# Hello Sailnet!



## KayakerChuck (May 4, 2017)

I'm Chuck, and an O'Day 22 followed us home. 

I'm product of lots of generations of boaters (great-great grand dad AND his wife were both Great Lakes captains in the 1880's). I grew up with a variety of watercraft, was a Windsurf instructor, and have had (or at least had the keys) to lots of smaller powerboats, and a small collection of sub 20' sailboats. It's been about 35 years since I sailed anything more than a dingy. Unlike me, my other half hasn't had the opportunity to learn any bad boat habits yet.

I've got some learning and remembering to do!!

I've been poking around the forums and finding lots of good information. Thanks all!

I've mostly worked through the "Gotta Happen Before I Float the Boat" list and am hoping to get her launched in the next couple weeks. She'll live on a trailer so we can (hopefully) enjoy a large part of the Great Lakes. I've got lots of learning to do on smaller water first, and still lots of repairs & improvements before I'm ready to take her out on bigger water.

What I'm most afraid of is that I simply don't know what I don't know. I know I know enough to be dangerous, but I'm sure there are BIG gaps in my knowledge. I'd really like to not have to make all the mistakes myself. I'm 50, and I don't have enough time to make all the mistakes :wink I just finished Seidman's "The Complete Sailor", which seems like a good start. What else would be a good primer/refresher for me?

Thanks!


----------



## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

KayakerChuck said:


> X....
> What I'm most afraid of is that I simply don't know what I don't know.....


It's clear to me that you are quite smart.


----------



## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Welcome to SailNet!

Robby Robinson's International Marine Book of Sailing is one of the best, and most comprehensive books that I have seen.

The O'day 22 is a great boat to start with!

Good Luck!


----------



## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

I recommend Royce's Sailing Illustrated as a basic primer. It covers just about everything one needs to know to safely handle a small craft, in a fun yet comprehensive format. No preachy tome here. Over 50 years and still the best.


----------



## KayakerChuck (May 4, 2017)

Excellent! I'll add a couple more books to the bookshelf.

Sunday looks like it might be a nice day. We might be able to go play. Otherwise, I'll probably spend the afternoon making a shopping list and diagram for re-wiring the boat. The previous owners used a mix of red and yellow wire nuts. That's bad karma on a boat- everybody knows they should all be blue, to match the water. (Joking- I'll use marine wire & heat shrink terminals, etc. Not joking about the current wire nuts.) All expected evils in a 30+ year old small boat.

My other half is the brains of the operation  She's a chemistry professor at the University of Michigan, Dearborn.


----------



## JoCoSailor (Dec 7, 2015)

I have all the books mentioned so far. They are all good. I like the size and format of "Fast Track to Sailing: Learn to Sail in Three Days" should be able to find it used for 10 or 12 bucks. I also like all the ASA books.

Lew


----------



## KayakerChuck (May 4, 2017)

Today's fun boat project- repair the mast step. It seems that the holes in the mast were drilled too high at the factory, so the casting of the mast step broke. There's not enough metal above the bolt holes for any strength. I'll use the "blob of reinforced epoxy" method. Good enough for now. I'd buy a new one, they're cheap, but it will suffer the same fate. When I have a bit more time (or if I can pawn off the project), I'll make a new part that's taller. 

Yesterday I mashed the tabernacle hinge back into shape. It was seriously bent. It looks like an under designed part and there are lots of stories about bending them. If I can find my thinking cap, I might see about making up a more robust piece.


----------



## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

I would use JB weld epoxy for a temporary repair but ultimately you will need a new casting that is properly mated to the bottom of your mast. Congratulations on your boat!


----------



## KayakerChuck (May 4, 2017)

Agreed! JB Weld is a temporary, hack fix. 

The original(?) base doesn't fit properly, so a replacement will probably have the same issues. Thankfullly, I have access to lots of fun people and tools. I'll buy a beer or two for my machinist friends and we'll come up with a few ideas. Machining from billet or casting a new, improved, part are both options.


----------



## Siamese (May 9, 2007)

I think the single most important thing for any skipper, is to understand the rules of the road. Of course, I don't know how much you know on the subject, but it's what always springs to my mind with any newbie (sounds like you're sort of a "semi-newbie"). 

Getting out and sailing your boat in conditions you can handle is the best way to sharpen your basic sailing skills. If you're doing a terrific job of sailing her into the wind, but aren't sure which way to turn, or whether to turn at all as a forty footer is bearing down on you, you're putting others at risk. Some newbies just figure they'll stay out of everyone's way, which isn't such a good plan either, as you become an unpredictable element. 

Bottom line is that it's fine to be a danger to yourself as a newbie, but definitely not okay to be a danger to others. 

Good luck with your O'Day. You should have a great time with it, and welcome to Sailnet.


----------



## KayakerChuck (May 4, 2017)

Siamese- YES! The rules of the road are the place to start. Fortunately, I'm familiar with them. Unfortunately, I think I'm one of 3 people in my area who both know and follow them. I work mostly in powerboat dealerships and have watched people buy their first boat- that boat being capable of 70 + mph right out of the showroom. Of course, when asked, the salesman tells the buyer that classes can't hurt, but aren't really necessary. YIKES!!

Our boating fun today was learning how to raise and lower the mast. It actually went easier than I imagined. Except for the forestay shackle. I was hoping to replace it with a Johnson Marine Quick Release Lever, but there doesn't seem to be room under the roller furler. There has got to be a better solution than the tiny shackle with a lose pin with really fine threads. Ideas? Losing that little pin would be very inconvenient. The stays are too tight (I think), and are not tensioned evenly. A friend will bring me a tension gauge to set things up properly. 

It seems we don't have the complete gooseneck assembly. We have the hardware on the boom, we have a track on the mast. Nothing to connect them :-( I'm hoping the seller has the proper bits and will send them along. At least the needed pieces don't look too expensive. It looks like the track on the mast is an aftermarket addition, and it looks like the slide for it is several times the price of the original O'Day gooseneck, which is still available. Is there any reason to pay the premium for the slide assembly, or should the original parts work fine?


----------



## Lupoyuster (Apr 29, 2016)

Hi Chuck. Read the great L. Francis Herreshoff's "The Compleat Crusier". Not only a good read, but chock full of useful sailing info and lore. Good luck and fair winds! Will


----------



## Dogscout (Jan 7, 2017)

hello


----------



## KayakerChuck (May 4, 2017)

Random update, with pics.

We still have not had her in the water. We've been particularly blessed with illness and work problems- increasing the need for a bit of mental health break on the water.

I've found some rot & soft spots around the bow rail mounts, thankfully not very extensive. I removed the rails, dug out what I could, and saturated the plywood core with epoxy. It's not the textbook fix, but I think good enough for a 30+ year old small sailboat. I'm in the process of replacing all the nav lights, the hatch slide rails, all of the wiring, and doing at least a cursory rub & wax job. I'm always stunned by the wiring hacks. Sure, speaker wire makes a good piece to splice in a nav light circuit :-/

First unfurling-


I've got to replace this red wire nut with a proper BLUE one! grin- I've got the proper bus bar for the negative side, but need to enlarge the access hole. I didn't have any short blades for the Sawsall.) This is all old and with be giving a proper burial:


Upcoming projects in no particular order:
Build a storage cover (This is actually how I make my living & pay for sailboats)
New battery
Install solar panel, charge controller, and a decent volt meter (I'll install a Smartmeter once I finish licking my wound$ from making the trailer road worthy.)
New circuit breakers


----------

