Renovation of a Jeanneau Mataf to go fishing

The Jeanneau shipyard produced the Mataf in the 1970s. This 4-meter hull, with a small cabin, was offered in a sailboat version equipped with a daggerboard and a rig, or in a motor version without a mast step or daggerboard. It is in this version that Anthony bought his 1977 model.

Anthony's Mataf is offered in a classified ad at 500 euros with its trailer and a 2-stroke Evinrude outboard. He tells us: " The salesman couldn't let me try the motor, as he didn't have a container to run it out of the water. But he assured me that the motor was functional. In the end, I could never get it to start! The trailer wasn't much better. I lost all the rollers on the way home... "

Anthony wants to renovate the boat to go fishing with his son: " I love lakes and I live not far from the Seine, between Evreux and Rouen. I fish mainly for carp, but if a catfish wants to bite, I don't say no. "So he only thinks of sailing in fresh water and taking the boat out after each fishing trip.

The renovation begins by completely emptying the interior of the boat. This was the first disappointment: two cracks on each side of the keel, vaguely plugged, let the light through. Anthony takes advice and decides to do things right. He scratched and sanded to expose everything, and began a repair using fiberglass and polyester resin. The choice of polyester, and not epoxy, was made because the boat will remain mainly in fresh water.

Then comes the time of coating and sanding, before finishing with an exterior paint that he chose entirely black: " I'm not a paint nut and I couldn't see myself painting multiple colors. So I opted for black all over to simplify. And besides, I like the result. Isn't that the most important thing? ".

For the cabin, he decides after a big cleaning, sanding and priming paint, to spray cork. He does this with a plastering machine connected to a compressor. The cork is mixed with the glue liquefied with water. The result is a clean finish, filling in defects and insulating the cabin.

It completes this finish with a light. For the electricity, it embarks 3 batteries: one for the lighting and the 12-230 V converter, one to power the fishfinder and the third for an electric motor. " I want to go on lakes where thermal propulsion is forbidden, so I have a small electric motor to complement it. "The 3 batteries are charged with a solar panel installed on the deckhouse.

For the internal combustion engine, Anthony bought a new 6 horsepower model. Indeed, if the Mataf can receive a maximum of 10 horses, Anthony does not have - yet - the license. " But from what I could test, 6 horses will be enough for me, because I am not looking for speed, but rather to get to my fishing spots quietly. "Except that for the moment, the tests were only short-lived, the first launch ended with an engine failure. This one had to go back to Orangemarine to be replaced. No luck with the engine, Anthony's son is the most disappointed...

In parallel with the work on the boat, the trailer has been completely renovated. The rollers are all replaced. And the galvanization was redone to start on a clean basis.

In the end, the renovation cost nearly 5000 euros, including the two motors, thermal and electric. It took place throughout the winter, from September to March, working at weekends. This project was slowed down by the weather. Indeed, Anthony did not have a shelter big enough to accommodate the 4 m of his hull. He had to wait for a break in the rain to paint the exterior, limiting himself to interior work during the rainy episodes.