first post

[Mike]

I?ve been lurking in this forum for some time but now I?ve decided to say hi. After taking a few months off I am going to start on my project again next week and to say I need help is an understatement. I?ve never worked with fiberglass before. I am attempting to restore a 1980 US Yacht 25? which I guess would be classified as a trailer sailor. It has sat on a trailer outside for 15 years or so and needs major work. So far all I have done is remove the deck hardware and gut most of the interior. Pearson bought the molds from US Yachts and made them as a Triton 25. I wish I had a 28? that I was restoring as the construction quality is pretty poor. If anyone knows of one for sale along the west coast let me know. The hull of my 25 is pretty thin, and the deck is largely balsa core which has some rot. I?ve read the only thing Pearson changed is the shape of the windows and that there were some changes made to the rudder tube. The rudder tube is very flimsy, barely glassed in place. Thin white plastic acts as a bearing between the fiberglass tube and the aluminum rudder stock. A grease nipple fell off when I pulled the rudder. What glass is there has been painted over and I can?t really reach it. I?ve contemplated taking the whole deck off the boat as I have the boat under two homebuilt gantries with 4 chain hoists and it appears they used bolts, rivets, and 5200 to put the deck on. I'll have to get some pictures and hopefully some expert advice.
Thanks,

Mike

[Tim]

Mike,

Welcome to the forum!

I think your US Yacht 25 is a good place to cut your teeth as far as some basic projects go. If there are major repairs to be made, I'd concentrate on those and avoid making too much extra work for yourself. Fix what needs fixing, play around with the interior and cosmetics to suit your desires, and have fun doing all three.

You mentioned that you were thinking about possibly removing your deck. Is this just to gain access to the rudder tube? If you really want to remove the deck, then go for it, but it's probably going to make a lot of extra work for you, and is likely to have some hitches along the way. Nothing is ever as easy at it seems!

Still, access to some areas in many boats is difficult at best, and impossible at worst. Probably the poor glass quality on your rudder tube is at least in part related to the lack of access. Is there somewhere you can cut an access hole in the cockpit to reach this area? It'd be easier to repair a hole like this than to remove and replace the entire deck, I think.

Of course, if you have other hull-deck joint issues, such as multiple leaks or a generalized failure of the mechanical connections, then perhaps lifting the deck is the best bet.

We always like pictures here, and besides the fact that it's interesting to see someone else's work, the pictures are frequently helpful in order to help provide some useful answers to your project questions.

Anyway, good luck with your project, and don't hesitate to ask questions.

[Rachel]

Hi Mike, and welcome to the board! :-)

If I'm remembering correctly, a fellow on the Trailer Sailor board (TSBB) owns a U.S. 25; I'm sure he'd be happy to talk over any model specific questions with you (of course you have to promise to still post all the gory details here ;-)

If you do want to connect with him, surf on over to the TSBB at

thttp://bbs.trailersailor.com/forums/trailersailor/index.cgi

and look for a poster by the name of Jeff G. (boat name "Bourbonator"). If you click on any one of his posts, you'll see a "send e-mail" link up near his name, or of course you can just post to him on the board directly.

I've seen photos of his boat, and if yours is similar it's not at all similar to the 28' Triton, just so you know. More of a light, trailerable, shallow-drat boat. Jeff one-time mentioned a more well-known design that used the same molds as the U.S. 25, but I can't remember what it was.

Anyway, after all that, welcome again to Project Land :-)

--- Rachel

PS: Sandpoint, Idaho - nice location! I spent a week sailing on Priest Lake once and what a gorgeous place.

[Tim]

Jeff one-time mentioned a more well-known design that used the same molds as the U.S. 25, but I can't remember what it was.

That might have been the "Triton Yachts by Pearson" line of boats that Mike mentioned in his post. But there's also a chance that the molds were used later by some other builder, after Pearson was done with them.

Pearson bought the molds from US Yachts and made them as a Triton 25.

Triton Yachts by Pearson also built a 27-footer of similar design, and a couple smaller ones, including the 25. They were not successful as a line and didn't last long.

Of course the "Triton Yachts 27" was nothing at all like the original Pearson Triton. It would be hard to find two boats further apart on the spectrum.

Triton Yachts

[Rachel]

By the way, I just noticed that Jeff G. on the TSBB has a U.S. Yachts 21, not a 25 as I had said earlier. Not sure what - if any- similarities the 21 and 25 might share.

--- R

[Mark.Wilme]

Welcome Mike.