Rich404

Hi Captains,

Wishing everyone here a wonderful holiday season!

-Rich.

12skipper

Hello Rich and Fellow Boatwrights,

Thank you. May all of you and yours have a happy Holiday and a healthy and prosperous new year.

Chuck

Rich404

Hi Chuck & fellow captains,

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

During the holidays, I was able to do a little work to Dauntless. The hatch system for the main cabin was made up. It is not permanently assembled, but it is ready for paint. I am going to do some odd & end work today and get Dauntless ready for what hopefully becomes her final coates of paint. It is my goal to have all final painting done by New Years eve.... Wish me luck..

Below are pictures of the hatch assembly. The hatch slides into the box on deck. The hatch assembly is adjusted so that it is not too loose and closes with ease without sliding when underway.

Inside the hatch box is a spring so that the hatch does not become stuck in the "in" position. All you have to do is push the hatch in and release and it pops back out.

Here are those pictures.

-Rich.

Rich404

Hi Captains,

The temperature in NY dropped tremendously in the last few weeks so I had to come up with a game plan to get dauntless painted. So today I made up a large painting station for Dauntless.

Here are those pictures.

-Rich.

Rich404

Hi Captains,

Happy New Year to All!

I have been working on getting Dauntless painted. I have also run into many issues with Krylon Fusion paint. I usually don't say this, but don't use Krylon Paint on your boats!!!!![sm=48_48.gif]

It has been a headache trying to paint this boat. I can't believe that this painting dilemma messed up 3 years worth of work!!! [sm=angry.gif] I have never had a problem painting anything before using Krylon's new formulas!!

After painting and sanding over and over I finally got the final coat of grey paint to stick to the hull deck.

I did prep and sprayed the cabins white today and it all webbed up similar to the grey. So, once it cures, it is off to sanding again. There is a really good possibility that I may just pack up and put the boat away for a while.

-Rich.

werdonmorris

My Feedback: (7)

Hello Captains

Did everybody have a splendid holiday, I hope so.
Now all the hustle is over, and I finally got my first SSI, and SSD payments, I can continue working on my boat.
The T.E.N.T.S. device I have to wear for my nerve in my back, and neck, that is pressing against my spinal column, and a bone spur.
The pain has been reduced more then half, and I have a lot of great ideas to put to use on my boat.
Have to set up my portable work table again, but worth the effort.

Whitewolf=will be sending out the saw, either monday, or tuesday-it will make you effort more worth while, and better looking too !

Rich, thank you for you pm, it means alot to me. I like what I seen you done so far with your boat, so bad about the krylon paint ordeal.
I plan to go to a boat store in my area, and buy there best marine paint, and spar, to get away from any mishaps.
My brother thinks I spend to much money on her, but I will not put my labor of love go down the drink, just to get cheap.

Butch

12skipper

Hi Rich,
Happy New Year to all. I am sorry about the Krylon set back. I thought I was doing something wrong when it did not work for me. I guess it is meant to be used for direct contact with plastics only. Please take heart and don't quit the project. We are all with you.

Chuck

joe31hat

My Feedback: (5)

Rich,

For some of us who hasn't followed your build. What is the problem and why is it happening?

joe

Rich404

Hi Butch,

I’m glad that you are feeling better! I am looking forward to the next segment of your build.

Also, I agree, these boats are a labor of love and they do get costly, but the pride of building your own boat is priceless.

Hi Joe,

I can go on and on about the problems I had using this paint, but there is already a forum dedicated to it on RCGroups. I did not participate in the discussion but the problems others have had using this paint mirrors what I have experienced.

Here is that link: [link]http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1120729[/link]

Hi Captains,

It's time to take a long break from this project therefore Dauntless and the entire boat room was packed up and put away. I was really hoping to have this boat completely painted and then some by the end of the year but these painting issues really slowed the progression of the project. Now that the new year is here, I will not have much time to dedicate to this project for a good while.
Hopefully someone here is looking to finish or refurbish a Dauntless for a spring launch and is willing to share their build here.

I am looking forward to your build!

All the best,

-Rich.

foymarsh

Hi folks,

<o></o>

My father owned the Dauntless from the late 70’ through the mid to late 80’s so I have some history that may interest you. I was a teenager when he bought her and I haven’t seen her since about 1985 so please know that this is all from memory and may not be entirely accurate.

<o></o>

My father bought her from the Rockefeller family in the late 70’s (I can’t remember who . . . . David or maybe Nelson) and brought her to <st1lace w:st="on">Bonaire</st1lace> in the Netherland Antilles where he lived and worked for many years. She was mainly for his personal use but I do recall that he also ran moonlight cruises for the guests of the Hotel Bonaire, which is still there but under a different name now I believe. I was only a kid but I remember how magnificent she seemed to me. I have read a few (but not many) of the posts here and can confirm that she was speedy for her size of 65 feet. I remember reading the old ship’s logs and being thrilled with such entries as “Ladybird Johnson visited today” and other famous visitors aboard her. I recall her china which was white (or cream) with navy blue on the outside and a gold rim . . . . and maybe an emblem in the middle but not completely sure about that. She had a deep sea fishing chair on her stern and did indeed have 2 exhausts on either side. I can still hear the sound of her engines, much like one will always be able to hear the sound of a Harley engine even if it’s been years since one has head it. I have one picture of her docked at the yacht club on <st1lace w:st="on">Bonaire</st1lace>. It’s from circa 1983 and is of her port side.

<o></o>

As I recall the story, some time after 1983, but I really don’t remember the specific year, my father brought the Dauntless to a marina in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Rhode Island</st1lace></st1:state> to have some of her equipment updated – radar and such. While in dry dock there, a fire broke out and she was heavily damaged from her bow right through to the front of the bridge. I didn’t see her in this condition but was told of it by others. When my father filed a claim with the insurance company to begin repairs, he was given the devastating news that she was not covered for the damage. My father spent years in court fighting the insurance company but in the end – she was not covered. So . . . . . my father patched her up as well as he could with his private funds sold her to a man (I don’t know his name) who lived in the <st1lace w:st="on">Caribbean</st1lace>. <st1lace w:st="on">St. Croix</st1lace> I think, but I couldn’t swear to it. Some time after that she sunk at dock in a hurricane. Again, I don’t remember which one. So the last I knew of her she is sitting at the bottom of a harbour in the <st1lace w:st="on">Caribbean</st1lace>, but this information is MANY years old. Over those many years my boating friends have talked of finding and restoring her but nobody took any action on it.

<o></o>

So from time to time I Google her to see if I can find any recent information on her and that is how I stumbled onto this site. I don’t build models at all but again, I thought you might find this piece of her history interesting. My father is still alive and living in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">US</st1lace></st1:country-region> now. He’s a boater’s boater, if you know what I mean, and will have much more information on her than I have given you here. If you have any specific questions on her, I can ask him, but I want to also give fair warning that he may not be too interested in tons of discussion on her. His health (and finances) are not what they once were and talking about the glory days might not appeal to him. Then again, it may. I just don’t know.

<o></o>

Hope this was useful to you all and Happy New Year1

Rich404

Hi Foymarsh,

It is great to meet another person that knew the full sized Dauntless!

Laurance Rockefeller was Dauntless’s owner and both Nelson and David were his brothers therefore any one of them could have completed the sale with your father.

You are right about Ladybird Johnson being aboard, she worked extensively with Laurance on conservation efforts and it would make sense that she would have been aboard at some point. He was also friends with “Ace� Rickenbacker, Charles Lindbergh and many others that were likely aboard her over the years as well. Here guest book was likely the who’s who of business and politics back then.

This is the first time that I have heard of a fire breaking out on Dauntless. It must have been devastating to find out that she was not covered by insurance. What a shame!

She did end up in St. Croix and had 3 different owners while there. In 1989, St. Croix was hit by a hurricane, I think Hugo and sank. Afterwards, her owner raised and beached her where she sat for many years. Finally, a gentleman purchased her for a restoration but all of the wood was termite eaten and needed to be replaced. Sadly, In the end she was just an aluminum hull that was recently scrapped.

I have never been aboard Dauntless, but after doing extensive research on her and interviewing her owners, it is sad that she wasn’t saved and properly restored. I would have loved to have been part of such a project. When I found out that Dauntless was scrapped, it was like losing an old friend. There was a part of me that wanted to find her in time to either save her myself, or help the owner find someone with the energy and means to give her a proper restoration.

I do have questions that perhaps you or your father could help me with.

Do you remember the color of her interior and do you remember the color of the furnishings? This seems to be one of the inconsistencies that I am having trouble getting past. Can you shed some light on it for me? I have read that the main cabin was cream with stain wood trim, but was the sectional and furnishings also painted or were they stained?

Also, do you remember the color of the walls and furnishings in the state rooms? The info that I have points to grey, but I want to make sure as well.

Would your father have pictures of Dauntless both interior and exterior that he would be willing to share? This would be great for builder’s to use as a reference for their models.

Thank you in advance,

-Rich.

Rich404

Hi Foymarsh,

Please take your time and go through this forum. There is plenty of information regarding Dauntless and some of her history are in these pages. I'm sure all of us here would be thrilled that you join us and add more history to these pages.

What are some of your memories about Dauntless?

-Rich.

dauntlessfan

Hi foymarsh - VERY interesting info you kindly provided. Thanks and please feel free to post more memories and hopefully scan some pics and post them too. Finding detailed info and pictures of the Dauntless has never been easy (of course Rich's relentless research has been a huge help for all of us). I'm sure I speak for all when I say we're foaming at the mouth to hear and see more!

Yo Rich - Sorry to hear about your paint troubles. But hey, with this new found stash of info, your Dauntless may come out of storage sooner than you planned.


Captians - I found this pic when looking through my really old CD archives... could it be a modified Dauntless kit or is it a scratch-build?

foymarsh

Hi Rich,<o></o>

<o></o>

Yes, hearing that the Dauntless is no more brings tears to my eyes. She was steeped in this country’s history and a grand dame to be sure. It’s like an Irving Berlin song that will never be heard again. I can’t help but think that the fire in the 80’s contributed greatly to her demise. I believe that she must have arrived in <st1lace w:st="on">St Croix</st1lace> at a fraction of her original grandeur since my father was not able to fully restore her. If she were up to her full potential when she sank in the hurricane, then I assume she would have been more readily rescued. Just guessing though. Very sad . . . very sad.<o></o>

<o></o>

So to answer some of your questions, my father remembers that the interior walls were off white, like an eggshell and that the table and the L shaped sectional on the port side in the salon was stained varnish as well as the couch on the starboard side. I don’t recall what the furnishings were, like upholstery, etc. but my father may. He does not have internet access but suggested that you could call him for more details if you like. He sounded enthused to talk about the Dauntless. I will list my 800 work # here. Feel free to call me and I will pass his number along to you if you like.<o></o>

The model may already give you this, but here are some other things I recall. From the bridge, which was over the engine room, you went down some front steps (like ladder steps) into what we called the salon. A table and bench were on the port side and a couch on the starboard. The ships log book was on a shelf or maybe small desk on the port side along with some radio equipment. You pass through the salon and the galley was on the port side with 2 heads on the right. One to service the salon and the other to service the forward crew quarters, which wasin the bow of the boat. I have a vague recollection that upholstery here was a shade of grey, but not certain.<o></o>

<o></o>

The stern of the Dauntless I don’t remember as well but from the bridge you went down again. A master quarters was on the staboard side and a door to the engine room on the port. Keep going and you end out on the open stern area that had a deep see fishing chair. That’s really all I remember of her aft. <o></o>

<o></o>

Here are some other tidbits from Dad. <o></o>

· There were 254 batteries aboard her<o></o>

· She ran on a 112V DC system so every motor aboard her had a brush (whatever this means . . . J)<o></o>

· All of her fixtures, so the piping, the valves, the sink fixtures, the shower heads, etc, were all made by <st1:city w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Pullman</st1lace></st1:city>, the train people.<o></o>

<o></o><o></o>

I will look further through the forum, but can tell you that my memories of the Dauntless are of course happy ones. How could they not be. She had a grace and charm about her that all felt when they came aboard. <o></o>

<o></o>

I remember my father allowing me to “drive” the Dauntless as we were cruising around <st1lace w:st="on">Bonaire</st1lace> one afternoon. Remember, I was only about 15 at the time. “Just stay out of the light blue water . . . keep to the dark blue.”<o></o>

<o></o>

I remember some locals on the island approaching my father one night because 2 men who had gone out fishing that day had not yet returned. He took the Dauntless and searched for this like-19 foot boat and eventually found the 2 men who were attempting to paddle back to the island in the dark after having motor trouble. The image in my mind of the 65 foot Dauntless appearing out of the darkness to these 2 struggling men always stayed with me. How relieved they must have been!<o></o>

<o></o>

I remember my Dad and I taking the Dauntless out alone one afternoon and the VERY specific instruction I received from him on when and in which order to remove the lines. Rear port one had to be last in order for Dad to manage the current properly.<o></o>

<o></o>

I remember how the dolphins used to frolic at her bow as we cruised around <st1lace w:st="on">Bonaire</st1lace>. <o></o>

<o></o>

I have the one photo that I will dig up and post for you. Dad had lots of photos but he's not sure if he knows where they are now. Anyway, I’ll have fun going through the other posts in this forum. I’m probably no help to you with the Dauntless’ specs, but it is wonderful to see such an interest in her!<o></o>

foymarsh

Hi Rich,<o></o>

<o></o>

Yes, hearing that the Dauntless is no more brings tears to my eyes. She was steeped in this country’s history and a grand dame to be sure. It’s like an Irving Berlin song that will never be heard again. I can’t help but think that the fire in the 80’s contributed greatly to her demise. I believe that she must have arrived in <st1lace w:st="on">St Croix</st1lace> at a fraction of her original grandeur since my father was not able to fully restore her. If she were up to her full potential when she sank in the hurricane, then I assume she would have been more readily rescued. Just guessing though. Very sad . . . very sad.<o></o>

<o></o>

So to answer some of your questions, my father remembers that the interior walls were off white, like an eggshell and that the table and the L shaped sectional on the port side in the salon was stained varnish as well as the couch on the starboard side. I don’t recall what the furnishings were, like upholstery, etc. but my father may. He does not have internet access but suggested that you could call him for more details if you like. He sounded enthused to talk about the Dauntless. I will list my 800 work # here. Feel free to call me and I will pass his number along to you if you like.

<o></o>

The model may already give you this, but here are some other things I recall. From the bridge, which was over the engine room, you went down some front steps (like ladder steps) into what we called the salon. A table and bench were on the port side and a couch on the starboard. The ships log book was on a shelf or maybe small desk on the port side along with some radio equipment. You pass through the salon and the galley was on the port side with 2 heads on the right. One to service the salon and the other to service the forward crew quarters, which was I the bow of the boat. I have a vague recollection that upholstery here was a shade of grey, but not certain.<o></o>

<o></o>

The stern of the Dauntless I don’t remember as well but from the bridge you went down again. A master quarters was on the staboard side and a door to the engine room on the port. Keep going and you end out on the open stern area that had a deep see fishing chair. That’s really all I remember of her aft. <o></o>

<o></o>

Here are some other tidbits from Dad. <o></o>

· There were 254 batteries aboard her<o></o>

· She ran on a 112V DC system so every motor aboard her had a brush (whatever this means . . . J)<o></o>

· All of her fixtures, so the piping, the valves, the sink fixtures, the shower heads, etc, were all made by <st1:city w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Pullman</st1lace></st1:city>, the train people.<o></o>

<o></o>

<o></o>

I will look further through the forum, but can tell you that my memories of the Dauntless are of course happy ones. How could they not be. She had a grace and charm about her that all felt when they came aboard. <o></o>

<o></o>

<o></o>

I remember my father allowing me to “drive” the Dauntless as we were cruising around <st1lace w:st="on">Bonaire</st1lace> one afternoon. Remember, I was only about 15 at the time. “Just stay out of the light blue water . . . keep to the dark blue.”<o></o>

<o></o>

I remember some locals on the island approaching my father one night because 2 men who had gone out fishing that day had not yet returned. He took the Dauntless and searched for this like 19 foot boat and eventually found the 2 men who were attempting to paddle back to the island in the dark after having motor trouble. The image in my mind of the 65 foot Dauntless appearing out of the darkness to these 2 struggling men always stayed with me. How relieved they must have been!<o></o>

<o></o>

I remember my Dad and I taking the Dauntless out alone one afternoon and the VERY specific instruction I received from him on when and in which order to remove the lines. Rear port one had to be last in order for Dad to manage the current properly.<o></o>

<o></o>

I remember how the dolphins used to frolic at her bow as we cruised around <st1lace w:st="on">Bonaire</st1lace>. <o></o>

<o></o>

I have the one photo that I will dig up and post for you. Dad had lots of photos but nor sure if he knows where they are now. Anyway, I’ll have fun going through the other posts in this forum. I’m probably no help to you with the Dauntless’ specs, but it is wonderful to see such an interest in her!<o></o>

Rich404

Hi Formarsh,

I’m sorry to be the bearer of such news. I found out a little less than a year ago and was devastated myself. I found it for sale and was willing to buy it on the spot. Once I called I found out it was too late, she had been scrapped. Hearing such news was sort of like finding out about the passing of an old friend, but oddly enough, it was a friend that I did not have the chance to meet in person.

Dauntless was a very special yacht and she was worthy of being salvaged. Her class of yacht, also known as commuter yachts are very sought after by the wealthy. Each one was different, but they were very powerful yachts built for very powerful people. There was no other Dauntless ever built.

Thank you for these tidbits. They are great. I have been working on the model as well as researching the full sized Dauntless for the last few years. I am working toward making the model into a miniature replica of the full sized Dauntless both in and out. Hopefully the replica will be a reminder of a mighty yacht that once was.

In the next few months I am going to resume my build. Hopefully I will gather more information so that it can be incorporated into the model.

Eventually, a few of us that are regulars here will piece together all the accumulated information and put together an organized site for those that are interested in Dauntless. It will contain the full history, specs along with photos and completed models of her.
Also, anything you contribute is great! Simple details found in random pictures and old memories will be great at helping us recreate this once proud yacht.

I will give you a call tomorrow & we can go over more details.

My e-mail is: [email protected]

Have a wonderful evening & thanks again!

-Rich.

foymarsh

Hello all,

Here is the photo that I have of the Dauntless. She is a the Yacht Harbour on Bonaire circa 1983.

Don't know of this is the best way to get a photo onto the site. Had to convert it from a pdf to jpeg.

Enjoy!
Rhonda

[img]file:///F:/Dauntless%20@%20Harbour%20Bonaire%20NA%20Circa%201 983.jpg[/img]

foymarsh

Technical difficulty. With Rich's help this should work.

foymarsh

Again again with a jpeg.

Rhonda

Rich404

Perfect!

-Rich.

Rich404

Hi Rhonda,

Thank you so much for this picture!! Dauntless was truly a great looking yacht and the folks here can finally see a color picture of her during better days. This is terrific!

I look forward to working with both you and your father on this project.

-Rich.

Rich404

Hi Rhonda & fellow captains,

Here is a cropped version of the above picture.

-Rich.

Rich404

Wow, [X(]

Funny how that worked out, that must be the largest picture I had ever posted. It's as if you can almost touch her!

Now, there are many nice details you can get from this so I won't even attempt to fix it.

Click on the photo for the enlargement.

A slice of Dauntless heaven!

-Rich.

12skipper

Hello Rhonda,
Welcome aboard and thank you for your input. This is wonderful!!!

Chuck

foymarsh

Hi Chuck,

It's good to have found you all. While this is the only picture thatIhave of Dauntless, Ihope that some friends and family members have some lurking around. I'll keep you all posted on that front.

To Rich, from the surprising size of that photo, it seems the Dauntless spirit is alive and well on this forum!

Have a great day everyone.
Rhonda