# Greetings from the first coast



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

That's a euphemism for my region - northeast Florida/southeast Georgia. I hail from the metropolis of Jacksonville, Fl situated at the mouth of the mighty and actually quite beautiful St. John's river. Neat site by the way.

I'm an aspiring sailor. My sailing experience to date consists of a mai tai/ whale watching cruise off Honolulu - I may have seen a whale. 

As a tinkerer and general fan of the water (ie surfing, swimming, fishing, paddling, power boats), I couldn't pass up the opportunity and the challenge of an old sailboat - the quintessential fix'er-upper. 

So, long story made longer, I'm now the proud owner of a 1978(it's as old as I am - hey I turned out ok?) Seafarer 22' boat. It is currently on a trailer in my back yard turned boat yard. 

After much reading and deliberation, I have determined I am a babe in the woods. This would be a general cry for help. Ok, not that desperate but I do have some questions concerning mechanics and line organization - the boat was disassembled when I decided to take ownership - I was foolishly more concerned with the integrity of the hull deck and standing rigging(it was all dirty but cleaned up nicely). 

Add to this a bent rudder post and a rudder rebuild (actually I'm thinking of taking a mold and making a new one out of foam and glass in epoxy). Oh, and paint - looks like good times.

I think it will be a fun project and I'm looking forward to putting her in the water and maybe one day becoming a member of your sailing community - any help appreciated.

mahalo


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## bubb2 (Nov 9, 2002)

Welcome to Sailnet. We will help you as much as we can. several members here have ongoing projects much like your's. One thing you will not be lacking for around here is opinions.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Appreciate the welcome bubb2,
How's the weather up there? Like I said, not knowledgeable about sailing in practice, but I've got plenty of time for that I suppose. Any thoughts on in-board rudder construction? Looking for suggestions on mold building, suggested foam density and type, thickness of glass skin using epoxy, pointers on rudder post alignment, etc. I can make an educated guess at these things but still just a guess.


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

Welcome aboard. Considering your location, I suspect a good running outboard will be part of your plans. Having docked at River City Brewery and watched boats waiting for the bridge to open, there's no doubt in my mind that current on the St Johns is a very big factor. Best of luck with your rebuild/refit, and hope you enjoy it all.


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## xsboats (Oct 2, 2007)

Welcome, spindog.I'm just to the south of you in St.Augustine. We take apart project boats down here too. Maybe after you finish yours, you could show me how they go back together.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Welcome to Sailnet and best of luck with the boat.


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## SailChick20 (Jul 15, 2008)

Welcome...looks like you've got plenty to keep you busy! Good luck and hope you get her out on the water soon!


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## djodenda (Mar 4, 2006)

Welcome to Sailnet, Spindog!

Where in Jacksonville do you live?

David


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## Perithead (Nov 16, 2007)

Sounds like a great project Spindog! A project sailboat can be very rewarding and alot of fun. I myself am working on a Southcoast 22 at the moment. I am not to awfully far from you, my home port is Panama City Fl but I live right around Dothan Al. 

Glad your hear, you came to the right place for help. If you want some interesting info on project sailboats check out the website in my sig. I bet you will find some useful info in Sailboat Projects section.

Good luck!


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## xsboats (Oct 2, 2007)

spindog, I have an inboard rudder for a Columbia 26 and a Rainbow 24 in my shop.[also an outboard rudder for a Marples 35 tri] under construction.Feel free to come down and talk rudders.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Thanks for the warm welcome everyone*

djodenda
I'm in Ortega/Riverside area of Jacksonville.

Perithead,
Thanks for the link. Great site!

xsboats,
Thanks for the invite. I think the rudder will be my greatest hurdle. Where are you located and when's a good time?


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## gangrelsurf (Feb 27, 2009)

Spindog,
So how's your project going? When you're ready to get her in the water I'd be glad to drive over from Tallahassee and help you with a shake down. In the mean time, I've worked on lots of boats. I'm sure that I could offer advice on repairs, though there seems to be no shortage of information available here and elsewhere on the internet in those regards. If you need a hand with any of the repairs, I might be down for driving over and helping out, with the understanding that when she does go in the water I get some sailing time in with you.


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