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johndowney johndowney is offline

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Showing Visitor Messages 1 to 6 of 6
  1. johndowney
    04-04-2013 09:57 PM
    johndowney
    Hi Kelly...I assume this is the link that is now disabled so I wont write much. Let me know if this gets through...John
  2. Kelly
    04-02-2013 05:49 AM
    Kelly
    Part 2
    I'm currently working through a dis-masting. Check the shape of the wood at the top of the masts! Mine was soft and once the tangs let go, the mast split all the way to the deck. The glue wasn't holding anything at all after all these years. My B30 is also from '64 with the fiberglass hull and everything else teak.
    Best regards, Kelly
  3. Kelly
    04-02-2013 05:48 AM
    Kelly
    Hi John...Nice pictures! I especially like the sailing picture off Ventura, a frequent destination for us back in the day.
    I don't think Cheoy Lee was exporting to Europe...I did the export myself after purchasing Jude in Newport, Rhode Island. She arrived in Cherbourg, France where we outfitted her and sailed her to Brest, her current home.
    I also know of James' Cheoy Lee site but there isn't much traffic there that interests me. I was referring to a sub-forum here but actually got the name wrong- it's the Herreshoff group. There isn't any current traffic but if you like, we could give it a try.
    I hear you concerning the leaking decks- it's never ending here and a "known" B30 problem. With time, I'd like to lift the teak, glass over the plywood underneath and glue down the teak- no screws!
  4. johndowney
    03-22-2013 10:51 AM
    johndowney
    part 2...
    I don't seem to get out sailing much these days but I enjoy working on her. My teenage son has "the bug" but I think his heart is really in the modern day speed machines. He does help me out a bit now and then though. A few weeks ago I decided to investigate a persistent leak around the head gasket of the A4 so I worked with him to pull the head and get it skimmed at the machine shop then re-installed. I believe he enjoyed learning how to do this. Now he wants to pull the engine for a complete re-build! (Not a bad idea really. One of these days...)
    Years ago I joined a Cheoy Lee association run by a man James. I haven't really been around that site much lately. Is this group to which you refer? I will see if I can figure out how to reduce the size of my photos and post a couple to an album. (need to figure THAT out too!)
    Best...John
  5. johndowney
    03-22-2013 10:49 AM
    johndowney
    Hi Kelly...Thanks for your note. I had never considered the fact that Cheoy Lee would have exported their boats all over the world. Seems obvious now that I think about it. Mine came in via San Diego in 1964. She was originally owned by a naval officer and named "Happy Days". I bought her in about 1995 from a man in Marina del Rey at which point she was named "La Vie Dansante". I re-named her again (no bad luck here!) for my daughter..."Nina Rose".
    She is in fair condition for a fifty year old boat. Biggest issue is the deck leaks which I struggle to keep up with and usually lose the battle. In a perfect world I would live somewhere with a big old barn in the field out back in which I could rebuild the deck. But time and money wont let that happen in this neck of the woods! The hull is fiberglass which I believe was an option in 1964.

    Cheers...John Downey

    I just learned that my message was too long so I will post a second one later!
  6. Kelly
    03-21-2013 04:51 AM
    Kelly
    Hello John-

    I too am sailing (and motoring with an A4) a Bermuda 30 ketch here in Brest, France. I and the others would love to see some pictures of your boat if you can find the time to post them in an album. There is also a Cheoy Lee "sub-group" you may like to join: there are only a few of us so you would be very welcome indeed if you were to join. It could be a place to discuss Cheoy Lee-specific issues and compare notes on projects, experience etc.

    I was bitten by the sailing bug in Santa Barbara when I lived there from 1986 to 1994 and kept a 30-foot wooden ketch (William Garden design) named Encore in the SB harbor...and off Goleta Beach. When passing through Santa Barbara in 2010, wonderful memories were waiting around every corner!

    Good luck with your tachometer project.

    Best regards,
    Kelly Cayocca

About Me

  • About johndowney
    Boat Name
    Nina Rose
    Home Port
    Santa Barbara
    Location
    Santa Barbara
    Biography
    Helped my Dad work on flat-top motors back in the 1950s! Had my own A4 to tinker with since 1995.
    Occupation
    Chef
    Interests
    Tinkering. Hiking Sierras

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  • Last Activity: 06-21-2018 01:54 PM
  • Join Date: 01-16-2013

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