Anyone recall 1960s black tarry marine glue product?

[peakviper]

When my father, brother and I restored a 1930s Winabout (Town Class) sailboat in the 1960s we used a brownish black, very sticky marine glue that had the consistency of very thick molasses.

I am trying to remember the name of the product.

My brother and I only recall that on the can (a black and white can, I think) it said “it’s tenacious.” This was a huge understatement. I think I have tools stained with this substance 60 years later! The stuff was so legendary we named the boat after it: Tenacity

Anyone remember the brand name of this stuff? I assume it went out of production long ago. Probably toxic.

By the way, it was not Jeffery’s traditional tar. It came from the can as a very viscous liquid. It did not have to be heated up to liquify.

[Canoeyawl]

The Winabout was a great boat! Built in Boston, it evolved into the Town Class, they were allowed to race against each other interchangeably.

I learned to sail in one starting in 1958, and spent many summers cruising in concert with a fleet of five. These boats were built in the mid-late 1920's. Three boys and one adult in each boat. Jib, main, helm and the instructor (ballast) who was probably 17 years old!
One boat had an 4 hp evinrude stowed under the foredeck and on the day we were becalmed that boat would mount it on the transom and tow us all to our next campsite, for hours sometimes. Beach camping maybe 10 miles per day. Life was good.
Sorry I can't help with the " glue"...

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[peakviper]

No worries, enjoyed the story! My brother and I remember getting ours up on a plane during a heavy gust on Lake Winnipesaukee.

[Canoeyawl]

This was on Winnipesaukee! probably one of the same boats. Two venerable old camps Belknap and Idlewild used to have fleets and annual races

[peakviper]

That’s very cool! We bought ours from a boatyard in Winnisquam, I think, in the mid 1960s and sailed her out of Center Harbor. Small world, the world of wooden boats!

[peakviper]

Sailing Tenacity in Center Harbor Bay, circa 1970.

[Canoeyawl]

What a great boat, man that brings back memories! All good ones...

And such lovely wee bronze fittings. There was a mainsheet block on the keelson, that I have been looking for another a long time now
Thanks for sharing, even has the sail insignia

[The Q]

Glue no, but we can still get, https://www.norfolkmarine.co.uk/blac...la-5-ltr-25ltr used on the bottom of hulls.

[rregge]

Is this what you are thinking of?jeffery-s-no2-black-marine-glue-1.jpg

https://schoonerchandlery.com/shop/v...k-marine-glue/

[Canoeyawl]

I might have some pitch, but it is not gooey until heated

[peakviper]

Glue no, but we can still get, https://www.norfolkmarine.co.uk/blac...la-5-ltr-25ltr used on the bottom of hulls.

Thanks! That product looks very similar to what we used. Ours was probably some US product that is out of production, I suspect.

[peakviper]

It was not Jeffery’s. Ours was a liquid in the can, thick like molasses/treacle. We didn’t have to heat it up to become liquid.

[peakviper]

Me onboard our Winabout “Tenacity” near Center Harbor NH, circa 1968.

[peakviper]

My brother searched his archives and found this postcard showing a Winabout/Townie fleet on Winnipesaukee. We believe ours was the lead boat “Gull”— we remember seeing “Gull” written on her in places. Maybe this is the Idlewild or Belknap fleet?

[jonboy]

I also thought of the Norfolk marine product, but you call it, in the op, '....glue product'

Do you mean glue or a tar based varnish?... there's still available a bitumen (?) based black tar here, mid Portugal, even with due adherence to Euro regs, used typically on freshwater flat bottom four plank skiffs, but it ain't glue.
I could find if its available commercially, but I'm guessing its a home brew of roofing sealant and black bitumen, and if it is glue you want I don't think I can help. good luck.

[peakviper]

Picture of the Camp Idlewild Winabout/Townie fleet. The one with the spruce mast and mahogany deck would later become ours.
this picture was in a Laconia Sun story about Cow Island.
https://www.laconiadailysun.com/news...a64162608.html

[Canoeyawl]

Taken from the high dive tower, hell I could be in that pic!
I think that by then some of the boats were "Town Class" sloops, note the different combings. The varnished deck boat was used by the camp owners as a personal sail boat before and after the camp season, might have been put away wet...
Sailing in and out of that dock was a very good education in boat handling. No paddles allowed, lubber!

edit: your "product" may have just been good old uncut Stockholm Tar