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My wife and I recently purchased the “Nancy”, a Dickerson 36 that has been harbored in Castine, Maine for the last 17 years. It’s new home will be across the bay in Stockton Springs, Maine with a new name undecided. This winter we are getting ambitious and removing the Westerbeke Engine and rebuilding it as well as redoing the engine room.
The boat is currently a little rough around the edges and needs some interior work. Is there anyone that has some good pictures and design ideas for the interior of a 36? Also if anyone has any good tips on refinishing the brite work aboard they would be greatly appriciated, all the brite work aboard needs to be done and I have little experience in doing such.
Hi Andrew,
Castine maine…Nice crusing grounds. Did not know there was a 36 up there…I remember a wood 36 advertised a couple years ago for sale in Maine – Jeff Thompson has a Dickerson 35 (wood mid 1960’s) in west bath – all Mahoghany trim.We have a 1973 glass hull ketch – Teak Trim. How you refinish kinda’ depends on how you want the boat to look….Natural, cetol or varnish…….We have gone the “varnish” route. Still have to finish toe rails – most of the rest is getting close to done. I found a small hand plane to be real helpfun on some of the old teak that looked like weathered shingles – the plane cut thru fast and left a nice surface – still plenty of teak left…..
I also rebuilt the westerbeke 4-107 3 years ago – TAD diesel in Virginia has best prices for gaskets, valves, ect. I found Hanson marine (westerbeke master distributor in Mass.) to be high priced on most things – remember, the Westerbeke 4-107/8 is the Perkins 4-107/8, but marinized by Westerbeke – Mechanical fuel injection pump on Westerbeke, Hydraulic on Perkins. The Coolant system is a bit different & Perkins uses a Jabsco salt water pump where Westerbeke uses a Sherwood 65/85. Major engine stuff (valves, gaskets, pistons, ect) are Perkins…….We rebuilt the injection system and tore the entire engine apart – a fun winter project. A good local injection shop ought to be able to bench test the pump & injectors for little $.We re-did the engine room too – High pressure wash & lots of de-greaser. Painted everything in the engine room/bilge with light grey Bar-Rust 235 from Devoe – a great paint that is much better than bilge Kote – 100% fuel and water proof. Many Aubuchon stores have it in their commercial paint dept.
My Dickerson will winter in Elliot Maine (Kittery). Some good stuff in old posts on this site….tag a note if I can help….r/e Interiors…what are you trying to end up with??
Have Fun!
Mike
Nice to meet you Mike,
I spoke with the gentleman that we purcahsed the boat from and I got a small amount of history on the boat. 17 years ago it was owned by a man named Jack. He and his wife ran the boat out of Saco, ME under the name “Second Threshold” and offering day sails to the public.
The Varnish route does seem to be the best route that I have found to go so far. This particular vessel need all of her wood work redone this winter which will be a major project in itself.
The engine room right now is bare wood, the vessel use to be an all wood sail boat but approximately 5 years ago the previous owner decided to fiberglass the Hull. Wood it be wise to use a waterproof paint over the bare wood on the interior?
As for the interior, the aft cabin houses 2 bunks and is painted white with teak trim. I plan on keeping this set up the same only cleaning it up alittle. The forward cabin has what I’ve been told a typical layout. However, at some point in the boats life someone decided to place laminate over the countertops and table hiding the mahogany. I have been debating removing all the laminate and trying to refinish the mahogany. Also the Floorboards are made out of plywood and I am thinking of making some new floorboards out of oak and strip planking them.
Hi Andrew…
Our boat has this brownish plastic stuff over plywood that is supposed to look like wood – I keep thinking I ought to replace it, but heck, It’s been there for 35 years and it is the floor (or cabin sole) ….a couple swipes with a rag & it’s clean….I just replaced all countertops with formica & corian in the sink area last year – I refinished the table “bright” mahoghany – our table drops down from the port bulkhead. The inside cabin trunk sides are painted off white with mahogh. trim varnished & the bulkheads are mahoghany plywood varnished…. Nice clean & airy.
Paint in the inside…Hmmm, fiberglass on the wood hull….presents some issues wooden boat folks will debate endlessly. I suspect that if you can get it dry and good quality paint to stick, that may be a good thing – the edge glued/fiberglassed hull does not really need to “swell” like other wood construction style hulls – I’d suspect it’s a good thing to minimize water migrating into the wood from the interior….. BUT, that said, You say “bare wood?? is there no paint at all on the inside?? If so, it might allow moisture to move in/out of the wood with out being “trapped” between a waterproof paint (that will probably allow some moisture in) and a fiberglass skin on the outside. I suspect that having the chance to “dry out” over the winter is perhaps a good thing. i Know there are lots of posts on the wooden boat forum RE: fiberglassing wood hulls….I Know Southern Cross (Wood Dickerson 41) has epoxy/glass on the outside. I wonder what they have on the inside??? Anyone else on the forum care to add???
just my 1$ worth….
Mike
Regarding painting the inside of a fiberglassed wood hull, I would be careful doing that. If the hull is really dry inside and never gets water in it, it may be safe to do, but if it ever gets wet (as most boats do, from time to time) it will trap the water in the wood. The paint will allow water into the wood much easier than it will allow it to escape.
I have a 1928 Salmon Troller, which I glassed 15 years ago. I left the hull unpainted inside, and it looks like new, still. The hull stays fresh and dry inside, and I have never had any rot, which is not easy in South Florida! I have measured the moisture content in the wood, and it stays very steady inside, even with big humidity changes.
Instead of painting the insides, why not install some ceiling over the frames, and paint that instead?? That will allow air to circulate behind the ceiling, and still provide a clean painted surface. My Dickerson 36 has some ceiling installed in the lockers and it seems to work well. The bottom line is wood that breathes will last, which is why they did not paint it from the factory.
Ahoy Andrew!
Welcome aboard to perhaps the finest fraternity of sailors that you can find anywhere. I apologize for being tardy in this greeting, but I am still recovering from the pleasure of joining fellow Dickerson owners at the recent “Western Shore Roundup”.
We all share your excitement as you anticipate restoring “Nancy” or whatever she will named. I am the collector of data with the aim of regurgitating that back to our membership so that we don’t lose the heritage of these great yachts.
I did a quick check of my records (back to the 1970’s), and unfortunately, I come up empty. With the aim of informing you where Nancy fits in to the rest of fleet, I would appreciate you forwarding me as much information as you can—-i.e.
Hull number
Documentation number
Sail number
Rig
Etc. etc.Armed with that information, I might aid in your discovery of her heritage. In the end, I compile like information into an annual Dickerson Directory that is available to all DOA members—a wealth of information there and here on this forum.
Many of us are down here in the Chesapeake environs, but I have an office mate who is a U. Mainer and he daily extols the beauty of your home port—so there we are.
Finally, I echo Al’s recommendation—Mike has done a wonderful restoration—well worth seeing.
Welcome aboard,
Barry
Thanks Barry,
I’ve got quite a bit of information that came with the boat. The previous owner has all the original product guides and manuals for every piece of equiptment on the boat. I also have all the boat surveys going back 20 years. The paperwork includes some bills of sale from previous owners. It’s a box full of information that I have yet to sort through. But I’ll get you the important information as soon as I can.
Mike,
Would it be possible to come down to Kittery and take a look at your 36 and see what you have done?
Thanks all,
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Welcome to the Dickerson Forum and congratulations on buying a real classic great sailing boat. I have a 35 center cockpit wooden ketch “Irish Mist’ built in 1968. When we bought it 27 years ago we did the insides over. We took out the dinet and built in a L shape seat with a folding table hinged to the forward bulkhead so it could serve as a bunk when lowered or as a table. We also put in new teak laminate flooring and new counters and plastic head liner. Forget abt plastic head liner it is just a vehicle for mildew. If you are interested I have some photos of the inside layout. I have a small toilet in the aft cabin up against the fwd bulkhead under a lasarret and a chart table that folds up against the fwd aft cabin bulkhead. Have 3 burner propane stove/oven connected to two 10 gal tanks in explosion proof container in aft section of aft cabin behind a slidding cuboard type wall that goes from port to starboard.
We really have a great organization of some 60 members from over 20 States. I hope you will read our News Letters and take time to join The Dickerson Owners. The annual fee is only $35 and for that you get an annual Directory with details–including pictures– on all known Dickersons and their owners. A membership form is on the Home Page of this Web Site.
Lets keep in touch and please let us know if we can help in any way
Joe Slavin DOA Membership jws2827@aol.com
Hi Andrew….Tag me an e-mail at BOATSNH@yahoo.com and come on down. We just sailed IRIS up from Westport Ma to Kittery Maine this weekend. A fun couple days of sailing! Will be on anchor ’till the 20th then we get pulled for the year….Iris is a good “in progress” project……always something to do. The sailing makes it all worth it.
mike
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