rsn48
Guru
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2019
- Messages
- 2,019
- Location
- Canada
- Vessel Name
- Capricorn
- Vessel Make
- Mariner 30 - Sedan Cruiser 1969
So there is actually a procedure to reading this post, first you must turn the video on and listen to it while reading, it gets you into the spirit of where I am psychologically:
(Its actually playing as I type this).
So Capricorn, my 28 foot Sedan (express) cruiser has been in refit since November of 2018, not always worked on but hundreds of hours into the refit and you can imagine the costs.
The short history on this boat is as follows. Mariner's were built in Vancouver, I'm not sure when their production was halted but my guess would be when fiberglass became "THE" way to build hulls. Capricorn's hull is glass over yellow cedar incredibly thick plywood. The actual glass is very thin, but it has held up very well since 1969. The rest of the boat is wood.
I gave my son, over a decade ago, three rules of boat buying. And they are 1) Never buy a wooden boat 2) never buy a wooden boat 3) never buy a wooden boat. So I bought one to prove my point.
Woodies will understand what I have to say, but there is an ambiance you don't get in fiberglass, there is a sense of history that comes with an older wooden boat, somehow a connection into the long maritime history, both First Nations, European and contemporary North Americans. One of those semi-spiritual deals like feeling your boat has a life and a spirit with the extension of that marine spirit joining with the weltanschauung consciousness of mariner's of foregone days.
With this Mariner, it is difficult to determine specifics of design. Many, including a few at Nauticapedia ( Nauticapedia-Maritime Heritage ), feel the boat shows influences of a Thorton Grenfell design. Thorton was known to parse out his designs for others to build, it is felt Mariners fell into this category. Thorton's boats were lapstrake hulls, no fiberglass and don't hold me to this, but the hulls were a darker blue in colour. Here is a lousy picture of a 1965 Grenfell boat: 1965 Grenfell Bridge Express Cruiser powerboat for sale in
I have found in old Pacific Yachting Magazine in the classified sections, other Mariners for sail from 26 feet up to 45 feet. I just found three for sale in 1993 PY mags, a 26 and a 29 and a 33. But in magazines from 2016 and forward, I've seen no reference to this brand for sale. I can't say my boat is the only one left, but I'm pretty sure it is one of the last remaining boats from its boat builder.
Tuesday is sea trials with the new Mercruiser 6.2 L 350 hp motor. Everything is new on the boat except for the shell so my refit guy and one of his techs will be on the boat. The retailer where I bought the engine and installed will also be on the boat. The boat has been inspected and one minor deficiency was fixed, the visibility of a certain area around the fuel tanks, so small hatches were installed over these areas.
I will be following up with what was done to the boat and hopefully a Youtube vid. The boat looks very much like a Chris Craft from the 50's or 60's.
So for me, it will be Christmas in August.
(Its actually playing as I type this).
So Capricorn, my 28 foot Sedan (express) cruiser has been in refit since November of 2018, not always worked on but hundreds of hours into the refit and you can imagine the costs.
The short history on this boat is as follows. Mariner's were built in Vancouver, I'm not sure when their production was halted but my guess would be when fiberglass became "THE" way to build hulls. Capricorn's hull is glass over yellow cedar incredibly thick plywood. The actual glass is very thin, but it has held up very well since 1969. The rest of the boat is wood.
I gave my son, over a decade ago, three rules of boat buying. And they are 1) Never buy a wooden boat 2) never buy a wooden boat 3) never buy a wooden boat. So I bought one to prove my point.
Woodies will understand what I have to say, but there is an ambiance you don't get in fiberglass, there is a sense of history that comes with an older wooden boat, somehow a connection into the long maritime history, both First Nations, European and contemporary North Americans. One of those semi-spiritual deals like feeling your boat has a life and a spirit with the extension of that marine spirit joining with the weltanschauung consciousness of mariner's of foregone days.
With this Mariner, it is difficult to determine specifics of design. Many, including a few at Nauticapedia ( Nauticapedia-Maritime Heritage ), feel the boat shows influences of a Thorton Grenfell design. Thorton was known to parse out his designs for others to build, it is felt Mariners fell into this category. Thorton's boats were lapstrake hulls, no fiberglass and don't hold me to this, but the hulls were a darker blue in colour. Here is a lousy picture of a 1965 Grenfell boat: 1965 Grenfell Bridge Express Cruiser powerboat for sale in
I have found in old Pacific Yachting Magazine in the classified sections, other Mariners for sail from 26 feet up to 45 feet. I just found three for sale in 1993 PY mags, a 26 and a 29 and a 33. But in magazines from 2016 and forward, I've seen no reference to this brand for sale. I can't say my boat is the only one left, but I'm pretty sure it is one of the last remaining boats from its boat builder.
Tuesday is sea trials with the new Mercruiser 6.2 L 350 hp motor. Everything is new on the boat except for the shell so my refit guy and one of his techs will be on the boat. The retailer where I bought the engine and installed will also be on the boat. The boat has been inspected and one minor deficiency was fixed, the visibility of a certain area around the fuel tanks, so small hatches were installed over these areas.
I will be following up with what was done to the boat and hopefully a Youtube vid. The boat looks very much like a Chris Craft from the 50's or 60's.
So for me, it will be Christmas in August.
Merry Christmas-in-August!
