End Of Season

I build a boat cover framework out of 2"x2" pine lumber then covered with 3 or 4 large blue tarps. I have no idea if this will survive the winter but the first big snow, about 5inches, had no accumulation on the cover. So off to a good start. 

But before the basement got too cold I did clean up all the wood from the cockpit that I removed. The cockpit coaming were in pretty rough shape, but some sanding, epoxy and varnish and they are pretty again. I also put the lazarette cover in clamps to straighten it out. I don't have a steamer but I wetted it then clamped and epoxied, so hoping it keeps flat after 4 months in clamps. 

Here's hoping everyone has a great winter season, and hoping for an early snow melt:) The Winter solstice is tomorrow, then longer days YEAH!!!!

Cockpit Coaming removal

I got it into my head to remove the cockpit coamings, and nothing is ever easy as it looks in the mind's eye:) Removing the mounting screws were easy enough most were wood screws but there were 3 machine screws with nuts on the back side. The two forward most and aft most were the machine screws.

Then the fun started! The screws were really redundant because there was enough tough adhesive that these puppies were not going anywhere. I started by using a putty knife and hammering it into the gap to break the glue. But putty knife blade wasn't long enough to get behind the winch stands or even to the bottom of the boards. So then after some back and forth on the Triton board I tried a hack saw blade, SS wire,  slight longer putty knife, and acetone. All worked but only very marginally. Then while explaining the problem to my wife she offered a bread knife! Humm... it looked long enough, thin enough and had a serrated edge, seemed perfect. I'm no longer allowed to liberate and re-purpose kitchen tools without express approval. So it was lucky we stopped eating gluten a couple years ago, which means no bread, so the knife wasn't needed any longer in the kitchen.

The knife worked great and the port coaming was off in about 20 minutes. The next step was cleaning the coaming surface. I use a mix of warm water, TSP, and Clorox. After an hour or so I rinse with fresh water.

Next came the starboard coaming and it was a different beast. It seemed to have a different adhesive. The knife stared to break and I eventually started using a hand saw blade that I could hammer into a crack that was opened by putting two putty knives together. But it just was not coming off:( Every little filament of glue was tough and the board wasn't moving after several hours.

So, in desperation really, I decided to try acetone again even though it didn't do anything on the port side. Well different adhesive, different result! I had the board off in 15 minutes!!!!

I really think when these go back in I'm using just a sealant and small beads at that. Now comes the cleaning,sanding and varnish!

Bread knife put to a higher use:)

Yeah Port side comes free!!!

This is going to take some work:(

Death of a Classic Part 2

Today after a meeting I stopped by and took a few pictures, but only 3 before the camera batteries went dead:(

The owner has used end grain cedar as a core material. I don't think was a bad choice but then the boat cover let the winter wetness in which then froze and cracked. Next came the summer sun in the greenhouse which then "melted" the cabin top.

Side decks were also done in cedar.

The hull just needs fairing but that's about the only high note. 

Evidently the owner hasn't gotten on the ball about recycling. I really expected to only see a 9yrd dumpster filled with fiberglass and a large chunk of lead. I suppose another option is to drop the title on the yard managers desk and let him take care of the disposal. 

Score details....

Here was my score from the 1964 Triton headed to recycler heaven.

• Main Sail
• Main sail cover.
• Jib Sail
• Genoa Sail
• Bow Pulpit SS tubing
• Large flat winch handle (2)
• Small flat winch handle (1)
• Main Hatch boards (3)
• Opening ports (2)
• Insert for the anchor chain pipe on the bow.
• Wood pole for jib/jenny
• Cockpit awing for use at anchor. But it's been chewed somewhat by rodents, so it may be just a pattern. 
• Bronze 5inch cleats (2)
• Tiller w/bronze attachment.
• Couple SS trim pieces that cover the Hull/Deck joint.

The wood hatch boards and the wood reaching pole both have serious cases of black mildew, so today I'm  cleaning up one of the hatch boards. First I used a heat gun and scraper to get the old varnish off then TSP/Bleach/Water treatment.

I had thought about buying the remaining 4 opening ports and cleats for my Tiki build but then catamarans are very weight sensitive and those beautiful bronze parts are pretty heavy for what they are.

The death of a Classic

I stumbled upon a 1964 Triton in seriously sad condition. It had fallen victim to an owner with big dreams but limited budget and skill.

The entire boat has been sanded down to fiberglass, i.e. all the gelcoat removed then the decks and cabin tops were opened up. Next the balsa core was removed and the inner skin was aggressively sanded.

Side note:Whoever first thought to use balsa wood as a core material on boats must have been on acid.

Anyway, the results were that in several places the fiberglass broke through. Next it was stored in a work shed covered in opaque plastic which turned into hot house in the summer. The high temps then caused the unsupported cabin top to warp. So that now around the front of the main hatch opening is a 1-1/2 to 2 inch dip.

The owner has, wisely IMO, decided to recycle the boat. It's sad to see a classic go to the recycler but the economics make no other sense. There is a 6 month yard bill cycle coming up. The boat can't be sold whole for anything. So in a very real sense it has negative value. But it does have one thing that has some value, it's 3019lb lead keel. A quick check of recyclers found a local one willing to pay 40cents/lb. Thats $1207! That lead value plus the $350 I paid for all my parts and pieces and now were talking positive value. Sad ending to a classic but on the bright side, every remaining Triton just got a smidgen more valuable.

I'll get some pictures in a few days, it really didn't seem polite to gawk and snap pictures with owner standing there:)

Old Icebox and a good Sawzall aka Reciprocating Saw

Initially I really didn't want to fuss with the icebox. I was thinking to just caulk the cockpit hatch and screw it shut for the foreseeable future. But then I decided I wanted to change out the cockpit drain and deck scupper hoses.

Pic taken at arms length through the cockpit locker

OK no problem, just snake my way in to the port cockpit locker and remove the old hoses. HA, The Pearson brothers had a different idea mind, like never change them! I'm not a big guy by any stretch, 5ft 10inch, 150lbs, 29inch waist, 40inch shoulders and I couldn't get anywhere near a working position on those hoses. So remove the icebox! That at least will free up the port side.

The icebox was pretty easy to remove. First I took off the small top shelf, then seat back. With the seat back out there was a small piece of wood used hold the Icebox to a hull support. The only thing then was a couple screws that normally hold the engine cover in place. The front support bridges the icebox to the seat front.

Arrow shows the location where the icebox tied into the seat back.

Next was some serious yanking, twisting, pulling and shortly the whole box was sitting in the middle of the seat.

I thought about just hefting it out the hatch but a quick measurement said that wasn't going to work, so out came my Ryobi Reciprocating Saw from Home Depot, with a seriously bent blade from other abuses. A  Reciprocating Saw is one of those tools that doesn't get much use but when it's needed nothing else will really do the job. Well I suppose you could use a hand saw:)

2inch foam on a few sides. 

The foam insulation wasn't much. This shows the roots of the Triton as a day sailor. Well that and the fact that the cockpit lid for loading ice into the box just lays on top without any thing securing the lid. Just waiting to float away if the cockpit it ever pooped(filled with water from a braking wave).

Access to the ancient hoses. 

There we go ACCESS to the drain hoses!!! But this brings up another dilemma, I would like to make the cockpit lockers water tight like in James Baldwin's Atom. But if I put in a bulkhead where the back of the icebox was how will I access these hoses in the future??

Gee, 12+ year old bilge pump not working???

I started cleaning out the interior and the simplest thing to do was bring the hose inside and start with the simple green and scrubby. The water has to go somewhere and the bilge is the place. There is a garboard drain plug(threaded plug installed in the bilge to allow water to drain out when on the hard) in the bilge but it's up high enough that several inches of water can be in the bilge. So I brought the battery and solar panel from my truck camper and tried to hook up the electric Rule 500 pump. I suppose these cheap little units are not meant to be submerged for 12+years. So it was off to Hamilton Marine for a replacement. There is a nice Whale Gusher mounted in the cockpit but again I'm lazy and would rather let the sun and a SHURFlo 380 keep the bilge dry. Plus once I stick a float switch on it will empty when I'm not around and the boat is still far from rain proof:(  

Water level about 2" blow the floor. Very old bilge pump.

New SHURflo takes up the job. 

But the kink in the bilge discharge hose had to be fixed. 

And how does rainwater get inside? First there is these neat little cockpit drain the simply drains inside? I have no idea if this was the original idea but seems a little strange.

Mystery drain in front of cockpit.

Mystery drain open into engine compartment.

Then there are the actual side deck and cockpit drains themselves which where clogged, kinked and basically fell apart when I tried to remove the hoses to clear them. So they for now they also drain to the bilge:( The upper rear line(cockpit seat drain) was dry rotted and ripped apart in my hands and the upper foreground line(side deck drain) is collapsed with a perpetual kink. These two lines are combining with the cockpit sole drain.

clogged drain lines

There is also the old transmission shifter slot in the cockpit sole and if there were standing water the old engine controls openings. Plenty of things to fix before Phoenix can be left on a mooring unattended. 

P.S. Update to cleaning the deck. Forget using Simple Green and brushes, use a pressure washer! I needed to buy a 2700psi pressure washer for some house projects so I decided to try it on the filthy decks. With a 25deg nozzle it worked fantastic. It did remove some chipped loose paint but that needed removing anyway.   I finished the entire deck in the time it took to clean one cockpit locker! And the deck is much cleaner than I was able to do with the brush.