Plastic Classic Forum

The hot vs. cold water debate has been going on probably ever since the first person touched fiberglass decades ago--without ever achieving even a remote sense of which is "better". (It's sort of like political parties: neither side is likely to switch positions based on the suggestions of...

Are you planning to use the cutout portion as the hatch when all is said and done, or fill in the space with a new hatch?

Yes, but it's none of my beeswax.

In the end, it's all about what makes an individual happy, not what others think. We all have our own individual standards for what constitutes personal happiness and satisfaction.

And this was done with Awlgrip rolled on with 3 coats.....For expediency we've switched to Awlcraft and will spray it on in one application... As a point of clarification, note that all of these high-end topcoats, when sprayed, can and should be applied in a single day (3 applications with short br...

Honduras Mahogany.

Let's not worry about where the thread starts and not bother suggesting one way or the other.

I would not coat it with CPES. Wrapping the bare wood will certainly be adequate for winter/weather protection.

I don't know anything about Coppercoat, so can't answer that part of your question.

...experience always beats theory... No more really need be said: I'm not much on theory and number crunching. I'll say a few more things anyway. In using that article snippet (I didn't follow the link to read the whole thing) to help support your proposed changes, you're confusing "stability&...

There are no hard and fast rules, nor absolute specific sizes. Guidelines: 7/8" or 1" shaft Coupling size dependent on engine (transmission) coupling size and shaft size. Don't get a coupling till you have an engine, and ensure that the coupling and shaft sizes are compatible. Shaft length...

Don't add ballast. The "tenderness" comes from the hull form and extra weight will just be luggage: the boat will never be "stiff" (defining "stiff" as heeling less, not more, in all wind conditions). It's a small, narrow boat with a hull design that lacks significant i...

I think the debate could end easily if someone long ago hadn't called them "life" lines.

They're just handholds for convenience. They work well at that, but their given name is stupid and inaccurate and leads to endless debates of no purpose.

From what I see in your photos, I'd suggest you remove all the blue paint.

Use something like this, which has two 5/16" studs for your large cables and #10 screws for the small wires. There are smaller versions with fewer wire screws, depending on your needs.

Lewmar is suggesting that the stripper face around 7:00, as you face the winch.

I used to think 5:00, but the Lewmar photos make sense to me.

Done.

What was the state of your batteries' charge at the time of your alternator voltage test?

These days, with the new, small inexpensive and power-miserly displays that are readily available, there seem to be few reasons not to consider a fishfinder for a sailboat. I wonder if the "bias" against them stems from the days, not so very long ago, where most fishfinders available were ...

If you don't want pulpits and lifelines, then by all means don't install them. No one says you have to, other than certain racing requirements, which probably don't factor in anyway. It's totally a personal choice. I think one reason people often dislike how lifelines and pulpits look on a boat is b...

There's no such thing as "perfect". Looks like you have a good job there and plenty to be pleased with. One can find imperfections in any boat and any paint job.

I use 3/8" Sta-Set for main and spinnaker halyards, and most control lines (mainsheet, reefing lines). My genoa halyard is 3/8" Sta-Set X for slightly less stretch, since the sail's on a furler and less likely to have the halyard adjusted frequently. I use 7/16" Sta-Set for genoa shee...

The Buck-Algonquin unit that Rachel referenced in the post above DOES have a bronze plug. The picture is a poor representation, but the screw plug (on this unit only) is bronze. Buy that particular model, from that manufacturer, and you're all set. I have installed a number of these, and can attest ...

Drill bit, awl, dental pick, chisel, screwdriver...whatever it takes. The paint shouldn't be too hard to get out with a tool and some patience. The drain plug shown in the photos above has about a 1/2" square hole for the key. A 1/2" drive ratchet head might work if you don't have the key....

Don't feel bound by any previous tiller design--make one that works for you. There's no need to copy something else. Make a plywood template or two as needed to check out shapes that you like, and then build your tiller accordingly when you find a shape you like.

Rachel wrote:I'm going to put in a plug here...

No pun intended? ;<)

Note that the damage to my anchor platform occurred when tied to a mooring during a storm, and not while anchored. The pitching of the boat in large, steep waves, coupled with a protruding anchor, allowed the mooring line to hook on the anchor, forcing it downward, breaking the platform. http://www....

My own opinion is that every boat ought to have a garboard drain that can be--and is--removed when the boat is hauled--period. While I have never, ever heard of a boat coming to the remotest grief because of having a garboard drain (other than the occasional embarrassing yet ultimately harmless mome...

Here's one I built last spring from various fiberglass pieces. This one got held in position by a couple screws at the top of the vertical leg (not shown in the photos) that secured it to a bracket beneath the cabin sole--lower the whole arrangement into the bilge and attach the screws to hold it th...

No need to overcoat; in fact, doing so would only reduce the quality of your bond.

You want to thicken the epoxy to a point, but not too much (nor too little). Completely unthickened epoxy is too thin and will tend to simply run into low spots and do a poor job of bonding the sort of problem you're attempting to fix. Too thick, though, and you'll have trouble forcing it into the h...

I'm a little confused. Where is the epoxy you're asking about, and is it going to be exposed when all is said and done--or is it all going to be under the nonskid product you're using? Epoxy fillers generally should be coated with plain resin to seal them before paint, but don't need this treatment ...

To each their own, but I have never seen any opportunity for real savings to do ones rigging oneself, have no interest in trying, and don't want the responsibility. I always go to a trusted local vendor that I know and who has a good reputation. His work is excellent and fairly priced and, frankly, ...

No posts have been deleted from this thread, so there was either a server error, or the post wasn't actually submitted.

Yes, it's normal. The old spars are telephone poles.

Don't forget: the standing rigging probably weighs nearly as much as the mast itself. Removing the rigging makes horsing the spar around a lot easier, especially if you really need to lift it some distance.

Rachel wrote:Gah! Drool-worthy!

You must replace a lot of keyboards.

"This one time, I'll let you ask me about my affairs..." (Michael Corleone, Godfather II ) How do you remember to take photos? It's become a way of life, honestly, over the years, and it's second nature now. At the beginning, I remembered to take photos because I made the effort to remembe...

This is getting off track, but it really pays to take a methodical approach to boat reconfiguration. It helps avoid awkward situations where one decision is compromised by something you may have already done. Even with best efforts, sometimes things end up going in the wrong order, but one has to do...

I'm not sure one has the luxury in a small boat such as a Triton to have a whole nasty tank dedicated to "washing" water, in addition to a "real" fresh water tank elsewhere. Too many things are competing for too little space. But hoping to use a tank that has anecdotal and docume...

Here is a photo (attached below) of one thing you might find beneath the basket, which I was trying to describe above. This is another Triton. The external strainer comes off with several screws, revealing this little plate that is an integral part of the through hull fitting/threads, as it were. If...

Is this one of those weird sort-of-one-piece strainer/throughull assemblies that I have seen on several other Tritons and removed with pleasure and abandon? What are your plans? In other words, are you removing this through hull because you are eliminating it, or servicing it, or replacing it? Don't...

Given that you seem to have done exactly what you should have, as you originally said you did, I'd say you have no realistic choice but to remove and start fresh. If the paint is so fussy that what I'd consider "normal" ambient temperature/condition changes throw its panties into a twist, ...

Is that built-in water tank really anything you'd want to use for actual potable water storage? I thought I have read stories of exposed lead, raw polyester resin, and other horrors in there.

Can you post pictures of the outside too?

Clearly, the photo is proudly illustrating the boat's brand-new wiring job. I mean, who wouldn't be proud?

After a week of heated cure time the tech still thought it was OK the paint wasn't sufficiently cured? What do you honestly think the average ambient temperature inside the cover was during that time? Is there a chance it was cool and damp despite the heater? Has there been dampness/condensation in ...

I don't have any photos of my own boat that show it, apparently, but the chain locker in my Triton drains through a limber at the very bottom of the chainlocker bulkhead. The water enjoys free passage beneath the v-berth, fresh water tank (located beneath the berth), and into the bilge, remaining be...

I do have some basic layout ideas in mind, but based more around general concepts and requirements than any specific designs. Sometime in the relatively near future I think I'll probably post some musings on my Seabreeze project site that cover some of what I foresee happening in the interior. I hav...

I don't think the growth looks bad at all--no worse than you see with any traditional copper-based paint. Considering the length of your season, and the fact that the slime you see tends to magically appear in great quantities only during the final weeks of the season (assuming your conditions are s...

Could be anything--there's no telling how they might have been originally installed, or whether things have changed over the years. The only consistency in Tritons is inconsistency. Expect the fasteners to be self-tapping screws, except possibly the forwardmost one, which could be a through-bolt (vi...

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