Memorial Day weekend is normally the unofficial start of summer as well as the first day of the boating season. Pretty much all the boats that are going in this year have already left the boat yard, so right now it's me and a couple other boats that are still getting ready. There are another half a dozen boats here too, but they probably won't go in this year.
The weather's great right now, so I've been making pretty good progress. I've patched all the large holes in the cockpit and deck surrounding the cockpit, but still need to sand and finish fairing the last two. I also bit the bullet and removed my two large jib sheet winches. I had replaced the old ones with new larger self tailing ones, but since the holes didn't match up and I was in a hurry, I mounted them with 5200, a permanent caulk that's really hard to take off.
I was only able to get them off by using a 9" putty knife and a hammer. I was able to get an edge in and tap it with the hammer (pretty hard tapping as it turned out) and work it loose. It was tough getting the blade in, but once it was under, I had them off in just a few minutes. The putty knife I used is the kind you normally use for floating dry wall. I use it for spreading the epoxy putty used for fairing. Since it's designed to allow you to spread putty, the blade is very thin and flexible. That's the only reason I was able to get the winches off. My other smaller 4" putty knives were too thick, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to get them off.
Taking them off makes it easier to paint, but I also want to build up the base with some additional fiberglass to strengthen it. It looks like the strain has caused it to deform a bit and since the bolt holes don't match up, the new holes would have weakened it even more. Now I can build it up and make it even stronger than brand new.
I was also planning on building up the locker hatches so that water wouldn't collect and stand in the middle when the boat wasn't heeled, but after taking a closer look, I'd have to build them up over a quarter of an inch. That's way too much. I will even them up a bit and fix where the hinges attach to the lazarette, but that's about it. I'm also going to replace at least one of the latches that's broken, but if I can't get one that matches, I may end up replacing all three.
With any luck, I may be able to start painting tomorrow. I still need to cleanup and sand, as well as fix the drains, but since I can't paint everything at once anyway, I may try to get ready and paint one section per day. I have to mix the paint, it's two part epoxy, so once it's mixed, I have to use whatever I've got, but I also can't mix and handle too much at one time either. I'd planned to use a different color for the non-skid, but have decided to use white for everything. It's much easier. I'm also thinking of using a two part for the top coat as well, but need to look into it a little more. I bought paint a couple of years ago, but am not sure it's really what I want. I think I like the idea of an epoxy, but will have to read up on it first.
30 May 2010
28 May 2010
KF5HBT
My call sign just appeared in the online database. It's sorta long, but I kinda like it, though I might try to get a shorter one once I pass my general exam. I think the general is all you need to qualify for the shorter call signs, the ones with only 4 characters. Sure wish I had my radio setup. I might start looking into it this evening, but I really need to finish the deck and get the boat "in the dry" before I do anything else.
I finished the messy part this morning, so I'm about to glue in the replacement cork core and should be able to put the patch in place on both holes today. It's a little cool and overcast, so I might not get it all done today, but it won't be much longer now.
I finished the messy part this morning, so I'm about to glue in the replacement cork core and should be able to put the patch in place on both holes today. It's a little cool and overcast, so I might not get it all done today, but it won't be much longer now.
Glass work
Started the glass work in the cockpit a couple of days ago. I finished fairing the largest area -- three holes on a vertical surface -- and fixed a leak where bolt holes for a turning block passed through the cork core, but still need to do the hole where the stern pole was mounted and the hole for the deck vent.
The one for the old vent is the worst. It's a 4" hole in the deck and cut into about an inch of the core. the core near the hole rotted out and disintegrated and after I dug out as much of the bad as I could, it looks like the void I need to fill is about 8 - 10 square inches. Since it's so big, I'll need to replace the core and reconstruct both the top and bottom laminates. I'll start by fixing the bottom, then glue in the core. At that point, I'll just be left with a regular deck hole that's fast and easy to fix. Sounds easy, but gluing fiberglass underneath a flat surface is a messy job.
That's exactly what I had to do the fix the leak caused by the bolt holes for the turning block. I ended up cutting away the cork since it just caught the edge and didn't affect much. However, it was directly overhead and I had resin dripping all down my hand while I was waiting for it to gel. I probably would have been better off if I'd waited a little longer. Of course, this was done while lying on my back in the starboard cockpit locker. I only mention that because I've spent a lot of time lying on my back in those lockers and working overhead lately. I had to spend a couple hours with a hammer and chisel in the port locker to remove the stern post sleeve under the deck and another thing that was mounted on the inner hull -- not sure what it was for, but had to chisel it off.
Hopefully, I can get the holes mostly done today, and start fairing. Fairing is where you mix up a batch of epoxy resin and a low density filler that's easy to sand. You try to get it to the consistency of mayonnaise and spread it over the area with a putty knife. It's sorta like doing dry wall work, and it's really an art to do it well. Doing it well means that you normally only need to do it once and don't need to sand much. I usually need at least two coats and sand a great deal. But I end up with an invisible patch, but it can take a lot of work.
I'm better at it now. The first time I did it was on the large area of deck in the bow. It had similar leaks -- the boat was probably pretty wet inside all the time -- and the previous owner had added a vent up there as well, but didn't seal it either. That caused major damage to the core, and I ended up having to remove 14 square feet of deck and replace almost that much of the core. I had to do the same thing under the mast step on the coach roof, but that was a much smaller area. It took a pretty long time to do, but I learned a lot during the process. It also ate up too much time and money and was a major reason I was forced to winter in Marion and go back to work early.
But it sure looks good and will look great once I paint it. Hopefully, that'll be in the next week or two.
The one for the old vent is the worst. It's a 4" hole in the deck and cut into about an inch of the core. the core near the hole rotted out and disintegrated and after I dug out as much of the bad as I could, it looks like the void I need to fill is about 8 - 10 square inches. Since it's so big, I'll need to replace the core and reconstruct both the top and bottom laminates. I'll start by fixing the bottom, then glue in the core. At that point, I'll just be left with a regular deck hole that's fast and easy to fix. Sounds easy, but gluing fiberglass underneath a flat surface is a messy job.
That's exactly what I had to do the fix the leak caused by the bolt holes for the turning block. I ended up cutting away the cork since it just caught the edge and didn't affect much. However, it was directly overhead and I had resin dripping all down my hand while I was waiting for it to gel. I probably would have been better off if I'd waited a little longer. Of course, this was done while lying on my back in the starboard cockpit locker. I only mention that because I've spent a lot of time lying on my back in those lockers and working overhead lately. I had to spend a couple hours with a hammer and chisel in the port locker to remove the stern post sleeve under the deck and another thing that was mounted on the inner hull -- not sure what it was for, but had to chisel it off.
Hopefully, I can get the holes mostly done today, and start fairing. Fairing is where you mix up a batch of epoxy resin and a low density filler that's easy to sand. You try to get it to the consistency of mayonnaise and spread it over the area with a putty knife. It's sorta like doing dry wall work, and it's really an art to do it well. Doing it well means that you normally only need to do it once and don't need to sand much. I usually need at least two coats and sand a great deal. But I end up with an invisible patch, but it can take a lot of work.
I'm better at it now. The first time I did it was on the large area of deck in the bow. It had similar leaks -- the boat was probably pretty wet inside all the time -- and the previous owner had added a vent up there as well, but didn't seal it either. That caused major damage to the core, and I ended up having to remove 14 square feet of deck and replace almost that much of the core. I had to do the same thing under the mast step on the coach roof, but that was a much smaller area. It took a pretty long time to do, but I learned a lot during the process. It also ate up too much time and money and was a major reason I was forced to winter in Marion and go back to work early.
But it sure looks good and will look great once I paint it. Hopefully, that'll be in the next week or two.
25 May 2010
Ham Radio License
Passed the Technician exam last night at Columbia, so as soon as my call sign appears in the online database, I'll be able to start using my radio -- which I'll still need to install. I also took the General exam, but didn't pass it; It's my own fault since I haven't studied for it at all since moving onto the boat. I went over the Technician question pool in the morning, and looked at about a quarter of the General question pool on the train, but was only able to get 24 out of 35 correct -- you need 26.
However, I did find out that there's a local club here in Huntington that holds exam sessions every couple of months and will have the next one on 12 June, so I'll make sure I'm ready for that one. That also means that I don't have to go back into Manhattan again, which is a good thing -- the 4 hour round trip is a killer. Although I was late for the exam, the LIRR schedule had changed, and I ended up taking the wrong subway up to Columbia, I got there about 45 minutes late, and they stayed around and let me take both exams. Columbia is setup like an armed camp, with only 2 ways in or out, which also caused me a delay in finding the building. But the guys giving the exam where really nice and everything went very smoothly.
Now, it's back to the boat. I finally did some fiberglass work yesterday. It turned out okay, but it was cool and a little rainy, so it took almost an hour for it to gel. It's going to be hot for the next couple of days, so I hope I can get a lot done. Normally, I have trouble with it gelling too fast, so we'll see how it goes today. I'll make up a small batch and time it so I'll know how long I've got. I want to fix the holes in the cockpit and seal around the holes for the portlights before I do anything else. Once that's done, I can start preparing the deck for painting.
I had to take off almost everything in the cockpit in order to get to the holes in the deck. I left the stern pulpit, the two eyes, and the aft center cleat in place since they didn't look too bad and I don't have anyone around to help remount them. I think I can get everything else I took off back on by myself -- with the help of a little gorilla tape.
Gorilla tape is great. It's basically the same stuff we used in the Corps years ago. It's like industrial strength duct tape that's a dark green color. Although I'm not that concerned with camouflage, it does work great for securing a wrench on one side of the deck while crawling into a locker on the other side and try to loosen or tighten a nut. I've used it for several things, including the wind vane and wouldn't have been able to get nearly this far without it. I'll need to make sure I've got a bunch on board before I leave.
The only wrinkle now is that I need to make sure I find time to study for the General exam (and Extra?), and get my radios setup so I can connect once my call sign appears in the database. I need to connect to Winlink so I can get email setup. My new email address will be callsign@winlink.org, but due to bandwidth constraints, I'll need to add people on a case by case basis to the "white list" in order for Winlink to forward them to me over the air. In addition to standard email, this will also allow me to get weather faxes, which can be a big deal when you're out at sea. You pretty much need to be your own weather forecaster if you aren't close to land.
However, I did find out that there's a local club here in Huntington that holds exam sessions every couple of months and will have the next one on 12 June, so I'll make sure I'm ready for that one. That also means that I don't have to go back into Manhattan again, which is a good thing -- the 4 hour round trip is a killer. Although I was late for the exam, the LIRR schedule had changed, and I ended up taking the wrong subway up to Columbia, I got there about 45 minutes late, and they stayed around and let me take both exams. Columbia is setup like an armed camp, with only 2 ways in or out, which also caused me a delay in finding the building. But the guys giving the exam where really nice and everything went very smoothly.
Now, it's back to the boat. I finally did some fiberglass work yesterday. It turned out okay, but it was cool and a little rainy, so it took almost an hour for it to gel. It's going to be hot for the next couple of days, so I hope I can get a lot done. Normally, I have trouble with it gelling too fast, so we'll see how it goes today. I'll make up a small batch and time it so I'll know how long I've got. I want to fix the holes in the cockpit and seal around the holes for the portlights before I do anything else. Once that's done, I can start preparing the deck for painting.
I had to take off almost everything in the cockpit in order to get to the holes in the deck. I left the stern pulpit, the two eyes, and the aft center cleat in place since they didn't look too bad and I don't have anyone around to help remount them. I think I can get everything else I took off back on by myself -- with the help of a little gorilla tape.
Gorilla tape is great. It's basically the same stuff we used in the Corps years ago. It's like industrial strength duct tape that's a dark green color. Although I'm not that concerned with camouflage, it does work great for securing a wrench on one side of the deck while crawling into a locker on the other side and try to loosen or tighten a nut. I've used it for several things, including the wind vane and wouldn't have been able to get nearly this far without it. I'll need to make sure I've got a bunch on board before I leave.
The only wrinkle now is that I need to make sure I find time to study for the General exam (and Extra?), and get my radios setup so I can connect once my call sign appears in the database. I need to connect to Winlink so I can get email setup. My new email address will be callsign@winlink.org, but due to bandwidth constraints, I'll need to add people on a case by case basis to the "white list" in order for Winlink to forward them to me over the air. In addition to standard email, this will also allow me to get weather faxes, which can be a big deal when you're out at sea. You pretty much need to be your own weather forecaster if you aren't close to land.
20 May 2010
Leveled the boat
I guess that might sound funny, considering there aren't any right angles on a boat, but there is a point at which she's level, both fore and aft and side to side. When they moved me to the corner of the yard late last year -- I didn't put her in the water last year, so she's been in this yard for about a year and a half -- they left her with a pretty good list to port and the bow down a few degrees. There's no way to really tell if she's level, but if you walk out about 50 - 100 feet in front, you can easily see that she's listing. There's usually a clinometer on board that measures heel, but I'm not sure I trust mine. It looks like it's been moved.
So, I ended up just using a ball and placed it on various flat surfaces amidships to see if it rolled or not. I also walked out in front and looked at the boat to see how she looked. I think I got her pretty level from side to side -- if she's not level, water will pool and various places and not drain, that's one the the reasons it's important to keep her level on land, especially right now when I'm trying to keep her dry so I can fix the leaks and paint the decks.
As for fore and aft, that was a bit more difficult. I had tried to level her the day after I moved on board, but had so much gear forward in the v-berth, I wasn't able to do it with the adjustable stanchions. Since the blocks under the keel were too far forward, the pivot point would have been too far aft and I would have had to lift the entire boat with the forward stanchions. It's not really that difficult, but with all the weight forward, I was worried I'd put too much strain on the hull. So this morning, I moved a whole bunch of gear to the aft end of the cockpit, including tools, paint, anchors, and pigs (pigs are lead ingots used for ballast, I've got 7 of them -- Bardens took two off the dock, but I figured I had more than I needed and let it go -- they weigh about 20 pounds each). Once I did that, it was pretty easy to lift the bow and I was able to level her in about 30 minutes. I think the bow is probably still a little low; the ball I used to check rested about 6 inches forward of the deck drains on both sides of the coach roof, but I think it's close enough for now. I'd need to adjust the blocks under the keel again to get it any closer. Maybe I'll do that tonight once it cools off.
Right now, it's getting hot, so I've opened up the cover and decided to take a break for lunch and get a few things taken care of online. Seemed like a good time to blog as well. Hope you enjoyed it -- it's a beautiful day here...
So, I ended up just using a ball and placed it on various flat surfaces amidships to see if it rolled or not. I also walked out in front and looked at the boat to see how she looked. I think I got her pretty level from side to side -- if she's not level, water will pool and various places and not drain, that's one the the reasons it's important to keep her level on land, especially right now when I'm trying to keep her dry so I can fix the leaks and paint the decks.
As for fore and aft, that was a bit more difficult. I had tried to level her the day after I moved on board, but had so much gear forward in the v-berth, I wasn't able to do it with the adjustable stanchions. Since the blocks under the keel were too far forward, the pivot point would have been too far aft and I would have had to lift the entire boat with the forward stanchions. It's not really that difficult, but with all the weight forward, I was worried I'd put too much strain on the hull. So this morning, I moved a whole bunch of gear to the aft end of the cockpit, including tools, paint, anchors, and pigs (pigs are lead ingots used for ballast, I've got 7 of them -- Bardens took two off the dock, but I figured I had more than I needed and let it go -- they weigh about 20 pounds each). Once I did that, it was pretty easy to lift the bow and I was able to level her in about 30 minutes. I think the bow is probably still a little low; the ball I used to check rested about 6 inches forward of the deck drains on both sides of the coach roof, but I think it's close enough for now. I'd need to adjust the blocks under the keel again to get it any closer. Maybe I'll do that tonight once it cools off.
Right now, it's getting hot, so I've opened up the cover and decided to take a break for lunch and get a few things taken care of online. Seemed like a good time to blog as well. Hope you enjoyed it -- it's a beautiful day here...
19 May 2010
Marvin Creamer
I've been doing a lot of reading about sailing and navigation in general and ocean voyages in particular. Since there really aren't a whole lot of people who've actually crossed an ocean in a sailboat, I don't think I've actually ever met one, or at least didn't know it at the time, so written accounts are about all I have to go by. I do know a lot of people who've crossed the Atlantic, and even did it four times myself. But that was when I was in the Corps and those trips were all on naval vessels, the Guadalcanal and the Nashville, never on a sailboat, and just as a passenger.
Anyway, I recently ran across a podcast interview with Marvin Creamer. I was searching for information concerning routes and navigation and this one caught my eye. Turns out that Creamer circumnavigated the globe via Cape of Good Hope (Cape Agulhas), Cape Leeuwin, and Cape Horn with no navigation instruments -- not sure if he also rounded the South East and South West Capes (all five make up the "great capes").
Think about it, he circumnavigated the globe in a sailboat with no navigation instruments. That's no compass, no clock, no sextant, not even a radio. Google him and read about it. It's amazing. The podcast interview is really good -- shouldn't be hard to find.
I've ordered his book. It was never published, but is available as a pdf on dvd. Can't wait to read it.
Anyway, I recently ran across a podcast interview with Marvin Creamer. I was searching for information concerning routes and navigation and this one caught my eye. Turns out that Creamer circumnavigated the globe via Cape of Good Hope (Cape Agulhas), Cape Leeuwin, and Cape Horn with no navigation instruments -- not sure if he also rounded the South East and South West Capes (all five make up the "great capes").
Think about it, he circumnavigated the globe in a sailboat with no navigation instruments. That's no compass, no clock, no sextant, not even a radio. Google him and read about it. It's amazing. The podcast interview is really good -- shouldn't be hard to find.
I've ordered his book. It was never published, but is available as a pdf on dvd. Can't wait to read it.
17 May 2010
Zoe gets her shots
Took Zoe to the vet today. She's all up to date now and has 14 months of heart worm and flea medication, so we should be in good shape for a while. They were very nice at the vet clinic and said that I could come down and get her health certificate whenever I'm ready to leave and it wouldn't cost anything extra.
Hopefully it won't be that much longer, but I've been really tired for the last few days and haven't been making as much progress as I would have liked. My cold is almost gone and the weather has warmed up, but I still feel worn out and sore all over -- guess I'm still not used to manual labor.
I got almost everything taken off in the cockpit today, but still have a few more bolts to remove to get the traveler off. I got the nuts off yesterday, but I still have to unscrew the bolts all the way to get them out. All the bolts used to mount deck hardware are stainless steal, and these are about three inches long. What makes it difficult and necessary to unscrew them the entire way is that all of this stuff was put on with a lot of sticky caulk so it wouldn't leak. So basically, you have to unscrew it out of the bed of caulk. I'm not taking off the traveler because it was leaking, though it's still a good idea to remount everything from time to time, but because it would be next to impossible to fix the hole in the deck next to it where the stern pole was mounted if I didn't take it off. If it hadn't been for that hole, I wouldn't have touched it. However, now that I have, I noticed that the caulk had given way at each end, so it was probably time to remount it anyway.
I did run into one problem today. The cover for the engine control panel was in bad shape, so I pulled it off. It looks like I'll have to replace it, but I'm not really sure how I'll do it. It's in the cockpit and will be under water if the cockpit gets filled, e.g., if a wave washes over the deck. The old one was just a sliding plexiglass cover that didn't actually seal, so it would have filled up with water. Not sure if getting wet would hurt it, but it also had a drain hole in the bottom that drained directly into the bilge. So if the cockpit did fill, I'd end up with a lot of water in the bilge, and that's a really bad idea. I'd like to seal it completely, but also make it usable, even in wet conditions. I'll have to talk to Gill about it tomorrow and see what he thinks. A lot of newer boats have all weather control panels that don't need a cover and don't leak. Perhaps I can seal mine in such a way that it won't matter if it gets wet and then just use a simple sliding cover like the one it had before.
Forecast calls for rain tomorrow, so I'll try to finish up the traveler and do all the sanding and grinding I need to do so I'll be ready to start glassing once it clears up later in the week. I'm really pretty close, but since it'll take several days to complete the glass work, I'll try to get the big holes ready right away. They'll take the longest and will require multiple applications. There are a couple of places where the cork core has been damaged and needs to be fixed. Those will take a little extra time as well.
Hopefully it won't be that much longer, but I've been really tired for the last few days and haven't been making as much progress as I would have liked. My cold is almost gone and the weather has warmed up, but I still feel worn out and sore all over -- guess I'm still not used to manual labor.
I got almost everything taken off in the cockpit today, but still have a few more bolts to remove to get the traveler off. I got the nuts off yesterday, but I still have to unscrew the bolts all the way to get them out. All the bolts used to mount deck hardware are stainless steal, and these are about three inches long. What makes it difficult and necessary to unscrew them the entire way is that all of this stuff was put on with a lot of sticky caulk so it wouldn't leak. So basically, you have to unscrew it out of the bed of caulk. I'm not taking off the traveler because it was leaking, though it's still a good idea to remount everything from time to time, but because it would be next to impossible to fix the hole in the deck next to it where the stern pole was mounted if I didn't take it off. If it hadn't been for that hole, I wouldn't have touched it. However, now that I have, I noticed that the caulk had given way at each end, so it was probably time to remount it anyway.
I did run into one problem today. The cover for the engine control panel was in bad shape, so I pulled it off. It looks like I'll have to replace it, but I'm not really sure how I'll do it. It's in the cockpit and will be under water if the cockpit gets filled, e.g., if a wave washes over the deck. The old one was just a sliding plexiglass cover that didn't actually seal, so it would have filled up with water. Not sure if getting wet would hurt it, but it also had a drain hole in the bottom that drained directly into the bilge. So if the cockpit did fill, I'd end up with a lot of water in the bilge, and that's a really bad idea. I'd like to seal it completely, but also make it usable, even in wet conditions. I'll have to talk to Gill about it tomorrow and see what he thinks. A lot of newer boats have all weather control panels that don't need a cover and don't leak. Perhaps I can seal mine in such a way that it won't matter if it gets wet and then just use a simple sliding cover like the one it had before.
Forecast calls for rain tomorrow, so I'll try to finish up the traveler and do all the sanding and grinding I need to do so I'll be ready to start glassing once it clears up later in the week. I'm really pretty close, but since it'll take several days to complete the glass work, I'll try to get the big holes ready right away. They'll take the longest and will require multiple applications. There are a couple of places where the cork core has been damaged and needs to be fixed. Those will take a little extra time as well.
15 May 2010
Haircuts
I finally decided that hair was truly a luxury on a boat, so I dug out the clippers after lunch and cut it all off. I look like I'm in about the second week of boot camp right now. My hair's really fine, so it took a while to get it cut. I had to go over and over it several times before I could get it even. Now I don't have to worry about wearing a hat to keep it out of my eyes when I'm working and can wash when I wash my face. Plus it's a lot cooler.
I'm planning on shaving Zoe tomorrow too . It's not too hot yet, but she has gotten overheated a few times this year already, mainly walking around in Manhattan. I need to bathe her tomorrow anyway so she'll be clean when I take her to the vet on Monday. She needs her rabies vaccination, plus heart worm and flea. If we go to Bermuda, she needs a certificate of health issued within 10 days prior to arrival, plus a rabies vaccination within the last year and not within the last 30 days. I think the rabies also has to have been at least the second, i.e., it can't have been the only one she's ever gotten. I don't think we'll be ready to leave within 30 days, much less make it to Bermuda in the next 30 days, so I think Monday will be fine.
I'm still hoping to get everything done by the end of the month, but it looks like it might slip a little. The first or second week of June is looking more realistic at this point. I got both of the teak coamings off, stripped and cleaned up yesterday, and removed the port turning block and one of the aft port stanchions -- other than the stern pulpit, these are the only ones that haven't been rebedded yet. I was going to do the other side as well, but ran out of steam and cut my hair instead. I'll do the other side, along with the stern pulpit and traveler tomorrow. Once that's all done, I'll be able to fix all the holes, two big ones in the deck, and half a dozen little ones in the cockpit, and get it all ready for painting.
I decided to go ahead and finish the cockpit first since everything had already been removed and it was easy to get to everything. Once it's done, I'll move everything from the coach roof, sails, etc., into the cockpit lockers and do all the decks forward of the companionway. I think I'm only a couple of weeks from having that part of the project completed. Unfortunately, I still have plumbing and radio work to do, which might take a little time. I'll do the plumbing first, since I need that done before I can go in the water. The radios can be done after I splash. I'd prefer to have it all done on the hard, but don't want to wear out my welcome here.
For all of you who may have trouble figuring out what I mean by port and starboard. Port and starboard refer to the left and right sides of a boat, respectively, when standing in the stern and facing the bow. In addition to that, boats also have red and green running lights that are displayed on the left and right sides of the boat. So a quick and easy way to remember this is that the all the short words refer to the left side (left, port, and red) and all the long words refer to the right side (right, starboard, and green). Hope that helps -- that's pretty much how I remember it...
I'm planning on shaving Zoe tomorrow too . It's not too hot yet, but she has gotten overheated a few times this year already, mainly walking around in Manhattan. I need to bathe her tomorrow anyway so she'll be clean when I take her to the vet on Monday. She needs her rabies vaccination, plus heart worm and flea. If we go to Bermuda, she needs a certificate of health issued within 10 days prior to arrival, plus a rabies vaccination within the last year and not within the last 30 days. I think the rabies also has to have been at least the second, i.e., it can't have been the only one she's ever gotten. I don't think we'll be ready to leave within 30 days, much less make it to Bermuda in the next 30 days, so I think Monday will be fine.
I'm still hoping to get everything done by the end of the month, but it looks like it might slip a little. The first or second week of June is looking more realistic at this point. I got both of the teak coamings off, stripped and cleaned up yesterday, and removed the port turning block and one of the aft port stanchions -- other than the stern pulpit, these are the only ones that haven't been rebedded yet. I was going to do the other side as well, but ran out of steam and cut my hair instead. I'll do the other side, along with the stern pulpit and traveler tomorrow. Once that's all done, I'll be able to fix all the holes, two big ones in the deck, and half a dozen little ones in the cockpit, and get it all ready for painting.
I decided to go ahead and finish the cockpit first since everything had already been removed and it was easy to get to everything. Once it's done, I'll move everything from the coach roof, sails, etc., into the cockpit lockers and do all the decks forward of the companionway. I think I'm only a couple of weeks from having that part of the project completed. Unfortunately, I still have plumbing and radio work to do, which might take a little time. I'll do the plumbing first, since I need that done before I can go in the water. The radios can be done after I splash. I'd prefer to have it all done on the hard, but don't want to wear out my welcome here.
For all of you who may have trouble figuring out what I mean by port and starboard. Port and starboard refer to the left and right sides of a boat, respectively, when standing in the stern and facing the bow. In addition to that, boats also have red and green running lights that are displayed on the left and right sides of the boat. So a quick and easy way to remember this is that the all the short words refer to the left side (left, port, and red) and all the long words refer to the right side (right, starboard, and green). Hope that helps -- that's pretty much how I remember it...
13 May 2010
Finally warmed back up
Today was nice, but it's been pretty cold for the last few days. Not as cold as it was in Marion for the winter, but Monday night was around freezing if not below. Marion was much colder, but since I already removed most of the portlights and portholes, it's impossible to keep the boat much warmer than the air outside. Zoe even had to crawl inside my sleeping bag with me to keep warm -- she had to do that most of the winter in Marion as well, but that was when it was in the teens, this was barely freezing.
I finally rigged up my shore power cable, a really heavy one, and plugged in a small electric heater Rob, from West Marine, gave me back in Marion. I couldn't turn it up full blast because it would trip the circuit breaker, but it kept the boat about 10 degrees warmer than outside. That made it tolerable.
The cold weather also slowed me down a bit, but the rain was worse. Like I said, today was great, but it's been raining off and on for the last few days which makes it tough to get much done. I picked up a cold too, so I took it easy for a couple of days and just tried to stay warm. I did clean up and organize most of areas down below, so it probably won't cost me too much time in the long run.
I also managed to get all the portlights and portholes out and mostly cleaned up, and found a place online where I can order the square gaskets I need for the portholes. I still haven't been able to find the gasket I need for the portlights, but I may just have to seal them with a uv calk and hope for the best. I was thinking of maybe replacing them with surface mount tinted lexan, but would prefer not to go that route -- due both to cost and and the amount of extra work involved.
This afternoon, I removed the coamings from both sides of the cockpit. That was a bit of a pain, but they finally came out. I still need to clean the deck in and around the cockpit and remove a bunch of other stuff and repair the two holes the previous owner made in the deck -- one for the stern pole he used to mount the radar, and the other for a vent. Both of them were improperly installed and let water get into the cork core. I already replaced 16 square feet of cork coring on the foredeck a couple of years ago caused mainly by another vent he mounted in the peak, so I'm pretty familiar with the procedure. I think the reason he added the additional vents was because the boat had so many leaks. All of the portlights and portholes leaked, as well as a lot of the stanchions and the starboard toe rail. I should be able to fix all of them, but can't do the toe rail right now, so I may have to live with that leak for a while.
There are a bunch of other holes in the cockpit that need to be patched, mainly from stuff I removed or was removed before I got the boat. I'll take care of all of that tomorrow and get it ready to glass. I should be able to glass it all at the same time once the weather clears back up -- forecast calls for rain for the next few days. Once I've done all the glass work, it'll be ready to paint. Then I can add the non-skid and remount whatever I've taken off. I'm considering removing the stern pulpit and mainsail traveler as well, but haven't decided yet. Removing them would make it easier to repair and repaint the deck, but then I'd have to remount them as well. I'll decide tomorrow once I start the repairs. If it makes sense, I'll do it.
I still need to remove two more handrails from the coach roof, but it looks like the one that Barden's broke when they decommissioned the boat a couple of years ago will need to be custom made. I'll probably just glass over the existing holes and mount a temporary one for now and wait to have one made in the Caribbean or South America where it's cheaper. It's just too expensive up here.
Barden's claimed, after I'd gotten the bill and didn't see it listed, that they'd already figured the cost of the handrail into the bill, but I find that dubious since she initially said she didn't know anything about it. I was already in Manhattan at the time, and they still had the boat in Marion, so there wasn't much I could do. Someone in the yard also rifled through all my stuff and stole my computers while I was in the water on Barden's dock. I called the police and was out with them at the site examining footprints when one of the guys (the same one that later broke the handrail) came over to see what was going on -- his boots matched the footprints in the mud -- and later that day after the police left, the computers magically reappeared. At that point, I dropped the complaint, but it looks like a few other things, including a watch were also taken and not returned -- I didn't notice the watch until later.
I finally rigged up my shore power cable, a really heavy one, and plugged in a small electric heater Rob, from West Marine, gave me back in Marion. I couldn't turn it up full blast because it would trip the circuit breaker, but it kept the boat about 10 degrees warmer than outside. That made it tolerable.
The cold weather also slowed me down a bit, but the rain was worse. Like I said, today was great, but it's been raining off and on for the last few days which makes it tough to get much done. I picked up a cold too, so I took it easy for a couple of days and just tried to stay warm. I did clean up and organize most of areas down below, so it probably won't cost me too much time in the long run.
I also managed to get all the portlights and portholes out and mostly cleaned up, and found a place online where I can order the square gaskets I need for the portholes. I still haven't been able to find the gasket I need for the portlights, but I may just have to seal them with a uv calk and hope for the best. I was thinking of maybe replacing them with surface mount tinted lexan, but would prefer not to go that route -- due both to cost and and the amount of extra work involved.
This afternoon, I removed the coamings from both sides of the cockpit. That was a bit of a pain, but they finally came out. I still need to clean the deck in and around the cockpit and remove a bunch of other stuff and repair the two holes the previous owner made in the deck -- one for the stern pole he used to mount the radar, and the other for a vent. Both of them were improperly installed and let water get into the cork core. I already replaced 16 square feet of cork coring on the foredeck a couple of years ago caused mainly by another vent he mounted in the peak, so I'm pretty familiar with the procedure. I think the reason he added the additional vents was because the boat had so many leaks. All of the portlights and portholes leaked, as well as a lot of the stanchions and the starboard toe rail. I should be able to fix all of them, but can't do the toe rail right now, so I may have to live with that leak for a while.
There are a bunch of other holes in the cockpit that need to be patched, mainly from stuff I removed or was removed before I got the boat. I'll take care of all of that tomorrow and get it ready to glass. I should be able to glass it all at the same time once the weather clears back up -- forecast calls for rain for the next few days. Once I've done all the glass work, it'll be ready to paint. Then I can add the non-skid and remount whatever I've taken off. I'm considering removing the stern pulpit and mainsail traveler as well, but haven't decided yet. Removing them would make it easier to repair and repaint the deck, but then I'd have to remount them as well. I'll decide tomorrow once I start the repairs. If it makes sense, I'll do it.
I still need to remove two more handrails from the coach roof, but it looks like the one that Barden's broke when they decommissioned the boat a couple of years ago will need to be custom made. I'll probably just glass over the existing holes and mount a temporary one for now and wait to have one made in the Caribbean or South America where it's cheaper. It's just too expensive up here.
Barden's claimed, after I'd gotten the bill and didn't see it listed, that they'd already figured the cost of the handrail into the bill, but I find that dubious since she initially said she didn't know anything about it. I was already in Manhattan at the time, and they still had the boat in Marion, so there wasn't much I could do. Someone in the yard also rifled through all my stuff and stole my computers while I was in the water on Barden's dock. I called the police and was out with them at the site examining footprints when one of the guys (the same one that later broke the handrail) came over to see what was going on -- his boots matched the footprints in the mud -- and later that day after the police left, the computers magically reappeared. At that point, I dropped the complaint, but it looks like a few other things, including a watch were also taken and not returned -- I didn't notice the watch until later.
08 May 2010
If you wait for everything to be perfect, you'll never go
Gill gave me that advice this morning, and it's good to keep in mind as I get the boat ready. The boat will be 40 years old next year, so there's always going to be something wrong. I was telling him that all my pumps are broken, even the manual bilge pump in the cockpit. He advised me to get a hand-held one and keep some buckets handy (I already have both, but still want all my pumps working).
I already have a few new pumps including a new fresh water one and submersible bilge pump, but just haven't installed them yet. I think the one in the cockpit is just clogged up, so I should be able to repair it without too much trouble. There's another large bilge pump, but I'm not sure if it's working either. I'm not ready to tackle any plumbing projects yet, but just needed to pump the bilge after cleaning the cockpit and and the lockers underneath it. I had to do that in order to climb down there and install my Windpilot wind vane.
If the weather cooperates today, I'll install it this afternoon. I drilled the holes in the transom and dry fitted everything yesterday, but didn't have the right calk, so Gill ordered it for me and it came in today. Now it's up to the weather.
I picked up an alcohol burner from West Marine this morning. I had to throw out the old stove after I got the boat -- it was completely rusted out used some sort of pressurized system. Can't remember if it was alcohol or kerosene, but the pressure systems are a pain and the surveyor recommended I replace it. I'd been looking for a non-pressurized kerosene one, but they've mostly stopped making them and the ones I did find were too expensive. Hopefully, the alcohol burner will work out. I'll try it out later, but the main question now, other than will it get hot enough, is how much fuel it consumes. Not only will I need to carry enough on board for however long it takes to make a voyage, I'll also want a bit more in case it's hard to find. I bought a gallon from Gill, so I'll see how long that lasts. I'll mainly be making coffee, rice, and heating up canned stuff, so I won't be using it a lot -- I'm not really much of a cook.
Finally, I'm still working on the portlights and portholes. I've got them all out and have cleaned up all but the last three. A few of the portholes are in really bad shape, but since they are so expensive to replace, I'll just have to do the best I can. I might have to seal one of them if I can't get it to stop leaking once I reinstall it, but I guess that's better that a leak. Whoever pulled them last time, used some sort of grease or plumbers putty to put them back in, so I have to use turpentine to clean them up. It's really nasty.
There's also some damage to the cork core around a few of the large portlights. Not sure how much I can do about it, but I'll try to clean them out and fill them with epoxy before I reinstall the portlights, and I won't do that until I've painted the deck. I've still got a lot of work to do, but I've only been at it a week and can already see progress. Removing the portlights was a big deal.
The best part about removing all of them is that now I can reach both sides of the all the deck hardware I need to remount. Can't believe I didn't think of this earlier, but it works out great. I still can't reach the stuff in the peak of the bow, but I may not try to remount that stuff right away. The only reason to remount anything is to seal the cork core properly -- I was in a hurry when I installed it all, so I didn't go to the trouble of doing it right, but that probably won't be a problem for a long time, so it may have to wait. Like Gill said, if I wait for everything to be perfect, I'll never go.
I already have a few new pumps including a new fresh water one and submersible bilge pump, but just haven't installed them yet. I think the one in the cockpit is just clogged up, so I should be able to repair it without too much trouble. There's another large bilge pump, but I'm not sure if it's working either. I'm not ready to tackle any plumbing projects yet, but just needed to pump the bilge after cleaning the cockpit and and the lockers underneath it. I had to do that in order to climb down there and install my Windpilot wind vane.
If the weather cooperates today, I'll install it this afternoon. I drilled the holes in the transom and dry fitted everything yesterday, but didn't have the right calk, so Gill ordered it for me and it came in today. Now it's up to the weather.
I picked up an alcohol burner from West Marine this morning. I had to throw out the old stove after I got the boat -- it was completely rusted out used some sort of pressurized system. Can't remember if it was alcohol or kerosene, but the pressure systems are a pain and the surveyor recommended I replace it. I'd been looking for a non-pressurized kerosene one, but they've mostly stopped making them and the ones I did find were too expensive. Hopefully, the alcohol burner will work out. I'll try it out later, but the main question now, other than will it get hot enough, is how much fuel it consumes. Not only will I need to carry enough on board for however long it takes to make a voyage, I'll also want a bit more in case it's hard to find. I bought a gallon from Gill, so I'll see how long that lasts. I'll mainly be making coffee, rice, and heating up canned stuff, so I won't be using it a lot -- I'm not really much of a cook.
Finally, I'm still working on the portlights and portholes. I've got them all out and have cleaned up all but the last three. A few of the portholes are in really bad shape, but since they are so expensive to replace, I'll just have to do the best I can. I might have to seal one of them if I can't get it to stop leaking once I reinstall it, but I guess that's better that a leak. Whoever pulled them last time, used some sort of grease or plumbers putty to put them back in, so I have to use turpentine to clean them up. It's really nasty.
There's also some damage to the cork core around a few of the large portlights. Not sure how much I can do about it, but I'll try to clean them out and fill them with epoxy before I reinstall the portlights, and I won't do that until I've painted the deck. I've still got a lot of work to do, but I've only been at it a week and can already see progress. Removing the portlights was a big deal.
The best part about removing all of them is that now I can reach both sides of the all the deck hardware I need to remount. Can't believe I didn't think of this earlier, but it works out great. I still can't reach the stuff in the peak of the bow, but I may not try to remount that stuff right away. The only reason to remount anything is to seal the cork core properly -- I was in a hurry when I installed it all, so I didn't go to the trouble of doing it right, but that probably won't be a problem for a long time, so it may have to wait. Like Gill said, if I wait for everything to be perfect, I'll never go.
04 May 2010
Cold showers
Not sure if washing with a hose in the cockpit counts as a shower, but it sure was cold. The low last night was around 56F, so at 0630, it was probably still pretty close to that. And the water wasn't much warmer. The boat yard doesn't have a shower, so I have to make due.
Can't really complain though; it's been worse. I still vividly remember sleeping in a ditch in the rain on a cold night with just a shelter half wrapped around me. But that was the Corps, so you sorta expect that. It also reminded me of a commercial from around the time of the famous "where's the beef" ones. Some guy would present two hamburgers, one big and juicy and the other small and dry, to someone and ask the which one they preferred. They normally chose the small one for various reasons, but the one I liked was the guy wearing a green flight jacket who said he picked the small one because it reminded him of the Corps. I guess we're a little different...
Still stowing gear. Had to repaint the shelves the main clothes locker before I could use it, but was able to stow all my clothes this morning. That really made a difference. The boat's still a bit cluttered, but it's coming along nicely.
I also removed the two large portlights on the starboard side yesterday. I'm going to remount everything, most of which leaks anyway, and need to replace the plexiglass since you can't see through it anymore. Looks like I can go ahead and remount them and replace the plexiglass later, so that's what I'll try to do today. I have four portlights and six portholes that open. They all need to be removed and remounted, but the portholes also need the gaskets and screens replaced. Will try to do that this week as well. I'll be working on the deck in those areas at the same time, so hopefully most of the coachroof will be ready to paint by next week.
Can't really complain though; it's been worse. I still vividly remember sleeping in a ditch in the rain on a cold night with just a shelter half wrapped around me. But that was the Corps, so you sorta expect that. It also reminded me of a commercial from around the time of the famous "where's the beef" ones. Some guy would present two hamburgers, one big and juicy and the other small and dry, to someone and ask the which one they preferred. They normally chose the small one for various reasons, but the one I liked was the guy wearing a green flight jacket who said he picked the small one because it reminded him of the Corps. I guess we're a little different...
Still stowing gear. Had to repaint the shelves the main clothes locker before I could use it, but was able to stow all my clothes this morning. That really made a difference. The boat's still a bit cluttered, but it's coming along nicely.
I also removed the two large portlights on the starboard side yesterday. I'm going to remount everything, most of which leaks anyway, and need to replace the plexiglass since you can't see through it anymore. Looks like I can go ahead and remount them and replace the plexiglass later, so that's what I'll try to do today. I have four portlights and six portholes that open. They all need to be removed and remounted, but the portholes also need the gaskets and screens replaced. Will try to do that this week as well. I'll be working on the deck in those areas at the same time, so hopefully most of the coachroof will be ready to paint by next week.
01 May 2010
On the boat
Zoe and I moved onto the the boat yesterday. We ended up using a car service to do the move, which wasn't bad, but since I hadn't quite finished everything, I had to get up first thing this morning and take the LIRR back into Manhattan to take care the last few details, including cleaning up. I was back in Huntington by a little after noon.
I've spent the day organizing the boat and trying to get everything stowed. Since there's so much to do, and I'll be living on the boat, I decided to get a head start and try to organize and stow things just as I would for a voyage. That way, I won't be surprised if I run out of room or have to come up with some creative way of rearranging things to make it safe and all fit. I'll just move stuff around as I work on each project.
It got sorta cold on the boat last night. We got in pretty late and didn't have time to unpack anything, so I didn't even have anything warm to wear. I cleared off the starboard quarter berth, but since the boat was still packed from trucking it down from Marion, the salon was full of sails, line, anchors, outboard, etc., so it was impossible to move stuff around to even get to my sleeping bag - which had been used as padding. I could see it, but couldn't get to it. I ended up finding an old rain jacket in one of the lockers and used it as a blanket. That worked okay, but I was still sorta cold and didn't sleep much. We got up early and walked down for coffee, then I took the first bus to Huntington Station and the train into Manhattan.
This afternoon, I moved all the sails onto the fore deck and stuffed the anchor and all the lines in the v-berth for now. With all that out of the way, I could go ahead and setup the salon and raise the table. The outboard is still on it's side on the sole of the cabin, but I'm not sure what to do with it. People normally hang them from the stern pulpit, but since I'm going to be installing a wind vane, that may not be an option.
I don't really like the idea of hanging a bunch of stuff off the boat anyway, but there aren't a whole lot of other options. It can lay on it's side, but unless it's secured, you might end up with a loose cannon in rough weather. And it's big enough to do some damage. Other than that, which might have to wait, I plan to go ahead and install everything I've got and make sure it works correctly, that includes the radios, AIS, wind vane, antennas, and the autopilot. That will help clear up a lot of space as well and make life much more pleasant.
Most of the stuff I brought over from the apartment is still stacked on the deck. I've got a really good canvas cover on the boat, so it's safe to keep everything on deck for the time being. Hopefully, I'll get it all stowed this weekend.
I've spent the day organizing the boat and trying to get everything stowed. Since there's so much to do, and I'll be living on the boat, I decided to get a head start and try to organize and stow things just as I would for a voyage. That way, I won't be surprised if I run out of room or have to come up with some creative way of rearranging things to make it safe and all fit. I'll just move stuff around as I work on each project.
It got sorta cold on the boat last night. We got in pretty late and didn't have time to unpack anything, so I didn't even have anything warm to wear. I cleared off the starboard quarter berth, but since the boat was still packed from trucking it down from Marion, the salon was full of sails, line, anchors, outboard, etc., so it was impossible to move stuff around to even get to my sleeping bag - which had been used as padding. I could see it, but couldn't get to it. I ended up finding an old rain jacket in one of the lockers and used it as a blanket. That worked okay, but I was still sorta cold and didn't sleep much. We got up early and walked down for coffee, then I took the first bus to Huntington Station and the train into Manhattan.
This afternoon, I moved all the sails onto the fore deck and stuffed the anchor and all the lines in the v-berth for now. With all that out of the way, I could go ahead and setup the salon and raise the table. The outboard is still on it's side on the sole of the cabin, but I'm not sure what to do with it. People normally hang them from the stern pulpit, but since I'm going to be installing a wind vane, that may not be an option.
I don't really like the idea of hanging a bunch of stuff off the boat anyway, but there aren't a whole lot of other options. It can lay on it's side, but unless it's secured, you might end up with a loose cannon in rough weather. And it's big enough to do some damage. Other than that, which might have to wait, I plan to go ahead and install everything I've got and make sure it works correctly, that includes the radios, AIS, wind vane, antennas, and the autopilot. That will help clear up a lot of space as well and make life much more pleasant.
Most of the stuff I brought over from the apartment is still stacked on the deck. I've got a really good canvas cover on the boat, so it's safe to keep everything on deck for the time being. Hopefully, I'll get it all stowed this weekend.
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