Britton's Triton #680 currently named "Prudence"

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Mon May 09, 2005 10:01 am

Okay, this is how she first looked to me. I have lots of photos but they are going to take some organization. Hopefully, this will keep the wolves away for a week or so...

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This is how she spent her first winter. Note: That is NOT my mast lying alongside. Mine is neatly stored inside.

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Post by **dasein668** » Mon May 09, 2005 12:00 pm

bcooke wrote:This is how she spent her first winter.

BRRRRRRR! Wow that photo looks chilly!

I like the "selling points" written on the cover of the boat behind Prudence in the first photo too. hehe.

Ok, Britton, we'll give you a few days, but after all the *!@$ you've given me about getting photos posted....

Post by **Tim** » Mon May 09, 2005 5:15 pm

Britton,

It's nice to see her out in the open and at more than arm's length. I couldn't get a real look at the boat with her in the back corner of that tight shed at Rumery's.

Thanks for the photos, and yes: we expect more!

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Mon May 09, 2005 7:45 pm

My past comments are going to haunt me aren't they...

Post by **dasein668** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:50 pm

bcooke wrote:My past comments are going to haunt me aren't they...

"You made your bed etc. etc...." hehe

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Tue May 10, 2005 6:58 pm

This is the interior after a thorough cleaning.
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And how it looks with the new engine access panels...

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Post by **Tim** » Tue May 10, 2005 7:08 pm

Britton,

Nice photos! I like the first ones showing the interior after you removed all the CRAP that was stored everywhere.

One thing: when you cut and paste your image information from Free Image Hosting, it already includes the "img" tags, so you don't need to also add the tags here when you're posting.

That's why you're getting that code on each side of the photos you're posting. Minor detail, that's all.

Keep 'em coming! Thanks!

Rachel · Post by **Rachel** » Tue May 10, 2005 7:22 pm

I was just thinking "Wow, what a clean-looking interior - no wonder he wants to just put a bit of white paint on and go sailing for the summer! Galley looks downright functional. Now let me just scroll down to this third photo...."

Whoopsie, the galley's gone!

Oh well, that's why they make soup cups, I guess ;-)

Anyway, it's fun to see a few interior photos. They always get my imagination fired up - I suppose because there's always the possibility of coming up with some innovative arrangement or two, whereas above-decks things are pretty much set.

--- R.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Tue May 10, 2005 7:33 pm

I have four large garbage bags of stuff I still need to sort through and I think I tossed 3-4 bags on the spot. The mice infested cushions went on a working lobster boat. I wonder if they noticed the smell...

Whoopsie, the galley's gone!

Yep, and the planning and execution went about that fast too. No sense dubbing around ;-)

After staring at my current arrangement for the past couple of months, I am feeling a little nostalgic for the original interior. Maybe I should have just left it alone and gone sailing for awhile.... Nah, where is the fun in that?

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Tue May 10, 2005 9:07 pm

Well, right off the bat you have me jealous of the heater and the lamp!

(looking at the upper corners of the aft bulkhead) Hey! Do ALL later-model tritons have those slick little bump-ins to conceal the backs of the running lights? I can't tell you how much time I've spent noodling over ideas to conceal those stupid things.

Post by **dasein668** » Wed May 11, 2005 12:29 am

Figment wrote:Do ALL later-model tritons have those slick little bump-ins to conceal the backs of the running lights?

As far as I know. Dasein does at any rate.

Figment wrote:I can't tell you how much time I've spent noodling over ideas to conceal those stupid things.

Rip 'em out and replace 'em with a bicolor at the bow? Otherwise maybe some nice wooden blocks with a scrimshaw inlay?

Post by **dasein668** » Wed May 11, 2005 12:30 am

Whoa! Wheel!

Did I already know that?

So, Britton, one has to ask. Why scrub that interior so nicely and then rip it out?

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Wed May 11, 2005 7:09 am

I had to clean to see what I was working with. Plus removing the interior wasn't part of the original one year plan (it was on the two year plan). It just sorta came about that way. You know how it is...

As for the wheel...

I don't seem to have a photo of the finished product but the tarp may come off today so maybe I can get one.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Wed May 11, 2005 7:28 am

Oh, and while I have the channels in the liner for the nav light wiring (and electrical box and some sort of plug (maybe spotlight) opposite the box). The wires didn't actually use them. They came up the aft side of the cabin instead. Just one more thing to wonder about.

I might be moving the nav lights ito the bow in order to get them out from under the dodger. Funny, I have 'em and don't want 'em. You want 'em and don't have 'em. Strange world.

The heater and lamp is what made the boat worth so much to me too :-) I can't wait to fire up that stove on a cool drizzly Maine morning.

jhenson · Post by **jhenson** » Wed May 11, 2005 7:32 am

Great pictures!

What is the new core material in the cockpit sole?

Joe

Post by **Tim** » Wed May 11, 2005 8:00 am

Britton had to clean that interior just to move around...this is what it looked like when I saw it about a year ago. I don't know why you didn't want to keep those cushion! No taste, I guess.

Post by **Tim** » Wed May 11, 2005 8:02 am

dasein668 wrote:Whoa! Wheel!

Did I already know that?

That's the $800 Ebay wheel, right Britton?

Wheels are nice sometimes, but that sometime is never on a Triton.

Post by **dasein668** » Wed May 11, 2005 10:35 am

Oh, good. That answers my next question which was to be: "Are you keeping it?" If you're going to have a wheel on a Triton at least you could find a way to add a real quadrant below decks, I would think. I mean that gaumy arrangement with exposed wires etc.... eeeech!

jhenson · Post by **jhenson** » Wed May 11, 2005 1:49 pm

Figment,

I can't tell you how much time I've spent noodling over ideas to conceal those stupid things

I think that I am going to conceal mine by turning essentially a wooden "cup" on the lathe. I might try to the mount a brass yacht lamp on the outside "bottom" of the cup and share the tunnel for wiring both. The outside diameter would be about that of the base of the yacht lamp. If you don't have access to a wood lathe, I could turn a couple for you.
Just a thought.

Joe

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Wed May 11, 2005 2:41 pm

Hey, that sounds like a nice solution, Joe. I don't plan on doing any interior work until next winter at the earliest, but yeah if you have the time, material, and inclination, I'd love a couple of cup-covers!

jhenson · Post by **jhenson** » Wed May 11, 2005 2:57 pm

Let me know the diameter that you need and the clearance from the nav lights (mine are in some storage box right now). I guess you'd need them in mahogany right. The best way to make them would be to stack laminate them but you will see the difference in the grain of the two laminations.

I also haven't forgotten about your shift lever and throttle cable. When do you think you might need those?

Joe

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Wed May 11, 2005 6:33 pm

What is the new core material in the cockpit sole?

To be completely honest I am not sure. I ordered balsa and they shipped that stuff at the balsa price. Who was I to complain. I thought it was Aerolite or something like that but I honestly am not sure.

Yes, that is the $800 wheel. I could probably find another if you were interested at the same price :-) It made getting around the cockpit and down the companionway very awkward not to mention the lackluster installation which destroyed my cockpit sole coring. It was the second item on my to-do list right after cleaning.

To the installers credit, the cables and quadrant(?) were enclosed in a mahogony box. It busted apart the first time I "inspected" it. Still not a good situation but slightly better than exposed cables.

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Wed May 11, 2005 6:52 pm

Right... I have that email buried here somewhere, I just know it!
The shift and throttle stuff are seriously no-rush items. Mine are fine (as far as I know), I just want them so I'll have replacements on the shelf when the inevitable happens.

Mahogany would be my choice, of course, but beggers shan't be choosers. However you choose to make them will be fine by me. I'll get the dimensions when I reinstall the lights. They're on a very dusty shelf at the moment.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Wed May 18, 2005 8:03 pm

I was asked about the top layer of the sole re-core so to those inquiring minds, the top skin was re-used and three layers of tape tied the top skin to the surrounding structure. Then of course the crowning touch was the Bomar hatch. Doesn't everyone have one of these now :-)

Forgive the dirt. It looked nice last fall but since then it has seen a lot of traffic and has been the favored landing zone for random bits of flying epoxy among other things.

-Britton

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Wed May 18, 2005 8:28 pm

What's that other thingy, just aft of the hatch?

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Wed May 18, 2005 9:01 pm

Why Mike?! Surely you know about the infamous Triton shift lever?... The center part unscrews (the shift lever has a tip that fits in the cap) revealing a slot in a lever arm where the shift lever can be inserted.

This must mean you have a new(er) shift lever. Any idea what you got? I am probably going to replace my shift mechanism whith something that takes up less space under the sole.

-Britton

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Wed May 18, 2005 9:14 pm

um... no I'm pretty sure that I don't have a newer anything.

I have the shifter in the cockpit sole, but mine doesn't have any tricky-cool circular screw-in cover. It's a rectangular slot, just a tad wider than the lever needs. I'm told that they originally came with some sort of flip-open cover, but that's long gone on mine. I whittled a hunk of mahogany to fit, just to keep the bilge a bit drier, but if someone stomps on it I need a screwdriver or knife to lever it out. Not ideal.

THIS is the ideal solution, I think. Single lever control that uses a winch handle as the lever. I'm not sure that it's up to the task of shifting an A4, however.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Wed May 18, 2005 10:02 pm

Yeah, I understand finding a shifter for the A4 can be tough. I might just have to "home brew" something... next year.

So you have the same shift lever and it is I that have the new and improved design. Not much improved if you ask me. It is quite the conversation starter and never fails to garner a comment.

-Britton

Post by **Tim** » Thu May 19, 2005 6:06 am

bcooke wrote:Then of course the crowning touch was the Bomar hatch. Doesn't everyone have one of these now :-)

Yes, they're what all the cool kids are using now.

Britton, I was interested to see you chose to install your hatch with the levers on the forward side. I don't think it matters one iota, but it's interesting nonetheless that I never considered any other way but with the levers on the aft side.

OK, maybe that's not really interesting after all.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Thu May 19, 2005 8:03 am

Funny thing about that hatch position. I actually checked how you installed yours and had planned on installing it the same way.

Then somehow while making the cutout using the frame as a guide, I got it turned around. You know how there are bumps in the frame for the ears?... Well, I guess I got it turned around and made those cutouts on the opposite (wrong?) side. When I noticed my error (after the epoxy arount the edges had set up) I tried to correct it but it was going to take more work and I couldn't see any reason why I should. There doesn't seem to be a front or back to the hatch and the "Bomar" label reads both ways. Just one of the many deviations between the design board and the installation team that I just decided to live with. As for other problems with the installation?... I learned from you not to broadcast my errors. It only gives others an excuse to look for them.

You know, I had a funny feeling someone was going to ask me about that hatch position :-)

-Britton

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Thu May 19, 2005 8:05 am

Oh, and it works fine with the ears on that side too. No problem at all opening/closing the hatch. I actually think I prefer it that way now.

Post by **Tim** » Thu May 19, 2005 8:38 am

bcooke wrote:I learned from you not to broadcast my errors.

Unfortunately, it seems I unknowingly broadcast it for you! hehe

I'm sure the hatch works fine that way, and I don't think there's a "right" way, necessarily, since the whole cover comes right off. Obviously if it were hinged, it might be a little more inconvenient if the hinge was on the wrong side!

Post by **dasein668** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 6:06 pm

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 6:52 pm

Wow, nice dinghy!

Post by **dasein668** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 6:58 pm

bcooke wrote:Wow, nice dinghy!

If you do say so yourself...

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 7:36 pm

Someone asked for pictures so here goes. Be warned. It isn't pretty.
To think that I purchased this boat as a "sailing restoration"...

What it looked like when I arrived at the boatyard today.

From safely under cover

The last step is a killer. Don't ask me how I know...

A nearly clean slate.

I could torture you some more but I think that is enough for today. My one consolation when looking at these pictures is that almost anything I do from now on is an improvement :-)

Post by **dasein668** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 8:55 pm

Geez, looks about like she did during the cruise last summer! ;-P

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 9:21 pm

Well, not quite as bad. I actually kept the cabin clean most of the time. When I took this picture was not one of those times.

-Britton

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 9:25 pm

Look what else I found on that role of film.

Post by **dasein668** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 9:45 pm

bcooke wrote:Look what else I found on that role of film.

Film? Whassat?

Nice pic. Any more where that came from?

MikeD · Post by **MikeD** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:02 pm

Dang Britton! Nice cover! Seriously. Here, I've been wondering how in the world you're getting all that work done on your boat during the winter months. I will have to do something similar with mine next year!

Nice pictures, by the way...

Post by **Tim** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:04 pm

Nice!

Don't be shy sharing those photos with us! The good, the bad, and the ugly.

I'm craving a vicarious project, so keep those photos coming, please!

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:40 pm

Go Nathan!!!!

(keeping pace while towing an inflatable)

Post by **dasein668** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:57 pm

Not just keeping pace.... I left 'em in the dust!

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 11:15 pm

Here, I've been wondering how in the world you're getting all that work done on your boat during the winter months.

Actually I am getting next to nothing done on the boat. I am trying to find money to fund the next stage of the construction. Demolition is cheap which is why my boat looks the way it does. Water tankage, insulation, a new head and putting something down so I don't keep falling into the bilge are the priorities.

The cover is a slight modification on the cover I had last year which seemed to work pretty well. By spring I hope to switch to a free standing shelter over the boat so I can rip off the toerails and gain better access to the outside edge of the deck.

I meant to get some pictures up over Christmas but somehow they were forgotten. I didn't label the disks so it will take a little investigative work to see what I have. I was too afraid to take my nice digital camera on board last summer so I used film and had the developer make copies on CD's. I don't think the digital copies came out too well.

-Britton

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 11:16 pm

Hear is a taste from a very quick search.

-B.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 11:18 pm

Man! I miss sailing right now...

jhenson · Post by **jhenson** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 9:29 pm

Britton,

You are way ahead of me on this distruction thing. I was wondering if there was a big change in the main salon being contemplated since the settees have been removed. Is that little bit left by the skill saw going to be used to anchor the new material?

Also, was the plywood sole rotten, or is there a modification you will be doing? Mine is very springy and the cleats that hold the hatches have been fallen off (most of them). The boat had rain water in the bilge well over the cabin sole a least once or twice. I can see the high water marks in the bulkheads.

Joe

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 11:43 pm

Hey Joe,

No major changes in the saloon. Bringing in the backrests on the settees and a few shelves is about as drastic as I will get. I was trying to figure out the best way to get good and tight coverage with the planned insulation against the hull and removing the settee's just seemed like the easiest way. I am an artist and my skilsaw is my inspiration. Yes, I was thinking I would just use the tabbed in edges of the old settees as a base for installing new settee bottoms. That raises the settees 3/4" but I can live with that.

My cabin sole was showing the same symptoms as yours. It was a little soft and the cleats holding the access panels were loose and failing. I was just waiting for the day when I fell through. As it turned out that day came after I removed the sole but forgot in the heat of the moment; but I digress...

I am debating what grade of plywood I will use but I plan to use at least 3/4" thick tabbed to the hull with a teak/holly veneer like Tim used. I need to get the water tank under the floor first and I am debating whether and to what extent I should make the sole removable for future maintenance. I know I will be putting in fewer, or at least smaller, access hatches which seemed to be a weak point of my original sole. With a tank under the aft portion I don't need much access there anyway. I also have the option to position the sole slightly lower,albeit losing some width, if I should so choose, which is giving me even more options that I need to think about.

I think I think too much...

-Britton

Post by **Tim** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 7:55 am

bcooke wrote:I know I will be putting in fewer, or at least smaller, access hatches which seemed to be a weak point of my original sole.

There was nothing strong about the original cabin sole installation. They're all weak, lousy, and junk. It wasn't so much the hatches that weakened it as it was the way the hatches were cut and "reinforced" originally.

You only need as many access hatches as you need. With your new configuration, you should easily be able to get by with fewer. Just be sure the one(s) you do install allow the access required for the area in which they're installed.

bcooke wrote:I think I think too much...

Overthinking parts of the project can be a killer. It's better to just dive in and get things done; even the toughest challenge seems less so once you're actually involved in the process, while it may have seemed insurmountable during those long, dark, cold winter days of thought. I always obsess over the anticipation of one part of a project or another, only to find that once I get into it, it flows smoothly and the way to success makes itself clear as you go.

Plastic Classic Forum

Britton's Triton #680 currently named "Prudence"

Britton's Triton #680 currently named "Prudence"

Re: Britton's Triton #680 currently named "Prudence&quo

Prudence interior