"Ragtop"

Welcome to the "Ragtop" restoration page. My name is Don and I have always wanted to take an older boat and rebuild it. I got over this about two years but unfortunately the boat was not finished. I have no real skill for this project. I am employed in the finance industry and along the way I have broken two ribs, (falling into the engine compartment before the engine was installed). I also took the end off my left index finger and sawed through the first joint on my left middle finger while learning to use the table saw. Some lessons cost more than others but I am happy to report that I am much better with the table saw.

I have learned a lot on this project mainly rebuilding a older boat is a lot of work. My real passion is sailing but in 1995 my boys convinced me to sell the blowboat and go fishing which I must admit is a lot of fun. Along the way I earned a USCG 50 ton Masters ticket, near coastal for power and sail with a commercial assistance towing endorsement. (I may have to get a job w/ Sea Tow to support my boating habit). The boys and I have fished a John Allman, Grady White, 265 Pursuit and our current boat a Carolina Classic. In 2000 we took the Pursuit from our home port of Morehead City to Port Canaveral FL by water and fished for a month. It was a lot of fun and I recommend it highly but I digress.

My goal in buying the CC was to have a boat that I could take up and down the East coast, small enough for one person to handle, and self contained enough to anchor out. I also plan to keep the Classic for fishing. The boat was purchased in PA and I had it delivered to NC in the Spring of 05. I spent 6 months just looking at it and wondering what the heck I was thinking. My wife has often said that one person could make a living just selling me boats. I started work in the Fall of 05 tearing the boat down. When I finshed the only thing that remained was the hull, deck, liner and steering wheel (I thought I needed to keep something original). The main stringers were rotten and had to be replaced and the main hatch was opened up to give better access to the engine. There was a lot of rot in the deck and cabin top and the glasswork has been extensive. I purchased a used 350 Crusader and transmission from RI and had it completely rebuilt. The windows, front and side were glassed in and 8 Bomar oval hatches and two ventilation hatches in the cabin top were installed. The interior was finished out in teak with painted pine tongue and groove overhead. The cabin sole will be oak. The interior will be reminiscient of an old sail boat (Can't get too far from my roots you know). A bowthruster was installed along with all new wiring and plumbing.

I like to refer to this as a 30 foot project. In other words it looks good from 30 feet away, any closer and the flaws jump right out at you. Work has progressed slowly but I have contracted to haul my Classic to Florida for the January 2014 salifish bite so the trailer has to be free. It is going to the coast within the next 2 weeks.

It made it to the coast and Tow Boat US took it from the ramp to the marina where I was going to finish the project. The trip to Stuart was a success and we caught sails! Dialing the boat in was more of a challenge than I imagined. Although the engine had been completely rebuilt I used the same distributor and carburator and ultimately they had to be replaced. What's another $1K? The prop had to come off 4 times before we achieved the max rpms. The portlights leaked and had to be removed and resealed. The boat was incredibly wet and spray covered the windhield in all but slick calm conditions. I solved that problem by adding spray rails which was not as big a deal as I thought it was going to be.

All in all I spent the summer getting it right between fishing trips. I had realized  a couple of years ago that this boat was not going to be a cruiser but I knew I had to finish it to salvage my reputation and sell the boat. After using it through the summer I put it up for sale and in 3 weeks it was gone. I have been looking for a trawler that I can singlehand yet provide sufficient room for inside living and outside enjoyment. I have made offers on several boats But I have finally sttled on a Transpac Eagle 40. Now all I have to do is find one for sale.

I look forward to getting out on the water soon and I appreciate you following my project. If you ever dream about going cruising, do it now!