Duracell Project on YT

[localboy]

For anyone who may be interested or has time to kill over the gloomy winter, there is a YT channel that got pushed to me by the algorithm. If you're interested in boat restoration, check out "The Duracell Project" on YT. Builder is local (Port Townsend) and is restoring a 1980s racing sailboat, known as "DURACELL", into a comfortable cruising sailboat. Total gut job and build that he started in 2021. The boat was built and sailed by legendary American sailor, Mike Plant. Plant sailed and beat the American record for solo circumnavigation in the first Vendee Globe in 1989 on this boat. The boat is 60' LOA and was on the hard for about 25 years after colliding with a container ship.

I have no affiliation with the new builder/restorer, but I'm highly impressed with the work, talent, experience, creativity and dedication he has put into the boat already.

 

[thataway]

Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. I had not heard of it previoiusly and feel it is a great "tutorial" on how to build a boat as well as entaining reading. It takes a lot more time when building to produce a series of videos.

I have problems with some "modern concepts" and will get this out of the way. I have an adversion to any one who is asking for "Patrons" to monetarly support their life style or projects. I guess that this is "payback" for the time in making the video. Second I would have used marine ply or exterior plywood for the bulkhead cores--instead of "particle Board". Plywood is stronger, and not as subject to damage when water gets into the core (heaven forbid). The outer fiberglass can break down under multiple stress cycles, and environmental factors.

They do a lot of things "right", and make great use of modern materials. A 60' boat is a huge project for a couple to build. I have friends who have done that--but the largest boat I built from scratch was 38 feet long, and we finished it in 2 years, working about 7 hours a day on my medical practice (plus hospital rounds morning and evening) and 7 hours a day on the boat. That did not leave a lot of time for sleep--eating was done on the run.

Watching this I consider a "must" for those who work on fiberglass boats. Some details are left out, but with a good "manual" or "book" such as the group of 4 books by Allan H. Vaitses, "Building a Fiberglass Boat by Arthur Edmunds or Fiberglass Boat Building for Amateurs by Ken Hankinson. I wish those books had been around when I built our boat ~45 years ago.