Plastic Classic Forum

I am attempting to remove the very old thru-hulls from a Dreadnought 32. I went to Hamilton Marine and got a tool specifically for thru-hulls. It looks like sort of like a step-tapered reamer. Anyway when I inserted the tool and attempted to unscrew the thru-hull, the tabs on the inside of the thru-...

Does anyone have information on American Boat Building of East Greenwich, RI?

Their Knickerbocker shure looks like a Classic Plastic to me. http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~pjf/sailing/ksc/kod.html

One thing to consider with the after drains and closed seacocks is that any deck fittings in the sole, such as access hatches, etc., must be entirely waterproof for the system to succeed. If these hatches allow water into the bilge, the whole thing might create a far worse problem than leaving seac...

Thanks Tim, I've always thought that you could run a pair of drain pipes or hoses, roughly horizontal, from the after end of a cockpit like that in the Triton; they would end up exiting high in the counter, above the waterline. With a foward-pitched cockpit, like in a Triton and many other boats, cl...

If one were building a new boat, what is the best way to design scupper drains? The thing is, the idea of having scupper drains for the cockpit leading to seacocks via rubber hoses bothers me in that the seacocks must be left open when no one is aboard for the cockpit to drain. Assuming the seacock ...

I would be interested in hearing what factors people consider in selecting a ?classic plastic? boat to restore or use as the basis of a makeover. For example, if one were selecting a Bristol 27, I take it an earlier one with a lead keel makes a better candidate than a later one with steel ballast? I...

There is a Bristol 27 hull with old Volvo diesel on eBay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 84866&rd=1

It has been stripped, but the bid is only $199. It is in Miami.

Is this a classic woth saving?

What are the relative advantages/disadvantages to Tritons built on the east vs west coasts?

Thank you Tim, that is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. Am I correct in assuming that the complexity of the systems aboard is the primary factor in setting the rate? In other words it there were two Alberg 30s and the first one had never been upgraded and the original Atomic 4 was ...

Can you tell us a little about your plans to install the engine? What type of stern tube are you planning on using and will the packing gland be on the stern tube directly or are you planning on using a rubber hose to move the packing gland forward? Also what type of muffler are you planning on using?

If I am not mistaken Tim, you sometimes work as a marine surveyor when not rebuilding boats (smile). Would you be willing to share some thoughts as to when a survey is appropriate, what one might cost, and how to go about finding a good surveyor? In particular I am thing in terms of some of the ?fix...

A source of excellent information on props, shafts, stuffing boxes and packing is Tom Norton of H & H Propellers in Brunswick, Maine. They stock both traditional flax packing as well as teflon packing. They have dozens of different kinds of packing and if you take your old packing in they can ma...

Here is a nice webside documenting in great detail the upgrading of a C&C Landfall 38:
http://www.wbryant.com/StellaBoat/

It seems like some people with old boats strive to restore them to "as built" condition while others fix them up to be better than new, replacing things like old winches with newer self-tailing models for example. Then there are some like Tim who are transforming a boat into something tota...

I would think the oak would be far more susceptible to rot than mahogany.

I am sure I don't understand all the complexities, and certanily 60 ft hulls etc would require some big equipment.

I am wondering however why it wouldn't be possible to make things like dorade boxes and hatch covers etc at home using low tech equipment like a shop vac from Sears etc.?

There is a beautiful Triton Yawl on ebay.Hull number 557

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 89823&rd=1

Tim, would you be willing to discuss the merits of the various fabrication methods? If memory serves me, Lyman Morse uses the SCRIMP process, Hodgdon Yachts uses cold molded (well OK, it's not plastic, but they sure look classic) while other high quality builders use other methods. I would also like...

Looking at that first picture which is oval, that looks like a scuttle to me. Generally a good scuttle will be equiped with a quick-acting release and a hold-back device to hold it open. Often such scuttles are located in a weather deck with a ladder beneth, their purpose to allow someone to exit a ...

If you are looking for a safe boating course in midcoaset Maine or other local resources checkout http://www.cgauxme.org. It is the website of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary flotilla 2-5 in Boothbay Harbor, ME I am the webmaster for this site, and would appreciate any feedback or suggestions to mane...

I used to have a Cheoy Lee Bermuda 30 ketch. It was 25 years old when I got it, and the wood was still in excellent shape. To my way of thinking one of the best things about this boat was that it used no liner, yet still looked quite nice. When a hull is holed at sea, and the breach is behind fancy ...

Other than the visual aspects of metal vs teak toerails, are there any issues, problems, disadvantages to using metal toerals such as Goiot Aluminum Toerail or Merriman Aluminum T-Rail as a replacement for teak on a "classic plastic" sailboat intended for offshore use?