The Le Compte North East 38 has the same sort of in-keel watertank that the Challengers have. Earlier N E 38s had in-keel fuel tanks as well, but the USCG changed the rules in the late '60s to forbid them and Quetzal has a monel or stainless fuel tank in the keel. The N E 38s do not have CBs so the tank is one volume divided transversely by baffles. They have one lid with the same plurality of steel bolts that Challengers do. It's likely, it seems to me, that Adolf Le Comte was paying attention to Alden's design when he paid Bill Trip to design the N E 38, but it's also as likely that the design feature was common in the day.
I have concluded that the bolts do not necessarily make the lid structural like they may very well be on the Challengers. So, the questions: Do y'all think they're structural on the Cs? How do you cope with replacement of bolts? Gaskets? Sealants? Cleanliness? Antifreeze?
I have concluded that the bolts do not necessarily make the lid structural like they may very well be on the Challengers. So, the questions: Do y'all think they're structural on the Cs? How do you cope with replacement of bolts? Gaskets? Sealants? Cleanliness? Antifreeze?