good condition after a 3/8"-16T.P.I. die was run down them. Suggest using stainless steel washers and cap nuts on new straps.

#8 The closed design of the base renders repairs impossible as it is not possible to do internal repairs to the base without cutting access holes in the side panels necessitating repairs to close in the access holes.

#9 The ability to detach the base should not be overlooked as when repair or maintenance is required on the base it is so much easier to remove the base for transport than having to deal with a 35' long structure.



July 8/07, Discussed repairs to flagpole with Norma Payton (she was really interested in photos of flagpole) at the W.S.C. OPEN HOUSE EVENT and stated she would be glad to offer her
advice on flagpole repairs.


June 9/07, Peter Case dropped into the orchard and the flagpole repairs were discussed for approximately 1 hour.
Discussed with Peter the possibility of making an internal frame for the base out of stainless steel and using stainless panels on the sides.
Peter’s comment was that since I have lots of stainless steel at the orchard, I should try to make a new base.
The conclusion of our discussions was that it was futile to attempt to repair the base and a new base was required.

P.S. The flagpole has been under cover since delivered to orchard (in our driving shed)

P.S. Since the flagpole is over 35' in length and fibreglass repairs should only be attempted when the temperature is above 60F, repairs to the fibreglass can only be done in the summer when the outside temperatures are above 60F.


P.S. A detachable base would allow repairs to be made without having the challenge of transporting the 35'+ flagpole.




Lorne Mulholland
Oct. 28/2008 (Report submitted to Commodore Jim Phillips for discussion at Executive meeting).



Jan.16/09 Jim phillips asked me to contact Peter Case and George Mulholland to formulate a plan to have repairs to the flagpole accomplished at a maximum cost of $300.00.


Feb.04/09 After discussions with Peter Case and George Mulholland, we decided the next course of action would be to put the flagpole information on the W.S.C. website for input from the members.

Proposed Solutions

"Design is a search for the appropriate.
The options are endless, and they all make at least some sense.
But the time comes when you have to sit down and say, "It’s going to look like this" - when the gestalt of everything you know or think you know leads you to what you feel is most appropriate."

From RIGGER'S APPRENTICE by BRION TOSS

"Nothin' too strong ever broke" -Maine proverb

Also from RIGGER'S APPRENTICE by Brion Toss

One of the first suggestions was that if Jack's flagpole could not be restored, we should come up with a support base that (similar to this photo) would allow the flagpole to be lowered for maintenance.



If we proceeded with this concept, we could possibly use Mark Rohfrietsch's mast from his "GHOST", if Mark would part with it for a nominal fee.




The concept of a flagpole that could be easily lowered has many advantages. The main one is that it could be lowered for routine maintenance(painting, replacing flag halyard, etc.). Another is that the pole could be more easily transported if the base was not attached.



This is a sketch of a mount made from stainless steel strap (1/8"X1 1/2" wide) that would solve the problem of the weak corners.

Would also solve the challenge of painting mild steel straps on a regular basis.

However the secure attachment of the mount to the pole dictates a challenge(read: expensive) for this mount.













This sketch shows what the mount would look like with stainless steel or aluminiumside covers. At least one side cover should be removable to allow for routine maintenance.
















Approximate dimensions of proposed mount.

(If the dimensions are too difficult to read, double click image and it should reappear as a larger photo.)

Sketch using existing fibreglass as attachment points for mount to pole.


Much easier to build and attach to pole but certainly doesn't look as attractive.













This sketch was submitted by Steven Combes.

It exhibits many excellent suggestions.

I particularly like the comment about coating the mild steel parts with epoxy paint in an effort to protect them from the elements.

Also the concept of attaching the support post for the flagpole directly to the plate bolted to the foundation pad introduces a very innovative concept which dictates that the welding done attaching the post to the plate must be of a very high calibre.

A great effort- Thank you very much Steven.








This design held much promise due to its simplicity and the use of the existing anchor rods.
HOWEVER, when the numbers were crunched, the calculations revealed that this design would fail the wind criteria(one major storm in 50 years) and thus, this design was proven to be unsuitable.

Thanks to Steven Combes for performing these very important calculations.





Back to the drawing board.

Here is a sketch based on a concept suggested by Steve Hartfield.

Comments from his e-mail of March 9/09.

Your drawing looks quite feasible. However you may want to note that I used to install 68 foot self support radio towers with my Father. They where set in a block of poured cement 4ft x 4ft x 4ft. That is a lot of cement. I'm sure we could get by with a lot less cement. Perhaps a large sono tube with the pipe centred in cement. A good post hole digger or auger might work in the clay.

Another thought might be a 10 inch post hole dug four feet deep. Galvanized pipe set in the centre surround the pipe with packed sand. No cement at all.



Fair Winds

Steve

Thank you Steve for an EXCELLENT suggestion.

Comments and Suggestions

In our opinion, Jack Payton, made many great contibutions to the Wildwood Sailing Club, not the least of which was his flagpole.
(if you are not familiar with Jack's contributions,check Pam's History at

http://www.wildwoodsailingclub.ca/

and click on Pam's History in the lower part of the webpage)

His efforts have certainly stood the test of time in that his flagpole has stood for 30+ years without any major renovations.
Whatever solution we come up with regards to the flagpole issue, it behooves us to ensure that our efforts are at least equal to Jack's.
We, the flagpole group (George, Peter&Lorne) would appreciate hearing from the membership with regards to the significance of our efforts.

Please express your opinion by leaving a comment/suggestion on this blog by Feb. 28/09
or
e-mail
mulhollandlp@quadro.net

Outlined below is a presentation by Pam Mulholland on Sept. 27/09 at Wildwood Sailing Club general meeting.

Flagpole Presentation

Design #6 refers to a specific plan which calls the restoration of Jack Payton’s 35 foot fibreglass flagpole to be installed on a new base of a particular design. This is one of nine options presented by the flagpole committee to the executive in the spring and it is the design chosen by the executive.
When the costs of the proposed design were finalized, however, the total came to a little over a $1000, $1200 with tax.
At the August supper, some members objected to the cost of this proposal and raised concerns about restoring a fibreglass flagpole. They proposed that a less expensive new flagpole be purchased.
At this time, I would like to present the arguments for the restoration project accompanied by the new base.
First, to address the historical value of a restoration.
For those of you who are new to the club and do not know of Jack Payton, he was one of the founding members and truly the driving force behind the creation of the Wildwood Sailing Club.
He provided both the vision and the commitment to see it through, to the extent of walking through dense bush, scythe in hand, followed by a bulldozer to carve out the roadway which leads into the club today. The UTRCA rented the property to a group of people who wished to start a sailing club, but the property certainly didn’t consist of the beautiful lawns and trees you see today. It was literally scrub land completely covered with hawthorn trees. Jack and his fellow sailing enthusiasts worked hard to clear the land in order to make it what it is today.
They were pioneers in the true sense of the word, and their efforts embody the essential enduring values of the club - a co-opertive spirit, a strong work ethic, and a love of sailing.
Not too long ago a former member visited the club to reminisce about his sailing days. His first words upon driving in were, "Where’s Jack’s flagpole?" The flagpole has had special meaning to members and it indeed has been a landmark of the Wildwood Sailing Club.
　
Those in favour of the restoration of Jack’s flagpole see it as a tribute to him and the other founding members, and they see it as a perfectly feasible way of preserving some of the history of the club.
As a society, we are lucky that not every old building is torn down. Even though it requires extra effort and money, and perhaps sometimes even overlooks practicality, it is gratifying to see historical structures preserved. We hope you agree.
Next, to address the issue of a fibreglass flagpole.
Jack was very skilled at working with fibreglass. He designed and built two series of fibreglass sailboats. They were the most popular boats at this club in the early days, and are still sailed today. He made fibreglass masts for all of his boats, and these masts have survived the years. Using his fibreglassing expertise, he also constructed a 35 foot fibreglass flagpole which stood on the lawn here for almost 40 years , and that’s with absolutely no maintenance at all. And in the end, the pole itself did not fail.
It was the base that deteriorated, and as a result the pole developed a precarious lean, and was taken down. You see the flagpole here today. Yes, it is made of fibreglass which doesn’t last forever, but with proper maintenance, fibreglass structures can last a very long time.
Next to the flagpole you see a beautifully restored Jack Payton mast from the same era as the pole. It shows you what proper maintenance and refurbishing can do. Surely the flagpole deserves a chance for a makeover even though it is fibreglass.
This flagpole is in reasonably good shape. It needs a coat of resin and a coat of paint, and it could have a long life ahead of it. Of the$1200 cost for this project, only $200 is slated for the restoration itself. Peter Case has volunteered to refurbish the flagpole by giving it the new coat of resin and the new coat of paint it needs. We hope you agree that Jack’s flagpole should be given a chance.
　
　
And this leads me to the next point which is that the remaining $1,000 of the cost of the project is for a brand new permanent base, made of top quality material - hence the high cost - This base would accommodate Jack’s pole or any new flagpole which the club might decide upon in the future should Jack’s fail at some point. This permanent base could be one of our gifts for future members of the club.
　
I know there are many inexpensive methods of building a flagpole base.
The proposed new base, however, was designed by a civil engineer who volunteered his time and expertise to the project. He enjoyed the challenge, and used his computer programs to analyze the structural strength of all the components. He applied " due diligence" , that is good engineering principles, that resulted in this particular design for the structure of the base. He and Lorne discussed the project at every step of the way, and Lorne prepared a detailed blog which he regularly updated and which has been accessible through the Wildwood Sailing Club website since last February. Many hours of thoughtful planning went into this phase of the project, and I hope you can see your way to supporting the proposed design for the new base.
　
As I said at the beginning, one of chief objections to this proposal at the August supper was the cost.
In the event that members still see this as too high a cost, a number of supporters of the project have pledged personal donations towards the restoration and the proposed new base to help ensure that Jack’s flagpole will stand proudly and securely on the lawn once again.
I will put forward a motion in regard to this generous offer later in the discussion if necessary, but first, it is my hope that the club would see the value in this project as outlined, and would offer to fully fund it.
Pam Mulholland