Launch day! Weebles, 1970 Willard 36

[mvweebles]

Peter,
Never would’a thunk but I actually have a boat on our float finger by the same name as you’re W36. Not a trawler.

What kind of boat? PO advised "never give your 8 year old naming rights" when I asked the provenance of the name Shy Platypus. Weebles seemed to fit her just fine. Hercules, Atlas, and Defiance were also in the running. Had I known she was originally launched as Taras, I would have reverted to that as it's not a bad name, and she has history in the Newport Beach area.

But alas, her name will likely forever be Weebles. I had all electrical panels inscribed with her moniker as a cartouche

Peter

 

[maineman]

Stunning!

 

[ADtpfef]

Peter-
Sadly, the OA PH50 Mk I at BN you refer to is our boat. We brought it down many times from Southern CA over the years, mostly for bottom painting, but also for some minor mechanical work. At some point we decided to leave and use it there, which we did for a while, but over the past 10 -15 years I've been working largely abroad*and our lives changed and, sadly, the boat has been neglected to the point it's in the rough shape you refer to.*For some years, when Roger was still the dock master*at BN, it was taken care of pretty decently (engines regularly started, etc.), but when he departed the stopped. During Roger's years, the BN marina was more full and the level of boats berthed there was generally higher than it is today. Also, for a time BN had a major problem with seals mounting boats which the local conservation authorities wouldn't let them address effectively, and we suffered some damage from that. But, bottom line, ultimately the seals and BN didn't neglect the boat. We did.*
That said, we'd like to bring it back. I know it*will be a major (and costly) process which, given that the boat is over 35 years*old, on a certain level makes no economic sense. However, I'm approaching retirement and we'd like to cruise again and, given that the cost of a new (used) boat that we would enjoy more (or as much) would likely be much greater, while there are things I'd change (e.g the nightmarish engine room), the design has held up well and the boat is very comfortable to cruise in and it's robust and handles seas well. If we can get it back in shape and then updated*electronics, etc., it would do us just fine.
Of course, how costly the restoration will be will in part be determined by the state of the engines (555s with only 1300 hours, but sitting for years) and the condition of the fuel tanks and whether they need to be replaced. I knew Mario (Niza) when he still worked at BN and liked him, and some years back when I visited the boat I spoke to him about taking on the project. He was interested, but at that time, at least, he wasn't sure if the travel lift or crane he had access to could handle the boat's weight, and he also was concerned about having a local mechanic do the diesels. His suggestion was that we find someone who*could come down from San Diego,*which he felt would be possible. I also got the vibe that he was possibly a little nervous about the fallout that might follow his taking*a long-time BN client. I don't know what his situation would be now in those regards. BN assures me they have mechanics in house who can professionally do the engines and marine electricians who can handle the electrical refurb, but I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable, especially if I cannot be around (not that I know anything - but at least I can sense whether or not they do). My fear is that without a guy who really knows diesels - and ideally the 555 - a mistake could make a bad situation much worse.*
My inclination is to go with Niza. Somehow my gut tells me they might give it more thought and attention and be more inclined to tell me when I should bring in outside help that*BN would, but maybe that's not realistic. BN does have an affiliated yard next door which handles very large pleasure boats and commercial vessels, so presumably there's a level of expertise there.*
If I could wave a wand and have the boat transported to San Diego or, better, Ventura (I live in Santa Barbara), I would.*
Any thoughts (other than those designed to make me feel worse about the state of the boat than*I already do) would be more than welcome.*

 

[mvweebles]

Peter-
Sadly, the OA PH50 Mk I at BN you refer to is our boat. We brought it down many times from Southern CA over the years, mostly for bottom painting, but also for some minor mechanical work. At some point we decided to leave and use it there, which we did for a while, but over the past 10 -15 years I've been working largely abroad*and our lives changed and, sadly, the boat has been neglected to the point it's in the rough shape you refer to.*For some years, when Roger was still the dock master*at BN, it was taken care of pretty decently (engines regularly started, etc.), but when he departed the stopped. During Roger's years, the BN marina was more full and the level of boats berthed there was generally higher than it is today. Also, for a time BN had a major problem with seals mounting boats which the local conservation authorities wouldn't let them address effectively, and we suffered some damage from that. But, bottom line, ultimately the seals and BN didn't neglect the boat. We did.*
That said, we'd like to bring it back. I know it*will be a major (and costly) process which, given that the boat is over 35 years*old, on a certain level makes no economic sense. However, I'm approaching retirement and we'd like to cruise again and, given that the cost of a new (used) boat that we would enjoy more (or as much) would likely be much greater, while there are things I'd change (e.g the nightmarish engine room), the design has held up well and the boat is very comfortable to cruise in and it's robust and handles seas well. If we can get it back in shape and then updated*electronics, etc., it would do us just fine.
Of course, how costly the restoration will be will in part be determined by the state of the engines (555s with only 1300 hours, but sitting for years) and the condition of the fuel tanks and whether they need to be replaced. I knew Mario (Niza) when he still worked at BN and liked him, and some years back when I visited the boat I spoke to him about taking on the project. He was interested, but at that time, at least, he wasn't sure if the travel lift or crane he had access to could handle the boat's weight, and he also was concerned about having a local mechanic do the diesels. His suggestion was that we find someone who*could come down from San Diego,*which he felt would be possible. I also got the vibe that he was possibly a little nervous about the fallout that might follow his taking*a long-time BN client. I don't know what his situation would be now in those regards. BN assures me they have mechanics in house who can professionally do the engines and marine electricians who can handle the electrical refurb, but I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable, especially if I cannot be around (not that I know anything - but at least I can sense whether or not they do). My fear is that without a guy who really knows diesels - and ideally the 555 - a mistake could make a bad situation much worse.*
My inclination is to go with Niza. Somehow my gut tells me they might give it more thought and attention and be more inclined to tell me when I should bring in outside help that*BN would, but maybe that's not realistic. BN does have an affiliated yard next door which handles very large pleasure boats and commercial vessels, so presumably there's a level of expertise there.*
If I could wave a wand and have the boat transported to San Diego or, better, Ventura (I live in Santa Barbara), I would.*
Any thoughts (other than those designed to make me feel worse about the state of the boat than*I already do) would be more than welcome.*

What a stroke of luck to bump into you! I admired your boat for months while I was at BN, though it's been close to 2 years since I was last at BN.

Your story closely resembles mine so I feel understand your sense of regret at having let my boat go a bit. I lived aboard Weebles for years and had a good gig going with delivery work until 2004 when a past colleague lured me back into Corp America, and I then moved to Florida in 2006. I traveled weekly and thought we'd use Weebles as frequent getaway, but the distance and life got in the way. I always wanted to get her to Mexico for a refit but the years just slipped by. Like yourself, I was an absent owner for well over a decade - my Rip Van Winkle period in boating.

Weebles fell into a pretty bad state of decay - certainly no better than your boat, and perhaps worse. Fear not! You are only a poultice of cash and two years away from your Phoenix rising from the ashes.

First, whatever you do, for a marina, I'd recommend you consider moving her out of BNs marina. Nothing against BN here, but while their docks are rickety, the biggest issue is the tourist boat traffic in/out of Juanitos at semi-plane speed means significant wakes are constantly rolling through. You're at the end and have a front row seat. I'm sure you've worn through a lot of dock lines and fender whips. If you're going to remain in a marina, go to Cruiseport. Mario can assist.

A lot has changed for Niza Marine since you last talked to them - Weebles has been a PhD degree for them. They can definitely do the work you want, and I've done well working remotely with them, but they are single-threaded via Luis, Mario's partner who has extraordinary aptitude for anything hands-on. I call him Senior Abracadabra - he's really a magician. They have other workers but Luis is the guy who figures stuff out. His English is only slightly better than my Spanish but somehow, we communicate very well on all things mechanical. I love the guy, and he's the right guy for your project. But it will take longer than at BN as a result. Will still be a lot more affordable, but will take longer.

I do have slightly encouraging news for you. The big, daunting stuff like engines and fuel tanks is probably not as expensive as you think. Expensive yes, but not as bad as I thought. Now, I only have one engine and while it's an old heavy chunk of iron, it's not as big as your 555s. Cost to get my engine out and on a pallet was around $800. Reinstall wasn't much more. I had a pair of 200 gallon saddle tanks (400 total) and replaced with 4x100 g fiberglass tanks. Cost was $6500 installed, plus fittings (turns out fittings are expensive, especially the ultra-cool oilfield fiberglass fittings I found). While the engine was out, ER had new soundproofing installed, everything was rewired, and ER was painted, all of which sort of added up in cost.

What to do with your 555s? I once had a Uniflite with those engines, but that was early in my boating career. I don't know much about them but sense from forums like this one that they are not preferred. I also don't know much about the OA50 except my heart skips a beat whenever I see one. I don't know what the underbody looks like and whether it's more displacement or planing. If it's happy in the displacement side of the range, I'd look for a pair of surplus JD4045 to put in her. She'd never go more than about 9 kts, maybe 10 or so, and I don't know if that's acceptable for that boat. She probably does close to 15 with her triple nickels. It's been a couple years, but I was thinking of repowering and found the JD4045 were fairly available at a reasonable price. And they're a great engine - assuming they are an appropriate choice for your OA, they would definitely increase value vs the 555s which might be a ding to the overall value

One thing I did to get Weebles cruise-ready for the tropics is to remove all exterior wood, though on a Willard that is only the caprails which I had encapsulated and they look amazing. I believe the OA50 has teak decks - I'd remove those and either go with a permateak products someone else in this thread mentioned, or KiwiGrip paint. Teak decks look nice but I would consider removal to be an upgrade so it's actually a chance to slight offset cost with an upgrade that was needed anyway.

I could go on and on, but in the end, this is a labor of love. It's fulfillment of a dream. There is no intellectually or financially rational universe where a project like this makes sense. But it is a tremendously fulfilling project on many other levels.

I think an OA50 is a great candidate to splurge on. They are, without a doubt, one of the best looking and iconic trawler style boats ever built. They are a good size and can be easily cruised by a couple without undue sacrifice in space.

Team Niza would be my first and last call. They are not perfect, but their work is very good, and they are caring, honest people.

Peter

 

[rslifkin]

I agree with the "replace them" thoughts on the Cummins 555s. They're not super common marine engines. Personally, I'd assess their condition and see what you've got to work with. If they're not internally rusted, compression is good and they check out healthy, then clean them up, give them a good once-over and run them. If they need to come out, I'd give some serious thought to putting something else back in.

 

[ADtpfef]

Peter -
Thanks so much for your thoughtful and encouraging response. (You made my wife smile!)
I will reach out to Mario and see what he says about taking on the project.
To answer your two questions: We never had any trouble with the 555s so, while I surely wouldn't have chosen them, replacing them would probably depend on what kind of shape they turned out to be in as well, perhaps, what Tony Athens suggests (he's just down the road from me) in terms of maintaining them going forward. They aren't efficient and I know parts are very hard to come by and often have to be fabricated and are expensive (BN fabricated heat exchangers for them a while back). From what I've read, I do thing I'd go with naturally aspirated JDs if we needed to re-power.
The OA Mk I is semi displacement (even has trim tabs), but even with the HP we have, we cruise at a 9-10 knots. On a good day when I've eaten a light breakfast, maybe we would see 12+. The Cummins are thirsty beasts, so I usually cruise at 1800-2k rpm or so rather than 2400 rpm; it's not worth the credit card stress to squeeze out another knot or two and this way my hair is neat when we finally do arrive. OA originally advertised the boats as being capable of 15-16 knots but that would require a tow for us and the other OA Mk I owners I know.
In terms of the teak, ugh! At the very least I will have the foredeck teak, which is pretty rough and thin, replaced, probably with the synthetic stuff. Don't love the way that looks, but it makes sense. The side and aft decks are covered so, the last time I looked, the teak was in pretty good shape, so hopefully they can remain. And the Portuguese bridge nicely separates the foredeck from the side decks, so there's no abrupt joint issue. As far as the cap rails, window mouldings, other trim etc., we'll see. A lot of folks paint them, I know. I'd miss the beauty of the wood (we used to have a guy who was a varnish maestro), but the effort and cost of maintenance, coupled with the time it takes to remove and replace it, invariably leads to running with the covers on so, really, it's hardy worth it. TBD. We have other fish to fry - like in the ER - first, which is what I told my wife when she read your post and began redesigning the galley!
One thing that is apparent to me is that your expertise and ability to make technical decisions greatly exceed mine, and I get the feeling that played an important role in the success of your Niza experience. But hopefully, as you say, the guys have learned a lot from their work on Weebles (and no doubt from you) and beyond that we'll do the best we can and I'm sure, as always, learn as we go. I'm hopeful they have the bandwidth. And I'm sure I'll find the expertise on Trawler Forum of great help during the process.
Andrew

 

[mvweebles]

Peter -
Thanks so much for your thoughtful and encouraging response. (You made my wife smile!)
I will reach out to Mario and see what he says about taking on the project.
To answer your two questions: We never had any trouble with the 555s so, while I surely wouldn't have chosen them, replacing them would probably depend on what kind of shape they turned out to be in as well, perhaps, what Tony Athens suggests (he's just down the road from me) in terms of maintaining them going forward. They aren't efficient and I know parts are very hard to come by and often have to be fabricated and are expensive (BN fabricated heat exchangers for them a while back). From what I've read, I do thing I'd go with naturally aspirated JDs if we needed to re-power.
The OA Mk I is semi displacement (even has trim tabs), but even with the HP we have, we cruise at a 9-10 knots. On a good day when I've eaten a light breakfast, maybe we would see 12+. The Cummins are thirsty beasts, so I usually cruise at 1800-2k rpm or so rather than 2400 rpm; it's not worth the credit card stress to squeeze out another knot or two and this way my hair is neat when we finally do arrive. OA originally advertised the boats as being capable of 15-16 knots but that would require a tow for us and the other OA Mk I owners I know.
In terms of the teak, ugh! At the very least I will have the foredeck teak, which is pretty rough and thin, replaced, probably with the synthetic stuff. Don't love the way that looks, but it makes sense. The side and aft decks are covered so, the last time I looked, the teak was in pretty good shape, so hopefully they can remain. And the Portuguese bridge nicely separates the foredeck from the side decks, so there's no abrupt joint issue. As far as the cap rails, window mouldings, other trim etc., we'll see. A lot of folks paint them, I know. I'd miss the beauty of the wood (we used to have a guy who was a varnish maestro), but the effort and cost of maintenance, coupled with the time it takes to remove and replace it, invariably leads to running with the covers on so, really, it's hardy worth it. TBD. We have other fish to fry - like in the ER - first, which is what I told my wife when she read your post and began redesigning the galley!
One thing that is apparent to me is that your expertise and ability to make technical decisions greatly exceed mine, and I get the feeling that played an important role in the success of your Niza experience. But hopefully, as you say, the guys have learned a lot from their work on Weebles (and no doubt from you) and beyond that we'll do the best we can and I'm sure, as always, learn as we go. I'm hopeful they have the bandwidth. And I'm sure I'll find the expertise on Trawler Forum of great help during the process.
Andrew

I'll drop you a PM Andrew. It's very doable. Would not be a primrose path (not by a long shot), but I can think of no other team to take the journey with than Mario and Luis. Cost, skills, access to quality parts is sort of the 3-legged stool of refit. Niza and Ensenada score pretty high. I know you're near Ventura which is probably at least a 5 hour drive. To me in Florida, that sounds like a run to home depot.

 

[Hawkeye]

Peter,
I was there when Vern Neff splashed his Nokia (sistership?) and returned it to Richmond Yacht Club. My friend bought it from them, based in part on your recommendation if I remember right. She has kept it in the same slip but rarely uses it, but for sitting on!
Ted

 

[mvweebles]

Peter,
I was there when Vern Neff splashed his Nokia (sistership?) and returned it to Richmond Yacht Club. My friend bought it from them, based in part on your recommendation if I remember right. She has kept it in the same slip but rarely uses it, but for sitting on!
Ted

Hi Ted. Name of the boat is Nokken. Picture attached. I was berthed for 20 years at Treasure Island, a popular cruise-in destination. I met Vern many years ago and was awestruck by his care and devotion. Truly inspirational for me.

Feel free to join the Willard Boat Owners on Groups.io.

Peter

 

[mvweebles]

Today's picture : mockup of freezer on back deck. It will be glassed in and finished flush with aft seat, sort if a chaise extension. 3-inch insulation with an isotherm compressor.