We've had a lot of wind over the last day or so, gusting well over 50 at times, but it's seems to have calmed down today. It's still blowing around 20 and gusting to 30, but compared to the last night it seems like a light breeze.
I got my gear out of the cockpit lockers and safely stowed on deck and lashed down under a tarp before the wind picked up, so once it warms up a bit, I'll tackle the transmission. I still need to remove the latches from the cockpit locker hatches, so I'll try to do that this afternoon so everything will be ready to go. It's a beautiful sunshiny day, so I'll do that this afternoon once it warms up.
The high today is 36, so I might crawl down there, but since it's in the shade and it dropped down in the teens last night, I doubt the engine compartment will warm up above freezing. I can't get out of here for another couple of months anyway, so I'll probably wait for it to get a bit warmer. I've got plenty to keep me busy playing with my radio.
Radio watch:
I've been able to make good contacts out to about 1,000 miles -- spoke to Bob, N0DFP in Duluth this morning -- but that really doesn't mean much since it's highly dependent on band conditions. Therefore, I decided to go ahead, bite the bullet, and buy an antenna analyzer so I can tune my antennas and get the most out of them.
I have an antenna tuner for my SSB, but it really doesn't tune anything. It just makes the radio think the antenna is resonant at 50 ohms. Therefore, while the radio may think it's tuned, a bad antenna may not be putting out any signal at all, since most of it will be lost as heat in the tuner coils.
Anyway, the analyzer will help me tune each antenna and find it's resonant frequency, i.e., the frequency at which it's most efficient. It'll also let me play with different configurations to figure out which one is best. I ended up ordering a RigExpert AA-230Pro which will let me analyze both my HF and VHF antennas. It's more expensive than the HF only one, but without it, there's no way to know how well my VHF antenna is working, so I figure it's worth it -- after all, it's a safety issue, right?
Although I've used my VHF a few times and the AIS receiver seemed to work well, I wasn't very far out. However, I did notice that even so my AIS, which transmits on VHF at 2 watts, wasn't picked up very well on my trip over here from Huntington, which was somewhat disconcerting. Chances are I need to replace the coax in the mast. I might do that before I leave anyway, but it'll be nice to check the signal and all the connections with the analyzer.
20 February 2011
17 February 2011
More on Contacts
My longest contact to date was with John, NP2B, in Saint Croix, Virgin Islands this afternoon, at about 1,682 statute miles, 1,462nm. He could hear and acknowledged me, but had to bring in a relay, Dave, KD4CMA, in north Florida, about 941 miles away to complete the check in.
Under the current band conditions, and considering my make-shift antenna, that's not bad, but I can't wait to get my mast up and get out of this yard to see what I can do with a real antenna.
Dave must have looked me up when I checked in, because he included Zoe in the log, even though I hadn't mentioned her. I have apologized to her for the oversight and promised not to make that mistake in the future -- I'll include her in all future check ins.
Boat watch:
It's nice and warm today, so I've got the washboards out, sliding hatch open, and heater off. I've been straightening up the cabin today, and have the cockpit lockers open to warm up the engine compartment. I'm working on clearing out the cockpit lockers and stowing all the gear on the deck, so I can get to the transmission.
Most of the snow is gone now, so I moved the anchors under the boat and adjusted the wires on deck. With the anchors out of the way, I've got plenty of room to stow everything on the coachroof. I'll cover it with the remnants of the boat cover I salvaged, so I should be able to leave it there for a while.
I'm also going to remove the latches from the cockpit hatches to they can't accidentally lock me in while I'm down there working. I might end up remounting them upside down for my trip south, but plan to replace/augment them when I refit in Baytown.
Under the current band conditions, and considering my make-shift antenna, that's not bad, but I can't wait to get my mast up and get out of this yard to see what I can do with a real antenna.
Dave must have looked me up when I checked in, because he included Zoe in the log, even though I hadn't mentioned her. I have apologized to her for the oversight and promised not to make that mistake in the future -- I'll include her in all future check ins.
Boat watch:
It's nice and warm today, so I've got the washboards out, sliding hatch open, and heater off. I've been straightening up the cabin today, and have the cockpit lockers open to warm up the engine compartment. I'm working on clearing out the cockpit lockers and stowing all the gear on the deck, so I can get to the transmission.
Most of the snow is gone now, so I moved the anchors under the boat and adjusted the wires on deck. With the anchors out of the way, I've got plenty of room to stow everything on the coachroof. I'll cover it with the remnants of the boat cover I salvaged, so I should be able to leave it there for a while.
I'm also going to remove the latches from the cockpit hatches to they can't accidentally lock me in while I'm down there working. I might end up remounting them upside down for my trip south, but plan to replace/augment them when I refit in Baytown.
14 February 2011
Warming Up
It finally started to dry out and warm up. In fact, we haven't had any rain or snow for several days, and my bilge is nice and dry. I'm even thinking of climbing down in the lockers and removing the transmission tomorrow -- it'll be in the 50's.
I got a call from Paul a couple days ago wanting to know how things were going and if I was still planning on returning to Baytown. He reiterated his offer to let me put the boat in his warehouse to work on it, and even offered me a job. Too bad I'm not already down there, but I guess that's how it goes.
However, if I do take him up on his offers, there's no reason to do any more work here than is absolutely necessary to get down there. That means just the transmission and chainplates -- and probably not even the one for the backstay since it's the least likely to break, especially under the light conditions I'll be sailing. I might go ahead and purchase new wire, but wait till I get there to rig it.
If that's all I have to do, I could probably get out of here by the end of March or April at the latest.
Radio watch:
I've been checking into the Intercon and Marine Maritime Service Networks every day since my first contact last week, and it's been going really well. I've also been able to connect and get email every morning -- all with the makeshift antenna I've got strung across the deck. I don't have a meter, and not sure it would make much difference if I did, however, I've been able to connect to stations up to about 950 miles with an S3 to S5 signal (goes from 0-9), which isn't bad for a 150 watt transmitter, even with a good antenna.
I got a call from Paul a couple days ago wanting to know how things were going and if I was still planning on returning to Baytown. He reiterated his offer to let me put the boat in his warehouse to work on it, and even offered me a job. Too bad I'm not already down there, but I guess that's how it goes.
However, if I do take him up on his offers, there's no reason to do any more work here than is absolutely necessary to get down there. That means just the transmission and chainplates -- and probably not even the one for the backstay since it's the least likely to break, especially under the light conditions I'll be sailing. I might go ahead and purchase new wire, but wait till I get there to rig it.
If that's all I have to do, I could probably get out of here by the end of March or April at the latest.
Radio watch:
I've been checking into the Intercon and Marine Maritime Service Networks every day since my first contact last week, and it's been going really well. I've also been able to connect and get email every morning -- all with the makeshift antenna I've got strung across the deck. I don't have a meter, and not sure it would make much difference if I did, however, I've been able to connect to stations up to about 950 miles with an S3 to S5 signal (goes from 0-9), which isn't bad for a 150 watt transmitter, even with a good antenna.
11 February 2011
Lifelines
I posted a question concerning my lifelines on a couple boat sites yesterday, and one of the responses referred me to the ISAF Offshore Special Regulations. I read through them today and plan to incorporate several of their requirements and recommendations -- even though I have no intention of racing, and couldn't afford to implement all of them even if I did.
As pertains to my lifelines, I'm planning to replace them, but don't like my current arrangement much. The problem is that I only have 3 stanchions on each side and the spacing between the two fore and aft of the shrouds is about 14' -- 7' each way -- and according to the OSR, they shouldn't be any more than 86" apart. If I run them outside the shrouds, it gives me more space along the deck, but they press against the uppers and ride up a few inches. However, If I run them inside, they cut off about 8-10 inches of the side decks, making it more difficult to pass.
By adding another stanchion at or around the shrouds, I can comply with the OSR requirements and should be about to run them outside without touching the shrouds and still have plenty of room to pass along the deck. This will make it easier on Zoe as well, especially with the netting attached to the lifelines.
Hopefully it won't be too expensive, but will involve buying 2 new stanchions and bases -- and nothing's cheap on a boat. Anyway, I'll add this to my list, along with several other things I found in the OSR.
Oh, and they recommend toe rails at least 1" high, so as of right now, I'm planning on molding my new ones in fiberglass as part of the hull-to-deck joint. I'm also thinking of making the look more or less like the teak ones and even painting them a darker color to help keep the look. However, I'm not exactly sure when I'll do them, since it's a lot of work and may take a while.
Radio watch:
I finally got a decent antenna setup and made my first contact today. I checked in with the Maritime Mobile Service Network at a little before 1900 UTC with W4YKY, Carl Thomas, out of Warm Springs, Georgia, about 75 miles south of Atlanta. Not sure how far that it, but I'd imagine it's close to 500nm -- I'll have to brush up on my navigation skills this evening and see if I can work it out exactly, i.e., using a great circle, not a rhumb line.
I just wish I'd told him he was my first contact. He's net control a couple times a week, so I'll try again with him next week and let him know then.
As pertains to my lifelines, I'm planning to replace them, but don't like my current arrangement much. The problem is that I only have 3 stanchions on each side and the spacing between the two fore and aft of the shrouds is about 14' -- 7' each way -- and according to the OSR, they shouldn't be any more than 86" apart. If I run them outside the shrouds, it gives me more space along the deck, but they press against the uppers and ride up a few inches. However, If I run them inside, they cut off about 8-10 inches of the side decks, making it more difficult to pass.
By adding another stanchion at or around the shrouds, I can comply with the OSR requirements and should be about to run them outside without touching the shrouds and still have plenty of room to pass along the deck. This will make it easier on Zoe as well, especially with the netting attached to the lifelines.
Hopefully it won't be too expensive, but will involve buying 2 new stanchions and bases -- and nothing's cheap on a boat. Anyway, I'll add this to my list, along with several other things I found in the OSR.
Oh, and they recommend toe rails at least 1" high, so as of right now, I'm planning on molding my new ones in fiberglass as part of the hull-to-deck joint. I'm also thinking of making the look more or less like the teak ones and even painting them a darker color to help keep the look. However, I'm not exactly sure when I'll do them, since it's a lot of work and may take a while.
Radio watch:
I finally got a decent antenna setup and made my first contact today. I checked in with the Maritime Mobile Service Network at a little before 1900 UTC with W4YKY, Carl Thomas, out of Warm Springs, Georgia, about 75 miles south of Atlanta. Not sure how far that it, but I'd imagine it's close to 500nm -- I'll have to brush up on my navigation skills this evening and see if I can work it out exactly, i.e., using a great circle, not a rhumb line.
I just wish I'd told him he was my first contact. He's net control a couple times a week, so I'll try again with him next week and let him know then.
09 February 2011
Planning
Once it warms up a bit, I'll be able to get started on some of the things I need to fix before I can get her back in the water and get out of here. Since a large part of that involves fiberglass work and painting, and it won't be warm enough to really tackle that until April, I've got a lot of time on my hands right now.
I've spent much of that time lately researching and planning, and have come up with a pretty long list of stuff I'd like to do. Now, I need to winnow it down to what I can accomplish from now until April -- I plan to reserve April for rigging, chainplates and deck work, including laying down non-skid. I want to launch by May 1st.
I'll try to post a list later this week, but here's a couple I've been working on this week:
The first is adding insulation to the inside of the hull. I've wanted to do this for a while, but until today, hadn't found the right solution. I'm going to go with 1/2" thick Armaflex closed cell foam insulation, and glue it directly to the inside of the hull. Although insulation helps keep the boat warm, or cool, it's main purpose is to cut down on condensation whenever the temperature is colder outside than it is inside. This will go a long way to making the boat dryer and more comfortable.
The second concerns my leaking toerails. I've decided to get rid of the toerails completely and permanently bond the hull-to-deck joint with a heavy layer of fiberglass extending several inches onto the deck and down the outside of the hull. Since my goal is to get rid of as many holes as possible, I'm going to remove all the bolts, including the ones holding the joint together, before I glass it in. The joint is well glued and bonded, so removing them shouldn't disturb it. However, I'll start with a small section just to be sure -- with a 40 year old boat, you never know what you're going to find when you pull back the curtain. But whatever it is, it's got to be fixed.
I'll probably add another light layer inside just to seal it as soon as I pull the bolts. I should be able to keep the cabin warm enough for it to cure, and it'll keep the water out while I'm waiting for warmer weather -- and allow me to wash it down the outside before I start working on it. It'll also give me a nice clean surface to glue the insulation once I'm done
Of course, once it's been washed down, I'll still need to keep the outside dry while I'm working, but I should be able to use the canvas I salvaged from the old cover to make a tarp to cover it at night or whenever it rains. I could also use duct tape if need be -- I duct taped the hole the chainplate made when it was ripped out in December, and that hasn't leaked at all.
Although I'm not planning to put back the teak toerail, I will need to replace it with something. My choices are to either build up a fiberglass one or bolt a teak bulwark to the lifeline stanchions. Several of my stanchions are in bad shape, so this might be a good time to replace them. In any case, I'll need to move them outboard -- the placement and width of the toerails meant they were mounted several inches from the edge of the deck. Moving them outboard should give me at least an inch or two more deck width, plus 2-3 more inches at the lifelines, and every little bit helps. I might also need to add a few more to support the bulwark near the shrouds.
However, without toerails, I'll have to mount the chocks, cleats, and genoa tracks directly on the deck, but this is a good thing, since it reduces the moment forces somewhat and makes them more stable. I might also have to do something with the turning blocks. They aren't mounted on the toerails, but are mounted on raised teak blocks that butt up against them and line up with the standup block on the genoa track. Moving them slightly outboard and closer to the deck should make them stronger and more stable as well.
As you can see, there's still a lot more to think about, so I plan to look at a lot of boats and pull my toerails before I commit to a final solution.
I've spent much of that time lately researching and planning, and have come up with a pretty long list of stuff I'd like to do. Now, I need to winnow it down to what I can accomplish from now until April -- I plan to reserve April for rigging, chainplates and deck work, including laying down non-skid. I want to launch by May 1st.
I'll try to post a list later this week, but here's a couple I've been working on this week:
The first is adding insulation to the inside of the hull. I've wanted to do this for a while, but until today, hadn't found the right solution. I'm going to go with 1/2" thick Armaflex closed cell foam insulation, and glue it directly to the inside of the hull. Although insulation helps keep the boat warm, or cool, it's main purpose is to cut down on condensation whenever the temperature is colder outside than it is inside. This will go a long way to making the boat dryer and more comfortable.
The second concerns my leaking toerails. I've decided to get rid of the toerails completely and permanently bond the hull-to-deck joint with a heavy layer of fiberglass extending several inches onto the deck and down the outside of the hull. Since my goal is to get rid of as many holes as possible, I'm going to remove all the bolts, including the ones holding the joint together, before I glass it in. The joint is well glued and bonded, so removing them shouldn't disturb it. However, I'll start with a small section just to be sure -- with a 40 year old boat, you never know what you're going to find when you pull back the curtain. But whatever it is, it's got to be fixed.
I'll probably add another light layer inside just to seal it as soon as I pull the bolts. I should be able to keep the cabin warm enough for it to cure, and it'll keep the water out while I'm waiting for warmer weather -- and allow me to wash it down the outside before I start working on it. It'll also give me a nice clean surface to glue the insulation once I'm done
Of course, once it's been washed down, I'll still need to keep the outside dry while I'm working, but I should be able to use the canvas I salvaged from the old cover to make a tarp to cover it at night or whenever it rains. I could also use duct tape if need be -- I duct taped the hole the chainplate made when it was ripped out in December, and that hasn't leaked at all.
Although I'm not planning to put back the teak toerail, I will need to replace it with something. My choices are to either build up a fiberglass one or bolt a teak bulwark to the lifeline stanchions. Several of my stanchions are in bad shape, so this might be a good time to replace them. In any case, I'll need to move them outboard -- the placement and width of the toerails meant they were mounted several inches from the edge of the deck. Moving them outboard should give me at least an inch or two more deck width, plus 2-3 more inches at the lifelines, and every little bit helps. I might also need to add a few more to support the bulwark near the shrouds.
However, without toerails, I'll have to mount the chocks, cleats, and genoa tracks directly on the deck, but this is a good thing, since it reduces the moment forces somewhat and makes them more stable. I might also have to do something with the turning blocks. They aren't mounted on the toerails, but are mounted on raised teak blocks that butt up against them and line up with the standup block on the genoa track. Moving them slightly outboard and closer to the deck should make them stronger and more stable as well.
As you can see, there's still a lot more to think about, so I plan to look at a lot of boats and pull my toerails before I commit to a final solution.
01 February 2011
Frozen Bilge
I noticed a fair amount of ice in the bilge last night caused by all the snow we've been getting and a leak in the cockpit drains -- haven't had time to work on them yet. It's mainly the forward one on the port side, so I'll try to seal it today if I get a break in the weather.
I was able to drain a couple of inches off the top last night, and will try to defrost the rest of it today. At some point, I need to come up with a better way of keeping it from freezing, but while she's on land that may not be possible when the temps keep dropping to single digits -- the entire bilge is only about a foot wide, with 1/2" hull, which makes a great popsicle.
Zoe watch:
She must have been a sled dog in a former life, because she loves to roll in the snow and eat the hard chunks that form on top after a few days. I had to dig out a path from the boat to the road, about 100 feet, and on the way back from our walks, she likes to climb up on the hard snow on both sides and just hang out. She'll sink down a little, lie down, half hidden, and either roll in it or hold her head up and keep watch.
No doubt she'd stay there all night if I didn't start getting cold and urge her to come along. Her fur has really grown in nice and thick, so there's no need for any sort of fleece or sweater. She'll roll in the snow all she wants, and stay almost completely dry. However, I still have to use Muscher's Secret to keep her paws clear of salt and snow.
I was able to drain a couple of inches off the top last night, and will try to defrost the rest of it today. At some point, I need to come up with a better way of keeping it from freezing, but while she's on land that may not be possible when the temps keep dropping to single digits -- the entire bilge is only about a foot wide, with 1/2" hull, which makes a great popsicle.
Zoe watch:
She must have been a sled dog in a former life, because she loves to roll in the snow and eat the hard chunks that form on top after a few days. I had to dig out a path from the boat to the road, about 100 feet, and on the way back from our walks, she likes to climb up on the hard snow on both sides and just hang out. She'll sink down a little, lie down, half hidden, and either roll in it or hold her head up and keep watch.
No doubt she'd stay there all night if I didn't start getting cold and urge her to come along. Her fur has really grown in nice and thick, so there's no need for any sort of fleece or sweater. She'll roll in the snow all she wants, and stay almost completely dry. However, I still have to use Muscher's Secret to keep her paws clear of salt and snow.
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