Dolphin 20

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ROBBIE82

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Hi I've recently purchased what I beleve to be a Dolfin 20 boat with a Honda outboard engine. I'm trying to find out as much information about it as possible and would be very grateful for any photos people may have. So I can compare with hopefully putting her back as original as possible. She's solied inside. Though most of the ply to the roof sadly is past its sell by date. So needs to be replaced. I've attached a photo of what she is like now
 

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NickRobinson said:
Welcome-
I had a Dolphin 24, GRP hull, soggy wood topsides. Made by an outfit diversifying from aircraft production.
Nice boat. Here's an old YBW thread on Brooklands Aviation Dolphins
Brooklands Aviation Dolphin 16 - any info gratefully accepted
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Thank you Nick. She sure is a bit soggy on the top half. Im hoping to have her out of tbe water by the end of the week so i can start work on her. Do u know if there is many of these still around?
 
It was my first canal boat, 20+yrs ago and old then, called Jolly Dee. Was still registered with CarT under that name a few years ago. There doesn't seem to be an owners group online. Don't let cost run away with it, get it serviceable and enjoy it as is, learn what boat you want next and sell it on for nearly what you paid for it. Remember, every pound you spend should be for you, now, you'll never get it back:)
 
ROBBIE82 said:
Thank you Nick. She sure is a bit soggy on the top half. Im hoping to have her out of tbe water by the end of the week so i can start work on her. Do u know if there is many of these still around?
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Be very wary "a bit soggy" is normally a signal to run away as fast as you can. Once you start you will likely find the soggy bit is far more extensive than you ever imagined and has likely spread into the structural timbers that support the ply. Hugely expensive and time consuming to repair and the boat is unusable until you get it done. This is the prime reason why there are so relatively few of this type of boat still in use. People think it is a quick fix until they start. I owned a ply boat for nigh on 40 years and the only way to keep it going is to stop the rot as soon as you find it. Have just bought another one with a sheathed ply roof and even that has a small area of rot on one corner where the sheathing cracked. Will not be an easy repair!

You don't say whether the hull is ply or GRP, but hull repairs can be even more challenging than coachroofs. Sorry if this sounds negative, but you need to be realistic about what is involved.
 
She has a GRP Hull. . I have checked most of the structure which to be fair looks in good condition, however i can not see or touch everything. So like you say I should expect to find some rot when ply bourd is removed. I've done many camper projects over the years and a few old VW T25s so I'm very aware of what a money pit can be. It's more about the enjoyment of doing a project, learning new skills and of course the pride and joy that comes from it. I will try and post some pics of the progress as I go along
 
Epoxy is your friend when repairing ply construction. Worth looking at the material produced by West Systems on using epoxy in boat repairs. Purists will say you should strip off all ply panels if there is any rot and replace - or scarf in new sections. However good ply is now hugely expensive and the aim is to retain any that is sound and only deal with the rotten bits which are often at the edges or over structural timbers. My approach is to gut back the rot until you get to sound ply (which may still be wet, but not delaminated) dry out and patch. I use veneers, glass cloth and epoxy filler or ply as appropriate. You have to experiment as there is no single method that is suitable in all cases.

Look forward to seeing pics.
 
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