Buchan Sailboats

[Stillraining]

There are zincs inside most heat exchangers that need changing...if that's what he meant.

[Marksman]

Maybe, but i would think that would have been specified a little closer rather than the "guess and find" clue given. Gotta love a mystery!

[jsoceanlord]

I have a 40+ year old BUCAHN 37

Apparently there are a couple holes in the tiller shaft housing tube, inside the hull, that are for greasing the tiller shaft. The top hole recently started leaking and I didn't know what it was for so JB WELDED the heck out of it. no more leak. then a week later aft most part of the bilge that forms part of this tiller housing tube sprung a liitle leak, right throught he fiberglass. my third patch held, using JB WELD.

my concern is; is it normal for this tiller shaft tube to contain seawater ? maybe a seal sprung a leak ? any thoughts ? thanks. Jeff/Sausalito

(and while I'm here - any news on that B-37 from the Bay Area, GRATITUDE AT SEA and their circumnavigation ?)

[Marksman]

If your rudder us origianal configuration (hung on the keel), than there is probably a seal up at the top as the cockpit sole (where I assume you tiller mounts) is very near the waterline, but I don't know for sure. My rudder got moved aft as a spade config and has no seals as it exits in the middle of the aft cockpit bench. But if you have a leak where the rudder post housing is glassed to the hull I would suspect there is a problem that shouldn't be ignored as this would be a structural joint. This is all conjecture as I haven't seen a stock B-37 in person.

I haven't heard anything about the circum trip but would like to very much.

Hope this helps.

[Distance]

All the boats are a little different and I would venture a guess that the grease holes for your boat were something added by her original owner. The rudder tubes I have been next to have all been stainless steel tubes that are glassed into the boats. I'm pretty sure that they don't have any seals in them but just have a close tolerance to the rudder shaft to provide the bearing surface and to keep too much stuff from growing. The JB weld sounds like a good fix and if you want to go further after that I would just add more glass over the top.

[roverhi]

If your boat has a tube that surrounds the rudder shaft from hull to cockpit floor, there probably is no seal. The top of the tube should be above the water line so doesn't need a seal. It is by far a better situation than having a water seal at the hull with it's inherent nature to leak, btdt. If you have a metal tube that is developing pinhole leaks, you may need to wrap it in glass and epoxy the next tin=me you haul.

[OLDSON]

I am the new owner of "VAMOSE" HULL BB-606 originally built for Bill Lieberman in 1970?. I am interested in being all your friends, Distance, Gamin, Big Mir, and the rest, I have many questions to ask, but the first, what the heck is under my companionway? I have a large diesel engine, it may be chinese, or japanese? what did they use to power it? Where is the water tank? Has anyone ever mounted an outboard to the transom or made a outboard motor well in the aft compartment? Sorry about the ? s will include pics later. My email is inthenameofthefree@gmail.com. Thank You

[bob perry]

Oldson:
I just spoke to Bill Lieberman the other day.

[OLDSON]

I found out what my engine is, or at least what kind of engine it is, not sure about the HP, but it is a Isuzu Pisces Diesel, and it looks to be in running order. i will be stripping off the starter and taking it to Ballard Electric today to get it checked out and possibly rebuilt. Wish me luck. Mr. Perry, I was wondering, did "Vamose" ever win the swiftsure? Maybe you could ask Mr. Lieberman, I have a plaq for 1972, it is blue, but not sure what it means. Aside from that, I would love to hear anything regarding these boats. I have found all the internet sources for info, but would love to have more, or see more. Do the Buchans still own Mara? I would love to see photos of her now.

[bob perry]

Oldson:
You'll have to contact the Corinthian YC in Seattle to ahold of Bill. I don't have his number. He works with youth sailing prgrams now bit h's too old for sailing, so he says. He's a gentleman. I'm certain he'd love to talk about the boat.

Mara was bought by a guy who was my age in the junior YC and I forget his name. It just might be Greg Lipton. He was a rich kid. I was not. We were not friends. He has been racing the boat quite actively for years. I used to race against him in RICKY NELSON. In a breeze he could kick my ass.

When the first Buchan 37 came out, THUNDER, we won the first ten races in a row. I was probably 17 years old. I sailed on the Whipple's Buchan 40, I forget the name but on my first race we won the Vashon race. No, I rememmber the boat was LADERO. This was back in the day when it was an overnight race.

The Buchan 40's were funny boats. Each one had a distinct hull shape although they were all built over the same jig.

I'll tell you a funny story. I guess I cant be arrested now. This happened 48 years ago. I was 16 and I was in love with sailing and boats. I had ben crewing on the B40 Ladero for some time. One Friday night I drove out to Shilshole in my old 48 chevy coupe and stopped that the Totem House to get some fish and chips and a chocolate shake. My plan was to go down to Ladero, climb thru the cabin top hatch and eat my fish and chips on board. You know, in my 16 yeqar old way just sit there and absorb the ambience of the boat.

The hatch was locked. Damn. But in the next slip was the Baines B40, it had a really weird bow, so I climbed on that boat and found the cabin top hatch unlocked. As I climbed thru the hatch I knocked over my thick chocolate milk shake and a a bit pouied out onto the cabin top. I went below ate my fish and chip, finished the shake and went home.

The next mrning I went down to Shilshole to get LADERO rigged for the days racing. As I ran the lines I looked over at the Baines boat and the rew was staring down at this brown puddle at the base of the mast and wondering what it was. "It looks like it came out of the mast" one of them said. I didn't have the guts to tell them it was chocolate milk shake.

[OLDSON]

Bob, that is one of the funniest stories I have ever heard. I busted my gut. Thank you for the information to get ahold of Bill Lieberman. I will try to get in touch with him once she gets a little further along I dont think he would appreciate. I got the starter to Charlie over at Ballard Electronic, it was pretty funny, I have to think she ran recently because there was a 17mm socket wrench still stuck on the bolts for the starter. Charlie said the starter was fried, I got a brand new one, we'll see if the engine can get unsiezed in the next day or so. I am going to post a question about how to unsieze a diesel engine in the motor section? Your story spurred a memory for me of my adventures at that age. It reminded me a time I was walking around the airfield at Roche Harbor with my friend, admiring the planes that we had seen flying above earlier in day, and found that one of the doors to one of the planes was left slightly ajar, My friend and I proceeded to shut the door for the pilot and found that it would not close properly. We were outfitted with flashlights as we had been on our way to the Mausoleum (sp), but had stalled to look at the starry sky and look at the planes up close (the Mausoleum still terrifies me). I got the bright idea that maybe we could figure out how to close it from the inside, so we entered the side door. I looked around and was amazed how much it looked like a car in there. Carpeted, plush upolstered seats and of course the cockpit, complete with buttons, levers and various switches. I could see a shiny metal next to the steering wheel (?) they had left the key in the ignition. I casually mentioned to my friend that 'they had left their key in the plane', my friend, who shall remain unamed, then got extremely excited and hurridly jumped into the pilots seat turned the key switching on the interior lights and lighting up the electronics, and was prepared to start the engine, I had to talk him down, convince him that we were not able to pilot the plane, and that the harbormaster would kill us if we got caught. My friend all be it was a good guy, really impulsive; he would stand up for a complete stranger getting assaulted, but would steal a pack of cigerettes while he sweetalked the clerk. I had to stop hanging out with him, as his road went somewhere I feared to tread. We did finally get that door closed, probably good because it rained that morning. Thank you again for the story it was very entertaining.

[OLDSON]

the smell,.. he would not appreciate the smell. We are still pitting out the mold. I figure soon I maybe able to fashion a dingy from the stuff.

[OLDSON]

Looking for the keelbolts, haven't found them yet. I wanted to look at them before I take the boat through a Haul Out. I know each one of these boats was made individually, so it will differ, but any information would help. I have a hunch their under my engine?

[Distance]

The keel on your boat is internally ballasted so there aren't any keel bolts. Good luck with the haulout.

[shipwright mike]

hello all mariners had to break up THUNDER original Buchan 37 too far gone have all topside spars sails rigging available for ownership fine boat in its day i had no takers to repair hull.