March 24, 2011. We first found out about this particularly interesting boat from Robert Rothbart back on February 7. We have been in touch with the Galveston based Sea Scouts organization for more information, but as yet no luck. Delphinus has been waiting too long already so here's what we have. This is Robert's email:

Dear Mr. Breault,

I ran across you web site and thought I should contact you.  Around 1979-80 I found two fiberglass molds for a sailboat among other molds just sitting in some tall grass behind some buildings in Galveston, Texas.  For a short time I worked at Island Yacht, a company that was building Peterson 34s.  I worked in the mold shop and I laid up some hulls, decks, and interior parts for the 34s.  I located the owner of the molds and he told me he cast a hull and deck from the two molds and would sell them to me.  I purchased them and turned the molds into a boat.  I didn't have the monies to purchase the fiberglass and/or resin.  I ground down the molds and thru bolted and glassed the two molds together.  Bolted on a cast iron keel that no one wanted.  I purchased a used mast, yes sorry only one, and launched "Delphinus".

I only sailed her for a short time.  There was a Shaw on Clear Lake, in Texas, but I never saw the owner.  I donated Delphinus to the Sea Scouts and don't know whatever happened to the mold that became a boat.  In the early 80' I hired a man who had a fiberglass fabrication shop, and it turns out that he was the guy who made the mold that I turned into a boat.  At some point I may find a picture of the mold boat and send it to you. 

I presently have hull #36 Seapearl 21 that I have owned since new.  I have her in storage and haven't sailed her for over a year, which is not a good thing.

All the best,

Robert Rothbard

How Shaw 24's with glass hulls, and decks, came into being is a story only partially told so far. Bill Shaw, who designed the Shaw 24, a wood boat, had no knowledge of these boats. We have been procrastinating for some time on the need to consolidate all that we know about fiberglass Shaw 24 in to a separate story, and having 'found' the molds, more or less, we have even more good reason to do this. Click here to go to fiberglass Shaw 24's.