My "new" Bristol 27; chink in my armor?

[nesanel1a]

Hi,
I just bought a Bristol 27, as is, sight unseen, no survey. It was a calculated risk. Let's leave this part at that.
I just had the boat delivered to a marina nearby. It is about in the condition I imagined, namely not bad for a 40 year-old boat. Gellcoat above the water line is okay. New coat of paint below the water line. No blisters. Decks are sound. (Base of mast might be a discussion for another day.)
There is one issue, however, which was not evident from the pictures I had seen: there seems to be a 2" gouge in the hull right on the front line of the keel. The shots of the boat I had been provided carefully masked this. The marina people here did not seem too worried about the gouge when I pointed it out. There is actually a transducer mounted inside the indentation. But it seems like a big intentation for a little transducer.
So I don't think it was put there for the transducer and I'm a little worried that this might be something structural. I'm attaching a picture and would appreciate any feedback.

[onestepcsy37]

it's not structural.

some one decided to mount a transducer level with the waterline by cutting into the hull. very stupid. remove the transducer and repair the gouge. you'll find plenty of advice here when you post about it.

when it's time to put the transducer back, you can mount it INSIDE the hull, shooting down through the glass. you'll find plenty of advice here when you post about it - although my hummingbird guide also shows how to do it (that's what i did).

as far as the boat goes, its a good old boat. i knew a couple back in the 80's who spent six months in the bahamas on one.

[S/V Alchemy]

I can't tell if someone got creative in the wrong direction or decided to view incurred damage as an opportunity.

Either way, the above advice is good. Fix it, and rethink the transducer positioning.

I hope the price was good and low to assuage your worries about finding this.

[tartansail]

Those are great boats and very solidly built. We sold our B-27 over ten years ago so I don't recall the specifics on the location you show. However, those are incredibly overbuilt hulls. I very much doubt its integrity is compromised.

I agree with the suggestion to remove the transducer and repair the cutout. We also had good results shooting the depth through the hull on our prior boat. The first one was mounted in a section of PVC pipe I glassed to the hull and filled with liquid. When we replaced our electronics with a Garmin 740s, we used their transducer specifically designed for through hull reading. We didn't have a depth sounder on our B-27 so I can't help with a specific location. However, I believe the hull is solid below the waterline so you shouldn't have trouble finding a good spot.

The B-27 was much tougher than we were and got us through a lot of bad choices unscathed. We still have fond memories. Enjoy a wonderful boat.

[Cheechako]

Boy... you've got to really want to know the exact depth to do that rather than just mount it somewhere else where it angles a bit!
If it's swell done and plenty thick glass, tabbed in well around the area...etc why not just leave it I suppose.

[onestepcsy37]

cheechako -

the reasons i suggest fixing it is that

a) it upsets the underwater lines - he might gain .000001 knot by restoring the
original lines.

b) it could catch a crab pot line and boomerang the boat back to pocatello.

c) when he goes to a bristol yacht rally other b-27 owners will snicker behind his
back.

d) every boat owner needs an unending list of jobs to be done. he can add 2
jobs to his list right here; relocate the transducer, and fill and fair the cut.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

cheechako -

the reasons i suggest fixing it is that

a) it upsets the underwater lines - he might gain .000001 knot by restoring the
original lines.

b) it could catch a crab pot line and boomerang the boat back to pocatello.

c) when he goes to a bristol yacht rally other b-27 owners will snicker behind his
back.

d) every boat owner needs an unending list of jobs to be done. he can add 2
jobs to his list right here; relocate the transducer, and fill and fair the cut.

you are absolutely correct... I stand corrected!

[GILow]

Originally Posted by nesanel1a

Hi,
there seems to be a 2" gouge in the hull right on the front line of the keel. .

That looks a lot like the chunk I took out of our keel when I "discovered" the slipway rails are closer to the maintenance pontoon than I thought.

[nesanel1a]

Great comments, everybody. From sound advice and reassurance to a moving homage to the B27 to the absolutely hysterical. This is a great forum.
I will rethink the positioning of the transducer and fix the cut, restoring the wonderfully overbuilt keel and regaining 0.00001 knots!

[Saltyhog]

My Cabo Rico has a notch in the leading edge of the keel for exactly that purpose; a plumb location for the depth 'ducer. The notch is part of the mold, and there by design. It's always seemed a good solution to me as the hull has too much dead-rise for a thru hull 'ducer.