Whale
Other
Loyd's Boat
Loyd Dussault has made many interesting changes to his boat. The most obvious is
a permanent hardtop. Loyd has lived on his boat many summers and quickly found
that under those conditions the pop top cover was a real bother. He made a
hardtop with clear windows that allow clear vision through the top when sailing.
The top is made out of fiberglass with gel coat on the outside and is mounted
permanently to the cabin top. This required a new and larger hatch to the
companionway steps. The hatch also has a window in it. 
This is a view from the cockpit which shows how clear the windows are. The
compass is also a see through type and is mounted in a window for eye level
viewing. Also the swing away instruments are visable. When not in use they
swing into the cabin and are out of the way. 
Looking from the front of the topshows that the halyards are run to the
cockpit. Some of the hardware for the self tending jib can be seen.
This picture shows the faux deck. The lines running forward go under
the faux decks and this makes walking on the deck much safer because
there are no lines to roll under your feet. The hard top also allows
grab rails to be put on so there is a good handhold. 
This shows the self tending jib. Loyd devised a different method of attaching
the tack of the jib. This allowed the jib to be positioned a little further
forward. This allows the use of a boom on the jib. The boom allows the boat
to be tacked without touching the jib sheets. 
Since the hardtop is permanent Loyd had to figure a way of raising and
lowering the mast. The next pictures show the method he devised. The first
picture shows the front of the top and the fitting that is attached near
the top of the hardtop. 
In order to lower the mast it is necessary to tip it down part way so
that the mast will fit into the fitting near the top of the hardtop. After
it is pinned there the pivot bolt near the deck is removed. This allows
the mast to pivot on the hardtop.
During the rest of the way down the mast pivots on the hardtop. This
picture shows the mast all the way down with the mast in the mastcrutch.
Here is a more detailed view of the side deck. The lines going forward can be seen going under the faux deck.
The mast crutch was moved to the stern which allows steering the boat if the mast is down. A roller was added to the top to make the mast easier to move forward and back.
These are just a few of the modifications Loyd has made to his boat.
Loydd@prodigy.net