# Hugh's Log



## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

<edit> I changed the title as I plan to add updates to this thread as I progress on my journey into sailing. Hopefully it can act as an inspiration for those who follow or at least as a dire warning </edit>

Hello All (or is that Ahoy Mates),

So I've gotten interested in sailing and dreaming of a live aboard life and cruising. For the last 30 years I've been a motorcycle nut and have gone on a few multi month rides through North and South America as well as Europe. I learned on those rides that I really could live with only the things I could carry on my motorcycle so living on a boat doesn't seem out of the question. I also found that most of my time between my epic rides was spent buying stuff I didn't need and living on a boat might cure me of this since I wouldn't have any place to put that stuff.

My sailing experience is very minimal. When I was in high school I spent quite a bit of my summers on a friends Sunfish but it was his boat and I just mostly followed orders. Other than that I've been racing model yachts for the last couple of years.

I have a reservoir about 10 minutes from my townhouse so I'm looking at picking up a dinghy to get my feet wet and learn more about sailing while I determine if it's the life for me.

I look forward to learning more about boats and sailing, particularly about live aboard possibilities in the Washington DC area.

Thanks,
Hugh


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## smitty225 (May 23, 2016)

Glad to meet you Hugh. Welcome to our merry band.

Mike
s/v One Love


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

Welcome aboard matey.

You might check out a school like this: Mariner Sailing School - Alexandria, VA
rather than buying your own boat.
They have Sunfish and Flying Scott sailboats. 
Both good learning platforms.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Thanks CableD I'll look into it.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

I took last week off and attended the Mariner Sailing School as recommended. It was great fun and considering you get a week of free boat rentals with the school it seems live a very good deal as well. 

Now that I've gotten some basic training I'm looking to purchase a small sailing dingy. Since I live in a townhouse I really need to find something easy to store and if it could be used as a dingy on a larger boat in the future that would be a bonus. I'm currently leaning to a Minicat 310 but will look to see what else is available.

thanks,
Hugh


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## smitty225 (May 23, 2016)

Hugh -


Is your last name Briggs?


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

No, it isn't Stratton either.


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

Sounds like you have a good plan: get a small dinghy, sail on a lake that is close by, then get a boat you can camp/live on.
My advice: get a small dinghy (14-16) feet that is more recreational than racing designed. A design that has both main sail and jib. They are easier to launch for one person and easier to learn on.


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## gamayun (Aug 20, 2009)

Welcome, Hugh! If they're still around, you might want to join the Sailing Club of Washington (SCOW), which is based just sound of National Airport.

As far as buying more stuff than you can put on a boat, I know some people who have a boat so crammed full of stuff that they can't sail it and others who spend good money to keep their stuff in a storage locker. If you have a problem with this, buying a boat won't necessarily cure it....


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

I'm looking into options for either an inflatable or nesting sailing dinghy and would be open to any suggestions.

The Minicat is currently in the lead and from what the representative said at the Annapolis boat show you can get $1000 off any MiniCat if you order by Dec 31st so it's about $4000 for a 310 with a furling jib and a few other goodies. 

I've been looking at the PT Eleven nesting dinghy and it looks real nice also but it would be about the same price and I would still need to build it. I'm not opposed to building a dinghy but it would need to come with a considerable price savings to make it worthwhile.

thanks,
Hugh


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## jdubbery (Jan 18, 2015)

Welcome aboard! As a newbie as well, I've really enjoyed this site and the many contributors. Good luck in your search.


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

I would not consider inflatable boats. They usually sail poorly and have serious maintenance issues. And terrible resale value. I'm not a big fan of these little nesting dinghies either. They are very tippy and not at all easy to sail and learn on. I would get a proper dinghy that is wide bodied, unsinkable and sturdy, on a decent trailer. Lots of them for sale really cheap these days.


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## Arcb (Aug 13, 2016)

If you are looking for a small cheap sailing dinghy that you can use for a ships boat later on down the road, I wouldn't discount a Walker Bay 10.

I sail a Walker Bay 8 all over the place and they are very forgiving boats and they sail pretty well too.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Thanks for the suggestions, unfortunately my current living arrangement make an inflatable or nesting dinghy a necessity. 

Does anyone know of any manufactured nesting sailing dinghies? So far all I've found are kits and while I think the Spindrift N10 or N11 would be ideal I don't think I have enough space to build one in my townhouse.

Are there any particular websites where I might find used dinghies for sale? 

thanks,
Hugh


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

Some marinas and yacht clubs have parking lots where you can leave your dinghy fully rigged on a trailer ready to launch. It costs some money each month but might be worth your consideration and saves lots of time on your sailing days.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

After almost two months of searching and reading I decided on building a Spindrift 11' nesting dinghy/tender from B&B Yacht Designs.
http://bandbyachtdesigns.com/spindrift/

I drove down from DC to NC to pick it up this weekend from the designer Graham Byrnes who probably has forgotten more about sailing then I'll ever know. It was a real pleasure to meet him.

It's going to be a tight fit building it in my 3 motorcycle garage but where there's a will there's a way. I don't know if it there's an appropriate place or interest in a dinghy build on sailnet but I'll post pictures of the major milestones here.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Made some progress on the Spindrift. It's stRting to look like a boat.


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

Well there you are: that is starting to look like a boat. Good work.
I'm glad that Alexandria sailing place panned out for you, at least for a while.

I can picture you sailing around some of the quieter creeks of the Potomac in your nested, cat rigged dinghy. Once you are out there then everywhere you go, there you are.

;-)


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

ThereYouAre said:


> Made some progress on the Spindrift. It's stRting to look like a boat.


Come on your in a garage and you were worried about having room? Don't you know you are supposed to build it in the basement, then not be able to get it out? :laugh

Looks good, I have thought about a stitch and glue dingy, simple made from hardware store ply.


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## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

ThereYouAre said:


> Made some progress on the Spindrift. It's stRting to look like a boat.


In the end, you can use the frame for a waterbed

different kind of sailing....


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

It took a couple of weeks to source the wood for my gunwales and a few trips to Home Depot to stock up on clamps and then a week or so of scratching my head before calling up one of my buddies to come help me out, but now I've got breasthook and gunwales installed. Next will be the forward bulkhead and transom and then the critical step of making sure the boat is square before I start epoxying the seams.

p.s.: Anyone know how to rename a thread? Since I plan on using this thread long term to chronicle my journey into the world of sailing I was hoping it could be renamed 'Hugh's Log' .

thanks,
Hugh


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## RocketScience (Sep 8, 2008)

ThereYouAre said:


> p.s.: Anyone know how to rename a thread? Since I plan on using this thread long term to chronicle my journey into the world of sailing I was hoping it could be renamed 'Hugh's Log' .
> 
> thanks,
> Hugh


PM (private message) one of our great Moderators. They can do it.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

I've installed the forward bulkhead and I spent a couple of days planning down the gunwales and installed the forward and nesting bulkheads as well as the transom. I checked that the boat was square and then tack glued the seems. Once that was dry I was able to remove the wires holding the boat together. I did check that the boat was reasonable true before epoxying the seems. While it maybe wasn't perfect the bubble was between the lines of my level everywhere I checked so I called it close enough.

Since I've taken these pictures I've filleted all the seems in the aft hull and started laying the fiberglass tape around the nesting bulkheads. I hope to finish taping up the interior of the boat this week. I'm hoping to have the boat done by May but if that's going to happen I need to spend more time actually working on it and less time staring at it and daydreaming.


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

Looks great! So much fun to see a boat rise out of a pile of wood. It might be a more difficult road, but, I really like the idea of building a boat to learn to sail, that you will later use as a tender for a bigger boat. Are you building the nesting version?


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Yes this is the nesting version. I really couldn't store a 10'+ boat where I'm currently living. While the non nesting version is a better boat especially when it comes to bailing it out (It can use a single self bailer and has much more reserve buoyancy ) the nesting version should give me a lot more flexibility when I start shopping for my big boat since I'll only need 5'6" x 4' to store the tender on deck.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Lots of slow progress the last few weeks. I've not gotten all of the interior seams filleted and taped and am about 2/3rds of the way through with the aft seating. I've included a picture of my fancy filleting tools. I figure I have about another days work and then I can flip the boat and start fairing the hull.


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

Looking very much like a boat. Nice work.

Isn't there a center board slot/trunk?

Everywhere you go, there you are.


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## ColoGuy (Jan 7, 2010)

Scorpion apparently suffered no self esteem issues.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Thanks, there's going to be a centerboard trunk just ahead of the bulkheads. I haven't started building it yet. It'll account for about 2/3rds of the parts I still have lying around.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Since I last posted I did a fill coat on the interior fiberglass seems and flipped the boat and rounded the chines and filled in all the holes. Now everything is nice and smooooth. I've also started work on the dagger board. The next step is flipping it back over and chopping it in half.

After the plane my second favorite wood working tool is my soldering iron. If any of your temporary (or permanent) screws get epoxied in you can just heat*up the screw with the soldering iron and the screws come right out. You can also use it to remove globs of hardened epoxy. A lot less work then trying to sand them down.


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## midwesterner (Dec 14, 2015)

I imagine that this boat will be heavy. How will you haul it? Will two people be able lift it? Will you be able to haul it in a pickup truck, or will you have to buy a trailer?


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

The entire boat should only weigh about 110lbs. Since it's a nesting dinghy each half should be around 50lbs making it easy for one person to handle. I flipped the whole hull over by myself and it didn't feel particularly heavy, but it was very awkward.

The ease of handling by one person and the ability to haul it in my truck is why I chose to build a nesting dinghy. The non nesting dinghy is about 10lbs lighter and has other advantages such as much larger water tight compartments, easier access fore and aft, and the ability to use a single self bailer.


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

Here is a small detail that I modified on my plans (a different boat than yours). I made the skeg about 1/2 inch deeper than the plan, and extended it all the way up the bow. This allowed me enough wood to screw a sacrificial aluminum strip onto the bottom. I can now drag her up beaches and cement piers without worry.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Nice looking dinghy Barquito, what is it? I'm thinking of using kevlar over my keel for abrasion resistance.


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## MastUndSchotbruch (Nov 26, 2010)

Barquito said:


> Here is a small detail that I modified on my plans (a different boat than yours). I made the skeg about 1/2 inch deeper than the plan, and extended it all the way up the bow. This allowed me enough wood to screw a sacrificial aluminum strip onto the bottom. I can now drag her up beaches and cement piers without worry.


Your boat is too small for your dinghy :devil


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Major milestone last night. 

I started freaking out because the front of the hull was contacting the seats while nested but then I realized I haven't put the keel on yet so I'll leave freaking out for another day.


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

ThereYouAre said:


> Nice looking dinghy Barquito, what is it? I'm thinking of using kevlar over my keel for abrasion resistance.


This is a Devlin Boatworks Polliwog.


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

MastUndSchotbruch said:


> Your boat is too small for your dinghy :devil


I have since gotten a boat that is a more appropriate size for my dinghy.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Latest progress. I've sealed the interior of the aft hull with expoxy and mounted the seat tops. I then got the aft hull flipped and fiberglassed the whole thing. That went pretty smoothly. If you want to make cutting fiberglass cutting eash and get really clean cuts I recommend picking up a cloth cutting wheel from the local crafts store. Much easier than a pair of scissors or a razor blade.

I've put on the first filler coat of epoxy on the bottom since I took this picture and after I put on a second coat I'll take the boat off the saw horses so I can start filling in the sides and transom while they're facing up and can start fiberglassing the forward hull.

-Hugh


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## midwesterner (Dec 14, 2015)

I have a question, Hugh, when you put the boat together to go sailing, what is the system for attaching the two halves and keeping it waterproof? I would love to see some close up photos of the system that holds both halves together.


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## albrazzi (Oct 15, 2014)

Nice project, this reminds me of the old "Bateaus" used to haul Tobacco from up (The James) river in Colonial times. They would horse and carriage the "Bows" for the double ender back up river and build a new Boat (center section) they were controlled by a simple sweep rudder, if grounded on the rocks they would turn the Boat around and sweep the other end. We fell into a reenactment years ago and managed to talk our way into a day trip down the river, we did have to tear up some clothes so we were in proper period garb. Enjoy your new Boat.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

The boat halves will be held together with 5 stainless steel bolts. There will be a rubber washer under the stainless steel washers to keep the water out. I believe the bolt holes are above the waterline at least when empty.

When I was cutting the boat in half I was inserting the bolts as I went along to keep the boat from breaking apart. I've included a closeup of the bolts from that day. It doesn't include the rubber washers. The holes for the bolts are drilled oversized and then filled with epoxy. The epoxy is then drilled for the size of the bolt. This provides both resistance to crushing/compression of the wood when you bolt the halves together and protection from water if it gets around the bolt. I've also attached a picture showing the epoxy plug with the hole drilled into it for the bolt.

I think getting the water out after I capsize will be a bigger issue than keeping the water out from normal sailing. I'm still debating getting on whether to get self bailers for both halves, just the aft half, or just sticking with a tried and true jug to scoop the water out.

Here is a picture of an empty nesting Spindrift to give you an idea of the waterline
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n165/haudsley/Picture260.jpg


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## HonestLeech (May 15, 2017)

Hello, mate welcome aboard. Stick around and we can share drink sometimes


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

I had taken last week off hoping to reach the painting stage, but as usual the best laid plans of mice and morons went astray.

Since I last posted I've completed fiberglassing and filling in the weave on both hulls with epoxy and then spent most of my week off spending quality time with my orbital sander. At this point I still need to install the dagger board trunk (which I've assembled), the mast step, and the top of the front seating area. So only two thirds of the remaining steps are critical to the sailing quality of the boat. 

The bolt holes for the two hulls ended up getting filled with epoxy when I was filling the weave of the glass and I was a bit sloppy drilling them out so I'll be filling them back up with epoxy and re-drilling them to get a better fit between the hulls. Hopefully I'll be able to start painting the interior by next weekend (hopefully).

In the first picture you can see the daggerboard in the foreground. This is what the hull looked like before all the quality time with my sander.

In tangentially related news some of you may notice that there are only two motorcycles in my boat shed now. While I've sold off my motorcycles in the past this was the first time I sold one without the intention of replacing it. Caused me a bit of an existential crisis. So I just sanded and sanded until it passed.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Still haven't reached the painting stage though I have installed the mast step so I have only to install the dagger board trunk to have finished with the construction steps on the hull. I had to lower the cradle for the boat in order to able to fit the lower portion of the mast without hitting the ceiling in my garage and in the process managed to aggravate an old knee injury and then pull some muscles in my calf which has slowed down what already seems like a slow build.

This was actually the first weekend since I got the kit in December that I didn't work on it. Instead I took the US Sail Basic Keelboat class at the Washington Sailing Marina. Saturday went well and contained a lot of firsts like anchoring and reefing. Sunday went less well and also contained a lot of firsts like a busted engine on the school boat, getting towed out to the river, drifting down stream in no wind,and then getting towed back into the marina. I did manage to ace the exam though so Woot for me.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

MastUndSchotbruch said:


> Your boat is too small for your dinghy :devil


That is why he bought a bigger boat.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

So it's been two months since the last update. The good news is I'm almost finished with the painting.

ah

ah-ha

ah-ha-ha-hahahahahaha

Installing the daggerboard trunk and mast step went easily enough other than aggravating and old knee injury and pulling a bunch of muscles in my leg. That definitely slowed the work for a while.



















Creating the bearings and shoulders for the three piece mast.

Now that I had the keel installed I tested nesting the dinghy again and found that the bow was still contacting the seats. Not much point in having a nesting dinghy that doesn't nest so I decided to chop up my seats to make room for the bow. First I cried a bit then I went and bought a new tool woot!



















It fits! Just barely.

Since my seating area and reserve buoyancy was now greatly reduced. I decided to build some removable foam seats. I had planned on adding additional seating anyways so chopping the seats was a blessing in disguise. Mmmmm lemonade not only does it quench your thirst but it keeps you humble too.










I was told that using was paper with expanding foam was a terrible idea. It's true!










Mmm sanding foam is sooo much fun. It hardly creates any dust at all.

The foam seats are going to held in place by the thwart which will be bolted to the dagger board trunk. Normally the thwart is a seat for rowing but since I'm not interested in physical exertion and I wanted to preserve as much seating as possible I got a narrower board to act as the thwart.










I got a board that was symmetrical fore and aft to the bulkheads. If I was a bit smarter I would have gotten an even narrower board to preserve more seating area.










Now that I have the original seats patched up and the new seats built I've applied a final coat of epoxy to everything.









Besides being held in place by the thwart there are also 'things for which I do not have a name' preventing the seats from sliding into the center of the hull. I have also added 3/4" bits of wood to the inside aft corners of the seats. If necessary I can arrange another attachment point to the original seats to stop the foam seats from moving when I forget which way is up.









The seats still need another coat of epoxy but if I'm not mistaken (snicker) I just need to do another sanding pass on the fresh epoxy and then I can start painting this evening.

In other sailing news since the boat broke when I took the Basic Keelboat class I got to go back out for another full day at the Washington Marina. I've now passed the basic keelboat class and am a member of US Sailing which I believe entitles me too full priced coffee at Starbucks.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

I've gotten the interior of the dinghy primed, painted, and varnished. Now I just need to finish cutting out and glassing the dagger board slot on the bottom of the hull and I can start painting the outside. It feels like the end is almost in sight. I still have over a month of summer left to finish my winter project so I'm feeling pretty good about getting to go sailing this year.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

I still need to varnish the gunwales, but the painting is done other than a little touch up. I'll confess that it's a 10' paint job but I think it looks pretty sweet at 10'.


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## AJC506 (Nov 3, 2016)

Very impressive.
Looking forward to seeing it in action.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Tried to maiden today with the help of a friend but the winds were gusting over 20 so we decided that discretion was the better part of valor. Also noted a few things that needed some attention including forgetting my pfd and an offering to Poseidon. Will be trying again tomorrow


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Offerings offered.









Woo-hoo I'm sailing!









Woo-hoo I'm sailing the other direction!









Now I'm sailing away. Horizon here I come!

I can now move on from boat building to sailing and of course the wonderful world of boat maintenance and fixing. Primarily I need to figure out how to transport it without banging it up and then I'll refinish it.


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## snokid (Oct 25, 2016)

Great job I'm betting you won't have much problem with boat maintenance and fixing!!!

Bob


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

I went down to NC for the Messabout hosted by B&B Yachts. It was very cool seeing all the home built boats and I got a lot of sailing in on Saturday and Sunday. The dinghy got nothing but praise for its sailing qualities which made the builder quite pleased with himself. Apparently all the mistakes in the build cancelled each other out. I love it when a plan comes together.

I also noted some things that need improving like making the seats I made more comfortable. I've also loaded and unloaded the boat enough times now that I'm getting my method down so that I can do it by myself without too much effort.

Here are some pics from the Messabout









Core Sound 17









Graham Byrnes' Core Sound 17 Mark 3 as well as his new mini nesting tender. Graham is the designer off all of these boats.









Another Core Sound 17 I think









Morning Mist









More morning mist









My fellow campers the Dons heading out









Sunday morning mist









Convenient access to your boat from your tent, sweet! Actually that's my tent but not my boat. My boat was about 10' away.









There's my dinghy, about to spend it's first night in the water. Since the boat can leak through the bolt holes this was a bit of a sleepless night. One of the reasons it was sleepless is that my air mattress sprung a leak. I figured this was God's way of telling me I should check to see how much water was in the dinghy but I'm an atheist so I just re-inflated my mattress and tried to go back to sleep. The boat was dry in the morning :grin

I've also joined the Sailing Club of Washington as was suggested to me when I first started this thread. Since the club has some 25' Catalinas this will give me a chance to get some 'big' boat experience.


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## snokid (Oct 25, 2016)

Look's like a ball!!!

great photo's btw.

Bob


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

A little updated on how things are progressing on the plan and some recent boating activities.

Over the winter I decided to redo the tops of the foam seats for my dinghy as I had put the tops on with the grain running in crosswise instead of lengthwise. I also wanted to add a 1x1 support under the tops so I could round over the edges as the seats were pretty uncomfortable especially when you were leaning inboard in light winds. I also wanted to decrease the the gap between the seat tops and bulkhead. So I pulled off the old seat tops and used them as a template to cut new ones. When it came time to glue on the new seat tops I found that they were too large. How could that happen?









As it turns out my seats shrank about a 3/4" over the winter. That wasn't part of the plan!

Anyways I got the new seat tops on and rounded over the edges so the seats are now much more comfortable. I would also like to face the front of the seats with some thin plastic but that's purely cosmetic so we'll see if I get around to it.

Besides working on the dinghy I spent the winter finishing "Sensible Cruising the Thoreau Approach" and am about 2/3rds of the way through the "Annapolis Book of Seamanship". I've also joined the Sailing Club of Washington and started participating in their Wednesday night racing series on Flying Scots. I'm pleased to report that I'm really kicking ass in the series but that's just do to having the dumb luck of picking a boat with a competent skipper. The one time I took the helm we came in last :eek

I've also managed to get my dinghy out on the upper Potomac at Algonkian park. The boat launch is surrounded by trees so getting the mast and sail up without getting tangled up was just the first challenge. The wind was very light and while there isn't much current here the best I could do was hold position. Every time I tacked or jibed I would end up a few hundred feet further downstream. Since Algonkian Park is upstream of Great Falls and it seems like someone dies at Great Falls every other year slowly drifting downstream seemed like a bad idea so I spent about an hour standing up in the back of the dinghy paddling back upstream. Once I got parallel with the boat ramp the breeze picked up a little bit and I was able to spend the next few hours mostly sailing but the wind was very confused and my windvane would regularly start spinning around 360 degrees. I also managed to lose my paddle overboard in a gust so I got to practice my man overboard drills. I ended up running over my paddle and trapping it between the hull and the centerboard which I'm pretty sure is not the correct procedure. The one place where there was consistent wind was at the boat ramp where there was a steady breeze going down the boat ramp which combined with the tree lined entrance made getting back interesting. Luckily some kind soles waded out and help pull me back in. As I was disassembling the dinghy a few boaters mentioned that they had never seen a sailboat this far up the river. I think I know why now but I had fun and I'll be going out there again.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

ThereYouAre said:


> Over the winter I decided to redo the tops of the foam seats for my dinghy as I had put the tops on with the grain running in crosswise instead of lengthwise.


I stopped reading here, but I am sure I will continue at some stage. Great winter....

.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Now that my dinghy is done (haha) It's time to figure out what I want to build next. While I was mulling over various possibilities I was really taken by the notion of a small trimaran in which you sit in the center hull and steer with your feet. That way you could cleat the main sheet and do some hands free sailing and fix yourself a cup of coffee or read the paper as the mood strikes. I also like the fact that they're really fast for their size. At first I was looking at various designs of pure trimarans but then I ran across a Kayak conversion. This is particularly attractive as though my dinghy was designed to be rowed the idea of facing in the wrong direction just seems ... wrong. Also building a conversion would allow me to do a build over two seasons so I can build the Kayak this year and work on the sailing conversion the following year. Now I just have to decide which Kayak to build which if I had ever Kayaked before would probably be a simple decision.

Luckily Chesapeake Light Craft (CLC) is only a bit over an hour from me and they have a wide selection of Kayaks as well as a sailing coversion kit. Last Weekend was Okumefest which is CLCs annual showcase where they bring out all of their kayak and canoe designs as well as their sailing dinghies and let anyone take them out. I ended up trying out 5 different kayaks and am please to report that I only capsized entering and exiting the kayaks. I also took out the their sailing conversion twice and it was a blast and easily as fast as any of the other boats that where on the water at the time. The bad news is I still don't know which kayak I want to build. Also kayaking is much harder work than I expected but it actually got a bit easier as the day went on.

It was a gray rainy day so I didn't think there would be much of a crowd but I was shown to the overflow parking lot when I got there so it seems there's more interest in masochism boat building than I expected.


















The Pocketship is one of the largest kits offered by CLC and acted as one of the markers for the designated sailing / paddling area. Throughout the day CLC had kayakers at the edges of the play area to keep an eye on what was at times a pretty congested area.









Mmmmmm


















So pretty. Sooooo much work.


















This yellow boat was brought by one of the participants and I don't think it was a CLC design. It was the benchmark that I used to judge the speed abilities of the Kayak sailing conversion.













































Saw this out in the parking lot. Besides building the dinghy he also build the camper conversion for his jeep so he's all set for the Zombie apocalypse.








































































There was a line of freighters anchored out in the channel. Probably waiting to pick up cargo in Baltimore.









This is John Charris the boss of CLC. But more importantly what is that I spy in the background?









You will be mine.









Oh yes, you will be mine.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

The pictures don't seem to be linking correctly so here's the url to the gallery. 
https://1drv.ms/f/s!AnXWCJ4NsjaiioBUAyN6PnC3tMUn9A


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

I got out on a big boat earlier this month thanks to Jeff_H and his Farr 11.6. It was a lot of fun as well as educational. If anyone within a couple hours of DC needs crew or passengers for the day I'd appreciate the chance to get out on as many boats as possible.

I'm also taking the dinghy out at least once a week on the Potomac. Trying to take pictures while holding the sheet in one hand, the tiller in the second , and the camera in my third is about as easy as it sounds.

Thanks,
Hugh


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Barquito said:


> Here is a small detail that I modified on my plans (a different boat than yours). I made the skeg about 1/2 inch deeper than the plan, and extended it all the way up the bow. This allowed me enough wood to screw a sacrificial aluminum strip onto the bottom. I can now drag her up beaches and cement piers without worry.


Now that I've been handling my boat a while I realize that this is very good advice. I won't be extending my keel but it would definitely have helped protecting the bow when I'm manhandling it. I'm also looking for an aluminum or sacrificial wood strip to add to the keel.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Started on my latest sailboat project. You're probably thinking that it looks more like a kayak than a sailboat but this will be the vaka for my trimaran. Unlike my Spindrift build I'm taking my time with this one. I'm pretty sure I could have finished my Spindrift a month or two earlier if I hadn't been in a hurry.

I glued the panels together this weekend so whatever shape it has now is how it's going to stay. 

This is a Wood Duck 12 from Chesapeak Light Craft. Once the vaka nears completion I'll start on the amas .


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

I've gotten the interior glassed and glued. Still needs another sealing coat of epoxy and I'm adding some firberglass reinforcement at the location of the mast step and where the mast will penetrate the deck as I'm planning on getting the biggest freaking sailrig that CLC sells.  Hope to get the deck attached to the hull Friday or Saturday.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

I attended the B&B Yacht Designs Messabout in Maribel NC last weekend. Had a great time and did a lot of sailing on Friday and Saturday. The highlights was sailing in strong winds and some chop on Saturday morning and entering in my first race with the Spindrift late that afternoon. I was debating whether to shake the reef out of the sail before the race since it had been so spirited in the morning. I'm glad I did shake the reef out because the race was won by a 6'6" row boat! I did beat the only other Spindrift in the race so some honor was salvaged.

I also spent a bit of time talking to Graham Byrne about designing me a 35' ocean cruiser that I could build. It would be a really stupid thing to do but I have a history of making bad decisions so the odds are pretty good that I'll go down that route. Graham also showed me a design for a 22' world cruiser that he's designing for himself. If I was 22 years old living on a 22 footer might be tempting but at 53 a 35' seems more suitable.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

More pictures of cool homemade boats. The third picture is Graham Byrne towing his 17' Core Sound Mk3 with the 6'6" nesting pram that won Saturday's race.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

and yet more pictures.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Last picture. This is my Spindrift with a bone in her teeth on Saturday morning. This was taken near the dock. Things where much more boisterous when you got out on the river.

You can see more pictues from other photographers here:
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=eGRlRkVMOWhmalUzaDNHZnFwR0tyTTRBX3pjc1FB

Work on the kayak/trimaran is progressing slowly. The deck is glued on and the hull is mostly faired. I need to fiberglass it before it gets too cold for the epoxy to cure.

-Hugh


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

An update on the vakayak.

I glassed the hull first. My initial plan was to dye the hull black and leave the deck natural and have a bright finish over the whole thing. I've found that my plans rarely survive first contact with epoxy. I figured it wasn't going to work out early on, which is why only part of the hull is stained in the hull glassing picture. Plan B is to paint the hull and leave the deck bright. I'll paint it blue and white so it'll bear a family resemblance to my Spindrift.

The other three pictures just show the process of glassing the deck. There's a 2-3' overlap between the deck and hull glass to tie everything together. I still need to add 2 or 3 fill coats to the deck and then it's time for lots of glorious sanding.

I also want to thank Jeff H for taking me out on the Chesapeake last Saturday. The wind was regularly in the mid 20s to low 30s with 40+knt gusts so It was an exhilarating experience.

-Hugh


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Your kayak is looking great. I really enjoyed sailing with you last weekend. You were a great sport given the crazy conditions, cold air, big gusts, and water flying. I owe you a sail on a nicer day.

All my best
Jeff


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

A quick update on my kayak build. I'm hoping to get it done in time for CLC's Okumefest on the May 18th.

It just covered in primer at the moment. I was planning on painting it blue like my Spindrift but now I'm thinking it looks good in white. I may still paint the hull blue and leave the sided decks white. Or paint it white and add a blue stripe just below the seam of the side deck and the hull. Hmmm, still mulling.


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## KayakerChuck (May 4, 2017)

I just found this thread. 

Thanks for sharing your progress! I'm also a builder- mostly traditional style Skin On Frame kayaks, but also wood, inflatable, whatever. Motorcycles- yup. Yesterday we took my other half on her first 200 mile ride on her new (to her) DL650.

Good luck on getting her finished (enough) to take to Okume Fest.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Well it took a lot longer than expected but I finally got my kayak out on the water this weekend. I had a good time and got plenty of exercise paddling up stream for a couple of hours but sailing is definitely much more fun.

When I got home I noticed that the fiberglass had started detaching over an area where I had used some fairing compound. Definitely not the happy ending to an otherwise nice day.

The good news is I now have no desire to try and build a larger boat.

The bad news is I already hired a yacht designer. Something about a fool and their money.

Maybe a kind mod could rename the thread to "Hugh's Folly".


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## Johny13 (Sep 4, 2018)

you people are really giving value to the other noob members of this forum


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

ThereYouAre said:


> When I got home I noticed that the fiberglass had started detaching over an area where I had used some fairing compound. Definitely not the happy ending to an otherwise nice day".


Looking good! 
The fairing compounds have very little structural strength and are very brittle. I would imagine there is some flexing in this area.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Thanks Johny13. I'm glad someone is getting some use out of my cautionary tale.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

So 4 days short of 4 years after joining this forum I bought a boat. It's a 1989 J/34C .

I had been planning on buying a boat this year since joining the forum. I had started looking at boats in January with the thought of buying something in late March or April. "If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans." I had actually first looked at this boat in February then it disappeared from yachtworld in early April. Luckily the seller hadn't sold it and relisted it in the summer at a lower price. The boat was originally listed at $58k, then relisted at $55k and I purchased it for $45.5k . I expect I'll be putting in another $15k to $20k during the refit.

The buying process was a bit of an ordeal with the market being so hot it took 2+ weeks to get a surveyor and it was close to a month after that before I closed on the boat. Communicating with the selling broker was very frustrating. I wish I had gotten a buyers broker just to deal with the hassle.

I've taken the boat out a few times since I purchased it and it sails very well. My biggest concern is with docking but I think with a few more days of practice I'll be able to handle it without creating too much of a mess.

I moved onto the boat on Monday and having been getting stuff (tools) moved aboard and cleaning things up and fixing things that break: The reverse polarity light after moving it from the owners slip to my slip, the y handle for the water tanks which broke when I tried turning it. (Can't complain too much because I was told the boat only had one water tank), It rained on the second night aboard and all (ALL) the portlights and hatches leak (not very much though). Anyways I'm having lots of fun fixing things ,scrubbing the bilge, and just generally getting to know the boat.

The 'plan' is to stay in Annapolis for the next two months doing the refit and getting some sailing in and then start making my way south till it stops being cold.

I'm greatly looking forward to the day when I can take the boat out by myself with a measure of confidence.

Many thanks to Jeff_H and the other members of this forum for answering my questions during the last 4 years. I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions to ask.

Good Times,
Hugh


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

An update on the refit of my J/34c. After purchasing the boat I spent a bit over 2 months at Bert Jabins' Yacht Yard following is a general break down of the money I spent during the refit.

West Marine : 5245.78 The biggest chunk of which was replacing all the old mostly failing electronics with 2 new B&G Triton displays, Zeus3 9" chart plotter, Windinstrument, depth and speed.

Hardware Stores: 1066.22 The single biggest item was a new aluminum propane tank at $160.

Quantum sails: 5388.31 They made me a fancy new high tech genoa for $4860 and did some repairs on my mainsail for $528. They definitely over promised and under delivered on the customer service front but the Genoa seems ok. The Genoa was the first thing I ordered back in September and waiting for it to arrive was why I didn't leave Annapolis until the 8th of December.

Amazon 1166.99 Lots of NMEA2k cables, new dock lines, Magma cook ware, a Samsung Galazy Tab A (junk), and lots of other odds and ends.

Coastal Climate Control 1732.57 This was for the Frigoboat Capri 35 to convert my icebox into a refrigerator, The fridge works well but the freezer portion is so small as to be almost useless.

Rigging Company 663 This was to install my wind instrument. These guys were clowns. Expensive clowns. Would not recommend.

Atlantic Rigging 342.44 I can't remember what this was for

Kato Marine $90 They (mostly) straightened out a bent stanchion,

FCC $220 this was to get an MMSI number

simrad.factoryoutlet 1419.41 This was to purchase a Simrad RS40-B and was really dumb on my part as I could have gotten the same functionality for $600 by just buying a AIS transmitter/splitter for my RS35.

Milltech Marine 243.90 This was for the splitter I still needed to buy for the RS-40b

TheGPSStore 1421.68 This was for a new Raymarine wheel pilot to replace the old raymarine wheel pilot which died a few days after I left Annapolis.

and the big one
Yacht Electronic Systems 12,501.97 This included a package from BattleBorn with 300ah of Lithium batteries, Victron 2000w inverter charger, and 330watts of solar. They also did the install of the frigoboat unit. Definitely not cheap but overall I think they did a very good job. Would recommend.

Bert Jabins Yacht Yard : 3000 This was for a bit over 2 and a half months of slip rental and getting the boat hauled for bottom paint.

In all I've spent about $30k on the refit. I'm still looking to remove the HVAC system which is useless at anchor and install a water maker, radar, and replacing the standing rigging which is likely 30 years old.

was it worth it?

Yes.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

OK that was a long post with no pictures so I'll rectify that now.

Like I mentioned previously I left Annapolis on Dec 8th to make my first trip south. I stuck to the ICW from Annapolis to Carolina Beach NC. The first part was quite fun with lots of sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and across various sounds and rivers in NC. After Beaufort NC it was all motoring and running aground which got old fast. I spend a week in Carolina Beach replacing my autopilot and adjusting my stuffing box and a half dozen other things than decided to head out into the ocean.

I did a couple day sails along the coast and then last Wednesday spent my first night at sea. It was pretty incredible though barely sleeping throught the night was hard. I'm currently on anchor on the Herb River in Savannah Georgia waiting for a front to pass through.

Oh yeah the pictures









A canal in NC on the ICW









Peaceful anchorage









I got to play adventures in anchoring when the boat in the foreground wrapped it's rode around its keel. I went for a walk and when I came back out boats were about 50' apart.









Talked to these guys when they were at the dock in Wilmington and apparently they're doing some astronaut training with the Mars Project. Not sure what it's about but Schooners are always cool.









Heading out of Southport into the Atlantic









Birds, I like birds. Except when the **** all over my boat, then not so much.









Sunset as I get ready to spend my first night at sea









Flat sails and flat seas. Yes, it was definitely worth it


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Wow, it's been three months since I've updated my log.

Once I left Savannah I spent 3 days and 2 1/2 nights at sea sailing directly to Ft. Pierce FL. I spent a week in Vero Beach just north of Ft Pierce with an old friend who retired there.

After I left Ft Pierce I was hoping to do another multI day sail to Miami but on that day my roller furler broke and dumped my new Genoa into the Atlantic Ocean. I made it to West Palm beach mostly sailing under main and doing some motor sailing. In West Palm beach and climbed the mast to get the broken furler swivel back down on deck.









Fort Pierce to Miami


Album



1drv.ms





After leaving West Palm Beach it work me two days to get down to Miami where I ended up staying about 7 weeks in the Stadium Anchorage in Key Biscayne. The Stadium Anchorage is both wonderful and horrible in equal parts. Great protection and holding and I made some cool people but there are also party boats from Thursday afternoon till Sunday night pumping out horrible music at max volume and passing much too close to the anchored boats. One of the friends I made in the Anchorage had a powerboat park on the top of his sailboats deck causing quite a bit of damage. On the last weekend I was in the anchorage a boat passed so close in front of my boat that it caught my rode and pulled my boat into his. I'm pleased to report my boat punched a couple of holes in the side of their boat for good measure.

While I was in Miami I went back to VA for a couple days to pick up my dinghy. Which I worked to add a rope bumper to so it wouldn't be bashed to badly by the big boat while I made my way to the Dry Tortugas.









Miami to Key West


Album



1drv.ms













Dry Tortugas


Album



1drv.ms





Now I'm back in Marathon and planning my trip back north to the Chesapeake which I hope to reach sometime next month.

-Hugh


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Hugh,

It is super to hear how well you are doing, furler failure not withstanding. Hopefully, the genoa was recovered unharmed.

One thing that I would like to suggest is that I am bullish on using a Kellet (rode rider, anchor sentinel, anchor angel etc) when anchored in a tight anchorage. I rig the kellet roughly 1 1/2 times the water depth down the rode. That is not the most effective way to rig a kellet for damping, but it does accomplish two things. First of all, in pulls the anchor rode closer to the bottom so someone is less likely to catch it on their keel or prop.. Second it reduces kiting, which can be a serious problem in a tight anchorage.

I have looked online, and it does not appear that Kellet's are made any more, or at least, they don't seem to be available on line. If you want one, you may need to make one. Years ago, a friend built one by using a large Quaker Oatmeal container as a mold and glassed over it to make a flat bottomed, cylindrical container. He used a large galvanized ring bolt in the container with the nut and oversized washer at the bottom of the container. Then he filled the container with a mix of lead (recovered free from a riffle range) and polyester mix. (not much polyester resin). He then glassed over the whole thing again, ending up with a roughly 20 lb kellet for way less than the commercial kellets of the day. Like him, I use a large carabiner to hang my kellet on the rode and a length of polyester 3 strand to recover the kellet,

Jeff


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

Thanks for the tip on the Kellet. I’ll add it to the list of upgrades.

The Genoa is unharmed and the repair seems to be holding up.


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

The not so merry month of May.

So it seems like the entire month of May kicked my ass. It started with my 4 month old Raymarine stripping a gear. While I waited for Raymarine to repair and send back the wheel pilot in Vero Beach FL, I decided to do some preventative maintenance and drain the water and sludge out of the Racor. Unscrewing the drain bolt on the Racor had no effect so I decided to remove the bowl. It wouldn't come off so I decided to remove the filter. It wouldn't come off and my strap wrench put a big dent in it. So I pulled out a screw driver and punched a hole through the filter to get it off. Then I got a bigger screw driver, then I attached an extension to the screw driver so I could finally get filter off.

I then went to West Marine to get a new filter but they only had 2 micron filters in stock. According to my Racor documentation the 2 micron filter was the standard size so I figured I was good to go. I bled the system and started up the motor and everything seemed good to go.

When I got my wheel pilot back from Raymarine I decided to start heading north the next day. For the 2 weeks I was in Vero Beach there where great south winds but as I was ready to leave the winds were from the North so I decided to motor up the ICW for a few days until I could more favorable winds. On the morning of my departure I fueled up at the fuel dock and headed out. Within 5 minutes of leaving the fuel dock my engine died. I informed the boat following me off the fuel dock that my engine had died and proceeded to drop anchor and went below to rebleed the fuel system. While I was below I heard the following boat calling the fuel dock mentioning my plight and that I might need a tow back to my mooring. I quickly replaced the companion way steps (which provide access to the engine) and went to the cockpit to grab my handset and let everyone know everything was OK and I wold just bleed my fuel system again and be on my way. Going back down the companionway I realized I hadn't latched the steps as soon as I stepped on them and went tumbling down the companion way hyoer-extendting my bum knee which I had operated on last summer.

After getting the system bled again I ignored the pain in my knee and proceeded to motor on down the ICW. My motor stalled 4 more times that day. The next day I got the motor to run for 6 hours and figured I had resolved the issue when the motor gave the telltale sounds that it was about to quit again. Luckily I was right by an anchorage in Cocoa Village florida so I dropped the hook and picked up a 10 micron filter the next day. I swapped out the filter and bled the system and continued my way north on the ICW.

The next night I anchored a bit north of Cape Canaveral and got to see a Falcon 9 launch which was great and one of the best things that happened all month.

The following day I made my way out Ponce de Leon inlet hoping to sail straight to Beufort NC. I new the first 24 hours would be a bit rough but it should get better after that. If didn't get better. I learned that 32 hours of close reaching in choppy seas was my limit so I threw in the towel and decided to head in to Beufort SC. I anchored out in the Beufort river thant the next day I made my way to the Beufort marina to rest up for the day and generally relax.

I had planned on spending the day doing some minor boat maintenance, drinking beer, and then going to dinner with the intention of heading out again the next day. Well the minor maintenance and beer drinking went well but when I got in my dinghy to go to dinner my 6 month old ePropulsion motor wouldn't turn on. This meant another day trying to figure out whats wrong and 3+ mile walk on my bum knee to try and purchase some oars. I ended up purchasing some oars from another boater in the marina and then the ePropulsion started working again.

I then spen 3 days sailing from Beufort SC to Beufort NC. For the most part the winds were light so I just flew the gennaker and probably motored for about a dozen hours. No issues with the motor so I think the 10 micron filter solved the problem.

I made it Beufort NC and motored through the anchorage across from the Beufort town docks and decided the anchorage was to crowded so I would just motor down the creek a bit to find a better place to anchor. 1.5 miles later the engine died again. I went below to bleed the system again but I couldn't get any pressure at the racor. Luckily I had gotten a tow boat membership on the first day out of Vero Beach so I made arrangements to get a slip at the Beufort town docks and scheduled Tow Boat to bring me in the next morning. The next morning tow boat shows up and tells me the current is to strong and they would be back in a few hours. I asked if they meant 2 hours or 6 hours. The said 2 hours. 6 hours later they still hadn't come back. Another call to tow boat and I got pushed into a slip.

As it turned out the boat next to me was getting there fuel polished when I showed up so when the crew was done with the neighboring boat the got to work on my boat. They said my fuel was filthy and sucked a lot of gunk out of tank. I figured out how to get the Racor priming again (Seems like the ball valve is having issues). Went to look for a 30 micron filter without luck so I picked up two new 10 micron filters.

While in Beufort I saw another j-boat from Annapolis and went to say hello. Turns out it was a delivery crew taking a race boat to RI. They said that this would be an ideal time to around Cape Hatteras and since I now had zero faith in keeping the engine running I wanted to sail as much as possible.

Getting around Cape Hatteras was sporty but not too dramatic. I was just flying a furled Genoa and averaged about 7kts around Hatteras. The next morning the winds lightened and the Coast Guard started announcing gale warnings. I only got a bit of rain then ran into a cold front from the north. Through the night I was only able to motor at 1kt and the wind and waves were pushing me onto a lee shore. So I ended up motoring directly east very slowly and loudly through the night. In the morning I was pleased to see that my dinghy which I've been towing the whole time was still there and hadn't taken on much water at all through the night. The wind had also shifted enough that I could pull out the Genoa and started to make decent progress to the north. I set the Genoa and went below to catch a few minutes sleep. I didn't get much sleep when the wind shift alarm went off and everything got quite on the boat. For whatever reason the autopilot lost the plot and had falled off the wind so I was bobbing peacfully in the wave. Unfortunately this caused my dinghy to flip. The waves were still 6-8' and I knew even if I managed to right my dinghy it would be full to the gunwales with water. So I just let it go.

I got the boat sailing in the right direction again and after an hour or so decided to tack. After setting the sail on the new tack I went forward to tighten the leech of the sail which was fluttering. While I had my hand on the sail something went bang and the sail got ripped out of my hand. WTF now!? My furling line had broken and let the Genoa all the way out. With the winds blowing 20+ and the seas I felt that was way too much sail so I ended up dropping it to the deck and proceeded to motor my way north. While I was making decent speed under motor twice the motor gave sounds like it was going to quit again. Both times I went below and bled the Racor with the motor running. Seeing as half my sails were out of action and the motor might quit anytime I called the only marina in VA Beach and got a slip for a couple nights ($4 a foot and no amenities (ouch!)) so I could replace the furling line. That evening there was another sailboat that had taken shelter and while they helped me get the sail back on the furler we discovered the furler was coming apart and the genoa halyard was badly frayed. Well I'm not going to fix that in a day so I took the genoa off the boat and managed to get it folded and back in it's bag. I went on another fruitless search for a 30 micron filter then headed out again the next day.

Luckily I had great weather and mostly sailed downwind with the main to the Patankatank river. I spent a day at anchor trying to rest and finding a marina to stay at through the summer. I had planned on taking two days to get up to Annapolis but early in the day while motor sailing my motor died again. Well I've been through this too many times now so I know the routine and I had a new 10 micron filter to get me the rest of the way. Installed and bled the racor and went to bleed the secondary filter when I thought hmmm, that bleed bolt doesn't feel quite right. It was stripped. Stripped to the point that I could pull it straight out with my fingers. I tried putting in a slightly larger machine screw but since the top of the filter is obstructed I couldn't get it to go in straight. I then tried the bleed bolt again and it seems to be getting some traction from the threads cut by the larger bolt. It was still leaking about 2 drops a second but at least it wasn't gushing out. I then thought maybe I could improve the situation by wrapping plumbers tape around the bolt but when I put it back in it had just made the situation worse.

I knew the winds were going to lighten the following day so I decided to make it as far north as possible while the wind held. Luckily for me the wind held and I was doing 7+ kts under the main when I turned into the Severn river. Dropped the anchor undersail and the next morning placed another call to Tow boat who brought me into the loving arms of Bert Jabin's Yacht Yard.

I expect to be here through October fixing all the things I mentioned and plenty of things I didn't.

BTW the whole time I was getting my ass kicked after round Hatteras I was singing this song:


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## ThereYouAre (Sep 21, 2016)

This is my list of boat projects for the summer

Must Do:
Fix roller furler
Fix all the leaking portlights and hatches (as in all the port lights and hatches leak. The forward hatch lets water stream into the boat when a wave breaks over the bow. Which happened a lot)
Replace secondary filter mount and add helicoil to old mount.
Clean tank
Repack/replace stuffing box
Align prop shaft
Fix leaking head
Fix/replace lifelines
fix ball valve on racor and install 30 micron filter
Check and replace/swap halyards

Really Should do:
Replace rigging
Replace to chain to rode connection

Wanna do:
replace bimini
double solar
water maker
freezer
pressurized water in cockpit
replace mainsheet winches with 4to1 or 6to1
Move autopilot control unit so I can reach if from the safe/dry part of the cockpit
Shelves
Recover all cushions
Replace v-berth cushions
Solid fuel heat
solid fuel grill
small washing machine
get larger 2nd propane tank


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

Projects (not in order of importance)
COSMETIC
gelcoat repairs, cockpit, deck, hull​sand&varnish fiddles​repair misc dings/dents in teak​re varnish teak&holly sole​clean&paint bilge​clean&paint engine​clean&paint anchor locker​clean&polish stainless steel​remove ex'g teak rub rail and replace with new​repair or replace sail cover and binnacle cover​​ELECTRONICS & ELECTRICS (not in order of importance ... ex'g all working)
wire N2K network​remove old nav station plotters​new MFD w/ radar​new AIS B​new AWI​remove ex'g dash 4x4s​new dash MFDs (4x4s)​attach loose Oil Pressure wire​install bulb for tach​replace KVH display​install Solar panel wiring​change dash connector for 12v (portable plotter)​​RIGGING & DECK HARDWARE
replace genoa sheets​wash and/or replace assorted control lines (traveler)​replace wire block on backstay​sort and inventory rigging supplies (shackles, blocks etc.)​clean&lubricate winches and windlass​replace chain​
ORGANIZE & PURGE
remove all tool duplicates​sort, inventory all mechanical connectors / hardware​sort, inventory all electrical connectors / hardware, wire,​sort, inventory all plumbing connectors / hardware, hose​sort, inventory all lines: shock chord, dacron, nylon​sort, inventory all "finishing" supplies:brushes, paints, solvents, sand paper, tapes, scotchbrite​sort, inventory all misc materials, neoprene, plywood, teak​sort, inventory all hand tools​books&reference materials​spare lines​​PLUMBING
tighten galley deck spout​replace hot water hose to head​install new accumulator​install new holding tank system​install new anchor wash system​replace o rings on deck fills​


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## emcentar (Apr 28, 2009)

This thread is quite a journey! I wish everyone who showed up with a 'hello there I'm getting into sailing' post stuck around and let us know how it was going. Your May was quite an adventure.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Hugh, I am glad to hear what you are up to but sorry to hear about your travails. Hopefully we can catch up while you are on the Chesapeake this summer. 
Jeff


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