CLC parts and services for production boats

[Laszlo_Morocz]

If you have a boat that wasn’t made by CLC, they are still a great source for parts and services, even if it’s a fiberglass production boat. I’ve been rehabbing a 1989 West Wight Potter 15 since March and CLC provided some of what I needed to do this.

The first thing was the SeaDek for the cockpit. I took the boat to CLC and Jay made the appropriate measurements. Then he generated paper patterns which were test fitted. A few days later I received an email that my 5 pieces of CNC-cut SeaDek were ready to pick up. The really cool thing is that now that it’s been installed and verified on my boat, anyone else out there with a West Wight Potter can now call and order SeaDek for their cockpit. The CNC files exist and it’s just a matter of CLC throwing the material onto their machine and cutting it out. I also found out that they have patterns for other non-CLC boats, as well as for their own.

Another thing I did was replace the jib with a roller-furling jib so that I could do everything from the cockpit. No more bending on the jib to the forestay before sailing, no more pile of fabric sitting on the foredeck until I get back to shore. I had salvaged a roller furler for free from an abandoned boat and installed that. Then it disintegrated. A mail order replacement would have taken weeks to get here. None of the standard local marine supply stores had them in stock. But then I remembered the PocketShip and its roller furler, called CLC and half an hour later I had one in my hand. This won’t happen for folks who live too far from CLC to drive over, but even if you can’t get it the same day, remember that they sell parts that are usable on production boats that may be available faster or cheaper (or both) than other sources.

Laszlo

[Jeff_Richards]

I’m in the middle of restoring a 1957 Thompson Sea Coaster 15.5’ runabout. About one-half of the products I’m using have been procured through CLC. Just received my can of Toplac + from CLC, in the color I was looking for (that I had trouble with finding elsewhere). Faster and cheaper than most other vendors (including the one that was charging $29 shipping on every order!).

(I just noticed my truck photo-bombed the first two pictures)

Boat condition when I picked it up a year ago. The varnish had failed and the deck was very heavily crazed. I have an epoxy coat on the deck now (after a lot of heat-gun, paint remover, scraping and sanding work). The crazes remained visible in the wood to some extent even when stripped bare and sanded, but they actually now provide a very unique looking deck finish. Kind of like a tiger-stipe/curly maple effect. The inner and outer hull required complete stripping and re-finishing inside and out, including some minor rot repairs.

Looking inside after I got the boat home last fall and removed all hardware and seats, etc.. An old linseeed/tar coating was used in the bilges - not so fun getting that removed.

Looking inside a few months ago after striping and sanding all 630 or so (ask me how I know) little squares formed by planks and ribs (several hundred hours work), then coated with penetrating epoxy. There is a little crevice under every rib at every lapstrake that needed to have the gunk cleaned out so that finishes can prevent rot in those areas. Note the keel doubler I added on top of the old, partially split/rotted keel. Old keel bad wood was gouged out and epoxy filled prior to adding doubler. This interior will now require scraper blading and sanding to smooth out, prior to varnishing (upper strakes) and painting (lower bilge strakes). The boat is currently upside down and just about ready for hull painting. I’ll move back to interior finishing when that is done. Trying to be smart about what order to finish what, so as to prevent problems with drips, oversprays, sanding dust, etc..

Meanwhile, I have completed motor restoration and painting, too. (Scroll back up to first pic to see original condition). There is a place (not CLC ) that sells specific manufacturer/motor-by-year matched paint. Who knew? New points, condensers, coils, rebuilt carb, fuel lines, wiring harness, rebuilt water pump, new electric choke coil. (1956 30 hp motor was originally 6 volt.) Restored fuel tank, too - motor doesn’t have a fuel pump, it pumps air to pressurize the tank, which then delivers the fuel. Everything seems to be running pretty well, so far as can be tested in a barrel.

Someday I’ll post some finished-boat pictures. I really don’t know why I have this boat, as it is basically a duplicate of my Rhode Runner. When I saw it and the for sale sign out beside the road (with 4 inches of water within) I heard it crying and just couldn’t pass it by. Maybe I’ll give it to my brother, if he promises to treat it nice.