Delta Help

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plusfourplus
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Delta Help

Post by plusfourplus »

Hi,
Just wanted to introduce myself as a new boat owner, new to the forum and new member of the CMBA! I've had old vehicles for a long time but never had a boat before. Having regretted passing up the opporuntity of an Albatross Continental a few years ago, I've just bought a Delta with a Ford crossflow engine on ebay. My question (first of many probably...) is, 'is this normal?' I know the Delta has a rubber fender round it, but I'm not sure if the rubber should just push on to the GRP or whether it should be fastened back to the wooden strip. My real concern is that this wooden strip is not genuine - looking inside the boat, there are places where certain bracing and stregthening parts just don't seem to line up. This makes me wonder if someone has separated the hull and deck and put an 'extension' piece in, though I can't imagine why someone would do this. It looks very amateur, but as a longstanding owner of Reliant cars, I'm used to the notion that just because something looks amateur, doesn't mean it isn't genuine? Any thoughts before I get out an angle grinder, chop this bit out and bond the hull and deck back together?? I'm based in Caistor near Grimsby and would love to have a good look at a Delta if there are any in the area?

Thanks,
Oliver
Attachments
Bow showing wood strip which runs right round the boat
Bow showing wood strip which runs right round the boat
Inside the stern...
Inside the stern...

Delburt
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Re: Delta Help

Post by Delburt »

Hi Oliver

I'm just finishing off restoring my fibreglass Delta.

Unfortunately, as you suspect, yours seems to have had some extra pieces added. The timber isn't on mine and wasn't on one I had 20 years or so ago. Think someone has split the hull and inserted previously.

If you want a photo of mine let me know. I've almost completed refitting a new fender/rubbing strip so could take a photo before it's all fitted to let you see my Delta.

Cheers

DErek

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solitaire
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Location: Cheselbourne - Nr Dorchester

Re: Delta Help

Post by solitaire »

I had a lovely V6 Delta (It's still in the club) and it had the wooden infill just like yours - I was told it was added to a few of the early GRP Delta's to give more freeboard with the heavier V6 engine (It also had skintanks from the factory). - I,m no expert on Delta's and there are club members who are very knowledgable about them, and I'm sure will answer your question. - but I know there are a few around with the wood infill.
- like all limited production boats, and unlike cars - No two are the exactly same, For me, - it's part of their intrigue and individuality, I served an aprentiship with one of the biggest Thames boats builders and can guarantee that every boat built during my 8 years with them (and it must have been 50 plus) was very different! - just depended how the chippies and fitters felt on the day!!

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bigminiandy
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Re: Delta Help

Post by bigminiandy »

I have a Delta V6 which is thought to be quite a late one and this has no wood inserted between the deck and hull. I don't recall having seen any with the additional wood like yours but I can understand that it would add the extra freeboard that would be helpful.
Life isn't a rehearsal!!!

Fenn and Wood restoration http://s1098.photobucket.com/albums/g36 ... ood%20MK2/

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rnb
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Location: Hertfordshire

Re: Delta Help

Post by rnb »

I have seen a few deltas with a wooden rub rail / strip , still not sure if it was a factory option , anybody shed definitive light on this ? I have two glass deltas an early one with flat deck and a later one with the castellated deck , interestingly the early one has a wood fender rail , i am still unable to decide if it was factory spec or a later addition , my two hull' s both have a identical deck and hull joint , same mould , with no additional height to the freeboard . As Sinbad suggests i dont think there are a lot of identical boats , certainly every delta appears to have detail differences or unfortunately a lot have been altered / modified since they left Beccles .
Do you have any more photos of yours , still am unable to work out if the hull / deck joint is is higher/wider than standard or if the wood merely sits below the joint externally ?
Cheers

plusfourplus
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Re: Delta Help

Post by plusfourplus »

Thanks for all the advice (Derek, some pictures of your boat would be really helpful please!).

The wood strip fits between the deck/hull joint - I assume on a boat without the wood, these two surfaces would have been bonded directly together. Looking at the hull from the inside, the 'gap' between the hull and deck (i.e. where the wood strip is) is fibreglassed over. The thing that really makes me wonder if this is original is how shoddily it's been done. If you look at the picture I uploaded of inside the stern, there are two vertical metal plates fibreglassed into the hull, which I assume should go right up and meet the deck. However, as you can (hopefully!) see in the picture, they don't, and the gap has been made up with a strip of fibreglass. I've uploaded some more pictures taken inside the bow which show a similar story - there's a bracing piece (sorry I don't know if these things have proper nautical terms... :oops: ) which is bonded to the deck, but not to the sides of the hull, again the gap has been made up with a strip of fibreglass. Having said that, it's probably no worse than some of the 'original' bodges on my Reliant Scimitar.

If there isn't a definitive answer on this, what's the consesus of opinion? Do I leave the wood strip in, or separate the hull and deck and bond them directly togther? My real concern is for safety and the structural integrity of the boat...

Apologies for quality of pics, but I'm using my phone at the moment as my camera is bust.

Thanks,
Oliver
Attachments
Close up inside the bow
Close up inside the bow
Looking inside the bow at the strengthening piece, which doesn't seem to meet the side of the hull
Looking inside the bow at the strengthening piece, which doesn't seem to meet the side of the hull
Stern of the boat, showing wood strip
Stern of the boat, showing wood strip

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rnb
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Re: Delta Help

Post by rnb »

Hello , Have had a good look at all your photos , think maybe somebody has split the deck/hull and inserted the wood fender rail, The reconstruction work after this modification looks very poor, Not sure why the steel has been utilised ? etc.

The vertical pieces at the transom are normally ply that are glassed in and are part of the construction which holds the rudder top mount .

I would cut the wood out remove the deck and re-glass/tape them back together on the inside , possibly easier than replacing rotten wood on a below standard diy mod . ..........But it is your boat and you may like the wood .

Delburt
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Re: Delta Help

Post by Delburt »

Hi Oliver

Managed to find some photographs of my Delta before I painted it that show how mine is jointed.

Hope they help you.

Cheers

Derek
Attachments
DSC05189.JPG
DSC05183 (2).jpg

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solitaire
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Re: Delta Help

Post by solitaire »

Plus4 - Hi
I had a look through my old files relating to my Delta, and as I mentioned previously it is still in the club - under the name "Flying Fish" - the owner is flybuyboat
Briefly and for what it's worth, here is some of the History of that boat
There was an article about it in the CMBA magazine #27, I,m sorry I dont have a copy - buy I'm am sure a club member can supply one.
Spec. - Year 1974, Number 117520, Engine 3.0l Ford grandad! GRP Hull and Deck with a 2" laminated Mahogany and Oak spacer beteen the deck and the hull!
History - "Built and delivered in 1974, returned to Ray Wright in 1976 for the fitting of hull side sponsons, - according to Delta archives, this boat was one of only 3 that were fitted with the albatross type keel coolers, and it was one of the first to be fitted with the Ford V6 engine, Ray Wright had to put a 2" spacer between the hull anfd the deck to accommodate the extra engine height (later boats had the hull/deck modified to give increased freeboard)
I have nothing to verify the above apart from the CMBA article and a condition report from me to the new owner in 2007, but cannot imagine anyone other than the factory undertaking the work to fit a spacer after the boat was built
Hope this helps in some way
Regards - Sinbad

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rnb
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Re: Delta Help

Post by rnb »

Interesting info Sinbad , i need to get my tape measure out the next time i see a 3 ltr delta . I think the serial No dates your old boat as November 1975 manufacture , wonder why the modification on Plus four' s boat seem to have been carried out so poorly for want of a better description if it was a factory mod ?

Plus four , your boat has a crossflow , is it the original motor ?

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