Webmaster Note: Winton Phillips (No Worries) and your webmaster have been engaged in an email exchange regarding his major rebuilding project. No Worries is a wood boat on a fiberglass hull, as is Marionette and several other dolphins. Hopefully, this information will be useful, as well as interesting.

This photo shows the transom locker with the removable panel that closes off the cockpit in a bracket against the starboard cockpit seat. The spaces either side of the engine are used for a 3 gallon tank on port, plus a 6 gallon tank on starboard when cruising. The motor handle and throttle control can be accessed either in the up position or down. The motor can be twisted in place to get reverse - if necessary.

This photo shows the aft cockpit panel in place. You can see the aft clip that holds it against the starboard side of the cockpit seat. The other clip is just out of view up forward.The tiller is in the varnish room... The access port on the port side is for a manual bilge pump.

This is where the 4 hp Johnson mounts. That's a drain hole under the sacrificial wood plate for the engine screws.The spaces either side are covered with 1/4 plywood on which the gas tanks sit. On the port side you can just make out the end of the heavy shock cord that goes over the tank and hooks into an eye fitting, holding the tank in place.

Marionette has a heavy hull plug with locking fittings and a handle and is seen at the left. It is a work of art...The two small wood locking pieces just visable above at either side hold in place a fitted plywood plate (see below at left) that covers the opening with the engine in place. This prevents water from being forced up the opening from following seas. The plate at the right below is used to seal the opening with the engine out and the hull plug in place. It has a hook on a shock cord that passes thru the plate and thru a camcleat to seal off the opening. The hook fastens to the handle on the plug.

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Webmaster Note: Emails edited for applicable content.

                                                                          December 11, 2007

Ron,

Thanks for the pictures. I checked out the other Marionette info and it will help. They also bring up other questions if you could advise.

One surviving part that I got with No Worries was the fiberglass motor hatch cover. Your double door hatch looks good, but do you have any issues with it that might be avoided with using one single hatch opening?

                                                                          December 12, 2007

Hi Winston

Re 2 'door hatch vs single 'door' hatch - I have not had any problems with my 2 door hatch. They open to the sides whereas a single hatch opens fore/aft. Fully open they are not as high as a single hatch is open - this is probably a small plus for the 2 door system - reduced wind related issues - ie, not as heavy when it comes crashing down. Mine have never come down accidentally (if you look closely at the top picture you will see the coiled spring stops? that hold the hatch doors up) I had  a canvas cover made to protect the varnish. I could not advise on which might be better functionally. I think wood looks better than fiberglass, and I think my 2 doors look better than one large wood one, but that’s just personal preference.

Ron