The Redeemed has been a labor of love for Bob Davis. The
following is Bob's account of what started out as a simple
fuel tank replacement on a Blackman 20, and what turned
into a major hull rebuild!
The
whole thing really got started
about four years ago, when I was fishing in San Quintin.
Kelly Catian,
owner
of El Capitan Sportfishing, was telling me that if
he had a
choice of any boat brand he would choose a Blackman.
I took this as pretty good advice, since Kelly has
been
fishing
professionally for a lot of years, and he knows a lot
about boats.
About a year later I had the chance to buy a 20’ Blackman
center console, and I jumped at the opportunity. At that
time the boat had a new coat of paint, and looked pretty
good—to the untrained eye--and mine was as
untrained as they get.
I overlooked a lot of “minor” problems, because
when I looked at the sweet lines of this boat I just had
to have it. And, of course, I paid too much—but who
doesn’t the first time? And, who needs to go on a sea-trial
anyway—right??? So the money changed hands
and I became the proud owner of Redeemed.
It really was a sight, the T-top was home made, and
it showed. The paint was an exercise in orange-peel,
and
the trailer
was an old Aros that had definitely seen better days.
In fact, on the first trip down to the ramp I noticed
one
of the trailer wheels rolling past me on Hwy 52!
Anyway, the
best part of the deal was the motor. It was an old
151B Volvo, with the original Chrysler/Volvo 270
outdrive, and a bad
valve that was about to make itself known.
The seller spent a lot of time telling me how strong
the motor was, and what a great boat it was—and I ate that
up like the sucker I was. Reality came into focus about
two seconds after I backed it off of the trailer for the
first time. Everything was going so well, and then the motor
died, and would not restart. After a ten-minute thrash my
mechanic friend—who was along for the checkout ride—got
it started again. He knew a little more than I did
about boats, and he suggested that we spend some
time cruising
around Mission Bay. That was great advice, but I
ignored it completely and headed out for La Jolla.
We didn’t get a mile out of the jetty before an exhaust
valve came apart. If you’ve never heard this it really
is an experience—sort of like grinding up a fork in
the disposal, except that you know it’s going
to cost a lot more than a fork or a disposal.
OK, one month and a few dollars later Don had installed
a brand new Volvo 3.0 GS motor and outdrive, and
it ran like
new again. I spent most of that year learning about
tuna fishing from a small boat. I’d spent lots
of time fishing on the day boats, but this was my
first boat,
and really
my first experience on a small boat.
We fished at the islands at first, but by the end
of the year I was stacking three gas cans on the
deck
and heading
for the 390. This is what really started the rebuild
process. I hated carrying gas on the deck, and the
tank was just
too small for the long runs. Also, I thought that
adding a little
flotation wouldn’t hurt. So, just before Thanksgiving
of 2000 I started stripping things down to get ready
to pull the decks and replace the gas tank. I figured
that
I could
get the tank done in a month or two, and be back
fishing for the early yellowtail bite. 
The first thing that I saw after
the decks were lifted was the totally rotted deck supports
and bulkheads
that the previous
owner had assured me were “completely rebuilt”.
OK, so maybe I would be ready for the tuna bite in July—after
all, how hard could it be.
A closer inspection showed me that along with the
rotted wood I had termites living
in the starboard stringer.
About this time I started to realize
that things were getting
a lot more complicated that I had
anticipated, but the stubborn
Irish part of me, and the cheap Scottish
part of me, kept me on the do-it-yourself
track.
Don was a lifesaver at this time. He showed
me how do “spiling” to
transfer the hull contour to
a template, and he personally cut
out
the 2 x 6
needed for
the replacement stringer.
  
There are a few pictures showing
the stringer removal and replacement
process, so you can get an
idea of the steps. The replacement stringer
was
cut
so well
that all I had
to do was shave
an angle on the piece and
it fit like new.
The only part that doesn’t show on the pictures is
all the fiberglass sticking in me after the grinding. I learned
to hate grinding fiberglass—a
guaranteed three days of
itching every time.
The
most notable thing about the entire
rebuild
was how it seemed
to go in
stages. You work
along for
weeks cutting
all of the bulkheads
and fitting the stringers,
but nothing
changes until
the day you glue
everything into place—then
it seems like a new boat.
Then,
you start again covering everything with cloth, and nothing
seems to
change until you put the Fuel tank in and add the deck—and
so on.
I was determined to make this rebuild the last,
so everything was done to
overkill. All of the wood
was saturated with
thinned polyester resin,
and then covered in glass cloth. When we got
the
boat
there
was no access
to storage under
the deck, so we added a lot
of storage and two big insulated fish holds
with a
macerator pump.
The boat
had absolutely
no flotation
foam, so I added over 32 cubic feet—enough
to float
everything plus an additional 600 pounds. The main
deck
supports were increased
from
2 x 2, to
2 x 4, and I
fabricated
a large center console
with a door and
room under it for a porta-potty.
The pictures show the general
progress, but the day-to-day
progress seemed slow.
I have
developed a
new respect for the
Blackman’s, and the knowledge and work it takes
to make quality boats. My hull is a 1974 model, and you will
not find better or more solid glasswork anywhere. Before I did
this project I thought that there must be a pretty
good profit margin in the boat-building business—now
I cannot
see how
they even
make a
profit at
all.
I
intentionally did
not keep
exact track
of what
I spent
on this
project, but
I know
for sure
that it
is way
over $10,000—not counting the original boat or the new motor.
The time was another story. It took
every Friday, Saturday, and half of most Sunday’s from May 2001 to May 2002—way
over
1000
hours.
But,
what
I
got
in
return
was
an
education
about
boats
that
cannot
be
gained
any
other
way,
an
intimate
knowledge
of
this
boat,
and
the
satisfaction
of
having
stuck
it
out
and
made
something
that
will
last
for
a
lot
of
fishing
seasons.
This
last
weekend
we
applied
the
first
coat
of
paint
to
the
hull—which signals the end of the work. Next weekend
we apply the final paint coat, and wire the T-Top. The canvas
for the top is on its way, and after that it’s
fishing
time.
So
many
people
helped
me
on
this
project
that
I
cannot
even
begin
to
name
them
all.
I
had
a
lot
of
support
and
ideas
from
the
Allcoast
website,
Don
and
Shirley
gave
me
great
advice
and
tips,
and
helped
immeasurably
with
the
fabrication
of
the
replacement
stringer.
Most
of
all,
my
very
understanding
wife
Kim
put
up
with
me
when
I
was
frustrated,
listened
to
me
talk
about
construction
details
that
no-one
else
was
interested
in,
and
gave
me
the
free-rein
to
see
the
project
to
completion.
If
anyone
wants
to
talk
about
technical
aspects
of
this
type
of
rebuild
I’d love to hear from them. I also helped
my friend replace a portion of the deck on his 23’ Blackman
CC,
so
I
have
seen
at
least
two!!
Also,
my
trade
is
electrical
/
electronics,
so
that
area
is
pretty
well
covered.
This
boat
is
pretty
unmistakable,
so
if
you
see
me
on
the
water
or
at
the
ramp,
stop
by
and
say
hello!
Bob.Davis
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