Hull Number

This is an update to the 37' LNVT production chart that was first put together in July 2010. This update is possible because we now have all the fleet's Hull Identification Numbers (HINs).

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
1983					1		2	3	4	5	6, 7	8	8
1984	9	10	11	12	14	15, 17	16		18, 19	20	22		12
1985	21, 23	24, 25	27, 29	26	28	30, 31	32, 42	33, 34	35				15
1986	36, 37, 40, 41	38, 39, 43, 51	44	46	45	47,48	49	50	66	52			17
1987	53, 54, 70		55, 56	57, 58	59	60, 65		62, 63, 64	67	68			15
1988	69, 71	72						73	74				5
1989	75		76										2
Total	13	8	7	5	5	8	5	8	7	4	3	1	74

The chronological hull# order is:

(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,14,15) (17) (16) (18,19,20) (22) (21) (23,24,25) (27) (29) (26) (28) (30,31,32) (42) (33,34,35,36,37) (40,41) (38,39) (43) (51) (44) (46)
(45) (47,48,49,50) (66) (52,53,54) (70) (55,56,57,58,59,60) (65) (62,63,64) (67,68,69) (71,72,73,74,75,76
)

Bronze Portlights with Stainless Exterior Trim Rings?

Like all of the earlier tugs, at least through #42, Hull #20 has bronze port lights in the stateroom, head and shower. The port light's trim rings, on the outside of the hull, are stainless steel. Strange that a bronze port light would have a stainless trim ring. Was this done by the yard to match the stainless of the other windows (the five wood pilothouse window frames excluded)? Did the earliest tugs have bronze trim rings? Did the yard make the stainless trim rings? 

12 July 2013 update: Bob Allnutt, Victory #2, just confirmed that his stateroom, head, and shower port light exterior trim rings are bronze.

Saloon Window Spacings Differ--A Lot!

This drawing below shows the white space (gel coat), in inches, between the dutch door and the windows on hulls 2, 31, 63, and 66. The earlier tugs have less space between dutch door and the first salon window. I believe the spacing was increased in later tugs so that the teak window valance (inside the tug) would span the entire window.

Elevation (side profile) of a 37' LNVT. Pilothouse to the left. Measurements (in inches), on the outside of the boat, of the white space between the dutch door and the first salon window, the space between the windows, and the space between the last window and the end of the salon.

Hull #	Door to Window #1	Window #1 to #2	Window #2 to #3	Window #3 to back of Pilothouse
2	26	28-1/2	3-3/4	18
4	30	28	3-3/4
31	25-1/2	24	7-7/8	19-1/2
33	26-1/8	24	7-7/8	19
38		24	8
43	26	24	7-3/4	19
47	30-5/8	19	7-3/4	18-3/4
66	30-1/2	19-1/4	7-1/2	18-3/4
56	30-1/2	19-1/2	7-1/2	18-1/2
63	30-3/4	18-1/2	7-3/4	19

Rusty Water from Ballast Appearing in Bilge

Here's an interesting one.  After painting Nellie's bilge from the bow to the engine room bulkhead, and while Nellie was still on the hard, 1/2 ounce of brown fluid magically appeared in the bilge.  Funny, it hadn't rained, and the fluid was no where near any hoses. The fluid has no obvious odor.  Wipe it up and the next day there's more in the same spot.  I suspect water has found its way into the keel and is mixing with the iron ballast, explaining the rust color; changes of temperature force it up and through small cracks in the bilge's fiberglass.

Need to talk to Tommy Chen about the 3000 pounds of ballast he placed in an LNVT's keel: was it iron; the shape of the pigs; was anything poured around it to keep it from moving; etc. Does he think water could accumulate around the ballast, and if so, any ideas on how to drain the water?

The rust-filled fluid which seems to be entering via hairline cracks in Nellie's bilge.

Sewing Up a Storm (Tuggers Vol. 55)

By Lisa Taylor, Aramis #40 

I absolutely loved our first season with Aramis, but she just didn't quite seem like "ours".  The interior furnishings were all in nice shape but they were someone else’s furnishings....not mine. I had a few ideas but couldn't quite make up my mind until the East Coast Rendezvous (thanks to John and Jeanne Niccolls, Knock Off #66...remember, imitation is the best form of flattery). 

New signal pillows aboard Aramis

 I have heard many times from my husband, John, a shipwright by profession, the value of having the right tool for the job (usually while he's bidding on yet another plane, chisel or gouge from ebay) but it finally hit home for me when I was trying to sew 4 layers of sunbrella and 1 layer of Phifertex mesh with my trusty, 30 year old Singer sewing machine. 

New screen and curtains too

John quietly took note of my building frustration and surprised me with an early Christmas present, an Ultrafeed sewing machine, designed to handle multiple layers of canvas and even leather. My frustration was soon gone and I was on a roll. After completing new window coverings for the boat I went on to make pillows (note what they spell out) (http://www.maineharbors.com/flag.htm), a screen door, dinghy, outboard & fender covers, and in keeping with my...

Whimsea Gets New Cushions (Tuggers Vol.55)

By Barb Robertson, Whimsea #64 

I decided Whimsea’s 1987 vintage blue velour; sun-bleached cushions didn’t fit her new name and whimsical image. I embarked on a winter reupholstering project with great enthusiasm but little experience or skill. Just in case any of you are contemplating such a project, I thought I would share a few tips and lessons learned. Initially, I intended to completely replace the foam inserts and fabric. As I deconstructed the cushions, with an industrial seam ripper to create the fabric templates, I was surprised to find the foam in great shape albeit quite smelly. Although I contacted several firms to buy replacement foam, none could provide the quality and exact fit of the foam I was replacing so I decided to keep the originals. The next quest was to remove 25 years of odors dominated by diesel.  After a gallon and 6 applications of Pureayre Marine Formula (http://www.purayre.com/marine.htm) the old smells finally abated. 

New Cushions on Whimsea

Window Channel--Three Years Later (Tuggers Vol. 55)

By Dave Howell, NELLIE D. #63 

Tape holds corners securely while S-40 sets

I replaced NELLIE D.'s crumbling felt window channel with a modified Trim-Lok 1375B7X3/8 molding using the procedure explained in the Wiki's FAQs (lnvt.org/tug-faq#windowchannel). In three years of use some problems have cropped up: the molding sometimes sagged on top of the window; a sticky window could grab the molding and pull it along; and finally, over time the molding settled into its stainless U-channel and where once the Trim-Loks' bitter ends pressed together tightly, a gap appeared. The good news is that all these shortfalls can be addressed by 'gluing' the Trim-Lok into place.

Relax the corners for a better fit

First, I recommend that both the movable and fixed panes of glass, and their stainless retainers, be completely removed from the window. Next, put a bead of polyurethane caulk (like 5200 or Loctite S40) inside the stainless U-channel. Next, put the Trim-Lok into the stainless U-channel holding it tightly in place, especially in the corners, using masking tape. Finally, when the polyurethane has dried, reinstall the glass and its retainers.

 The windows are once again a joy to use and hopefully, in another three years, I'll be able to report they have been trouble free.

The Fleet's Varying Saloon Ceiling Heights

It was during a conversation with Craig Smith, Rose Bud #34, that I realized that the floor heights of LNVTs vary. Craig's experience was first hand—his head hit the ceiling in some tugs but not in others. He specified is his purchase order that #34's ceiling was to be no higher than hull #22's. Here are two data points as measured just forward of the companionway hatch in the salon: #28 is 6' 1-1/2" and #2 is 6' 3-1/2".

An LNVT 37 is Actually 36'-10"

The actual length of a 37' LNVT is 36'-10" per Bob Allnutt, Victory #2, who dropped plumb bobs from the bow and stern and measured between them.

How to Remove the Companionway Hatch

Per Jamie Hansen, Philbrooks Boatyard, Ltd., this how to remove the companionway hatch:

To remove the fixed panel of the aft sliding hatch there are a few steps needed to take. There are several wood plugs on the top edge of the panel. After removing them, screws below can be removed. This may be enough to remove the panel. If not the hatch will need to be cut along the wood joint around the edge of the hatch frame. Once cut the top panel will be loose.  To re-install use a brown caulking on the joint and screw the top back on the hatch frame. New teak plugs can then be glued in and sanded flush.

A Replacement Window Channel Made by Faucher.ca

Per Jamie Hansen, Philbrooks Boatyard, Ltd., Faucher.ca has stainless steel window channel (621-4471) which fits an LNVT's 10mm glass. It costs $47/8' + shipping from Canada. He describes the installation process as follows:

The windows are made with two stainless steel frames that are inset into an outer frame that is attached to the cabin side. The inner frames are held in with small flat head machine screws under the gasket material. After the old gasket has been cut out and screws removed the frames can be pulled out using small pry bars or tapped with a wood block and hammer. Be careful not to bend or kink the frames during the removal step. Be sure to clean the inside of the metal frames well to prepare for the new gasket material.

To bend the new gasket into the frames can be hard so we have come up with a helpful method to obtain a good fit. Using the frames as a template, trace the inside shape onto a piece of ¾” plywood or MDF. The cut out is a good jig to bend the gasket around and give you the right size and shape to fit the frames. Slots are cut into the gasket before being installed to create the drain holes. The track can be glued back into the frames with silicon as well as the frames into the openings on the boat. Tape can be used to hold the gasket in place while the silicone dries over night. Be sure that the new screws attaching the frames are not in the way of the operation of the sliding pane of glass.

Pilothouse Drop-Down Windows are 6mm Thick

Per Jamie Hansen, Philbrooks Boatyard, Ltd., the glass in Tess II's #22 drop-down pilothouse windows is 6mm thick. Why isn't it 10mm thick like the rest of the glass aboard an LNVT? Maybe because 6mm glass weighs 7 lbs less than a comparable 10mm pane.

What was an LNVT's Profit Margin?

Comparing Craig Smith's sales invoice on hull#34 with the data in Admiralty Ltd.'s ledger provides an insight into the LNVTs pricing structure. From the ledger, see table below, we know that the wholesale amount invoiced to the broker for hull#34 was $82,038.10. We also know the retail amount, invoiced from the broker to the owner, was $91,104. The $9,065.90 difference between the invoices is the broker's commission. All told this tug had roughly a 20% margin; 10% ($8,735.40) went to Admiralty and another 10% ($9,065.90) went to the broker—also Admiralty in this case. Thanks go to both Sally Seymour and John Howell for helping this analysis come to fruition.

A word on nomenclature; Admiralty Ltd.'s ledger contains a column titled 'Cash Sales'. The values in the 'Cash Sales' column are the amounts invoiced to brokers. As such 'Cash Sales' is synonymous with wholesale price.

The relationship between Admiralty Ltd. and Cruising Yachts is as follows: Admiralty Ltd. and Cruising Yachts were wholly owned by Loren and Lani Hart. Admiralty Ltd. was an import trading company that wholesaled Lord Nelson yachts. Cruising Yachts acted as a broker buying Lord Nelson's from Admiralty Ltd. and then selling them at retail.

Here's an interesting aside, of the 52 tugs listed in the ledger, the 'Cash Sales' sales amount (i.e. the amount invoiced to the broker) equaled the sum of the expenses allocated to each hull in all but 7 cases. For those 7 tugs the 'Cash Sales' sale amount exceeded the allocated expenses by anywhere from $500 to $5,500. Admiralty Ltd.'s allocated expense categories for each hull were: Profit, Interest, Insurance, Line of Credit bank Charge, Design, Freight, Yard, Options & Equipment.

What does it mean when the ledger lists freight costs of between $6,500 and $11,000 for 22 of the tugs and $0 for 30 tugs? A simple answer is that if Admiralty Ltd. didn't pay the freight costs, then either their in-house brokerage, Cruising Yachts, or their customer did. To do an apples-to-apples comparison on LNVT costs here in the US, 22 of the ledger's 'Cash Sales' prices need to be adjusted to include freight. A freight value can be interpolated from known freight costs from tugs shipped at about the same time and to the same destination. Adding the 'Cash Sales' price to the calculated freight costs will yield a Freight Adjusted Cash Sales Price.

Shipping Costs from Taiwan to USA

Updating the Wiki with what the tugs cost and how long it took to deliver them. It cost about $3,500 more ($6,500 vs. $10,000) to ship a tug from Taiwan to the US West coast versus the East coast. It appears that some of the tugs were sold with the shipping cost included and some were not. To normalize the estimated selling price, shipping costs were included.