PHOTOS OF A-120

Thanks for all the info guys. It seems like bronze/bronze is just the way to go. Though I finally got to go LOOK AT the boat today, and would you believe that all the through-hulls except the cockpit drains have been glassed over? So now I don't have to even worry about it!

The bad news is that the deck has far more rot than the owner thought, and instead of digging out a sqaure foot around a single stanchion, it's looking more like most of both side decks and the entire right forward cabin top. The latter is so spongy that the flexing has cracked the portlight. (See foto following.) This is, of course, the largest curve anywhere. I somehow feel picked on by a higher power for this one.

She also has that dreaded disease: mass sag-itosis anawfullotus. (See foto.) I'm currently digging up all the threads on THAT gem. Is it really true that, in most cases, simply releasing the mast will allow the cabin top to return to its proper shape for filling and strengthening? I was thinkin that this was going to be A Major Project, but it doesn't sound TOO bad. (I will no doubt have nightmares of rotten balsa chasing me down dark alleys tonight though.)

Also, I can't help but think that the mast step is somehow "not quite right" in technical parlance. (Foto.)

Lastly, does anyone else have this nifty arch support under the cockpit sole? (Foto.) I have heard so much about sole weakness, that one of the first parts of my survey was to do jumping jacks on the cockpit sole. SOLID AS A ROCK.

I had already tossed the standing rigging out in my mind, so that cost was accounted for. Everything else is cosmetic. Three or four gallons of paint would double the apparent value of this boat, but don't tell the owner that. ;) It's the bloody deck that just more than doubled my upgrade costs. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Stay cool,

Jeremy

PS I'll post the fotos tomorrow after I Photoshop them down to a humane size for our server.

Looking forward to seeing the boat.
Hope you decide to save her!

As Promised Yesterday....

A little spit and polish....

Had that same plywood strongback in 338, works, about all you can say for it. Looks like you have that 'foam filler' that Bill talks about filling up the 'V' of the keel. 338 didn't have it.

The Manual deals with most of the problems you are encountering, none are watershaking, all will require time. Unless you are Mike Goodwin! Or Frank Durant. Sumpin about those guys. :D

#50 has the same arch but did not have the sideways support at the for end that yours does. I did a very similar modification to mine by glassing one in and it helped stiffen it up a lot.Pearson must hve started that at a later date than #50

The mast rests on a shaped disc of plywood that sits on the deck. The plywood tends to delaminate from weathering over the years. I have stailized mine by dosing it thoroughly with Git Rot. There was no rot, but Git Rot is formulated to soak in to all the little nooks and crannies. Then I filled the outer cracks etc with Marine Tex. Next step is to sand it all down and paint it. Lot less expensive than unstepping.

KM, great stuff! Thanks a mint!

Bill, the number of sheets needed was also another choice piece of info!

Mike, sounds perfectly logical about the ply, so that's out. Thanks so much! $20,000 of epoxy? Were you BUILDING the boat? :D

As promised earlier, here are some more pics of #120. The stress cracks around the chainplate make me nervous, but I sounded everything inside and it appears solid. There is no backing, other than washers, to the jib track, but hell the hull is so solid, I won't worry about that for a while. The sampson post is a nice touch. The spreaders sure need some adjustment. I'm afraid to think how long they've been that way. The chainplates all look like they're in really good condition. The interior shots of the focsl give you an idea of how much water is in the core there. On that part of the cabin top, it feels like a trampoline.

The remainder...

The winch pads, BTW, are solid oak with a teak veneer on top. Very sturdy. I'll also need to do something about the huge outboard cutout.

I need to quit referring to this boat as if it's already mine.....

:)

Fair winds!

Jeremy