Got a plastic classic?

[Don C L]

OK, now I know that Woody Allen, (quoting Grouch Marx,) said, "I would never wanna belong to a club that would have someone like me for a member" but still, if you have a classic you oughta join up and give a us a greeting and a photo... of the boat! The shot of any classic old salts is optional.
Cruisers & Sailing Forums - Plastic Classics
Cheers!

[Seacod]

Hello all.

I have been upgrading my 1967 Morgan 24 "Windwitch" for the past three years. New sails, topsides painted with System Three wr-LPU, cubbies, running rigging, sails, interior, wiring, new anchor roller, various wood etc. She started with faded gray decks and is now fairly presentable and alot of fun to sail. A steady quick boat with a reliable personality in lousy weather...my next projecs are to replace forestay and paint hull. Early on I also took the time to retab various bulkheads and liner points, an did portlights and chainplates. Being that it is the middle of June I kick the tools off the boat and dedicate further energy to sailing! Nice to see the other boats here!

Cod

[Don C L]

Hey folks, please post those photos at the Classics group and when you do remember to identify the boat for us. Thanks!

[Ribbit]

In bad news, I have lost my beautiful boat, and everything on it. But she was tough enough to save my life. I may well be the first survivor of a process by wreckers, due to how strong my boat was, and the fact it had an encapsulated keel. I don't think any bolt on keel could have survived this.

I am determined to get to the bottom of this, and get it stopped, as I suspect these people have likely cost many lives. So with a long investigation now starting, I will limit my comments to a warning. NO MATTER HOW OFFICIAL AND LEGITIMATE A GUIDE BOAT(S) MAY LOOK, IF IT IS DARK AND YOU CANNOT SEE THE WATER YOU ARE BEING GUIDED THROUGH WITH YOUR OWN EYES, BE ULTRA, ULTRA CAREFUL.

God Bless the many people who have helped me out after I got through the initial trap (though damage suffered did lose the boat not long after), there just aren't the words to express my gratitude to them.

This was in USA waters. I had best not get more specific than that.

[Ribbit]

Something important. Don't keep all your important documents together in one document bag below. If you can't get below, all your documents are gone. At least keep copies accessible on you or in the cockpit.

[Hudson Force]

Ribbitt, We are saddened to hear of your loss. When the time comes to allow us to understand the event, please let us know. In the meantime it's good to know that you are safe,

[Boxertwinjeff]

Hi, I'm thinking of buying an '82 Nicholson 31 but I know nothing about them, could you give me your experience with yours


Regards, Jeff.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Boxertwinjeff

Hi, I'm thinking of buying an '82 Nicholson 31 but I know nothing about them, could you give me your experience with yours


Regards, Jeff.

Not sure who has the Nicholson 31 here, you might try checking the Plastic Classic group members too if they don't respond. Are you sure it is an '82? Sailboatdata says they stopped building them in '80. Could it be a different size?

[Boxertwinjeff]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Not sure who has the Nicholson 31 here, you might try checking the Plastic Classic group members too if they don't respond. Are you sure it is an '82? Sailboatdata says they stopped building them in '80. Could it be a different size?

Its advertised as an '82 Model, the surveyor said it needs a complete Osmosis repair job on the entire hull & rudder,... if they were built so solidly why will they still suffer from Osmosis?, and will it be like new again once repair is affected, the repairer does have a reputable name.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Boxertwinjeff

Its advertised as an '82 Model, the surveyor said it needs a complete Osmosis repair job on the entire hull & rudder,... if they were built so solidly why will they still suffer from Osmosis?, and will it be like new again once repair is affected, the repairer does have a reputable name.

Here is the reference, but it wouldn't be the first time they got something wrong. Presence of blisters does not necessarily mean poor construction. If blisters are shallow and not delaminating, not much of a problem I'd say. I have not seen a Nicholson 31 but if the data are correct, she's a fairly heavy boat (13k lbs.) for her size so there must be a lot of something in that hull because the ballast is a little shy of 5K lbs.
NICHOLSON 31 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

BTW you might check this site for more info, it's run by a Brit and the Nicholson is a British boat as I am sure you know.
http://www.sailboat-cruising.com/
Ah, just checked and he used to own a Nicholson 32. Dick McClary, drop him a line, I'm sure he'll respond.

[nicholson31]

1982 is wrong for sure, as mentioned 76-80.
Mine is a 76 and hull, deck and rudder are very sound. If there is osmosis or blister/delamination in the hull I haven't discovered it yet and I tap check each year on haul out. I have even removed head liner and taken deck core samples around the mast hole and chainplate areas, looked like day it was built.
The hull construction is pretty thick, can't see there being that extent of osmosis or blistering, fibre glassing on the hull is very heavily applied, I'm sure there is lots to work with for repairs if need be.
There is a video on youtube of a repair being carried out to a nic31 which has some blisters, worth a view.

Yes 13k displacement for a 31 ft boat is evident when you step on from the dock, its the same as stepping on to a fixed pier, no movement.

[Don C L]

Wow... if you haven't checked jhulmer's photos of a total refit of a Cabo Rico Tiburon 36, they are impressive and inspiring! Here's a link,
Cruisers & Sailing Forums - refits of note
Looking forward to more shots...

[Boxertwinjeff]

Originally Posted by nicholson31

1982 is wrong for sure, as mentioned 76-80.
Mine is a 76 and hull, deck and rudder are very sound. If there is osmosis or blister/delamination in the hull I haven't discovered it yet and I tap check each year on haul out. I have even removed head liner and taken deck core samples around the mast hole and chainplate areas, looked like day it was built.
The hull construction is pretty thick, can't see there being that extent of osmosis or blistering, fibre glassing on the hull is very heavily applied, I'm sure there is lots to work with for repairs if need be.
There is a video on youtube of a repair being carried out to a nic31 which has some blisters, worth a view.

Yes 13k displacement for a 31 ft boat is evident when you step on from the dock, its the same as stepping on to a fixed pier, no movement.

Yes I believe 1980 was the cut off for production of the Nic 31, quote to repair the Osmosis to hull & rudder is $ 15,000 Australian Dollars, that's for the peeling & reglassing the entire hull below waterline including the rudder & antifouling, does that sound about right, or is that quite expensive?

[nicholson31]

Originally Posted by Boxertwinjeff

Yes I believe 1980 was the cut off for production of the Nic 31, quote to repair the Osmosis to hull & rudder is $ 15,000 Australian Dollars, that's for the peeling & reglassing the entire hull below waterline including the rudder & antifouling, does that sound about right, or is that quite expensive?

15k is a lot of money period in my world! However, is it a lot when you look at the work required, not sure what that goes for these days, someone else could most likely give you that info.
As much as I love my Nic. I doubt if I would have spent 15k on the hull before buying unless the purchase price really reflected this required work.
What's the rest of her like? Chances are if they let the hull degrade to that extent, there will be more issues and money to be spent, much to consider. I have seen many for sale on line that were in extremely bad condition inside, some were pristine and show the true beauty of these vintage boats, check out,
http://www.atomvoyages.com/articles/...cholson-1.html
If your handy maybe look at doing some of the restoration yourself to cut cost or just walk away, lots of good boats out there, although the Nic 31 is a noble vessel, AKA, "the go anywhere boat"!!.
Yes I am a little biased.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Boxertwinjeff

Yes I believe 1980 was the cut off for production of the Nic 31, quote to repair the Osmosis to hull & rudder is $ 15,000 Australian Dollars, that's for the peeling & reglassing the entire hull below waterline including the rudder & antifouling, does that sound about right, or is that quite expensive?

I'll defer to the Nicholson 31 owners but that sounds unnecessary to me. Last year I helped my friend grind out, rinse out and dry out a lot of blisters on his Cheoy Lee 30. Then we filled them with the waterproof filler, name escapes me now. Then we primed the hull and put on the bottom paint. Took us better part of 5 days. I think the bill including haul out snd time in yard was around $1500. If we had asked a yard to do it they probably would have said to strip the whole hull, even areas with no blisters. Chances are he may have a blister or two again someday, but we'll just repeat the process when that haul out comes. There are folks that worry if even one blister may be growing in the hull beneath them and they may imagine that blister is leading to something worse. For those folks a full hull peel is all they will consider to ease their mind.