# Our New Boat



## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

It is my pleasure to announce that we are getting a new boat, a brand new boat. We are ordering hull #90, a Catalina 445. Delivery should be sometime in Sept. This boat will be used to go full time cruising next year. It is a heavy semi-custom boat that Gerry Douglas of Catalina Yatchs is kindly building for us. Gerry and I have been talking about this build now for over 3 years. Today the stars aligned and the boat is going forward in the production line. Last Tuesday I toured the facility and shot over 1 hour of video and tons of picture of the build process. One day I will put it all together and post it on the internet. 
But first I need to say something to this forum and others I have had the pleasure of participating over a number of years. The knowledge that I have gain by participating here and else where is what is making this dream of mine come true. I cannot Thank Sailnet and all those that write great wisdom and advice to all of us thirsty for knowledge. Thank You Thank You. Thank You
Social Media avenues are here to stay and are becoming more of our social life. The sailing community here on Sailnet has been outstanding over the many years that I have had the pleasure to be a part of. Great members have come and gone and come back, new members have stepped up to the plate to offer advise that is invaluable and not found in other endeveours. For those members that lurk, I encourage you all to particapate. You all have knowledge to share that others can use and/or more important the support that we all need as we try to better this great sport and lifestyle. 
To the dreamers out there.. Dreams do come true. Hard work, baby steps in life, having the disipline to do what is necessary and thirst of knowledge makes events happen. Only you can make it happen. Dreams are there for us to move forward to our personal nirvanna. 
For us the next 8 months will be very exciting as we prepare to retire to chase sunsets. While the sunsets are amazing it is really the people in this sailing community that we have met and the new sailors that we will continue to meet is what this this adventure is really about. It is a small tight knit community that is not found else where. I have met many here that I can safely say I call friends. Friendships that are everlasting.

Here is one of the videos I shot: 




Fair Winds
Melissa
Moondance
Catalina 445 hull #90


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## jephotog (Feb 25, 2002)

Congratulations Mel,
I am always impressed on the C320s I rent at how much room it has. Your 445 is probably bigger than my house. Enjoy the sunsets on your new boat.


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## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

Congrats...thrilled for you and I hope to see the boat next year  

One comment about your comments, like the sailing community you mention, there is another like it....chefs/cooks  We are a defunctional funtional family and share a bond not understood by many "outsiders"  Just sayin 

I expect lots of pics!


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

Oh hell yeah!!










Congrats Mel! I look forward to watching the build - but more forward to hearing about your BFSes!


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

Melrna said:


> It is my pleasure to announce that we are getting a new boat, a brand new boat. We are ordering hull #90, a Catalina 445. Delivery should be sometime in Sept. This boat will be used to go full time cruising next year. It is a heavy semi-custom boat that Gerry Douglas of Catalina Yatchs is kindly building for us. Gerry and I have been talking about this build now for over 3 years. Today the stars aligned and the boat is going forward in the production line. Last Tuesday I toured the facility and shot over 1 hour of video and tons of picture of the build process. One day I will put it all together and post it on the internet.
> But first I need to say something to this forum and others I have had the pleasure of participating over a number of years. The knowledge that I have gain by participating here and else where is what is making this dream of mine come true. I cannot Thank Sailnet and all those that write great wisdom and advice to all of us thirsty for knowledge. Thank You Thank You. Thank You
> Social Media avenues are here to stay and are becoming more of our social life. The sailing community here on Sailnet has been outstanding over the many years that I have had the pleasure to be a part of. Great members have come and gone and come back, new members have stepped up to the plate to offer advise that is invaluable and not found in other endeveours. For those members that lurk, I encourage you all to particapate. You all have knowledge to share that others can use and/or more important the support that we all need as we try to better this great sport and lifestyle.
> To the dreamers out there.. Dreams do come true. Hard work, baby steps in life, having the disipline to do what is necessary and thirst of knowledge makes events happen. Only you can make it happen. Dreams are there for us to move forward to our personal nirvanna.
> ...


Congrats on achieving your dream. Good luck with her.

Dave


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## shadowraiths (Nov 2, 2011)

Totally awesome! I bet you feel like a little kid the night before xmas... counting down the days. In the mean time, congratulations! And I agree, baby steps and dreams seem to go hand in hand.


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## poopdeckpappy (Jul 25, 2006)

Congrats on the new boat; had to smile over your excitement, hope to see more video as it moves along


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Congratulations! 

I will bet that many will find it very interesting and educational to follow how the new hull commissioning process works. Very different from ordering a new car or having a house built. I came within an inch of doing so once and walked, due to an unscrupulous dealer.


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## JonEisberg (Dec 3, 2010)

Congrats, Mel - how exciting for you, it will be fun to follow your progress...


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## FirstCandC (Mar 26, 2013)

Congrats! And you will have plenty of beautiful water, sunsets, and sunrises down there. The best of everything down in the Keys!


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## chucklesR (Sep 17, 2007)

Congrats, see you out there.


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## blutoyz (Oct 28, 2012)

Congrats (I say with attitude because I am jealous) and thank you for not putting cheesy music on your video


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## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

Terrific! Now if you want some advice on what kind of anchor is best ...


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## JulieMor (Sep 5, 2011)

Congratulations Mel on the new boat!









We looked at the 445 at a recent boat show. Very nice layout and very comfortable interior! You should enjoy many great cruises on her.

Best wishes for endless and beautiful voyages!







Julie


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

How exciting it will be, to watch your boat being born!

I expect and insist that you will visit us on the Chesapeake, since you will have such a comfortable, capable vessel!


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## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

Very exciting! Congrats to you both!


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## avenger79 (Jun 10, 2009)

congrats on the new boat.


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## capecodda (Oct 6, 2009)

Living the dream. Seeing your video made us smile.

We built one of 5. We still have her. At the commissioning, I thanked the team not for building our boat, but for building our dream.

Wish you the best!


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## PalmettoSailor (Mar 7, 2006)

Awesome. Look forward to vicariously experiencing the new boat purchase experience.


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## jimgo (Sep 12, 2011)

Wow, she should be a great boat! Congratulations!

But, wow. 8 months?!?! I'd be bouncing off the walls in anticipation! Mind you, I wouldn't want them to rush, since this is your new home, and I can appreciate that it all takes time, so it's not a criticism of Catalina in any way. But man, I'd be going crazy, wanting a webcam on site or something so I could see the progress!!


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## arf145 (Jul 25, 2007)

Very exciting! Congratulations!

BTW, if you need some temporary crew at some point, I believe I could just berth in that big locker


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## utchuckd (Apr 4, 2010)

Congrats Mel!


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## abrahamx (Apr 3, 2006)

Melrna said:


> It is my pleasure to announce that we are getting a new boat, a brand new boat. We are ordering hull #90, a Catalina 445. Delivery should be sometime in Sept. This boat will be used to go full time cruising next year. It is a heavy semi-custom boat that Gerry Douglas of Catalina Yatchs is kindly building for us. Gerry and I have been talking about this build now for over 3 years. Today the stars aligned and the boat is going forward in the production line. Last Tuesday I toured the facility and shot over 1 hour of video and tons of picture of the build process. One day I will put it all together and post it on the internet.
> But first I need to say something to this forum and others I have had the pleasure of participating over a number of years. The knowledge that I have gain by participating here and else where is what is making this dream of mine come true. I cannot Thank Sailnet and all those that write great wisdom and advice to all of us thirsty for knowledge. Thank You Thank You. Thank You
> Social Media avenues are here to stay and are becoming more of our social life. The sailing community here on Sailnet has been outstanding over the many years that I have had the pleasure to be a part of. Great members have come and gone and come back, new members have stepped up to the plate to offer advise that is invaluable and not found in other endeveours. For those members that lurk, I encourage you all to particapate. You all have knowledge to share that others can use and/or more important the support that we all need as we try to better this great sport and lifestyle.
> To the dreamers out there.. Dreams do come true. Hard work, baby steps in life, having the disipline to do what is necessary and thirst of knowledge makes events happen. Only you can make it happen. Dreams are there for us to move forward to our personal nirvanna.
> ...


You suck!


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## SoOkay (Nov 27, 2004)

Congratulations!! This sounds like the beginning of an awsome chapter in your lives, and I definetly look forward to hearing updates


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

Thanks everyone for the well wishes..
We cannot wait until Sept when the boat will be commissioned. I am just hoping that between than and March we can get all the rest of the gear installed before we cut the docklines. It is a very tight schedule and not sure we can get it all done. I will say at the Annapolis Boat show in Oct our credit card will take a major hit :>)
I thought I would share some of the things I have learned along the way on production boats. 
OEM eqipment. Depending on the builder most of it is middle grade and some items are lower grade. I knew most of this from my current boat and all the upgrades I did to her. 
Sails - OEM Lower class of Dacron sails. Made for weekend and some coastal cruising. Not for serious cruising. We are going with a full set of Bainbridge's Challenge Sailcloth, made for blue water. Jib/Genoa Miter Cut 135% W/Cover&Foam:7.77 oz Challenge Marblehead Premium Dacron. Three reef patchs on the leech and foot sewed in for optimum chaff protection. The mainsail will be 8.62 oz ChallengenHigh Aspect Premium Dacron with SS clew block and clew cover, tripled stitched. We still haven't made up our mind on light air sail; code 0 or asymetrical sail. 
Dodger,bimini and connector. - Total redesigned made to withstand high winds, with welded handholds vs bolted/set screwed.
Salon cushions and cockpit cushions. I learned that there are 3 major grades of foam; A,B,C with A being the best. Most manufactures use either B or C. Since we will living on this boat for years to come we are going with grade A with two types of foam compreshion. Fabric is a whole different thing with most manufactures using lower grade to help keep cost down. Fabric is rated on many faucets: breath ability, abrasions and clean ability. On a sailboat with the harsh environment one needs good fabric to last. We are going with a fully redesigned interior cushions for the salon area and cockpit. 
Fuel system. I want 500 NM range under power. The boat comes with only a 66 gal tank and I need another 40 gallons. Gerry and I went round and round on this on where we are we going to put additional 40 gal tank. In the end I am going to convert one of the water tanks which is 40 gals to fuel. My thoughts are I can always make water but I cannot make dinosaur fuel. I still have 125 gals of water capacity which is plenty for just the 2 of us. We will look at putting a watermaker after cruising around for a while. Dual Racor fuel system, similar to the Fuel Boss system. 
Engine Room - Self discharging and autoshut off fire extinguish system. Night light too. 
Refrigeration- We are putting in water cool vs air cool. Easier on the amp draw and keeps the salon a little cooler. Upgraded insulation on the freezer box and I will insulate the refrigerator.
Electrical system- Battery system. 3 battery banks. I don't like the way Catalina wires off the alternator. We talked at great lenght on this subject while I was at the factory. I will have to change it when I get the boat up to better standards plus put in a real battery monitor system. When I put on the solar panels we will redesign this system. The boat comes with a standard 60 amp alternator and 40amp battery charger. I am thinking of leaving the engine alternator alone and putting in a 100 amp battery charger plus 350 watts solar panels. My thoughts are when cruising there are only 3 types of wind, on the nose, too little or too much. In my 5 years of cruising my current boat I motor 57% of the time for hours at end on all major crossings. The engine alternator will do here in charging the batteries. When anchored out, I do not want to run the engine to charge the batteries. Very in efficient and costly. My bullet proof Honda 2000 generator will charge the batteries here. We run this thing every morning to make coffee and sunset to make dinner for a total of around 2 hours a day. I am NOT putting in a diesel generator. To much money and too much maintenance (they are always broke). My Honda is the best piece of equpment that always works and cheap to buy and operate. I am having a special shelf in the starboard locker bulit to place the Honda.
Galley. Catalna 445 has one the best galley I have ever seen. Bob Perry would love this galley. Up until I saw this galley, I alway thought Bob's Valiant 42 galley was the best design and in most respects still is. We are adding a freshwater foot pump and seagull water filter. I am not a fan of saltwater washing but if I need too I can always fill one gallon jugs off the swim-platform to perform a saltwater rinse. Cheap and better this way. 
Handholds. We are adding a handhold in the day head. Not sure why Catalina didn't add one here because there is one in the forward head. I think they forgot about this one. We are in a big discussion on an overhead rail in the salon. The ceiling is 6'4". A normal hand rail will not work for us short people. This one is stil not decided yet. In the video that is what the 3 of us were discussing. 
Electronics. Raymarine suite here. Not my first choice. Simrad is. Moving the chartplotter from Catalina's location to the top rear of the cockpit table. This way I can reach it from either helm and program/monitor while sitting on the cockpit settees. Where the charplotter was, we are putting in a Nightwatch box with locking door. Flashlight, horn, ERIP, and other safety equipment will occupy this space. The compass will move from the end of the cockpit table to the one at each helm station. 
Anchor system.. Deep secret..... I don't want 110 page thread on this subject. Lets just say I am carrying 3 anchors. I will probably upgrade the windlass later.. I want to see how this bare minimum power rated one will do. If it overheats I will change it out. 
Bling.. Underwater lights, LED rope cockpit lights. Boat comes with LED mood lighting in the salon. The back side lifelines will be converted to SS pipe (safety and might put solar panels here. Also according to Brain, I need real estate for 4 grills. LOL


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## jimgo (Sep 12, 2011)

Mel, if you take delivery at Annapolis, can we call come for a tour?


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

jimgo said:


> Mel, if you take delivery at Annapolis, can we call come for a tour?


The boat is being commission in GA. We will make next summers Sailnet June party. Will be glad to have a sundowner party on the boat for anyone to see the boat.


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## chucklesR (Sep 17, 2007)

350w of solar? 
I'm currently planning on a pair of 140's on my stern rails (keep in mind it's a center cockpit so my aft end isn't a working space underway) and a 315w on my davit's - almost 600w. I don't think you can make too much power. 

Are you thinking about a air conditioner / cruisair etc. for taking the edge off in the evening? If so you might want to bump your Honda 2000 up to a 3000. I love my Ryobi 2800 as I can charge batteries make ice and run my a/c at the same time.


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

Mel congratulations! We've been on the 445 a couple of times now at boat shows. I really like her layout both above and below and she's supposed to be fast. She seems like a very comfortable boat to cruise.

Thank you for posting some thoughts on your equipment choices. If you don't mind I'd like to ask you a few questions as we'll eventually go bigger. The question is when...



Melrna said:


> I thought I would share some of the things I have learned along the way on production boats.
> OEM eqipment. Depending on the builder most of it is middle grade and some items are lower grade.
> I knew most of this from my current boat and all the upgrades I did to her.
> Sails - OEM Lower class of Dacron sails. Made for weekend and some coastal cruising. Not for serious cruising. We are going with a full set of Bainbridge's Challenge Sailcloth, made for blue water. Jib/Genoa Miter Cut 135% W/Cover&Foam:7.77 oz Challenge Marblehead Premium Dacron. Three reef patchs on the leech and foot sewed in for optimum chaff protection. The mainsail will be 8.62 oz ChallengenHigh Aspect Premium Dacron with SS clew block and clew cover, tripled stitched.


How much is Catalina working with you on upgrading these items. Is it a case where they have upgrades already priced out - say $X for a larger winch, a standard credit if you want to upgrade, or "this is what we build if you want something different change it out after commissioning"?



Melrna said:


> We still haven't made up our mind on light air sail; code 0 or asymetrical sail.


We've been kicking around the idea of the Seldon/Doyle gennaker setup as an upgrade for our boat. What are your thoughts on the gennaker vs. the asym?



Melrna said:


> Dodger,bimini and connector. - Total redesigned made to withstand high winds, with welded handholds vs bolted/set screwed.


How does your design differ from Catalina's?



Melrna said:


> We are going with a fully redesigned interior cushions for the salon area and cockpit.


We used Ultraleather Brisa in a celery color below, with a firm cushion and added lumbar support and they've been a BIG improvement over the stock cushions. I'm curious what upgrades/changes you're making to the interior.



Melrna said:


> Electrical system- Battery system. 3 battery banks. I don't like the way Catalina wires off the alternator. We talked at great lenght on this subject while I was at the factory. I will have to change it when I get the boat up to better standards plus put in a real battery monitor system.


What is it about the stock wiring that you feel isn't up to par?



Melrna said:


> My bullet proof Honda 2000 generator will charge the batteries here. We run this thing every morning to make coffee and sunset to make dinner for a total of around 2 hours a day. I am NOT putting in a diesel generator. To much money and too much maintenance (they are always broke). My Honda is the best piece of equpment that always works and cheap to buy and operate. I am having a special shelf in the starboard locker bulit to place the Honda.


Will the Honda be a permanant installation and exhaust through the transom?

Galley. Are you adding additional overhead lighting in the galley? I think most boats are lacking when it comes to interior lighting.



Melrna said:


> Electronics. Raymarine suite here. Not my first choice. Simrad is. Moving the chartplotter from Catalina's location to the top rear of the cockpit table. This way I can reach it from either helm and program/monitor while sitting on the cockpit settees.


Will Catalina not swap out Raymarine for Simrad? Have you given any thought a plotters at each helm for redundancy? How about a display down below at the chart table?



Melrna said:


> Where the charplotter was, we are putting in a Nightwatch box with locking door. Flashlight, horn, ERIP, and other safety equipment will occupy this space. The compass will move from the end of the cockpit table to the one at each helm station.


Great ideas.



Melrna said:


> Bling.. Underwater lights, LED rope cockpit lights. Boat comes with LED mood lighting in the salon.


I'm adding an LED light under the dodger to make it easier to fiddle with the lock when boarding at night along with a key fob remote that kicks on the cockpit lights when you're coming up in the dinghy at night the same way the remote for you car can kick on the interior lights.



Melrna said:


> Also according to Brain, I need real estate for 4 grills. LOL


I thought brian had one big 14' grill all the way across the transom 

I hope you don't mind so many questions but a lot of us will be buying a new boat vicariously through you the next few months. :laugher


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

I will try to answer your questions. 

How much is Catalina working with you on upgrading these items. Is it a case where they have upgrades already priced out - say $X for a larger winch, a standard credit if you want to upgrade, or "this is what we build if you want something different change it out after commissioning"? 
Yes and No. Gerry has been very receptive to me over the years on my changes. It is just a matter of money. He will give you a credit, just might not be what you expect. We are still in most discussions about this. I am not happy camper on some things we have discussed. There has been a few flip flops and price gouging on Catalina's part over what JSI (they supply the sails, cushions and dodger/Bimini). Worse case , I will order the boat without and have it done elsewhere. I have quotes from other suppliers. 

We've been kicking around the idea of the Seldon/Doyle gennaker setup as an upgrade for our boat. What are your thoughts on the gennaker vs. the asym?

Still researching this. I thought I wanted a asym on it's own roller but found out it doesn't work well. I don't want another asym in a ATN sock for two reasons; size it takes up to store it and the plastic bottom part of the ATN sock chews up the jib head tack 

How does your design differ from Catalina's? Dodger/Bimini


JSI/Catalina current design sucks to put it mildly. JSI chief dodger engineer even admitted it to me. 


We used Ultraleather Brisa in a celery color below, with a firm cushion and added lumbar support and they've been a BIG improvement over the stock cushions. I'm curious what upgrades/changes you're making to the interior.


We are doing the same except the color.. We like the Golden Ultra leather. The backs to all the settees will be double rolled also.


What is it about the stock wiring that you feel isn't up to par?

No echo charger for the starting battery than switch to the house banks for starters. Has to be done manually right now. 


Will the Honda be a permanant installation and exhaust through the transom?

That is the plan


Galley. Are you adding additional overhead lighting in the galley? I think most boats are lacking when it comes to interior lighting.

Not necessary in this boat. One for the good guys. 


Will Catalina not swap out Raymarine for Simrad? Have you given any thought a plotters at each helm for redundancy? How about a display down below at the chart table?


No in a nut shell. I could order the boat without electronics but the cost becomes very expensive very fast. I thought about plotters at each helm but $$ and I don't like the look, plus when cruising I cannot see them from the cockpit settee. My chartplotter I will be able to swivel 360 degrees. Display down below will be my IPAD. No need to buy another one with the current bluetooth integration. 



I'm adding an LED light under the dodger to make it easier to fiddle with the lock when boarding at night along with a key fob remote that kicks on the cockpit lights when you're coming up in the dinghy at night the same way the remote for you car can kick on the interior lights.

Nice ideas.

I thought brian had one big 14' grill all the way across the transom  He might!

Anyone else wants to ask questions please do. Love to hear thoughts from other sailors. 
PS Not sure this post is coming out right,, My responses are suppose to be red.


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

Mel,
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Just one clarification, you said "I thought I wanted a asym on it's own roller but found out it doesn't work well."

Is the problem the cut of the sail or that the furler doesn't work well?

Jim


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

From my chat with some sailmakers, the non torque rope that is used to roll the sail is not fool proof yet and has some bugs to work out.


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## capecodda (Oct 6, 2009)

We are having great luck with a North Sails G0 (their marketing for code zero for cruisers) using a shaefer roller. To make it work well, we have a 7/8 rig, and we built the anchor roller a little longer than usual to get the whole thing in front of the jib. YMMV, but it's become my favorite sail. The roller has given me no problems. I typically set it up before sailing on a light wind day. If it pipes up, I just roll it, like a solent rig. 

Man, building new is exciting!


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## Alex W (Nov 1, 2012)

The boat sounds great, and it's been interesting reading about your upgrades and working with Catalina on them. Hope the next 8 months go swiftly for you!


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

Mel, keep posting updates. This is good stuff.


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

My current boat just passed survey with flying colors. So next we are leaving Sunday with 3 fellow Sailneters to help me delivery my boat to St Simons, GA. Now let us all give presents to the sea gods for T/S Doreen to keep turning west. 
Of course my broker called me in the middle of the survey that he has a "HOT" buyer that wants to look at my boat this sunday when we are leaving. Not sure what to do here.


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## Pegu club (Jun 10, 2012)

That is just great! Very happy for you.


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

That's great. If you stay ....Dorian is lurking. Be safe.

Dave


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## xort (Aug 4, 2006)

Have you checked that a 100 amp charger can run on the honda? I have a pair of 40 amp chargers and the honda 2k will just barely run with both. Only 13 amps continuous output. Perhaps add a second 40 to the one already installed? Good 3 stage smart chargers can run in tandem.
I added a Yandina combiner and now have a set and forget charging setup. No 1/2 switches to mess with. Been working fantastic for couple of years now. Yandina offers excellent support


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

I thought of a second 40 amp charger but I am not sure how it would work in tandem. I am not that smart. Maybe someone with electrical experience would chime up. I was told the Honda will barely run the 100 amp charger. I am looking at upgrading the Honda to a larger unit to mount where a normal generator goes. I will tackle that project this winter after I get the boat.


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Best to you.have nothing but fun smooth seas and following breezes


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

Melrna said:


> My current boat just passed survey with flying colors. So next we are leaving Sunday with 3 fellow Sailneters to help me delivery my boat to St Simons, GA. Now let us all give presents to the sea gods for T/S Doreen to keep turning west.
> ...


WOOT! I am super excited! Tropical Storm SailNet heading up the coast!!!


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

Spot is activated to those that care to follow TS Sailnet! 
SPOT Shared Page


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## kjango (Apr 18, 2008)

How nice for you . Congrats & good luck


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## xort (Aug 4, 2006)

There's not much to adding a second charger. I added my second one. 
There was already an a/c circuit available so I used that to power the charger. You might need/want to add a second circuit for the second charger.
I've read somewhere that if all your charging comes into the battery bank at one end, you can get uneven wear on the batteries at one end vs the other. Don't know if that is true but it justified my running the second charge input to the other end of the bank. So I have one charger feeding pos & neg at one end of the bank and the second charger to the pos/neg at the other end of the house bank. This also helps avoid stacking too many lugs on one terminal. Of course fuses are in there too.

I like having the redundancy of 2 chargers and I also have the inverter as a separate unit.

If they are both 3 stage smart chargers with matching setups, there will be no issues of fighting each other. Easiest solution is to buy a match to the current unit but not sure it's all that important as long as you can match profiles.


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## rockDAWG (Sep 6, 2006)

Melrna said:


> Our New Boat


May be a bit late to the party. Nevertheless, congrats on your "brand new" boat. Sailing a brand new boat is the way to go. All the best


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

*Re: Tropical Storm SailNet Marching Up the East Coast*

Our new boat Moondance coming to the broker from the factory.

Moondance Photos by drferron | Photobucket


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## boz86 (May 17, 2012)

Nice! Congrats


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## fatcatsailor (Jun 9, 2013)

Congrats on the new boat..Fare winds to you!


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## chucklesR (Sep 17, 2007)

Oops, pic's of Mel's boat topless.


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## Dave_E (Aug 7, 2013)

Congrats on the boat. Just got a new (old) one myself. Something special about getting a new one! 

Dave


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

Well, I am late but on the last months I have been cruising :

Congratulations Melrna!!! I wish you all the best, fair winds and time to enjoy the new baby, not only has a new home but as a cruising boat.

Regards

Paulo


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## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

What a poor choice! You'll hate it! It will depreciate too fast! When you've realized what a mistake you made, call me up and I'll take it off your hands!   :laugher

Serously, though, I've been drooling ever since you made that post. Congratulations! If only I could "live the dream" like that.


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

TakeFive said:


> What a poor choice! You'll hate it! It will depreciate too fast! When you've realized what a mistake you made, call me up and I'll take it off your hands!   :laugher
> 
> Serously, though, I've been drooling ever since you made that post. Congratulations! If only I could "live the dream" like that.


Donna has first dibs!


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

Melrna said:


> Donna has first dibs!


WOOHOO! I won't even insist that it come with brownies!


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## cranki (Jun 11, 2006)

Please turn your phone sideways when shooting video.


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

Congrats! I acquired a 1990 Catalina 42 and went cruising four years ago. I'm back, and saving up money to go back out again. Have fun! It's a great life.


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

Mel, Congratulations on your new baby!

Please keep posting as she comes together.


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

> Melissa -
> 
> Thanks for sharing all the great information about your new boat. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask a couple of questions. Feel free to answer in the public forum if you want.
> 
> ...


I have been asked this a few times from my fellow sailors and I will try to answer this the best way I know how. 
Why did I choose a Catalina 445 for my world cruising boat

When I saw this boat at the Annapolis boat when it was introduce in 2009, I like the boat but not loved the boat. There were a lot of short comings in my opinion. One can see my write up here on SN: http://www.sailnet.com/forums/boat-reviews/62143-miami-boat-show-catalina-hunter-beneteau-jeanueau.html. Over the years my opinion changed as I got deeper into the design and talks with Gerry Douglas I found out he will change most of the short comings that I saw. My change sheet during the build was modest at best. 
Having liveaboard my old boat a 2006 Hunter 36 for 5 years I narrowed down my list of, got to have, in my next boat. The Catalina 445 fit most of that list. Boats are a compromise as in most things in life. This boat was no exception. 
What other boats did I concerned. 
My list was very short due to my extensive requirements. In short, I wanted a Caliber 40 hull with a Valiant 42 interior. Since they didn't make this boat per se I talked to most brokers up and down the east coast, spent countless hours reading everything under the sun on boat designs for long term cruising, talked with countless sailors, attending most boat shows over the course of 5 years, visited a few factories (Valiant, Catalina, IP, Caliber) and walked on, sail on as many boats as I could. In my head they didn't make a boat that I could afford except Catalina. My list. HR 42, Hylas 44-46, Malo 40, Southerly 42. We came close to getting a Hylas 46 but this is a huge heavy boat and I got scared it would be too much for 2 women to handle. We considered a Catamaran and it was our first choice. But the price for owners version new or not beat up was too much in the end. If we win the lottery we will get an Antares 44I. 
Why the Catalina over the other production boat? Simple, Catalina stepped up their game during the recession while the others lowered their quality, made in America product and most important customer service. I have everyone's personnel cell number if I need to talk to anyone at the factory. Gerry Douglas has call me numerous times to talk with me about this build. It is such an honor to talk to the guy the designed and built this boat. He listened to what I had to say, made suggestions where needed, surprised me on a few of my modifications in upgrading even further the equipment I ordered and is a great guy to be around. I don't know of any large boat builder that does this. 
Here is the short list: Lead keel, aluminum toe rail, top drawer sailing hardware, teak interior, hull designed ( 5 piece construction grid ( furniture grid is not the main support structure) , _fast_ hull, real 1/4" and 3/8" backing plates on all hardware including cleats, no chopped glass anywhere, transom design that can withstand a drogue cute, real galley, all tanks easily accessible and maintainable, large water and fuel tanks ( I added an additional 40 gal fuel tank to give me a 500 NM range), 3rd aft cabin as a storage (garage) and work room, walk through transom and she is a good looking boat. 
The short comings as I see it on this boat that we didn't/couldn't change; No stay sail standard nor designed into it. I will probably add one later on after we sail this boat for a year or two to see if it really needs one. Still think the lack of a nice headliner takes away from the great interior. The heads are classic plastic, stark and cold. A shower curtain vs door is another lost touch by Catalina. We will dress this up a bit when we get the boat. No hatch boards. While the current companionway swing door is great, I wanted real hatch boards when the weather gets rough. I have a sailing philosophy of one hatch board per reef in the mainsail. Catalina want almost one boat buck for this. I think I can do this for a lot less. We didn't order a generator with the boat. I hate the location of where they put it and it is almost impossible to work on. For now my Honda 2000 generator with have to do. If I do put one in I am thinking of putting it in the 3rd aft cabin. *The rudder*. The rudder designed was my biggest compromise, I wanted a skeg hung one. The rudder hangs at the same level as the shoal draft keel (not a problem if you get the deep draft keel). The bottom one foot of the rudder is designed to shear off if one runs real hard aground. When I toured the factory, I saw how it was made (Catalina makes their own rudders. No one else does this). While I did get a few warm fuzz's still not a total happy camper. I do love the maneuvering ability of this rudder though. She steers like a dream and backs up like my Hunter did. Still a compromise. 
I don't want to get into the other big 3 boat builders and their short comings. Maybe in another thread we can chat about that. While I love PCP thread on "Interesting sailboats", and all the small European designs, I want to buy USA boat. 
Any other questions, please ask and I will try my best to answer.


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## welshwind (Feb 27, 2005)

Thanks very much for the insights!


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## arf145 (Jul 25, 2007)

So as I read it, you pretty much just kinda winged it and grabbed the first boat that came along


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

*Moondance Logo*

Moondance logo:


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## xort (Aug 4, 2006)

So what is the status on the new boat?


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

Status of new boat. She was launched last Monday in grand style with a naming ceremony and Blessing to the Wind Gods. Here is the montage on that day;
Moondance Ceremony - YouTube


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Was Van Morrison playing?


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

Faster said:


> Was Van Morrison playing?


Yes - Moondance by Van Morrison is the boats' theme song.


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## xort (Aug 4, 2006)

Video wont play on my droid, is that me?

Where did you launch, florida?


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

xort said:


> Video wont play on my droid, is that me?
> 
> Where did you launch, florida?


I think Adobe Flash Drive is required. Launch was in Brunswick, GA


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## xort (Aug 4, 2006)

Have adobe flash installed, might not be working


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

Mel,

Talk to Gerry about one of their custom hard top dodgers. I know they build them for the C-42 & C-470. They are really sweet..


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

Maine Sail said:


> Mel,
> 
> Talk to Gerry about one of their custom hard top dodgers. I know they build them for the C-42 & C-470. They are really sweet..


I did and the cost right now for us is not there. We have to save up for later modifications. That one is near the top of the list.


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

Update for those interested. We just spent a week on the boat for the intial shakedown cruise. First, Lets talk sailing. It is a fast boat. She likes 9.2 knots. I have custom sails from Mack Sails in Florida, not Catalina OEM sails. This hull is easliy driven by both wind and motor. This is a big surprise for me. I moved most of my stuff from my last boat so she is not "Factory light"!. Winds at 10 knots I can get 7.5 knots and winds over 15 knots she becomes a race horse. She point well to 30 degrees. Motoring, at 80% power the speed jumps to 8.7 - 9.0 knots. For one that has been cruising at 5.5-6 knots my whole sailing life this is a whole new ballgame.
Second big surprise was ease of sailing handling. I move up from a 36' boat to this 44' boat so both the genoa and mainsail square foot differential is huge. I can easliy trim the boat without the use of the electric winches. However, electric winches are sooo nice. I see a spoiled sailor in my future. 
Third little surprise. Anchoring. Big anchor, 55 lbs Ronca, 200' of big chain (3/8), huge snubber from Mantus. Not sure boat is set up right on the rollers. I think I need a bigger roller since the OEM is 5/16th chain. I found out I cannot manhandle this set-up. 
Docking this big boat. Pucker factor - infinite!. I have no experience docking a boat in big current. The current rips here in GA at 2-3 knots. So for now, my life revolves around slack tide. Bowthruster is of no use in this type of current. I have a lot to learn here. One big surprise is the docking with twin helms. My throttle is on the starboard side. Docking on the port side is hard to judge where things are due to the size of this boat. It is almost like docking a catamarn. Just time and practice to get the eyes calibrated. We spent one whole day just practicing docking. Need a lifetime I think. This boat requires a whole new set of skills in this area. 
Electronics- We got the new Raymarine hybrid touch screen and I-70 set up. It is a lot different than my old C-90 and ST-60's. In some ways I like my old ST-60's better. The new chartplotter has more features but at times can be hard to find the information I was used too. I have AIS too, and it has beed a blessing here in Bruniswick to communicate with the big ships that transit the channel. The new HD radar is amazing. 
Disappointments. Heads. Too small for this size boat. Engine noise - Loud. Electrical - alternator charging with the 1,2 both switch. I have 3 battery banks. In order to charge the batteries I have to move this switch, I will change this out first thing and put in an echo charger. Air Conditioning pump - Open ampeture in a wet bilge. 
Liveaboard factor. 10 all the way. Other than the small heads, this is a wonderful boat downstairs. Tons of storage space. I love the 3rd cabin (flex room) for storage. I can carry some serious stuff in here when we cut the docklines next year. 
Let talk sailing. Did I tell you all it is a fast boat!


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## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

Nice to know you're having a good time.


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## welshwind (Feb 27, 2005)

Would you say the boat likes to sail upright, way over on the rail, or ...? Glad to hear about the performance of it sailing and handling of the sails. We are also moving from a 36 to this. Can't wait until the ice is off Lake Michigan and we take possession of ours. That is currently scheduled for the weekend of April 28. Such is the life of a northern sailor.


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

Welshwind - She likes to sail around 10-15 degrees heel. She is the happiest at this heel angle. 
We did some heavy weather sailing over Thanksgiving, for those that didn't see the Youtube video over at BFS thread here is a short video of that going downwind: 



The first part of the video is sideways. It corrects it self after the first minute. Still learning how to shoot video.


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

Nice sailing. You are going almost dead downwind. Do you prefer on your boat on that position the main over the Genoa?

Regards

Paulo


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

PCP said:


> Nice sailing. You are going almost dead downwind. Do you prefer on your boat on that position the main over the Genoa?
> 
> Regards
> 
> Paulo


I would have preferred the Genoa over the main in this situation. Going DDW would require for the most part a poled out Genoa and I don't have the pole set up just yet. The dealer is taking his sweet time getting the track on the mast.. 
The danger in just running the main out of course is an accidental gybe and broach. It takes some skill not to let this happen. First, the main has to be trimmed so as the bow falls off the wave it points into the wind (trim the main into the wind; tighten it up and traveller midship). Second, boom preventer attached ( you will see the red sheet lead aft in the video). Third a good helms person able to recognize and steer the boat properly. 
We were over canvas for this sail. I should have put a reef in the mainsail. Having said that, we didn't for some good and bad reasons. First, I had two crew members real seasick. Jenn and I were both not feeling all the great ourselves. Turning the boat into the wind and waves to reef should have been done but I felt that would have been more of a problem than just running the way we did considering our situation. This later proved to be a good decision because when we did roll the main in, the furling line broke. I needed all hands on deck to roll the main in at the mast. (wind was blowing a steady 25 knots).
Right after I shot this video we lost the main steering. This is a story in itself. Remember this is a new boat. The following seas put a great deal pressure on the big spade rudder this boat has. Jenn and I both took turns steering this boat every 20 mins. We did not put the autopilot on due to my concerns on a accidental gybe ( we tried it out in the beginning and did OK but not to my satisfaction, more on this later). The chain around the sprocket on the starboard side jumped off. We had a warning about 10 mins before this happened when we both heard a loud bang coming from the steering. This was the chain slipping on the chain sprocket. We didn't know it at the time. I thought we hid something. When Jenn called out to me she couldn't steer, I put the autopilot on and headed up into the wind 20 degrees to be out of the DDW situation. (The below deck autopilot is independent of the wheel steering in most sailboats). The boat steered fine with the autopilot so I knew right away that I had a cable problem. Seen this before a few times racing. I quickly got out the tool box and opened up the top of the steering pedestal to find the chain off the sprocket. I got the chain back on. Now I had to adjust the cable in a heaving deck under the starboard transom locker. With Jenn holding me by my pants (there are pictures of this I will not share) I had to hang upside down to tighten the cables. Once that was done we were back in business san bruised, tired and mad as heck).
So lessons learned:
1. NOAA and all the other wx sites I use were wrong on sea state and wind forecast. They all called for 3.5' seas, wind 10-15 knots. When I got out into the ocean we had 5' seas, 3 secs spacing and wind 15-20 knots, one hour later seas 5-9' wind 20 knots gusting to 28. I should have ducked back into the ICW at this point (a 30 min into the wind and sea state for the St Simons inlet vs 90 min run to the next inlet. You make the call). 
2. Sea sickness- I lost 2 crew members after one hour. One got real sick and the other on the verge. Jenn and I both were a little under the weather. We all tried the one ear plug in the non-dominate ear. It worked for 3 of us. 
3. My bad for not reefing the main earlier when I had all 4 crew members in the beginning. 
4. Boat handling in rough seas. I wanted to see how this boat could handle the seas. She did great except for the mechanical problems. There were so many lessons learned here, in too many ways it was a great learning experience close to shore vs out in the middle of nowhere. Best to find out now before we cut the docklines this summer. One reason I did what I did.
5. I also wanted to see push this crew to see where we were. Some would say "my bad", but others would say need to know now on a very short cruise like this before bigger adventures are planned. I have been sailing with this crew on/off now for some 7 years. That night at sundowners we went over the lessons learned. It was a full bottle of rum night (23 year old). 
6. Steering cable. When this happened I was very upset and still am. I know that after time the steering cable will stretch. But not after only 4 sails. I am blaming Catalina and the dealer for NOT adjusting the steering cables properly during commissioning. This put the crew and boat in danger. Remember. the Salty Dog rally, two Catalina's (38'&42') lost steering too. Not sure yet if this is a design defect out of Edson/Catalina or not properly maintain cable tension. I am voting for the later. So for the rest of you, if there is any slop in the wheel get your cables adjusted. You shouldn't be able to move the wheel right or left without the rudder moving. 
a. What we did right. Autopilot on. If works it is a cable problem, If it doesn't it is a real bad problem; autopilot steering arm locked up, broken rudder post/rudder.
b. The new Raymarine IP-70 autopilot with EVO is a wonderful thing except in one area. The "response" to course corrections. In the new system I have only 3 settings; leisure, cruise and performance. In the old ST-60, it was numbered 1-9. When running downwind, we need a bigger response time so we don't accidentally gybe. I need to further my education on this on what does performance mean compared to the old system. 
I made some good and bad decisions here. I hope everyone can learn from this experience. 
Melissa
BTW the crew is still going to sail with me after this experience.


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## xort (Aug 4, 2006)

Pleasure meeting you and your crew in Fernandina. Nice boat!


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## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

Melrna said:


> ...Right after I shot this video we lost the main steering. This is a story in itself...
> 6. Steering cable. When this happened I was very upset and still am. I know that after time the steering cable will stretch. But not after only 4 sails. I am blaming Catalina and the dealer for NOT adjusting the steering cables properly during commissioning. This put the crew and boat in danger. Remember. the Salty Dog rally, two Catalina's (38'&42') lost steering too. Not sure yet if this is a design defect out of Edson/Catalina or not properly maintain cable tension. I am voting for the later. So for the rest of you, if there is any slop in the wheel get your cables adjusted. You shouldn't be able to move the wheel right or left without the rudder moving...
> I hope everyone can learn from this experience...


In the interest of helping others learn, I'll share my similar experience. My boat is much smaller, and the steering system is a smaller, simpler, lighter weight pull-pull cable system. So it's not exactly relevant to your design, but there may be some similar issues.

A couple years ago my chain jumped a sprocket in a relatively mild (15 kt) blow. The cable tension seemed fine, so I did some research. It turns out that my pull-pull system relies on an aluminum bracket to provide compression on the cable sheaths that must completely counteract the tension of the cables themselves. In a good blow, that aluminum bracket is known to flex a little bit, which can lower cable tension and cause the chain to jump. Tightening the cable tension does not fully fix this problem - the best fix is to stiffen the aluminum bracket. The problem was easily solved with an appropriately sized 1x3:








This past May I got caught in heavy following seas in the middle of the Delaware Bay. Not as bad as you had, but relative to my boat's size they were pretty big. (FWIW, I chose to run on jib alone to avoid an accidental gybe.) I had to use both hands to pull the wheel hard port after every swell/breaker, otherwise I would have broached. Every time I pulled that wheel, I said to myself, "I'm sure glad I reinforced my steering bracket." Otherwise, I am sure I would have lost my steering. Instead, the steering held up, without a single jumped sprocket.

Moral of the story: Increasing cable tension may not be the right answer for jumping sprockets. Check your steering design and see if there is flexing of the support components that could be solved by reinforcement.


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

Melrna said:


> I would have preferred the Genoa over the main in this situation. Going DDW would require for the most part a poled out Genoa and I don't have the pole set up just yet. ...
> ...My bad for not reefing the main earlier when I had all 4 crew members in the beginning.
> ...


Melrna I know that not all the boats are the same but maybe its of some use I share a bad experience that happened to me regarding a similar situation (well, not really) some years back while sailing from Africa to Portugal, out of the Gibraltar Strait:

The forecast was F7 but it was downwind sailing and I was pretty familiar with my boat, a Bavaria 36 so I went out of Ceuta bound to Portugal.

I was sailing with two reefs on the main and a shortened Genoa with about 30k wind going fast and well. Everybody was having a good time.

Then the wind increased again and I put the third reef on the main and reduced the front sail further... and some time later the unexpected happened and the wind increase again to about 40K and I made a mistake: 40K was already more than what was forecasted so I thought that it would not go stronger and I maintained the main and took out the genoa...... some time later the wind increased a lot, I don't know 50K or more and I was not able to maintain the main, even on the third reef. Too much lateral pressure and the boat keep turning to the wind on the gusts making me lose control from time to time.

The sea was very agitated and even with the help of the crew and the engine it took three attempts to turn the boat to the wind. Turning a boat to the wind in very strong wind without a head sail and with a main on can be a big problem, specially if the engine is not very powerful

Regards

Paulo


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

xort said:


> Pleasure meeting you and your crew in Fernandina. Nice boat!


Like wise. Love meeting up with Sailneters. Wish we could have travel south together.

I am glad to hear the other stories out there. We can all learn from each other's experience. This is were I believe Sailnet shines and is at it finest.

There are so many seamanship lessons here I wish I was more apt at making instruction videos like Alex did back in the day. Paulo brings up a good point on when the seas get real ugly and wind blowing hard and you are running downwind why you might not be able to turn the boat into the wind. The biggest danger here is broach with breaking waves. Probably the worst position one can be in. The physic's of this would make a great discussion. Sail management, different hull forms, CLE, CLR, rudder size, etc. I even envision Mr Perry getting a few words in on this.


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## IStream (Dec 15, 2013)

Hi Melissa,

You gonna restart your blog now that you've got your new vessel?

Thanks.


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## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

I started a new one. Work in progress until after the holidays


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## IStream (Dec 15, 2013)

Melrna said:


> I started a new one. Work in progress until after the holidays


Great, looking forward to it.


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## welshwind (Feb 27, 2005)

Melrna said:


> Welshwind - She likes to sail around 10-15 degrees heel. She is the happiest at this heel angle.
> We did some heavy weather sailing over Thanksgiving, for those that didn't see the Youtube video over at BFS thread here is a short video of that going downwind: Moondance Downwind Sail - YouTube
> The first part of the video is sideways. It corrects it self after the first minute. Still learning how to shoot video.


Thanks for the information ... I CANNOT WAIT!!! It is the antsiest I've been waiting for sailing season to start up here.

The BFS sail looked like a lot of fun.


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