Triton #660

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steveW
Bottom Sanding Grunt
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2010 1:21 pm
Boat Name: Gracie
Boat Type: Pearson Triton

Triton #660

Post by steveW »

Hello,

I recently took ownership of hull #660, "Gracie". This is my first boat, so I'm looking forward to learning about the joys of boat ownership from people on this forum. Here is a picture:
IMG_2893.jpg
I have more pictures at http://stephenweiss.shutterfly.com/gracie.

-Steve
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Rachel
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Re: Triton #660

Post by Rachel »

Steve,

Welcome to the forum, and congrats on your new Triton!

She has some interesting modifications and looks very tidy.

Rachel
steveW
Bottom Sanding Grunt
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2010 1:21 pm
Boat Name: Gracie
Boat Type: Pearson Triton

Re: Triton #660

Post by steveW »

Rachel wrote:Steve,

Welcome to the forum, and congrats on your new Triton!

She has some interesting modifications and looks very tidy.

Rachel
Yes, the previous owner did a lot of restoration work himself, including building the dodger and the toe rail. There are probably some things that will need some attention in the not too distant future, and I have some ideas of my own, but overall she is in very nice shape.
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tikvah59
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Boat Name: Emily Hope
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Re: Triton #660

Post by tikvah59 »

Welcome, Steve! You've got a beautiful boat. Thanks for sharing the pictures. I'm guessing you like varnishing? :-)

If I had to do it over again I think I'd try to afford a boat like yours rather than the relatively bare-bones boat I bought and renovated. Live and learn. Do you know if the PO posted pix and or descriptions of the hard dodger building process? I feel like I've seen that dodger before.

Where are you located? If you're in a northern clime, I hope you have some time to enjoy her in the water before it's time to haul.

Mark
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steveW
Bottom Sanding Grunt
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2010 1:21 pm
Boat Name: Gracie
Boat Type: Pearson Triton

Re: Triton #660

Post by steveW »

tikvah59 wrote:Welcome, Steve! You've got a beautiful boat. Thanks for sharing the pictures. I'm guessing you like varnishing? :-)

If I had to do it over again I think I'd try to afford a boat like yours rather than the relatively bare-bones boat I bought and renovated. Live and learn. Do you know if the PO posted pix and or descriptions of the hard dodger building process? I feel like I've seen that dodger before.

Where are you located? If you're in a northern clime, I hope you have some time to enjoy her in the water before it's time to haul.

Mark
Hi Mark,

I'm in Portland, ME. I'm hoping for a couple more weeks of sailing before it's time to haul. I don't know that the previous owner posted anything anywhere regarding the dodger, but if you're interested I can ask him if he has any information on the process. I do get the feeling that there is a lot of varnishing in my future...
captphil416
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Posts: 50
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2010 1:43 pm
Boat Name: Deep Blue
Boat Type: Pearson Triton

Re: Triton #660

Post by captphil416 »

Steve you have an outstanding Triton. Do you know any of the construction details for your hard dodger? Deep Blue has a similar dodger, which was a godsend while at sea. Best of luck to you Phil
steveW
Bottom Sanding Grunt
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Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2010 1:21 pm
Boat Name: Gracie
Boat Type: Pearson Triton

Re: Triton #660

Post by steveW »

captphil416 wrote:Steve you have an outstanding Triton. Do you know any of the construction details for your hard dodger? Deep Blue has a similar dodger, which was a godsend while at sea. Best of luck to you Phil
Thanks Phil; I don't know any of the construction details for the dodger other than that the previous owner made it himself and it's fiberglass. If you're interested I'd be happy to contact him for more information.

-Steve
captphil416
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Re: Triton #660

Post by captphil416 »

Thank you Steve for your reply. I am compiling a file of hard dodger construction techniques. They are becoming ever more popular on ocean boats. Too many, including factory installations look like log cabins bolted to the boat. On Deep Blue the dodger supports 2 flex solar panels and the boom crutch. The solar panels supply all the electrical needs, and it sure is nice to get out of the weather. Thank you for your efforts. Phil
steveW
Bottom Sanding Grunt
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Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2010 1:21 pm
Boat Name: Gracie
Boat Type: Pearson Triton

Re: Triton #660

Post by steveW »

Phil,

I've emailed the previous owner asking him to put something together describing how he built the dodger. When he sends me something I'll post it here. The setup on your dodger sounds nice, mine does not have anything like what you describe but solar panels on there seems like a great idea. Did you do that yourself?
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Rachel
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Re: Triton #660

Post by Rachel »

steve,

Thanks for writing to the previous owner of your Triton. It will be interesting to read about how your dodger was designed and built (presuming you get a reply).
steveW wrote:The setup on your dodger sounds nice, mine does not have anything like what you describe but solar panels on there seems like a great idea.
My experience with a solar panel on the dodger is mixed. However, that said, I had the type of panel that does not do well when shaded, and if Phil's panels are the flex type then perhaps that is not an issue.

The installation I'm referring to had one large panel ("hard" type) running across most of the top of the dodger. Just guessing, the panel was about 25" x 60." The location was very convenient in a number of ways. First of all, it was easy to mount, by utilizing the support of the dodger frame (Sunbrella dodger). Second, the space was not really all that useful for anything else (and how many spaces like that are there on a small boat?). Third, presuming one does not take down one's dodger, it provided minimal additional windage.

The big pain was shading. It was nearly impossible to keep it from being shaded by something. Boom, sail, backstay, running rigging... At anchor we could "chicken wing" the boom out to the side (which did make the boat easy to pick out in the anchorage), but that only worked in places with trade winds (little swinging), and/or for limited time each day (or else after a while the sun moves and changes the equation). I have not kept up on solar panel developments lately, so this may have changed, but at least it used to be that the most efficient panels were the rigid type, and they stop putting out a huge percentage of their capacity if they are only shaded just a tiny bit. The flexible panels are (were?) less efficient at all times, but conversely, less affected by shade.

The boat came with the dodger installation from the previous owner. I would have preferred to move the panel(s) (either to the stern pulpit area, aft of the backstay; or to the weathercloth areas on each side of the cockpit), but it was all one large panel, and my other scenarios would have required two smaller panels. So the chicken wing lived ;)

Rachel
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Skipper599
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Re: Triton #660

Post by Skipper599 »

Hey, nice pics of a very nice boat Steve ... and welcome to the forum. You've already made your mark by posting pics. As for the dodger, it seems to be a hit also. I too am interested in it, although not for a Triton ... So I guess we'll all await your next post with info from the PO ... hope he has lots of info for us.
I am: Bob of Wight.

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a 'Passage - 24'

There are good ships, there are wood ships, and these ships sail the sea

But the best ship, is friendship and may this always be! ... ... ... A prayer from Ireland.
steveW
Bottom Sanding Grunt
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2010 1:21 pm
Boat Name: Gracie
Boat Type: Pearson Triton

Re: Triton #660

Post by steveW »

Here is what the previous owner sent me regarding Gracie's dodger:

"The dodger was built over a male form with strips of white cedar. The wood
is secured to the form with drywall screws until the epoxy between joints is
solid. The screws are removed and the holes filled with epoxy filler. The
entire outer surface is faired and then covered with 6 ounce cloth. Then
the inner surface is covered the same way. The openings are are cut for the
window panes and they are set in with 5200. This is very similar to the
construction of a strip planked canoe. The tricky part is getting the form
right."

Hope it's useful to those who are interested.

-Steve
steveW
Bottom Sanding Grunt
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2010 1:21 pm
Boat Name: Gracie
Boat Type: Pearson Triton

Re: Triton #660

Post by steveW »

And here is a picture of the infamous dodger for anyone who'd like a slightly closer look. And yes, that is a solar panel on top after all!
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IMG_0382.jpg
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