Rhodes Revolution  CLASSIC PLASTIC
BY RALPH NARANJO
A true pioneer of the fiberglass age, this graceful lady is still stately in
her middle years.

THE 41-Foot RHODES BOUNTY II was one of the prototypical fiberglass racer/cruisers that
launched a boatbuilding revolution and brought to the public a new genus of larger, lower-cost,
mass-produced sailboats.  This boat and its contemporaries permanently redefined who would
participate in big-boat sailing.  But perhaps most amazing of all, long after the Bounty IIs had been
retired from the race-course and their design relegated to antique status, these seaworthy stalwarts
are still around as a cost-effective, no-nonsense boat for cruisers going places, one that just happens
to be 40 years young.

In 1956, the Coleman Boat and Plastics Co., in Sausalito, California, commissioned Phil Rhodes to
prepare a 40-foot design to be built in fiberglass, the new wonder material.  Although it shared the
name with Bounty, a timber-built 38-foot sloop he designed before World War II, the Bounty II was
essentially a built-in-glass rendition of the successful wooden yawl, Altair, Rhodes had drawn in
1955.  [Altair's 29' waterline was scaled down to 28'.]

Coleman also hired designer Bill Garden to engineer the scantlings.  Garden worked on the
development of tooling, too, and was probably the key figure responsible for designing the deck
itself.

Designers of that era had yet to be influenced by flocks of boat-show attendees and boat brokers
plowing straight into the cabin without so much as a look around the decks.  Consequently, the
Bounty II is typical of successful, older, CCA era production boats, with a structurally sound and
moderately proportioned hull designed to handle the rigors of ocean passage making, whether it be
to Bermuda, on a Transpac race, or in the SORC-while being accommodating to the crew.

Despite her scant, 28-foot waterline and maximum beam of only 10 feet 3 inches, the Bounty Il's
slab sides and full sections afford adequate usable volume below.  Her moderate 5-foot 9-inch draft
and long run of full keel are a traditionalist's dream come true.

Structure and stability are strong points in this vessel.  Narrow beam and healthy
ballast/displacement ratio mean she can recover from a deep capsize.  Her thick-as-a-plank glass
work has made the boat heavier than perhaps necessary, but the result, after 40 years, is that many
of the early  boats are still going strong  and are worth refitting.

The first of these boats came complete with a fiberglass mast, such was the infatuation with the new
wonder material.  These were as heavy as a tree; later, the switch was made to alloy spars.  Power
came from an Atomic 4 or a Perkins 4-107 (the preferred option) mounted beneath the teak cabin
sole. Although the boat had simple  systems, don't count on the original mechanical/electrical gear.
A Perkins  rebuild can be a fun winter project for a good do-it-yourself mechanic, but if you plan to
replace the engine, make sure there's room under the cabin sole for the new engine and such extra
bolt-on gear as a second alternator.

Water tanks are also under the cabin sole and may have to be cut up for removal if they need to be
replaced. The fuel tank is aft under the cockpit sole and, as with all boats this old, should have been
replaced already or will probably soon need to be. Tank re-placement can be a costly undertaking,
but it is a worth-while investment in an other-wise sound vessel.

Many Bounty II buyers soften the austere 1950s gelcoat-and-Formica interior decor by adding
mahogany or teak trim, a new selection of fabrics, and a warmer paint scheme than the stock Good
Humor white.

A structurally sound, cosmetically neglected Bounty II is worth repowering, rerigging, and recoating
with an LPU paint makeover.  You'll not break the bank if you keep things simple, but don't
overinvest.  To optimize your dollars, look for one that may cost a little more but has a new engine,
good rigging and sails, and has benefited from the accumulated TLC of the previous owners.

The Bounty II requires a breeze to get going.  The long keel is both thick at the foot and wide in the
garboard region.  Her heavy displacement and substantial wetted surface make sailing in light-wind
conditions less than invigorating, but at sea she has a kind motion, and with a mechanical steering
vane bolted to the transom and an anchor winch on the foredeck, she's a viable passagemaker
option for the budget-minded sailor.

Due to increasing demand for this boat, prices have risen in some parts of the country and range
from $35,000 for one in sound but fairly tired cosmetic condition to $70,000 for one that has been
through a rehab that includes new engine, electrical system, tanks, refrigeration, rigging, sails, and
electronics.

The Rhodes 40

In 1963, Pearson Yachts acquired the mold, hauled it east, and began production of the Rhodes 41.
There were a few notable changes, one of which was a switch from iron to lead ballast.  They raised
the freeboard slightly and installed a more traditonal interior with more wood trim.

Rhodes Reliant - Offshore 40

Perhaps the most popular fiberglass production boat to come off the design board of Phil Rhodes
was the Rhodes Reliant, Bounty II's younger cousin.  It was a little shorter and a little beamier than
the Bounty II and was built by Cheoy Lee in Hong Kong.  it gained widespread interest due to its
elaborate woodwork and a very popular tri-cabin layout.  The Rhodes Reliant, and Cheoy Lee's
slight modification called the Offshore 40, looked like traditional wooden boats.  The sailboat-buying
public, tired of utilitarian gelcoat-and-formica interiors, began to associate quality wit things liked
carved dragons in the cabin and teak decks screwed onto once perfectly watertight fiberglass
decks.  As these boats aged and bedding compounds deteriorated, the water torture began, which
led to rot, corrosion, and other insidious problems.

The Rhodes Reliant was built with lead ballast, but in the Offshore 40 it was iron.  If water gets to
the encapsulated iron and causes it to rust, the oxidizing iron expand.  In the worst-case scenario, the
laminate of the keel splits open.  Lead is the beset choice for ballast and should be a priory among
old boat buyers.

If you can't resist the Reliant or the Offshore 40's tri cabin layout, the springy shear, and the teak
cabin coamings and sole, be prepared to spend time and money curing leaks and rebuilding what has
already been water damaged.  Teak glue joints need to be coated, and the only sure thing is varnish,
with the cost in dollars and time that that entails.  If the spar is spruce, check the glue joints and
beware of rot.  Powerplant options are similar to the Bounty II: rebuild or replace the original
Perkins 4-107-1-108.

The bottom line, as with most older boats, is to make sure that it's structurally sound.  Don't skimp
on who you hire to make that call.

[The Rhodes Reliant web site deals with all these maintenance issues]