August 20, 2018. We received the following email from Fraser Dodds

I am now the proud owner of Hull 126, she is now called 'Minx' and moored in Victoria, British Columbia.

Owner Fraser Dodds

Thank you

Welcome Aboard Fraser!

Fair Winds Charles and Louise Mossop

Postscript: Thanks Ron, I would like to thank the previous owners for keeping her in such good condition!!

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This is the history we had on #126 up to this point

December 7, 2007 We received the following email from Charles and Louise Mossop. Pictures are promised.

Dear Ron:

We are new owners of #126 which was built by Yankee Yachts in 1976. We had been looking for an Alberg 22, as we had had an A-29. However, I am sight disabled and we found the A-29 too heavy and too much for us to handle therefore we thought we would downsize to the 22.

My wife, Louise, subscribes to Good Old Boat Magazine and saw the article on the Dolphin 24 in the Sept/Oct 2005 issue. She really liked the boat but thought there probably would not be one available in Canada. After searching for the past few months for a boat and looking at a few different models which all had serious problems, we were not getting anywhere and were almost on the point of giving up. We had thought of saving up for a Flicka 20 but it was really out of our price range. Also, moorage here is almost non-existent - there is a waiting list of up to five years or more - but we had moorage for 25' so we had to buy a boat that would fit.

Louise just happened to pick up a local boat sales magazine and found an ad through a youth organization that promotes sailing and outdoor activities. They are given donated boats which they sell to support two Tall Ships which they use to teach sailing to young people. One of their ships is presently in the South Pacific. They had a 1976 Dolphin 24 donated to them and we rushed down to see it. We are two hours or so away from their location in Victoria, B.C.

The boat was in good condition; we loved her right away, put down a deposit, hired a surveyor (for insurance purposes) and made arrangements to have her trucked to our back yard where she now resides on a sturdy custom-built cradle. Everything was completed in a week. We expect to have her in the yard for a year or so for refitting.  My wife likes to do the maintenance and will be painting her, etc. Unfortunately I am not able to do too much of that sort of thing, but I stand around and give all sorts of advice! She just bought herself a laser light saber saw for her Christmas present.

She wants to replace the present ports with opening ones and also replace the forward hatch over the V-berth. Have you done this, or do you know of anyone who has? The surveyor stated she would not be able to replace the hatch because of the significant camber on the cabin top. She wants to replace it with a Lewmar Ocean Series hatch. Do you have any ideas on this? She has done quite a bit of fibreglassing so that would not be a problem as she has worked on our previous boats.

There are also a number of other things we want to do such as rewiring, rebuilding the galley and dinette and removing the head and replacing it with a portapotti since the boat has no holding tank and we don't wish to put one in. (It is not legal to sail in our area of the British Columbia coast and Gulf Islands without a holding tank.) We also need to put on a stern pulpit and double lifelines. The rig needs replacing but we will get that professionally done after we've done the refit.

We would like to put our name on the roster, but we can't seem to find a link for doing so -- or do you add new members' names?

Thank you for your work on the site, we really like it.

Thanks,
Charles and Louise Mossop
Nanaimo,  BC
1976 Yankee Dolphin 24 named DOLPHIN
Hull #126

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Your webmaster had an exchange of emails with the Mossops regarding Dolphin's Hull # - Yankee # 126. A quick look at the Roster and you will find that boats on either side of # 126 have dates of manufacture of 1969. The Yankee nameplate on Dolphin's bulkhead says 1976. This is when Pacific Dolphin - who had acquired ownership of the Dolphin 24 molds - started production - after a 5 year period when no Dolphins were built. There's a story in Dolphin's background ......

The Mossops respond on the year built question

 December 19, 2007

Hi Ron:

Yes, there may be a story. We're wondering if someone accidentally or even on purpose transposed the numbers so that 1967 became 1976, Still, she's in great shape overall, so we'll just press on and perhaps we may find out something later on.

 Cheers,

Charles and Louise

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August 16, 2009 - Charles and Louise checked in with an update on Dolphin - the following are edited excerpts from our exchange of emails. They pose some interesting questions regarding interior alterations and liner issues. It might be that readers have attempted these types of renovations and can add to this conversation

Dear Ron:

Greetings from British Columbia, Canada. We have Yankee Dolphin  #126 which we now believe is a 1970 according to our research but was sold to us as a 1976. This cannot be correct, as you surmised (Webmaster note - the surrounding boat numbers on the Rosters helped us on this)

We have taken out the galley and want to put in a four-foot berth/settee for Louise to sit on and a 20x24" proper nav station at the head of the quarter berth area by the companionway ladder. Our problem is the hull liner. For the base of the berth do we have to cut through the hull liner to put in cleat stock for the berth or can we put the cleat stock on the liner near the sole? We will also put cleat stock on the forward bulkhead to support the head of the berth. We also plan to use the two bulkhead dividers from the galley to support the berth and we  are wondering if we can attach them to the liner or do we need to cut it away. They were attached to the liner previously but only at the inboard edges with metal brackets. However, no one was sitting on the galley! This problem has stymied us for weeks so we are contacting you in desperation. We are setting the boat up for the two of us and will use a barbeque grill for cooking and have a portable sink that we use for camping that we can use in the cockpit.  Louise has consulted all her DIY books (Don Casey, Bruce Bingham and Dan Spurr) but they only mention the liner as a nuisance. In Good Old Boat magazine one fellow mentions he totally removed the liner in his Pearson 26 rebuild but we are not experienced enough to do that! If we had money we would just take the boat to a yard and have them do everything we want, but being pensioners we can't do that.

We are having the sink seacock removed and professionally sealed by someone charging $85/hour so we trust he will do a good job. He has quoted us 12 hours for two seacocks and a depth sounder installation, so we'll forget the sounder for now. The boat came with a fishfinder/sounder which was supposed to work through the hull but the previous owner said it did not work. We ultimately gave it to our neighbour for his power boat.

Louise removed four of the ports with no problem, but the two forward ones have been totally sealed up with bedding compound, probably 5200 and she cannot get them out at all. She's tried cutting away the compound, but to no avail. Any ideas other than dynamite? The only new ports we can get are 5 x 12" which don't quite fit, and again the liner is a problem so we assume we have to fill in the space between the hull and liner with epoxied-in plywood to support the new stainless steel opening ports. Your comments please.

Thanks very much,

Charles and Louise Mossop

Your Webmaster replies

Hi Charles and Louise
I am no expert on finessing hull liners but I think I would cut away the liner and glass tab the cleat stock to the hull. In the area that used to be covered by the liner you might consider wood slats/shelving which can be bonded to the hull. It looks good, usually, and is functional.

Regarding the stove/cooking issue, you might consider getting 2nd hand one of those 'swinging/cantilevered one burner cooking units' - the name slips me. They can be 'unhooked' and stored when not in use but can be very useful for boiling water or heating up one pot meals on one of the 'rare' liquid sunshine BC days.

Yikes! $1000 to do the thru hull work - does that include new seacocks? Peace of mind comes at a high price - Don Casey, I think, has advice on how to do this - I redid mine years ago - so far no problems. I have a depth sounder that requires no through hull fitting - bonds to the inside of the hull - I did that one myself also. Careful attention needs to be paid to bonding/installation instructions

The most difficult problem is the ports - getting good looking ones that fit and, then when they do fit, won't leak.   I would try and find the right size by contacting 2nd hand/consignment marine stores on the web - many of them now respond to web inquiries. Try contacting West Marine's tech adviser (their 1 800 line) and ask how to solve the suspected 5200 problem. Otherwise, I don't know what else you can do, other than what you are planning.

On my boat, Marionette, we do not have opening ports. The plexiglass plates are fastened to the inside of the solid mahagony house sides using 21 brass machine screw wood inserts I drilled in the old wood screw holes, and small brass 'bolts'. (that's 7 ports x 21 = 147!!!) I use a soft but firm polysulfide gasket strip cut to length that gets squeezed when you tighten the screws to make a waterproff seal - does not leak - hardware stores carry it. My son's Passage, which has an all fiberglass house, no liner, is awaiting a plan on how to do this right.

We need a picture of your boat!!!

Ron

August 15, 2009 Charles and Louise respond:

Hi Ron:

Thanks for your information. In regard to the seacocks we are taking them out, not replacing them and having the openings glassed over. The price has gone down somewhat since we aren't doing the depth sounder. The previous owner had the same kind of transducer and depth sounder you mentioned, but it did not work in our hull. Louise has Don Casey's, Dan Spurr's and Bruce Bingham's DIY books but feels the seacock closures in the hull should be professionally done.

We had one of the stoves you describe years ago in our 20-footer and wouldn't you know it, we sold it with the boat.  West Marine carried it a year ago so we will ask the manager here if he can get us one. Otherwise we'll contact Defender.

We will send you a boat photo as soon as Louise completes the paint job on the exterior of the hull and deck. Right now it's a battleship grey due to the undercoat; it will be finished in an Interlux Brightside  "Flag Blue" (Navy). She's finished the stern and it looks terrific. (Webmaster Note - Marionette has her hull painted with Interlux Brightside with good results, I think)

Thanks again,
Charles and Louise

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September 19, 2014 We got the following update from Charles (edited)

Hi Ron:

We have had some difficult problems this year, and Dolphin remained covered all season. We may have to sell her next Spring, but have made no decisions as yet.

Hope all is well with you and Oh Miss (Marionette), and that you are getting in some good sailing. Take care,

Charles and Louise

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