Plastic Classic Forum

boatsnh

I've used a custom made plastic tarp to cover the boat...now is 6 years old....Still decent shape. Last 3 years 24/7/365 days as I "fix" the boat. http://www.reefindustries.com/griffolyn.php I think I paid $250 for a 45 x 20...White rip stop plastic. They will make any size you want...... ...

boatsnh

bargainboatparts.com
sells em for $75

boatsnh

I found mine a couple years ago on line..Fynspray bilge style pump. Think I spent $50/60. Fynspray = all bronze & rated for oil. Not the Classy lever arm pump.... Mine's on a 4-108. My local auto machine shop fabricated a steel reinforced hydraulic hose that goes from the pump to the drain pan. ...

boatsnh

Sure you can save - re use that piece. It's just a function of cutting out tube with a reasonable (say 12") radius to alow you to feather that in to your new deck top skin. I think the ratio is something like 1:10 or 1:12 to feather for good bond strength...so a .25 inch thickness needs 2.5 to ...

boatsnh

I "second/third" diamond cutting tools...For the cost, they are a great value. Cut like the dickins & last a Loooong time.....I'm sure you could fabricate a "depth saddle" to sit the angle grinder in to only allow it to cut, say 1/4 inch deep. Lots of decent quality/inexpensi...

boatsnh

It's often that the rod is not ground "deep" enough to get the die to follow. Cut it down a bit so the die drops over it....Use more pressure than you think you "ought" to.....once you get 3-4 threads cutting, it ought to pull itself with no issue. The rod is hard, but it ought n...

boatsnh

Thanks Zach! I had read the disclaimer RE: west system & spoke with the supplier, their thoughts were that "final fairing" was what the 410 was made for....Live & learn. I think I'll only use "harder" fillers that have less issues with the environment/sun, ect in the futu...

boatsnh

Hi Zach, Interesting stuff....A comment you made re: "no print thru" caught my eye. 4 years ago I glassed the cabin sides on my ketch. 1 1/4 mahoghany with 6 oz cloth set in MAS. Finished with WEST 410 microlight/epoxy & used PrimeKote epoxy 2 part primer...Sanded to a nice smooth fini...

boatsnh

Boy...Sensitive folks today. Just presenting my point of view on what I have done & ought to do in the future.....Perhaps.....Life is too short to "tell" folks what they ought to do. As a good friend of mine always says...."People are gonna do what people are gonna do".... Th...

boatsnh

I used to spend hours trying to re-invent the wheel too.... Main sail has posted on a couple sites & has a great "how to" on the tape. I have used butyl tape over the years for bedding and have been pleased with the results - no leaks - I must have got lucky since the roll I have has w...

boatsnh

Thanks for the inquiry....I have pretty much figured it out. the roll is about 90 yards of 12.5 oz bi-axial cloth - made by Corning. No Mat - just the 45/45 weave stitched together. I have found that this material is sold for lot's of different applications - often to OEM mfg's . Corning has a good ...

boatsnh

Interesting...RE: Nylon. I've got a few yards of Dynel style cloth and a polyester I got for some "destruction tests". Does not look at all like them. I'll have to put a torch to it to see. Over the years I've found thet Glass cloth is easily "broken" if balled/pounded.. That's w...

boatsnh

Here's a weird one: A buddy of mine got a roll of biax cloth at a local mid-coast Maine land fill ..I know...dumpster divers....and he wants me to "tell him what it is" since I'm usually describing some boat project I'm working on (decks & cabin top replacement this year). In fact he t...

boatsnh

If you have the 8 strand "brait" it's great stuff...Drops into a little pile - no hockles - and easy on the hands ( manhandling onto the cleat - hopefully not raising the anchor). Interesting how they splice it back onto the last link . Seems to have no issues & the line has a lot of s...

boatsnh

I've seen the "Red" Cal for sale....Nice. very red. I've sailed many thousands of miles on Cals since the early 1970's...Cal 25, Cal 33 (late 80's), Cal 2-30 (a very nice saiing boat) and Cal 39. That said, Cal makes a great boat. If we are looking at "classic" IE: Atkin, Herresh...

boatsnh

Zach, A whole lotta food for thought....Thanks! I've picked up a bunch of MAS epoxy - I've used it in the past with good results. I appreciate your resin/sq footage and usage numbers - The bottom line is that there is a lot of epoxy going on the deck. Thanks for the "schooner site". Kind o...

boatsnh

Tim used 2 layers of fiberglass on the plywood decks he did on the daysailer project a while back - seems like a lot of glass & a lot of work to fair to a smooth finish. A bunch of the "wood boat" guys just use a single layer of Glass or Dynel/Xynole to waterproof plywood decks/cabin t...

boatsnh

Perhaps I'm missing something here...but I'll throw out a couple thoughts. If I'm following this thread correctly it seems that your uppers & lowers on the mizzen are "switched" ant we are talkng about running backstays to support the loads of a staysail - a sail most ketch/yawl builde...

boatsnh

I'd take a look at the Mariner site to see what the mariner ketch rig was designed to carry & see if other Mariner folks use running backs.... The 3 ketches they designed don't seem to have drawings for running backstays ..... Often on a more modern ketch the uppers & lowers are sized to car...

boatsnh

Kinda' a moot point at this time....Went up to look yesterday & the wire near the quadrant had a few "fishhooks"...So new wire it is.....
Mike

boatsnh

I'm in the process of gearing up for a spring installation of a below deck autopilot on our Dickerson 36 - The existing rudder post has no top bearing - no real lateral support up near the quadrant, so...I'm going to install a top plate & bearing to take any lateral load the pilot ram might deve...

boatsnh

epoxy under varnish can make for a "mottled" color - some areas darker/lighter than others.

boatsnh

A timely thread as snow falls all over NH this week.....I'm looking at refinishing the rails on my Dickerson for this spring....Might take a look at the newer less orange cetol..Seems that cetol sticks with a grip that's hard to beat on teak. But, that said, most everything else is varnish. I Love t...

boatsnh

Hi Tom, When you mentioned that your boat had been kept in Hingham, a little light in the back of the brain went "blink". As a kid (1960's & 1970's) we sailed a Cal 25 we kept on a mooring in the "inner" Hingham harbor. At that time the largest boat moored in that "inner...

boatsnh

La Trappe MD.....
Land of Dickerson Boatbuilders.
Beautiful Photo.
Mike

boatsnh

I've got a couple 10-14 inch cracks in the Starboard side of my keel that have shown up as the boat sat in the yard "drying out" this summer. Little white fur balls growing out of the hull - sort of like science class.....We had a "grounding" a few years back & I'd suspect th...

boatsnh

Just a thought or 2.... I'd agree that Perfection is very thin paint & has a very low "build" thickness.....So if the non skid weave is in fair shape with out lots of cracking/crazing you could think of it as something like the old "canvas" decks - When they were repainted th...

boatsnh

I forgot to mention....these winches are NOT the old "oil" type like merriman....There is no oil hole on the top....they like grease, not oil. Lot's of folks will suggest oil - bad idea. Because the winch drum sits on the shaft with no bearings it's the grease that provides the "slip&...

boatsnh

Marinium winches were in fact made by Wilcox Crittenden - I have the exact same winches in my 1973 Dickerson. They were made in at least a couple sizes. W/C Marinium was used in the 1970's for winches, cleats and chocks, as well as other fittings. It's an Aluminum/Titanium alloy - The thinking was m...

boatsnh

been there...done that...not so bad as it sounds...... The 40 is pretty much the same as the 4-107 & 4-108 so this is pretty straight forward. The quill on the pump ensures that the pump is mounted with the timing correct - there is a mounting hash mark on the pump triangular flange & on the...

boatsnh

Hi Chris, Not sure if you are ordering Bronze, but if so you might want to call Spartan Marine... They usually will discount for a bunch of ports & I've had them offer 10-15% off at the maine boat show. Nice ports cast here in the USA - I think the foundry is in Massachusetts & machining don...

boatsnh

4 years ago I had to replace the old "Tobin Bronze" 1 inch shaft on my Dickerson ketch. The shaft was effectively welded to the tranny coupling & had to be cut to remove - i suspect the prior owner never removed the shaft in 30 years. I was going to replace the shaft with bronze, think...

boatsnh

An interesting find of mine a couple years ago....forgot the vac on the way to the boatyard. Stopped at Lowe's & bought one of their shop Vacs. The sales guy asked if I wanted the "bags".....never heard of bags in a shop vac....On a whim bought the paper "bags" that fit insid...

boatsnh

Pop rivit is much faster.
Both hold about the same if correct fastener used.
If you drill & tap make sure to use teff-gell or something like it to keep galvanic corrosion at bay
Mike

boatsnh

Hi dick, 4 years ago i buffed out a nice bronze clock that came with our Dickerson ketch -The clock had tarnished & the "finish" had failed. I suspect the clock (Made by Schott in Germany) was 25 years old. I found an exterior grade lacquer spray at McMaster Carr. I forget the MacMaste...

boatsnh

Hi Zach, Have you ever taken some of the stainless you have polished & had it then "Electro polished"? I bumped into this process when I was contemplating having a custom steering station bracket made and the folks at Edson in New Bedford Ma. mentioned that I ought to take any custom p...

boatsnh

Hi John, A grease I found a couple years ago that I've found to be good stuff is "Corrosion Block Grease" - I use the spray corrosion block on lot's of stuff & have found it to be pretty effective, so I started using their grease too. A nice viscosity so I stays in place, very water re...

boatsnh

4 years ago we installed a Navman color fishfinder to replace the old "spinner" depthsounder that came with the boat. It does provide some bottom definition & the kids love to look at the "fish". Worst case set it to "numeric" display & it looks like a standard ...

boatsnh

I sailed as a kid on a Cal 25 that had no life lines or Bow pulpit; My dad bought the boat as salvage & the lifelines were pretty well destroyed, so they never made it back on. As everyone has said - the boat looks nicer, but there is no "cue" as to where the deck ends....(where the de...

boatsnh

I've got a westerbeke 4-107 in our dickerson. We just hauled a couple weeks ago in Portsmouth NH. Last couple of starts were a bit hard - temp in the high 30's overnight & mid 40's on the boat 'till about 10:30 am. A bit of "verbal coaxing" and extra throttle did the trick. I changed b...

boatsnh

One of the better sites to read about fuel filtration is Ton Athen's site at www.sbmar.com - Granted his stuff is for boats that use lots of fuel, but he is also protecting engines that are probably worth more than the cost of many of our "classic plastic" boats. Take a spin thru his secti...

boatsnh

Hi Tim, Nice photos, & nice commentary. For all us folks sailing in the rain I'll say again - gotta love decent foul weather gear. Warm is good. We sailed "Iris" down from Portsmouth NH to Westport Ma about the same time - nice weather most of the way - But enough rain/grey/cold to kee...

boatsnh

We picked up an older singer 281-1 a couple of years ago - it just happened to be for sale close to where we keep the boat & I still had the racks on the car so we threw the table on top, the machine in the trunk and home it went. It's a straight stich machine only, but will sew thru multiple la...

boatsnh

I used teak & epoxy to remake both the cabin hatches on "IRIS". dimensions are about 22x24 inches. I did wipe with acetone & did not use any screws at all. Bought a dado blade kit for the table saw and made finger jointed corners (not dovetailed). The finger joints were cut so ther...

boatsnh

I have found "Prep-Sol" or something like it to be very helpful prior to painting. It's sold at autobody paint suppliers. The painters use this as a "wipe down" product to pick up oil, grease & silicone - It states on the can "silicone" as something it removes. I've...

boatsnh

I saw a big powerboat last year - "My 401-K"
Bet he needs less dock space this year - it probably shrunk.

boatsnh

Hi David, I've had very good luck applying the Epifanes "Wood Finish Gloss" product in the cold & damp. 2 & 3 years ago I re-varnished a fair amount of teak & mahoghany bits in the basement over the winter. Average temp was 45 F and humidity around 40%. I was able to apply &quo...

boatsnh

Ah......More sails =more fun!

boatsnh

H Duncan, I see that you are north of the border - I'd give a shout to ShoreLine Sails out of Toronto - they distribute the Rolly Tasker line. Wayne is the contact there. I had them make a complete set of sails (main, mizzen & 135 ) for my ketch & am very pleased with the cut, workmanship &a...

boatsnh

Hi Rachel, If your Ammeter is toast I'd suspect it was shorted out - the oil pressure is purely mechanical on that model - Surprised the temp is working. I do have the mechanical Tachometer for your Instrument Kit - ( I think it fits). Your photos Look pretty much the same as mine but mine does not ...

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