Plastic Classic Forum

Curmudgeon

I'd be reluctant to have anchor-line water draining into the bilge - there's going to be seaweed, mud, critters, and foul-smelling water coming off the rode. That is, if there's any alternative. My boat has an unobtrusive drain right on the centerline of the bow, but it's high enough that bow waves ...

Curmudgeon

A few years ago I looked at a 50-footer for sale (Portland, Oregon) for parts - they had a propane explosion on board, and there was nothing left belowdecks worth salvaging. The deck had been blown upwards several feet; all bulkheads 'removed'; the prop shaft blown completely out the back. Apparentl...

Curmudgeon

The italics are direct quotes from the article, but perhaps just including snips of the article put it out-of-context. If you get a chance, read the article and let us know if there are indeed errors or omissions.

Curmudgeon

Your timing is perfect! I read an article about this very topic just the other day but had to wait for the little "hampster-on-the-wheel" to wake up before I remembered WHERE I read it. The April 2009 issue of Cruising World included the first of a 2-part article on upgrading an older boat...

Curmudgeon

Have had good success with simply using a screw (of appropriate size) - start it in the centre of the plug and turn it in until it bottoms out on the screw head the plug is covering. Then, a couple of more turns with the screwdriver and the plug starts levering right out. I'm sure this will only wor...

Curmudgeon

Please tell me the length of boat the $7,500 US was quoted for? Their boat is a Fraser 36 - full keeled cutter, would guesstimate displacement between 18-20,000lb. Coincidentally, John and Elaine gave a presentation last night on their 12-year circumnavigation aboard Goolka to the local Power Squad...

Curmudgeon

Friends of mine looked into shipping their boat from Mexico to BC using Dockwise. La Paz is, in fact, one of the spots that Dockwise uses. They`ll meet you at a scheduled date&time, partially flood their ship, and then send divers down to block up your boat once you`ve maneuvered over top. They ...

Curmudgeon

Three weeks ago I was looking forward to the last cross-country ski trip of the year - an overnighter to Lake O'hara (near Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada). http://www.hubka.com/craig_2007_1.JPG Past that, I was chomping at the bit to get back on the boat and restart the myriad of projects that had bee...

Curmudgeon

It was once suggested to me to use..... ahem..... feminine sanitary pads. They're inexpensive and work well. Only trouble is having to go into a store and buy them - I was a deep crimson by the time I reached the checkout.

Curmudgeon

So that's why there isn't a waiting list... Whoa Nelly! Could it be that big-bad-boy in your new avatar that keeps the client list pared down? "Splish-splash"...... "Why yes, we JUST had a spot open up!" My boat was at Dog River Marina in Mobile when I bought it, and was warned ...

Curmudgeon

and I am in Nova Scotia, the shipping would be a little prohibitive Greetings Scott; Beware - it isn't the shipping charges you have to worry about as much as the brokerage fees. The amount can vary, depending on what company the merchandise is shipped with. USPS is the cheapest at a flat $5.00 fee...

Curmudgeon

rshowarth wrote:Please advise: What is a courtesy flag?

A courtesy flag can (should?) be flown while you are sailing in foreign waters, and should be the civil flag of that country. There's some information on flagging at: http://www.waypoints.com/popups/flagetiquette.html

Curmudgeon

does your backstay flag halyard run all the way to the masthead, or did you lash a block to the backstay halfway up? Does anyone know what the protocol would be for a split backstay - would the flag go on the port or starboard stay? If I had to guess I'd go with port, as the courtesy flag goes on t...

Curmudgeon

Sorry, forgot the link... they are here: http://www.newfoundmetals.com/

Curmudgeon

A lot of people in our boatbuilding club have used New Found Metals portlights. However, they used to cast their own - now they are importing from China. That said, the quality still seems to be there, and the prices look reasonable.

Curmudgeon

Of all the photos ever posted on this forum, this might sum up boat restoration better than any other! Sorry to disagree, but I don't see any bloodletting in that picture. Now I WOULDA had the best picture ever, had I not been so busy trying to stop the bleeding whilst extricating myself from the c...

Curmudgeon

I've always used household vinegar to clean epoxy out of brushes, containers, etc. - afterwards, a wash in soapy water. However, because the vinegar does not evaporate off like acetone, make sure you wash it thoroughly in the soap. It does a decent job without being toxic and flammable... characteri...

Curmudgeon

Starboard seems to be a material that would perhaps suffer from UV exposure, and in turn become brittle. How about using a clear lexan - the extra light it allows in is amazing. If you want more privacy just sand the surface with an appropriate grit sandpaper.

Curmudgeon

so I am going to go at it from underneath Ahhhh, so I'm not alone in recoring from the inside., and how glad I am to have YOU try it first. My plan is similar except that I decided to vacuum-bag everything. There's an extra expense involved but I'll be recovering all my bulkheads and floors with 1/...

Curmudgeon

However, you should attempt to fill/seal all the kerfs with epoxy no matter how you install the core. Both Baltek and DIAB offer a bonding material for their balsa core products. Baltek-Bond for the Baltek balsa and Divilette for DIABs ProBalsa. Both are polyester-based compounds. Heaven help me fo...

Curmudgeon

and now there's room for a wicked game of floor hockey in the Barn!

Alright! Now you're talking - after all it IS our national sport. What say us Canucks vs you Yanks, best of seven. Peter, grab your gear... we're GOIN' to Maine!

Curmudgeon

prevent (hopefully) unskilled and inexperienced people from making sweeping changes to any boat I had the good fortune of meeting Robert Perry once, and he related a conversation he had with a sailor who was absolutely convinced that the perfect companionway hatch cover was a........refrigerator do...

Curmudgeon

Since I'm about....oh... 600 miles from the closest boat chandlery I made my own (read: built-like-a-brick #house) - about 10$ for four round plates of 1/2" steel from the scrapyard, four 12" bolts with nuts and washers, an hours' work cutting round holes with a drill and hacksaw and voila...

Curmudgeon

My wife gets very sick in just a few seconds being around diesel so there won't be any of those in my future

Hehe, I'm assuming you mean there won't be any DIESEL in your future, and not the other way around. You never know.... some people are really attached to their diesels.

Curmudgeon

(Till they get over that stage and realize that parents are pretty OK after all...)

Hehe, reminds me of the saying "The older I get, the smarter my Dad gets".

Curmudgeon

I know that my soarce for mahogany plywood in this area carries nothing thinner than 1/4". It would be nice to find it in 1/8" for non-structural areas like lining bulkheads. A good source of thinner mahogany ply can be had by buying door skins. They come in a size appropriate to cover on...

Curmudgeon

If you have access to an air compressor I'd recommend using a cut-off tool that uses inexpensive 3" cut-off discs. This tool has produced the best results for me, by far.... and air tools are generally less expensive. I just bought a second cut-off tool for $18 CDN as a backup.

Curmudgeon

a fellow on the ODay list added ballast to his boat by melting down used tire weights he got from a tire shop. Check with your local hospitals - they ship radioactive materials in lead containers that are used once and then disposed of. I collected about two tons that way and paid 25 cents (sometim...

Curmudgeon

I'm a big fan of the Petzl LED headlamps. I use mine for everything from late-night checkups on the boat, hiking, X-C skiing, to working on electronics. The headlamp leaves both hands free for any chores you might be doing, and is so lightweight you forget you're wearing it. They can be purchased in...

Curmudgeon

Instead of a typical entrance door between the 'upper' boat bay and the woodshop, why not have a sliding door centered in the wall that would give you the flexibility of increasing the bay size should the need (+40 footer) arise?

Curmudgeon

The most versatile power tool I own is my bandsaw, and like Charlie I have an older Craftsman 12". It cut all the frames for a round-bilge 36' aluminium cutter, and the 1/2" plate for the keel - without complaint. Awkward cuts and cuts on odd-shaped pieces are far easier on a bandsaw, and ...

Curmudgeon

I purchased a large order from them about a month ago - some Divinycell, two rolls of fabric, biaxial tape, and System 3 epoxy. I can't comment on their delivery service because I stopped by and picked everything up (I was 'in the neighbourhood'; read 'within 200 miles'). They assured me that shippi...

Curmudgeon

I've had good success with local battery stores. The one I deal with will open up the battery case and replace all the cells for a fraction of the cost of a new battery unit from the manufacturer. It's nice to be able to prolong the useful life of a faithful power tool.

Curmudgeon

In my quest to own every power tool ever invented, I'm looking for a decent metal lathe that won't break the bank. Of course, one thing has lead to another (read: 3X the price) and now a lathe/milling machine seems the way to go. I'm requesting comments and advice from anyone in-the-know... what que...

Curmudgeon

I've noticed that Tim is so quick with the photo documentation of his projects that the dust hasn't even settled before the pictures are taken (finally figured out that's what all those little dots are in some of the pics). We readers/followers appreciate that dedication.

Curmudgeon

The problem isn't so much saltwater - it's the liquid waste - urine is extremely corrosive. My boat had an aluminum holding tank that was riddled with pinholes from interior corrosion. Peggy Hall is the rec.boats.building guru for on-board sanitation and in the article http://www.amazing.com/cruisin...

Curmudgeon

Abolutely right fellas. I cannot remember the last time I assembled ANYTHING (kits) as-is. In fact, I occassionally disassemble/reassemble some things before they ever get used. A few extra washers here, some lube, a short piece of tubing there, will go a long way in lengthening the life of a produc...

Curmudgeon

The 'quick, dirty, and cheap' framework that was to hold the tarp over the boat has blossomed into lightweight, engineered plywood I-beams and three weeks of mind-numbingly repetative construction. While it will be wonderful to not have a boatload of snow to clear after every storm, I rue all that t...

Curmudgeon

Just a thought, but I recently bought a set of impact bits and it included a honking-big slot bit. Those bits can be used in a regular socket set, or even with a wrench - the socket and driver would give you a better purchase tho'. In fact, if the screws are posing a real problem to remove, a comple...

Curmudgeon

The liner would have to be a butt-ugly installation before I would consider removing it. I doubt that removal would be an easy process - there's probably lots of unseen sealant/epoxy/foam holding it in-place that'll make the job a nightmare. Also, there has to be some structural component to the lin...

Curmudgeon

I went through this agonizing process last summer. A very large syringe worked pretty well for me - I had a bucket of water colored with food dye that I filled the syringe with and then injected into the tubing. The problem is that tiny bubbles cling to the inside surface of the tubing. It's necessa...

Curmudgeon

I can speak about www.usauctions (formerly www.bentboat) firsthand, since I actually bought my boat from them. In October of 2001 I had the winning eBay bid on a 1987 37' Hunter Legend - sight unseen, and with relatively little accurate information. I live in (very) land-locked Calgary, Alberta, Can...

Curmudgeon

I plan on using maple on the ceilings of my boat... but will be using a thicker veneer epoxied onto a backer board instead of ply or dimensional lumber. The local veneer dealer brings in maple in 1/10" thicknesses and sells it to kids who are making skateboards. That thickness might be just the...

Curmudgeon

Sorry, need to supply some pertinent info - this is a rebuild project. The boat is sitting in the backyard, and the interior has been stripped back to the hull, and liners. The plywood backing blocks for the thru-hulls are all delaminated, and the caulking is suspect. Additionally, I'm sure the hole...

Curmudgeon

I have both Marelon thru-hulls and seacocks, but was planning on replacing all the thru-hulls with bronze - the boat is 16 years old so it seems prudent to change them. Not having yet examined the thread compatibility between the two, is there some other constraint I need to be aware of Tim? (You wa...

Curmudgeon

I've gone a different direction than most of you - cheap and plentiful. Last weekend I bought a new Jobmate-brand 14.4Volt cordless drill for $39 CDN. I have no illusions about how long it will last, but I'd rather have half-a-dozen cheap drills around me, than one expensive long-lasting one. For cr...

Curmudgeon

After deciding on the style of boat I wanted, I contacted Ted Brewer. His Jason 35 design is a great-looking double-ender, imho. Ted reworked the drawings to allow for aluminum construction, and I wound up with plans for a 36-foot cutter that captured the lines of the original Jason, yet incorporate...

Curmudgeon

Greetings - I'm at the same point in a restoration project (not a Triton, sorry) but plan to use the biaxial fabric without the mat (DB1700). Are you going to use a closed-cell filler between the bulkhead and the hull, or are you running the bulkhead right to the hull? Some say a filler should be us...

Plastic Classic Forum

Search found 48 matches

Re: Shouldn't this Drain to the Bilge?

Re: Why use propane when you can use kerosene?

Terminal block amp rating

Terminal block amp rating

plug removal tool?

Fate has stepped in...

Metal lathe/milling machine...

Holding tank/corrosive contents

HUGE flathead screws

Triton Cabin Liners

Water Level

Wrecked boats ( I bought one)...

Maple InteriorsI plan on using maple on the ceilings of my b

Marelon seacocks...

Marelon Seacocks...

Cordless drills/screwdrivers...

Ted Brewer...

Bulkheads