Huon Seal - Portland Vic.

[Larks]

'Thought I'd start a new thread for some of Robs sailing adventures on Huon Seal (hope you don't mind mate, but there have been some lovely photos that might get missed otherwise).

Here are a couple of photo's of his sail on Huon Seal out of Portland yesterday. Looks like a stunning winter day in Victoria!!!

[rufustr]

Good on yer Larks.

I was looking for one of the previous threads to post these photos and you beat me to it.

Looks fantastic and we need a close up to show the grin on Rob's mug better.

[Portland]

Hmm , I imagine the look on my face at that time was one of wonderment , "is this really me ?".
Having such a beautiful boat , that is mine , having experienced people more than willing to come out with me , and get a solid foundation in to my sailing skills , thats pretty good , I reckon !.
As a matter of interest , that is the stretch of water that the D of T , with their suggested "reforms" will not be allowed to be sailed on by boats under 4.8 metres , how ridiculous is that !.
Yes , she attracts a lot of interest.
People were watching us from town , and when we came in , came down and checked her out.
And no-one seemed disappointed , they were all full of compliments.
Except one "stink boat" driver , who carried on about how good his v8 engine sounds etc etc.
I couldn't be bothered , and just ignored him
Thanks boys , for your support , hope to see you here one day.
Regards Rob J.

[Larks]

Send some more pic's Rob, I was a bit slow getting these on after a late night last night and late start today ( and really thought Rufus would have already posted them, slack bugger eh? Just can't get good help can you these days!!)

Bye the way Rob, thank's for the kind wishes, we had a great night!!

[StevenBauer]

Looks like a stunning winter day in Victoria!!!

Winter?! I don't see any ice. No snow, green leaves. I don't think so!


Steven

[Portland]

Just a little thing.
The Portland Yacht club people have been very helpful to me , which is great.
But today I was walking out of a shop in town , when a Yacht club member who often crews (as I do) was walking in.
My face went in to a big grin , and he asked me , in his Icelandic accent "whose wooden boat is that in the yard?".
I'd have to admit , I puffed up a bit , and with a big grin said "Its mine !".
He shook my hand vigorously , and we talked for a bit about her design heritage , and he agreed , yes , he has to come sailing with me !.
Thats nice , to me it is , anyway !.
Regards Rob J.

[Portland]

Well Larks , I couldn't see you celebrating your wedding anniversary , and coming back to post pictures !!!!!.
But thanks for doing it today , I'm hopeless at computer stuff.
Steven , I think the day temp was around 15C , night temp about 5C , and water temp about 6C.
I was wet to the waist , getting her out , but hey , what a sail !.
Wet again , getting her out.
Hopefully soon , I'll have her on a swing mooring , and get out to her on my cute little Tassie built wooden tender.
Regards Rob J.

[oznabrag]

Nice, Rob! Your good cheer is infectious!

[PeterSibley]

Congratulations Rob ! Well done .!

[John B]

D'ya know Rob, there's people who only like sailing and the boat is just a tool, a machine to get them there.Then there's the people who just like the build or the process of working on a boat because they love it, working it out , looking at it.
Me , I always thought I had the best of both worlds because I liked the sailing but also had the look back factor as well.
You know , you're walking away after a days sail, but you just have to turn and look back as you leave...

[RFNK]

Good on you Rob and Greg! We took the Folkboat out today too - beautiful day, no clouds anywhere but no wind either . Had to have lots of cups of tea instead.

We had the same amount of wind last time we went sailing a few days ago too - here's a picture of that. Our house is just through the trees in this picture too, and a friend with a little 18' trailer sailer:


Rick

[Portland]

Yes John , I'm getting to know that feeling well !.
I've got a lot to learn , and do , but I reckon I've got the right boat to do it with !.
By summer I should have a new engine and controls , and the cockpit updated , and on a mooring.
Then I reckon I'm going to be seeing a lot of it !.
Regards Rob j.

[py]

Waders.

[Portland]

Yes , I could get some waders , but I'm more interested in getting a mooring.
Even over winter , there is a fair bit of traffic on the boat ramp. In summer we would start a riot , with the time taken to get on (in particular) and off a trailer , compared to the outboard powered stink boats.
I just can't quite hold the boat in position , while the trailer is pulled out.
I reckon I need a winch to hold it , but how to set it up , is the question.
Initially , we had the jockey wheel lifting the front of the trailer up to the towing hight (we use an extension ) , but that didn't help , as it widened the angle between trailer and boat.
We need to find a way to allow the trailer to lower to the skid at the front , and still be able to lift it up to towing hight , when it comes out of the water.
And that would mean less movement of the bow in relation to the trailer , and make it easier to tie , and hold in position.
I applied for a mooring weeks ago , and got a reply , listing what was available , but also being told that nothing would be done , until that person went away on holidays (and returned).
Typical public service !.
I reckon I'll get a mooring , and work on the trailer , so that we get a better result , particularly on retrieving out of the water.
Regards Rob J.

[seanz]

Arrr, just swim out. Know a fella that used to swim every day in Portland harbour.....

[Portland]

Swimming with the seals !.
Not sure about that , they worried me circling around , while I was getting HS on the trailer.
Still , I guess it would be good practise getting back on board , if you fell in.
Hmm , but what if you didn't make it ?.
Regards Rob J.

[Larks]

I went on a swim with the seals in Port Philip Bay afew years ago Rob, can't say that it was particularly enjoyable, they can be rather agresive little buggers when they want to, very quick and have got quite sharp teeth.

Anyway, after a slight delay, here are a couple more pic's of Huon Seal, the firts showing some very cold legs during the launch/recovery procedure:



and a few that you may have already seen but which go well here anyway:

[Larks]

and a couple more

[Portland]

Thanks Greg.
I think the problem with the Portland seals is for many many years , they were fed fish entrails , from fishermen cleaning their catches , particularly in the Tuna season.
They have big bins now , but they soon fill , and the stuff gets tossed to the seals again.
I've seen tuna entrails washed up on the beach !.
There are a number of notices warning of the seals , and their bite.
Thanks for putting up the photos , I'll try to get photos of HS on the trailer , in the yard.
Regards Rob J.

[seanz]

Seals, eh?
Maybe that's why he swapped to the pool, I thought it was just because he was getting on...late 60's when he stopped swimming in the ocean.

Thanks for the photos Larks.
Rob; that is a lovely boat.

[Larks]

Here are some trailer photos for thoughts on easing the launch recovery process:

[hansp77]

Good on ya Rob!
I've been waiting to see some photos.
I am slight envious that you are already easily out sailing on yours- isn't that stage sposed to take years, and years, and more years...

Looks great, keep up with the photos.
Hans.

[Larks]

Rob, not sure if it'd help but I see a few guys up here with their spare wheel set up on a small stub axle sort of arrangement on the drawbar to deal with the big tides here. I may need to go out and try and take some photos because I can't explain it very well but the idea is that they wind the jockey wheel down until the spare wheel takes the weight then shove the whole thing down the beach on three decent wheels tied by a rope to the car on solid sand up higher. When they recover it they just tow it up using the tow rope. In your case I'm wondering if the third wheel set up might give you the right angle without relying on the jockey wheel, you don't need the tow rope idea with your drawbar extension, when you get her out just wind the jockey wheel up to the right height for the tow bar.

Regarding the trailer winch, could you make up a pedestal at the vehicle end of your drawbar extension for a trailer winch so that you could winch the boat out from there? I don't know that there is really any way to not get wet launching and recovering, it's just the amount that varies.

[Portland]

Hans , I have the good fortune to have some very experienced sailors happy to come out with me , and show me the ropes.
Notwithstanding , the Huon Seal has been very well set up by Bruce , its ideal to learn with , but the same boat , in the hands of a serious sailor , can really get along .
Bob Lewis , a very competitive dinghy sailor , and building his own Eun Na Mara had no trouble with her , first off , and that look on his face told me just what he thought of her !.
I had to pull rank , to get him to turn around !.
Greg , some how or another we need to be able to get that front of the trailer lower , when we are retrieving her.
If we flip the jockey wheel up before bringing HS up on the trailer , I'm sure that will be just fine , but then , how do we raise the front of the trailer enough to hook on to the truck , to tow ?.
I thought of putting another jockey wheel on the other side , raised up some , so that at full extension it will have enabled the current jockey wheel to be swung back down.
The winch I thought I could put on the lower support of the front part of the cradle , going over a roller at the top of the front part of the cradle , so the cable just clears the cradle , and if the bowsprit does touch the cradle on recover (which is unlikely to happen now) , then it would touch the rollers.
As to getting wet , mate , its no big deal.
If this is winter here , and thats about as cold as the water gets , I'm not worried about it.
I'm more worried about getting my boat on the trailer properly.
Regards Rob j.

[Sourdoughme]

Would I be invading your privacy too much if I asked to see pics of the interior of your lovely craft?

Sourdough

[Portland]

Sure , I have photos of the interior.
But again , I'll have to send them to Greg , to put them up for me.
Regards Rob J.

[Larks]

send them through mate

[Larks]

Here they are:

[Larks]

[Portland]

Thank you Greg.
These photos were provided by the surveyor.
The engine is to be replaced.
To select a gear , the engine box has to be lifted and locked up, and the gear lever pushed or pulled.
That archaic setup will of course be addressed , with the new engine/gearbox .
In the photo of the CB winch , it can be seen that the catch on the left hand door is broken.
I'm trying to source a new catch , or door , so far without success.
They are plastic , anyone able to help there ?.
The cabin is water tight , the only place water is getting in is through the cockpit drainage , on occasion , and through the engine box .
Both of those issues will be addressed , also.
Regards Rob J.

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

... they wind the jockey wheel down until the spare wheel takes the weight then shove the whole thing down the beach on three decent wheels tied by a rope to the car on solid sand up higher. When they recover it they just tow it up using the tow rope.

On the odd occasions when I launched Aileen Louisa at the Creek, I had to back her trailer down a very gently shelving hard for about fifty yards, then wait for the tide to float her off (a couple of hours.) I didn't use a third wheel the way Greg suggests, but once the trailer was in place down at the end of the hard (somewhere a bit past the landing stage in the picture -- much further and there's mud that cars have been bogged in) I wound the jockey wheel down, tied a long rope to the trailer, drove the car back up above the tide-line, and waited.

Once AL was afloat and berthed at the jetty, I drove the car further away, towing the trailer out of the water at the end of its rope as I went. Recovery, when it happened, was a similar process.

But of course this didn't happen on every outing -- usually only once every year or two, as AL generally lived in her mud berth outside my back gate.

But I'm not sure how much use this might be in your situation Rob, as it seems that the problems you're facing are a bit different.

Mike

[Portland]

Mike , I've got no trouble getting the HS in to deep enough water , no matter what the tide , its not an issue.
Its just getting her floating as evenly as possible on to her trailer , on retrieval , and once getting her in the right position , holding her there while we pull her out.
What is happening is that the trailer is coming out , and sort of leaving the boat behind.
I don't think the stink boat drivers would be happy with me , if I waited for the tide to deposit her on the trailer.
Also , if I put a winch on the front , it would make raising and lowering the mast easier.
It may sound like I'm splitting hairs , but I'm not looking to winch her out , just to maintain contact with that front roller , as she settles on her trailer supports.
Regards Rob J.

[py]

HI Rob
Can't see the pictures cos my work filters them out. This must be a pretty common problem for largish trailer boats. Without the benefit of pics I'm guessing that the issue is that the boat is horizontal, while the trailer is on a slope, front up. I'd have thought you need the trailer in deep enough that you can get the stem up to the winch post-which should have a winch on it. Might need to use the winch to pull the front of the boat up out of the water a bit-say the last 1-2 metres along the trailer. But what stops the back of the boat drifting around? Either a mate with a rope led to the rear of the boat. Or a vertical pole strategically placed either side of the trailer-maybe about amidships with a double ender, although they are often seen further aft on "normal" boat's trailers.
Does that help?
Phil

PS-the stem should definitely be attached somehow to the front of the trailer as you drive away up the ramp.

[Portland]

Phil , the stem is well tied to the trailer , but maybe 3 inches or so back from where it should be.
Its very hard to stop 1800kg of boat from moving back , when the Canter 4x4 moves away , even using low range.
As the trailer moves up , it catches on the front of the boat first , and it pivots on that front boat support.
With the jockey wheel right up , that movement was significant , with the jockey wheel right down , much less so.
If we could fold it up , I doubt it would be an issue any longer.
But we then need a way to lift the front of the trailer again quickly , and we need a way to stop the boat moving back , even if its only 3 inches.
Do you have an e-mail address I could send the photos to ?.
E-mail me privately , if you like.
Regards Rob J.

[Larks]

Rob, rather than just relying on the rope to hold her up front, if you don't have any problems positioning her to start with before you move forward, how about some sort of fixed length shackle and cable arrangement from the side of trailer pedestal to the anchor roller arrangement on the yacht?

As far as stopping the tail end from swinging around while she's floating aft but sitting forward, you may be able to use something like the roller guide system in the link below rather than have to lower the front of the trailer. I'm not sure of how well it might hold the keel in place, ie if the rollers are long enough to trap the keel without lowering the front, but from what I've seen of them they seem like a handy piece of kit for small yachts.

http://www.cassellmarine.com.au/p/73...er-roller.html

[Portland]

Thanks Greg.
There seems to be no shortage of people willing to hold a line , or help postion her , its just stopping her from sliding back , it seems.
There has to be a little ability to move , as the stem does pivot a little.
Blowed if I know.
When Bruce bought her down here , they used a block and tackle to move her forward , on her rollers , before the trip.
Have rang about the mooring , still no reply.
Regards Rob J.

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

... how about some sort of fixed length shackle and cable arrangement...

This sounds like the right idea to me. AL's trailer was fitted with about four links of chain welded to the winch-post and having a snap-shackle at the free end. Once the boat was winched (or floated) onto the trailer, the shackle was snapped into the winching eye and the winch tension could be then relaxed. The chain restricted free movement aft to about an inch.

But I confess I'm having trouble seeing why the 3" movement you presently have represents a problem. Is the trailer a bit undersized for the boat perhaps? Or is because you're relying on the winch strap/line to hold the boat in position while you drive off?

If balance is a problem, can the axle location be adjusted further aft?

Mike

[Portland]

Mike , the trailer is custom made for HS.
If the boat isn't right up , the weight is born by the forward rollers (or not by the aft roller).
And the boat adopts a slightly "nose down" attitude.
I suspect there is a fair bit of weight on the drawbar too.
I reckon if we can lower the front of the trailer a bit more , there may not be so much of a problem with the tying.
Regards Rob J.

[py]

I can see the pics now-I'm at home. I'd suggest a winch, steel cable will stop that little bit of movement-and if she does slip back a bit, just wind her up again. I'd actually not put the trailer quite so far into the wter-use the winch to haul her up that last 1-2 metres. All much more controlled that way.
You'll learn-just try different stuff.

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

.
It sounds as though perhaps Phil might have the right answer, Rob. But going back to my last question, can you move the axle forward at all, and would that answer? (AL's trailer was fully adjustable -- axle, winch post, beds, and all -- and a boon it was too.)

Mike

[Portland]

Mike , no the axle can't be moved forward , without major work , and that still wouldn't get the boat bedding down on her rollers properly.
I'm thinking another jockey wheel , and a winch will do the trick.
Its very windy at the moment , but next Friday looks promising .
Regards Rob J.

[WX]

Lovely boat Rob, I can understand your pride in her.
Is that a YSE8 or the 12 you have there?

[Portland]

Its a YSE 12 .
The surveyor marked the boat down a little , solely on the engine , and engine mounts.
He said the mounts and engine need to be treated for rust , and the engine gone over by a marine mechanic.
It does smoke , and use oil , the hand start is frozen , but it usually starts and runs ok.
Sooo , I contacted boatbuilders who did a lot of Yanmar work , and they weren't interested , they didn't want to touch the job.
So I've decided to do what I was going to do "later" "sooner" , and replace the engine with a GM Yanmar , save 100kg aft , and get a better gearbox and engine box setup in the bargain.
If you look at the engine photo , the white spot in the top right is the gear lever.
So , to select a gear , you need to lift the engine cover , lock the support on the left of the picture , then select a gear.
Not good enough , it detracts from the whole experience .
Bruce was under the impression that although the engine was recently reconditioned , it had done too much running under no real load , and had probably glazed the bore , and the rings had stuck.
He changed the pitch on the prop , which helps , but he believes the bore and rings need a cleanup.
If you know anyone who would be interested in this engine , contact me privately.
Regards Rob J.

[WX]

It's the same engine as mine. I'll pm you.

[Portland]

I had a yarn with Iain Oughtred last night , and he is going to design a sail insignia for the "Grey Seals" of the world.
As a former Victorian too , he was interested in where I was sailing her.
Regards Rob J.

[gert]

I had a yarn with Iain Oughtred last night , and he is going to design a sail insignia for the "Grey Seals" of the world

Yahoo!

You phoned him?

Did you ask him how my gaff yawl sailplan was coming along ?
Hopefully he will throw in the insignia.

You made my day; again

[Portland]

Yes Gert , I had a yarn to him , on the old "dog n bone".
He is going to make the insignia as a grey seal , but in what pose , I've no idea.
I've sent him pictures of Huon Seal too.
Regards Rob J.

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

.
Good for you, Rob. And for Iain too. I'll bet we're all interested to see the result.

Mike

[Portland]

Well Mike , and I'm sure Gert will agree , it just says to the world , just what the boat is.
Won't be long before everyone knows it as a "Grey Seal".
Regards Rob J.

[Larks]

Rob, I hadn't noticed these guys before, Witchards Marine, marinising Kubota engines in Sydney, Ian may have pointed them out before but I don't recall. There's a 3 cylinder 18hp as well as a 22 that interest me, don't know if they may be worth considering for Huon Seal. I've asked for some prices.

http://www.wm-marine-diesel.com/dieselengine.htm

cheers
Greg