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Teal was built by Phil Zerega in his back yard in Southport, CT on a bare fiberglass hull (#12) built by O'Day. He picked up that hull in Fall River in the summer/fall of 1960 using a borrowed trailer. His son Mark found the following pictures in an old scrapbook.
This is Phil single handing Teal
With no boat building experience but a strong technical background, a craftsman's skill in working with wood and a facination with the potential of fiberglass as a building material he set up the home boatyard you see below.
Notice the infamous sheer clamp. Phil heavily encased this wood clamp with fiberglass tabbing it to the wood deck. Many Dolphins have had wood rot problems with this clamp due to water getting to the wood via the toe rail track bolts and stanchion base bolts. After 46 years Marionette has had very few problems.
This is Teal's hull at the O'Day plant. Note Zerega written on the port bow. This is a good look at the infamous wood clamp.
This photo shows the transom locker bulkhead. Notice the fiberglass tabbing of the bulkhead to the hull. The stringers are for mounting an inboard but from the very beginning Teal/Marionette had an outboard in the well. Teal had a 10hp motor with reverse.
These are the main bulkheads looking forward. The head was located under the starboard settee just aft of the hanging locker.
This photo was damaged. I wonder what that black band is on the cabin ceiling? Looks like they are lowering the deck and house on to the hull.
A close look at the hanging locker woodwork and bulkhead tabbing. This quality work is visable today and is responsible for Marionette's excellent condition today. Phil, is that a cinderblock wall in the background?
The deck beams...
Look - no stanchions! Mark told me his dad had a wood cradle for Teal. when it came time to move her from the backyard to the local boatyard he jacked up the cradle and fit a single axle under it and built a trailer! We need to find out more about this project.
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