Winter Project

[Dos Locos]

Had a great fishing season up here in Central/Northern California, but fishing is pretty much the pits until salmon starts up again. Soooo, it's time for a face lift on the Dos Locos. It's a 1979 23' Ablie Special. It has been a great boat and is well deserving of some attention. I'll be taking the tower off for powder coating as well as the old windshield frame. Has anyone re-done a windshield frame? I tried to get a new one from Steve Blackman, but he said they were no longer available.

The biggest job will be the non-skid deck and figuring out how to seal the leaky deck hatches. I read some posts from nearly a year ago about spray-on trunk bedliner, color matched. Curious if they are still happy with the spray-on material. It seems like a good idea. The deck has four plastic Temptress hatched, probably the originals, that still look ok but leaks badly. Seems like every gallon of water on the deck turns into two gallons in the compartments. Any suggestions.

Bob Mills

[Wizard]

how to seal the leaky deck hatches

Good luck with that part. I tried two things last season, neither worked. Short of installing doglatches, I think the hatches are the worst engineered parts of a Blackman. Still looking for a solution instead of hand pumping and sponging out the lazarettes.

[yellowfin1]

Hi Bob,

Nice to see a post from a NORCAL member. Please elaborate on the fishing up there this past year. I'm imagining huge shallow water rockfishing and some big albacore? Have the closures affected you much?

Scott

[hijole]

I layed a 1" strip of weather-stripping inside the gutter on the hatch door.
I put it on the hatch so that it would sit in the middle and on the top of the floor lip when the hatch is closed. You can see an indentation on the weather-strip where it closes. This also stops the rattling.
On each piano hinge I replaced the vinyl strip. I think I change both (vinyl and weather strip) every 3 or 4 years.
I still get some water inside but very little.

[Wizard]

I did the same thing with some sophisticated weather strip from West Marine. The hatches stick up a little more now and still fill with water. I'll have to try another approach next time.

[Dos Locos]

Hi Bob,

Nice to see a post from a NORCAL member. Please elaborate on the fishing up there this past year. I'm imagining huge shallow water rockfishing and some big albacore? Have the closures affected you much?

Scott

Hey Scott,

Been paying too much attention to our local sites and not enough to BOCA. Sorry. I'll try to look in more often and throw out some NORCAL reports when it's good. Right now it's the pits, unless crabbing and sand dabs are enough. After rockfishing closed, some of us had to go to the East Cape just to take care of the "Jones". But before it closed, rockfishing was very good. Also did very well on salmon this year, getting limits for everyone on the boat on every trip except the last one (3 for 2). Salmon trips were out of Monterey and San Francisco. Strange year of Albacore. I was only able to make it out to the fish one time, 75 miles out of Half Moon Bay. Got 15 quality albies for 3 fishermen. Water was too rough most of the time. But that's how it is here.

Bob

[Dos Locos]

I layed a 1" strip of weather-stripping inside the gutter on the hatch door.

Thanks Pepe. I'll give it a try. Did you use closed cell (smooth surface) type weather-stripping? Even if it just reduces the amount of water making it below deck, it's better than nothing. I can't see any other reasonable options. Pumping a sponging everyday I go out is getting old!

Bob

[hijole]

I just bought the cheap roll at Home Depot. It's rolled up with a white paper on the sticky side. The foam rubber is grey and at least 1" wide.
It took at least 7 years before I replaced the Vinyl under the piano hinges. I didn't know they were there until I removed them.
I use the wash down pump alot and I think I get about a quart or two of water in a day. I use the small wet dry vacuum to get it out.

[Wizard]

I just bought the cheap roll at Home Depot. It's rolled up with a white paper on the sticky side. The foam rubber is grey and at least 1" wide.

I had that going on my hatches last year. It shredded, peeled up, and slid itself around off of the edge when the glue got hot in the summer. And it was a pain to get off when I replaced it.

[hijole]

Yes, smooth on one side adhesive on the other side. In the morning I'll check to see what kind I have. I try to line up the middle of the strip to the lip of the bottom track to form a closed fit.
Have you checked the condition of the vinyl?
This will crack after awhile and definetely leak.