Hello, I am once again the owner of Tia Maria, I had her firs some years ago and came accross her again as she had been abadoned in a marina...I got her for free but se is very rough and (being a poor person) some of the things I will do to her may make some of you wince but at least she shall not be cut up and hauled to the dump! I am hoping to either see one in person...I think Orace lives near ...or get a good many photos of certain things such as the reinforcing one gent did under the V berth...any one who could help me with photos of the structural areas where the coachroof ties into various bulheads etc ..I would love to get some emails! Thanks much! Terry
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Tia Maria
In a Google image search for “Alden Challenger” the 7th result is a thumbprint of a Challenger sloop with a green mainsail cover from a www . sailboatlistings . com link that no longer works. Is that “Tia Maria”?
In a Google image search for “Alden Challenger” the 7th result is a thumbprint of a Challenger sloop with a green mainsail cover from a www . sailboatlistings . com link that no longer works. Is that “Tia Maria”?
Re: "Tia Maria"
Mystery solved. Good luck with her. I like Tom Young's "keep it stock" motto and think that that can many times keep the budget sensible... but my Caravelle doesn't have a wood trunk and cockpit...
Mystery solved. Good luck with her. I like Tom Young's "keep it stock" motto and think that that can many times keep the budget sensible... but my Caravelle doesn't have a wood trunk and cockpit...
Hi Terry, welcome.
Fill us in on the history of Tia Maria. What are you plans? I have many photos that may help. Please feel free to ask what specific areas you are looking for, one of us may have a photo or experience that could help.
How much of Tia Maria is salvagable?
Thanks, Tom
Fill us in on the history of Tia Maria. What are you plans? I have many photos that may help. Please feel free to ask what specific areas you are looking for, one of us may have a photo or experience that could help.
How much of Tia Maria is salvagable?
Thanks, Tom
Re: Hi Terry, welcome.
Terry
Well, There is a running perkins 4-108 and the standing rigging is good. te hull needs some attention but that is for next hualout. The cockpit needs replaced and the aft bulkhead. I will try to use the coach as is and will cover it in veneer of somesort I think. the area down below is in need of much work but I want to do the cockpit and aft bulkhead at once. I have a duoble berth in the port side next to cockpit. Is this stock? I saw someone had to re inforce their bow area under V berth. any one else done this? I am sure that I will apreciate being able to draw on every ones experiences here, THANX!Tom Young said:
Terry
Terry,
You'll find out soon enough that we did not buy a Challenger, but I've thought about and solved some of the problems you're facing. On the wood house sides, I think that veneering is a viable solution. They're large thick hunks of wood with transverse bronze drifts to keep them from splitting. To replace them is a normal, but arduous and expensive repair. Besides deterioration at the corners and behind the coamings, these things loose thickness over time to refinishing and to weathering. I think that you could remove the ports and trim, use a power plane and make the surface planar, laminate a bit of 'glass onto the clean surface, laminate a new exterior veneer, varnish and reinstall the ports.
I'd worry about the joints and transitions and decide whether I was effectively making a fiberglass house or repairing the wood components of a wood house. It's an important distinction and has to do with whether subsequent repairs are possible or easy. My gut reaction is to repair the wood components but that leaves those forward corners as vulnerable as ever.
The idea behind overlaying with glass is to ensure that the new veneer is unaffected by the movement and cracking of the original house sides. The important negative is that the assembly is grossly assymetric, but so is the effect of heat and damp. Normally, one wants an assembly to be symmetrical (equal lamina on each side) so that it's tendency to warp is reduced.
One might estimate the loss of thickness of the original wood over the last 45 years. On our 1970 Northeast 38, Quetzal, the coamings are now about 13/16" thick but started out at an inch, and the plywood companionway boards were sanded through to the next veneer. On our previous boat, a '72 Morgan, the unfinished companionway boards started out at a heavy 3/4" but were taken out of service at a light and severely cupped 5/8". On one Challenger I looked at, I estimated the loss at around 3/16" and it was quite severe at some of the drifts.
Thus, I'd suggest a veneer of 1/4" solid wood which would give you and your successors lots more time. !/4" is about as thin as you dare run through a planer, having resawn a plank. You can buy boring quarter sliced mahogany veneer 1/8" thick, too, but it would look like an European piece of furniture.
I did my replacement companionway slides for Quetzal with 3/8" Makore inside and 3/8" Teak outside with a fiberglass layup in between and the whole things are breadboarded in Teak. They Look like the originals but there's lots of wood to sand. (I can share or post photos, but my computer skills are not equal to the latter.)
You'll find out soon enough that we did not buy a Challenger, but I've thought about and solved some of the problems you're facing. On the wood house sides, I think that veneering is a viable solution. They're large thick hunks of wood with transverse bronze drifts to keep them from splitting. To replace them is a normal, but arduous and expensive repair. Besides deterioration at the corners and behind the coamings, these things loose thickness over time to refinishing and to weathering. I think that you could remove the ports and trim, use a power plane and make the surface planar, laminate a bit of 'glass onto the clean surface, laminate a new exterior veneer, varnish and reinstall the ports.
I'd worry about the joints and transitions and decide whether I was effectively making a fiberglass house or repairing the wood components of a wood house. It's an important distinction and has to do with whether subsequent repairs are possible or easy. My gut reaction is to repair the wood components but that leaves those forward corners as vulnerable as ever.
The idea behind overlaying with glass is to ensure that the new veneer is unaffected by the movement and cracking of the original house sides. The important negative is that the assembly is grossly assymetric, but so is the effect of heat and damp. Normally, one wants an assembly to be symmetrical (equal lamina on each side) so that it's tendency to warp is reduced.
One might estimate the loss of thickness of the original wood over the last 45 years. On our 1970 Northeast 38, Quetzal, the coamings are now about 13/16" thick but started out at an inch, and the plywood companionway boards were sanded through to the next veneer. On our previous boat, a '72 Morgan, the unfinished companionway boards started out at a heavy 3/4" but were taken out of service at a light and severely cupped 5/8". On one Challenger I looked at, I estimated the loss at around 3/16" and it was quite severe at some of the drifts.
Thus, I'd suggest a veneer of 1/4" solid wood which would give you and your successors lots more time. !/4" is about as thin as you dare run through a planer, having resawn a plank. You can buy boring quarter sliced mahogany veneer 1/8" thick, too, but it would look like an European piece of furniture.
I did my replacement companionway slides for Quetzal with 3/8" Makore inside and 3/8" Teak outside with a fiberglass layup in between and the whole things are breadboarded in Teak. They Look like the originals but there's lots of wood to sand. (I can share or post photos, but my computer skills are not equal to the latter.)