A R G O N A U T 

.

san diego,ca.

Photo gallery 1

Photo gallery 2

Photo gallery 3

Photo gallery 4

Photo gallery 5

Photo gallery 6

Photo gallery 7

Photo gallery 8

Photo gallery 9

(please pardon, more pics on the way)

Phase 1- Restoration

San Diego California is the home port of ARGONAUT. Argonaut is the famous 33 ft TROJAN Express Cabin Cruiser used by Lloyd Bridges as Mike Nelson in the 1960's underwater adventure TV series "Sea Hunt.".

Under the warm Southern California sun in 1960, In its third season the cast and crew of Ziv Productions began filming Americas number one syndicated underwater adventure weekly TV show, Sea Hunt. Many technical advances had been made in the field of scuba diving for recreation or research since the shows first season in 1958.  Ziv and Lloyd knew that the new ARGONAUT had to be first class in every way.  Said to be requested by Lloyd Bridges himself, a brand new 33 foot Trojan Sea Breeze Model 346 Express Cruiser with Fly-bridge was custom built and delivered to Ziv Productions Hollywood California.

Upon receiving the work order, Trojan boat company located in Lancaster P.A. made sure that only their top shipwrights built the ARGONAUT .  American reputation, quality and pride had to be maintained.  For many generations Amish men in Lancaster P.A. had carried on the family tradition of building wooden vessels.  As we further explore through restoration, we discover that the design and quality in ship building is flawless. Trojan ship designer, William K. Smith oversaw production and quality of Serial number 1018. The ARGONAUT  was also used by Lloyd as his personal family boat even after the show ended.

In March 2000, the Argonaut was put into dry-dock for its millennium refit. In order to continue with tradition, this brave vessel needs to be re-varnished, repainted, re-chromed and resealed. It was decided that only the finest materials and time honored traditions for shipbuilding would be Applied to the Argonaut. The Argonaut is all original and is in great shape, all equipment such as depth finder, radio and sonar are in tact. The twin Crusader engines and original instruments still work perfectly. Some parts are just too old and worn to be used and so for safety sake they will be replaced by brand new identical parts.

  By summer 2002, Argonaut plans to once again ply the California coastline and appear at boat shows and other major events. To carry on with the Lloyd Bridges legacy, Argonaut will work closely alongside other environmental agencies concerned with keeping our oceans clean and safe. So please visit www.wm2050 .org and help support this effort then ask how you could become an honorary crew member today and help us make clean and safe oceans a top priority this new millennium.

e-mail: argonaut@seahuntadventures.com