Plastic Classic Forum

Last year I used 3m 4000 UV to put a fine bead of white sealant along a ragged edge between exterior varnished teak and the adjoining painted fiberglass. The idea was to reduce water getting under the edge of the varnished teak while making an attractive narrow bead of white sealant over the rough j...

Tim, That's a serious looking trailer. I guess you have plans for more big boat moving. The photo was useful and I have a fair idea now of the Triton center of balance. The yard I haul at here has no scales so not sure yet how I'll work out the tongue weight. I plan on welding angle brackets to the ...

Rachel Did you consider installing a thru-hull fitting a few inches above the waterline for the drain? Then attach a shut-off valve either threaded onto it, or if you use a barbed hose fitting, then put the shut-off valve anywhere between it and the sink drain. Parts are cheap, maintenence easy and ...

A question for Tim and the group. I've just bought a flatbed 14,000 lb GVW equipment hauler trailer to modify for hauling my Triton and other slightly larger boats. It's been some 25 years since I've done this and don't recall the center of balance on the Triton. I saw some info on the MIR page abou...

Bruce, I agree with Charlie - you need to work out a usage chart of some sort. For example, if you have a typical group 27 deep cycle battery rated 90 amp hours reserve capacity and let's say you want to prevent normal self-discharge which I think is about 1% a day then you need to supply about 2 am...

After trying all the various suggested remedies, the only thing that worked was to use two coats of shellac as a barrier between the silicone contaminated wood and top coats of varnish. A simple solution, but it took a while to get there. The shellac I used was Zinsser Bulls Eye Clear pre-mixed at a...

From the replies here and some searching around the wooden boat forum it seems likely the main problem is silicone contamination. Below are some links that discuss it so I'm not alone after all: http://www.woodenboatvb.com/vbulletin/upload/showthread.php?t=8029&highlight=silicone+contamination h...

Hi Tim and group, Been offline for awhile but now that the marina we're at has wireless access I hope to keep up better with things going on here. Maybe you or one of your group can point me in the right direction regarding revarnishing interior teak that has had 20 years of wax, grease and polishes...

I'm glad Tim agreed to the interview for GOB. It was interesting to read about your many interests and accomplishments. Thanks.

James #384
Atom

Thanks for the replies. I'll probably go with the bare bronze again and see how we do. At least they'll match my original green patina winches that I never seem to get around to polishing.

James
#384

It's about time for me to replace the lexan in the deadlights, or cabin side windows on Atom. I had a bad quality chrome job done on the bronze frames while in Hong Kong in 1993 and it's been peeling off ever since. I seem to remember this subject covered here somewhere before but I missed it. What ...

Congratulations Tim.

Really a stunning transformation. She'll be turning lots of heads and I'm sure will inspire many others to bring their own boat project visions to life. Thanks for sharing it all and good luck on finding her a good home.

James Baldwin

I agree with Tim on this. As soon as I saw the photos of the cabin trunk sides I thought, Why bother to completely recore? By not cutting the outer skin you not only save time and materials, you retain the integrity of the outer skin. You can pull out whatever core is loose, using a bent coat hanger...

Since I'm a tight-fisted git I used an oil-base enamel "eggshell finish" type of house paint inside Atom. It's semi-gloss and textured enough to hide minor surface irregularities and did not leave much brush marks. Can't suggest a brand since I put it on in South Africa 8 years ago. Though...

When I first recored Atom's deck I also reused the upper glass skin to save time and materials. Unfortunately I botched the job and ended up with the upper skin not adhering well, numerous lumps and voids and eventually cracking at the seems in places. I'm not saying this is inevitable when reusing ...

Howard, the monitor works well enough on Atom that I've never thought of trying to improve its performance beyond using the optional light air blade when needed and attaching a light 1/8-inch elastic strap between the lead counterweight and horizontal frame below it to dampen the vane movement in li...

I use the 33 lb bruce instead of a 35 CQR mainly because I can't afford to lose a CQR. Otherwise, I think both are acceptable. A 35 Delta may be an alternative if you find the Bruce too bulky to stow and the CQR too pricey, though I haven't used one. In the US east coast and Bahamas waters I'm recen...

Britton alerted me to your discussion here. I originally installed the monitor as supplied new from the factory according to a sketch I gave them of Atom's transom. They supplied me with those one type for all boats, universal brackets, which worked alright. Several years later I decided to "im...

I drilled out the original blind bolts, countersunk the outside frame to take 1/4" ss flathead bolts (machine screws, if you prefer) and put the cap nut on the inside. This is stronger than tapping into the frame and if you use lexan you won't need storm shutters then. And no, properly bedded, ...

I had a belt sander of the same type pictured. In the photo the forward handle is removed. I bought my makita in Hong Kong and carried it for several years then gave it away when I found I wasn't using it that often. I think it took a 1 to 1 1/2" wide belt though it was a metric size which I've...

I recently crossed the Atlantic on a Treadmastered Triton and found the gray color a bit too hot for barefeet in the tropics. It also transferred excess heat inside the cabin. As Tim said, its non-skid qualities are unequaled. Unfortunately, whoever installed it used something like contact cement an...

I had a discussion recently with Tim regarding what sealant is best for a job I was doing replacing a cabin port that had a a deteriorated rubber gasket between glass window and aluminum frame. I ended up discarding the old gasket and sealing the aluminum frame to the fiberglass as well as the glass...

Does anyone know why they don't use 10-watt halogen bulbs in these things? I have a halogen bulb in a glass peanut butter jar for a masthead anchor light on Atom that outshines all the storebought ones I've seen at a tiny fraction of the cost. It would help also if some company would produce a glass...

I'm putting together a recipes and provisioning page focusing on cruising on a tiny budget and without refrigeration. You can check it out at:

http://www.yachtatom.com/Recipes.htm

Cheers!

Here's a couple of favorite cool drinks aboard Atom when we're in port and have some ice in our portable cooler. We use a standard household blender that runs off an inverter. 12 volt blenders are nice to have but they cost more and are not so easy to replace if they break during a cruise. Chocolate...