Oh oh, another newbie!

Hi there, I'm a newbie to the forum, currently basking in a balmy Alaska. I have acquired a 42 Californian LRC. 1978 according to papers, or 1975 according to hull number?

My first of many questions.

Does anyone know the crown height/camber of the main deck, and also the aft sleeping area?

The roof of the aft sleeping area has been replaced, and its totally flat. Gathers water very efficiently

Thanks

Andy (year 34 of captivity in Alaska)

Welcome aboard Andy! The owners of Californians will hopefully answer your questions shortly. Remember, boats designed to keep water out are also perfectly suited to keeping water in

Greetings,
Welcome aboard.

Hi Andy

Welcome aboard!!
Well they started production of 42 LRC in 1976, so probably not a '75. Is there an ID tag on the cable chase, next to the lower helm? It's black and gold about 3" x 1", It's not the VIN, but contains the year, length and hull production number. The actual VIN is molded into the stern, starboard side just below the gunwale wood trim.

Read the sticky note below. This is an article based on information provided to Boating World by the Manufacture, Jule Marshall.

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s24/42-californian-lrc-boating-world-article-18502.html

In my experience, the boat tends to pool rain water on the decks, when the fuel tanks and water tank are low. All that weight is located in the stern, so less than half tanks can effect the boats stance in the water while sitting still and is a problem in rainy weather when docked. I've also seen this happen when an owner removed two of the four fuel tanks. Since he wasn't taking long trips, he wanted to turn over his fuel quicker by carrying a smaller fuel load. The boat was ballasted for 500 gals fuel and 150 gals water. He added ballast under the rear bunks and that solved the problem.

I don't have the measurements you are requesting, but as we always say, a picture is worth a thousand words. So if you could post some pic's we might be able understand your situation and give you some ideas.

Thanks for the quick reply! I have looked for the little plate before, nowhere to be found, there are a couple of vacant screw holes and a clean "shadow" at that spot, but no plate.

I'll check on the hull imprint on the stern when I next make the 120 mile trip to the boat.

Thanks again

Andy

Welcome, Andy! Do you have an electronic or paper version of your survey? Does it have the HIN? I believe the last 4 digits are the month and year of manufacture.

Definitely a +1 on the need for pics. Some of us don't read too well.

120 mile trip would put you in Seward, welcome! I base out of Seward all summer, after I launch out of Homer and poke my way around towards the Sound. Kevin is there too, I am sure we will be watching for you. Seward has a really great crowd of people, friendly and helpful. If you see me tied to the dock, stop and say hello!

Welcome aboard Andy

It seems your boat might be in Seward?

We are in Seward Probably nearby. We're on F float.

Yes, the boat is indeed in Seward. It's shrink wrapped on cribbing out at Stormchasers at Lowell Point. it will be a while before it gets wet again! lol

Thanks everybody for a warm welcome

Andy

Hin#

I did dig out all the paperwork and the bill(s) of sale all state year 1978. however the USCG cert of documentation says Unknown.

All say HIN is SCMC42410975

I thought that meant built Sep 1975, but a previous poster said that they didn't start building 42 Californian LRC's til 1976.

Any thoughts?

I haven't actually read the stamped number on the boat as yet. Guess I should have done that first!

Oh well

Andy

I think it's the month/year of manufacture, not the model year.

I'm not familiar with the SCMC code. Could it be SCM042410975? If so, first make sure the docs are correct. If so, from what I've learned, it follows a pattern that suggests your 42 was hull #41, built in Sept 1975.

I would think if that last number is a "5", then at least the hull was laid up in 1975. Could be a very early 42', maybe even a pre-production boat. Another early 42' owner on this forum mentioned that his boat has a hull seam that runs the width of the boat, visible from the inside about 4' ahead of the transom. Sounds like they were using a modified 38' mold to produce the early 42's hull?

That would be a good question to ask Jule or his son if you ever have contact with them again Al.

According to the USCG database, the first three characters "SCM" show the vessel was built by .........

MIC Company Address City State
SCM SOUTHERN COMPOSITE WORKS LLC, 17021 PELICAN WAY, FORT MYERS, FL


There are a few different versions of the HIN/MIC and more info on those can be found at What's A HIN

Rogerit said:

I did dig out all the paperwork and the bill(s) of sale all state year 1978. however the USCG cert of documentation says Unknown.

All say HIN is SCMC42410975

Andy

Click to expand...

Well, I certainly missed that one. . . .

That HIN number, above, isn't correct.

The early Marshall boats HIN all started with a "J" not an "S" = "JCM" Jule C Marshall. Followed by eight or nine numbers.

The fourth character should be a "0". . .Not a "C"

The eighth number "5" could actually be what's left of a "6" or an "8".

I am speculating, but the the hull stamping was either poorly done, not recorded correctly or has worn away with time and is no longer legible.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

PS: by the way, This is what the tag on the cable chase looks like. If you have the two holes there, then somebody removed the tag.

Yup! That's exactly where the holes are. Guess I'll start looking around, up and under for it. At least I know what I'm missing.

Next trip to the boat I'll double check the hull imprint, and also look to see if I have a seam in the hull approx. 4 feet from the transom.

I can tell this is going to be an interesting project!

Thanks again

Andy

I agree that it should be JCM. The way it was explained to me by Gil Marshall, the C stands for California. All boats with HIN JCM are Jules Marshall boats built in CA.

Are you sure it's a Californian? Maybe it's a Floridian disguised as a Californian! If you find a sudden urge to wear shoes without socks, it just might be a Floridian!

And my previous post doesn't make sense...if it was the first production year, it can't be hull #41. Maybe you have hull #1!

According to the USCG database .............

Manufacturers Search Results
Records Found "jcm" : 1 Download Excel List of Results

MIC Company Address City State
JCM SHEARLINE BOATWORKS LLC PO BOX 579 MOREHEAD CITY NC

Hull number means when the hull was started in the mold, not when it was shipped to the dealer.

Case in Point, mine, wears a number ending in 78, but I spoke with the original owner ( many years ago, he is long gone now) who had visited Taiwan a few times during construction, and He gave me the whole, long story on its construction. Shipping and delivery didn't happen until March of 1980, so it was imported to Canada in March 1980 as a new build.

FlyWright said:

I agree that it should be JCM. The way it was explained to me by Gil Marshall, the C stands for California. All boats with HIN JCM are Jules Marshall boats built in CA.

And my previous post doesn't make sense...if it was the first production year, it can't be hull #41. Maybe you have hull #1!

Click to expand...

Actually, hull #41 would work fine if that last number is an "8" instead of a "5" which would confirm its build date of Sept. 1978, during the 3rd year of production. Too bad his pillar tag is gone, it also shows the hull number. Many of them are missing, I wonder why people remove them?

Deck & Roof Camber

Hi Andy,

I was just down working on the boat and gathered the camber measurements you had asked about.

I used 4" blocks spaced as far apart as possible to elevate a tensioned string line well above the camber for both the aft deck and the aft cabin roof. (4" - center dim = camber) The deck camber measured 2-1/2" while the roof camber measured 2-1/4".

Does your aft cabin still have the support pole in place? I remember seeing a 42 LRC on YW awhile back where the pole had been removed.

Anyhow, I hope this helps.

"Please throw me the bowline Fraulein! "


This will probably give away our ages Eric but do you like Bobby Helms or the Kitty Wells version (or box car Willy or Hank Locklan) ?

Dimer2, I'm a year away from the double nickle and remember listening to songs like "16 Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford as a wee lad. If I were a real musician I would have realized it was a song title.....but I'm only a (recreational) drummer!

The first summer we had the boat (2014), I'd just tied off the mid-line and uttered that phrase to my Wife as I walked forward. It became part of the docking routine and I thought it would make for a good tag line. As a newbie I didn't realize that I was committing a safety infraction by saying throw instead of toss. Perhaps I'll edit it when I earn my "safe docking practices" patch!

Camber height and age of boat

Thank you so much for those measurements!!! I knew the roof couldn't be flat. Well, it is flat, shouldn't be flat.

As for the support pole you mentioned, also awol! Though I don't have the two beds, just a queen? centered in the room.

I can tell I need to go visit the boat fairly soon, as the questions are beginning to mount up.

As to the other question in my original post, 1975 or 1978? I have found more paperwork that says is a 1977!

Thanks for the replies guys(gals?)

Andy

HIN vs Title Dates

The discussion over HIN#s reminded me of a discrepancy noted at purchase. The HIN-JCM421541178 shows a 1978 build date yet the title says 1979.

I have no knowledge of the build timeline, but it seems plausible that it went into the mold late Nov 78' and was popped early in 79'.

Has anyone seen this on a Californian before?

Aft Deck Capt said:

The discussion over HIN#s reminded me of a discrepancy noted at purchase. The HIN-JCM421541178 shows a 1978 build date yet the title says 1979.

I have no knowledge of the build timeline, but it seems plausible that it went into the mold late Nov 78' and was popped early in 79'.

Has anyone seen this on a Californian before?

Click to expand...

Yes, the Californian dealer swapped the paperwork on my boat with another. I had the title and paperwork for the other boat for over a year, which was still at the dealership. It was only caught when the other boat was re-sold, and shipped to another state.

But it doesn't surprise me. In the 70's boat registration was haphazard in many states, often done by mail or with shipping paperwork instead of an MSO. No one actually checked the paperwork against the numbers.

Titling errors were common and unless someone physically inspected and matched the paperwork to the boat, car, airplane, they could go many years before they're caught and corrected. Often it's only found when there is a change in insurance or they move to and registered in another State or jurisdiction requiring a physical inspection.

Aft Deck Capt said:

The discussion over HIN#s reminded me of a discrepancy noted at purchase. The HIN-JCM421541178 shows a 1978 build date yet the title says 1979.

I have no knowledge of the build timeline, but it seems plausible that it went into the mold late Nov 78' and was popped early in 79'.

Has anyone seen this on a Californian before?

Click to expand...

Makes sense that it was laid up in Nov 1978 (1178) based on our best efforts to decode the Californian HINs. It would also make sense that then it was sold in 1979 as a 1979 model boat. I bet your hull number is #154.

FlyWright said:

Makes sense that it was laid up in Nov 1978 (1178) based on our best efforts to decode the Californian HINs. It would also make sense that then it was sold in 1979 as a 1979 model boat. I bet your hull number is #154.

Click to expand...

I agree.

I bought a 2002 Dodge Intrepid from Enterprise Rent a car once. The Federal Standards Sticker on the pillar post said, "Made in USA" in big letters and VIN decodes to 2002. But going through the paperwork I discovered that the car was actually built in late July 2001 and in Toronto, Canada not the US (They all were as it turns out.)

So if the big auto manufactures can do that, why not the boat manufactures too. Just make sure your paperwork matches the HIN on the stern.

Californian HIN#'s

Hi again, I'm back with more questions! I found an old survey done on my Californian 42 LRC , HIN# clearly JCMO 42410975, which says year 1975 built in Tustin CA. I also found a report on the VHF radios dated 1975.

My question is, does the HIN# decode to hull 41 of the 42LRC production, or hull 41 of all Californian production? Maybe someone with an early 42LRC could compare their hull number?

Has anyone considered starting a registry of existing Californians? Just wondering how many of the 200+ 42's produced are still afloat?

Thanks guys

Andy

I don't know Andy, still something wrong here. Did you actually confirm the HIN on the stern of your boat?

I think it's reasonable to assume they didn't build 41, 42' LRC's in their 1st year of production when total production was 200+ 42' LRC's in the entire production run of nine years. So if your year of layup was Sept. 1975, then it was a very early 42' LRC, preproduction hull, before the official 1976 1st production model year.

So I guess the question is, was yours the 41st hull laid up that year or was it a total sequential hull number of all hulls laid up to date by that plant?

My boat was built in July 1976 and is hull #44 also in Tustin. So if the number is total plant production, then mine was the third hull after yours. Did they only build three boats between Sept 75 and July 76? Not likely.

So what does this all mean, that is a conundrum.

PS: Also the comments on your documentation papers indicating that the date of manufacture was "uniknown" bothers me too. For some reason they were unable to determine that. This was a production boat built in the U.S. Why?

Rogerit said:

Hi again, I'm back with more questions! I found an old survey done on my Californian 42 LRC , HIN# clearly JCMO 42410975, which says year 1975 built in Tustin CA. I also found a report on the VHF radios dated 1975.

My question is, does the HIN# decode to hull 41 of the 42LRC production, or hull 41 of all Californian production? Maybe someone with an early 42LRC could compare their hull number?

Has anyone considered starting a registry of existing Californians? Just wondering how many of the 200+ 42's produced are still afloat?

Thanks guys

Andy

Click to expand...

Andy, now we're getting somewhere! The first digit following the JCM is the number 0, not the letter O.

JCM042410975

At some point, Californians dropped that Zero after the JCM...maybe when they foresaw that the hull number would exceed the 2 digit position they had allocated it.

I'm still thinking your last digit is likely an 8 to denote the year 1978 which would make sense considering hull #41. Could it be possible that the digit is worn and the 8 appears as a 5? Sometimes a pencil tracing or a digital image will provide a new perspective.

By comparison, my 1977 34 LRC hull number is

JCM034010277

JCM (Marshall Boats - California made) 034 (34 ft model) 01 (hull #) 0277 (Feb 1977 mold month).

Later models that I've seen will read JCMLLXXXMMYY where LL- length, XXX=hull #, MMYY=month and year of hull mold.



Here's one from a 1984 34 LRC with a different pattern, but still the JCM. Makes me question what I was told by Gil Marshall b/c I'm pretty sure this one was a Wellcraft model.



EDIT: Just read Edelweiss' post above. Maybe a 6 rubbed off to look like a 5? 1976?