Call for support - Owners of classic glassfibre yachts

[ozymandias]

Hello there

A few years ago I imported a Bounty II back to the UK from the USA.

It has many good features.

It is designed by one of the all time greatest designers - Philip Rhodes. It was a famous racing class in the US in the 'fifties and early 'sixties, taking part in all the major offshore US races, including the Transpac.

Also, Bounty II's, along with their sister classes, the Rhodes Reliant and Offshore 40, are the widest travelled of all classes, being a favourite of world cruisers for 50 years, and still has representatives on every continent apart from Antarctica...

..and it is, to my knowledge, the oldest class of fibreglass yachts in the world. In fact, I believe Tiare to be the oldest fibreglass yacht in Europe.

Over the past few years I have been restoring Tiare, and have come up against many issues unique to looking after an old yacht of this material.

I would very much like to hear from anyone else with a glassfibre yacht from the late fifties or sixties to share knowledge, and hopefully start some form of society.

I would especially like to hear from anyone with a Bounty II, Offshore 40 or Rhodes Reliant!

I hope you can help.

Ben Scott-Robinson

 

[oldfrank]

Oxymoron?

 

[oldsaltoz]

G'day Ben,
I repaired a hole in the bow of a 40 year old glass yacht about 10 years ago after she had a slight altercation with an unknown object in deep water one night.

Possibly a container looking at the shape of the damage and some cream to yellow paint embedded in the glass.

The owner said it was a state side design, built a brick outhouse though. They were surfing down a fallowing sea when the thump was felt, no marks on the keel though.

.

 

[ozymandias]

Gday Brian!

Sounds about right - was she all overhangs? A yawl perhaps? Long cabin with a little doghouse?

Do you often come across old GRP yachts?

Thanks

Ben

 

[michael_w]

My family used to own a Cheoy Lee Offshore 40. Lovely boat, shame my Dad sold her! So much teak she was regularly mistaken for a wooden boat.

 

[Poignard]

Woodentop

My boat has a grp hull/deck and the rest is wood. People often assume she is all-wood. I think they mistake the numerous deep horizontal scratches for planking seams.

 

[oldsaltoz]

Gday Brian!

Sounds about right - was she all overhangs? A yawl perhaps? Long cabin with a little doghouse?

Do you often come across old GRP yachts?

Thanks

Ben

You are lucky I remember the job at all, one of many, however I do seem to recall a small wheelhouse for the vessel size.

Anyone who repairs boats will come across a lot of older glass boats, more so in financially trying times like the last year or two.

 

[ozymandias]

...and what class is your yacht, if you don't mind me asking?

B

 

[Ubergeekian]

Over the past few years I have been restoring Tiare, and have come up against many issues unique to looking after an old yacht of this material.

I would very much like to hear from anyone else with a glassfibre yacht from the late fifties or sixties to share knowledge, and hopefully start some form of society.

You might find it useful, if you haven't already done so, to make common cause with people who look after classic cars (Daimler SP250, Reliants etc) and gliders (Bolkow Phoebus etc) of similar ages. There's a lot of expertise in the glider world in particular about degradation, repair and testing of elderly GRP.