This one could be fun

[Slacko]

Re: This one could be fun

We were doing 8 knots GPS at 1/2 throttle with a 15 hp, so pretty slippery!
There was water sitting under the sole boards, which need replacing as they were rotten under the battery.
There is a keel stringer down there that is also pretty punky, but that is all I have found. The bilge has luckily been glassed so no damage there.
The entire forepeak bunk is a buoyancy tank, so I need to put a waterproof hatch in there, so I can inspect it.

[Slacko]

Re: This one could be fun

I spent a couple of hours after dinner each night during the week sorting out the running rigging.
I needed to change worn out blocks and lines, luckily I have an assortment of bits and bobs that got it done without spending any money other than some dyneema for the vang cascade.
It doesn't have a traveller due to the tiller being so long to get the helmsman away from the stern.
It's been raced for a couple of decades so I'm going to run lots of vang to control the leech, and use the sheet only to control the boom position.
We will see about that.
The outboard bracket was cracked and held together with a couple of bolts.
I removed the bolts, cleaned up the mating surfaces, glued it up with epoxy and called it good.

We went out for our first race in Fridays Rum race at RPNYC.
Leaving the marina the bracket broke again, but beside the glueline! The bolts held again so we puttered out a bit further and got the sails up. For the first time by the way.
The jib lead wasn't quite right which was quickly sorted, but the top batten in the main was only half there. Too close to the start to do anything about it, so we hit the line.
The race went well in 2-5 knots (perfect), we rounded mid fleet and hoisted the masthead gennaker for the ride home.
We held position and finished respectably with no more incidents.
She is quick in the light and points high, so looking forward to more of the same.

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It was a great evening for a sail.

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These are the sole board after I cut the both in half where there was a support floor underneath to remove the rotten back ends where the battery had sat.
I got some 9mm ply and made a couple of new bits.
The original ones were a pain to remove, jamming on everything. The new ones dropped in no problem, so I will paint them all and move to the next trick.
IMG20220305173741.jpg

[Slacko]

Re: This one could be fun

A few shots of the interior, showing the generally ok condition.

The quarter berths - generous due to the wide beam at this point.
IMG20220305173801.jpg

I spotted in this one a battery isolator hanging down. I hadn't seen that, and will mount it somewhere suitable!
The hatch is sitting on the berth under the isolator. It's pretty sad, but salvageable.

End of one of the quarterberths
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The bow area, again pretty tidy.
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I paid $1500 for the boat by the way!

[timo4352]

Re: This one could be fun

This looks like tons of fun.
I'll be along for the ride from here.

[AndanteEd]

Re: This one could be fun

I paid $1500 for the boat by the way!

That's an amazing bargain Slacko.. Well done, certainly worth the long drive to go and pick her up.

Thanks for sharing the adventure so far, please do keep it coming.

BTW - how was the boat's handicap worked out? She's perhaps not the easiest of boats to assess the likely performance of.

I only mention the handicapping as we recently had "Maiden", a late 1970s Whitbread round-the-world racer visit our club and take part on one of our mid week pursuit races.

yysw345551.jpg

Assuming her to be a heavy old thing better suited to big seas in the open ocean than to a short inshore, light wind, round-the-cans jolly, I was perhaps a little cautious in my assessment of her likely performance against our club's slightly more prosaic fleet of cruiser-racers.

I understood she would be faster, but my goodness, I didn't realise quite how much faster she would be. Whilst there were a few comments in the bar afterwards, I think we got away with excuse that we'd created a great opportunity for the rest of the fleet to see her in action (as she, um, lapped them)...

Your mid-fleet finish seems to infer a good job was done by sailors and handicappers alike. Well done all.

[Slacko]

Re: This one could be fun

Before the race I met the sailing secretary who had this conundrum. I suggested that traditionally when a new boatentered it's first rum race the handicap was what it took to win. Things have changed a little. The handicap was still set after the race though.

[AndanteEd]

Re: This one could be fun

Before the race I met the sailing secretary who had this conundrum.

The top speed achieved by the previous owner was 27 knots so yeah, slippery!

I suspect the sailing secretary's conundrum won't be going away anytime soon...!

[Slacko]

Re: This one could be fun

I've been working away on all the little things to get the ready for more serious racing.
Mounting fire extinguishers, installing the battery isolator and bilge pump wiring.
The sole boards are now complete as per the following montage.

The borders have been painted with some Altex single pack, then masked off for antiskid.
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Action shot of second coat of anti skid going on. I use the Resene water based product.
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Drying in the sun. It cracks me up that this is the sum total of interior sole.
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The big white patch is where the batteries sit. I've got 2 x 17 Amp/hr AGM batteries that will fit in the box that I just sanded and gave a coat of varnish to.
There is a little step on top of the box to get inside.
The hole is for the top of the bilge pump that will protrude about 10 mm. I can build a little raised section over it if it bothers me or gets in the way.
Once I have the sole boards in, I can mount the pump and hose which will exit out the side notch (hopefully!).

[Mike1902]

Re: This one could be fun

Nice little tidy up there Slacko. This boat will be "flash as".

[Slacko]

Re: This one could be fun

I'm trying not to go down that path, she's never going to be a looker!
The outboard mount is going to be a bit flash though with a chunk of 200 x 50 White Oak I dug out of my offcuts shelves to clamp onto.
I've got a week of enforced home detention in front of me, so not much happening probably.

[Slacko]

Re: This one could be fun

I've been tinkering away in the evenings and weekends.
She still looks the same, needing a water blast and scrub, original name on the side.
I've been concentrating on things that make her sail properly.
Such as;
getting the correct number and length of mainsail battens,
welded up a gooseneck bolt with reefing horns on,
installed reefing line for leech
Installed, wired up and plumbed an automatic bilge pump and switch,
installed solar panel and batteries,
changed the blocks and layout of the mainsheet (probably 3 times), finally happy for now,
fitted tweakers to the jib sheet blocks to control the jib shape,
replaced the jib halyard jammer,
replaced the vang deck cleats,
replaced the mast attachment for the vang

All of rigging was from my box of random fittings.
I had to buy some of the blocks and dyneema for the traveller that I am currently working on.

I've rebuilt the outboard bracket twice now, but it completely exploded heading out to the racecourse on Saturday.
The timber is just too flimsy to support the outboard I'm using.
It went for a swim, skidding along behind us on the end of the safety chain.
It was quickly recovered and stuck in the cabin.
After returning to the boat harbour and picking up the mooring under sail, we got it in the shed and got to work.

The whole thing was sprayed down with WD40, especially the electrics to drive out the moisture.
It has a coat of oil over most of it, so was pretty well protected anyway.
The plugs were pulled out, and a squirt of diesel went into each bore and the carburettor.
The start cord was pulled over a few times, then the plugs were put back in.
It was then tried, and it started straight away. The leg wasn't in a bucket of water, so we let it stop to protect the impeller.
I then took it home, repeated all of the above and ran it up to temperature for about 15 minutes.
I repeated that every couple of hours all the next day, and decided it was going to be ok.
I've got a pair of new spark plugs as they don't look great.
It did get water in the cylinders as the plugs were wet when removed the first time, but hopefully the diesel injection and getting it running quickly will save from any lasting damage.
I've read that the electrics are the problem longer term.
I had already bought a second hand 3 Hp motor that is the correct size for the boat during the week before, but I wasn't ready to use it.
I've splashed out on a rise/fall engine mount now, which will get fitting in time for racing on Saturday.

The chain from the outboard to the outboard mount is what stopped the motor being lost, but I'm thinking attaching the kill cord to the mount as well would have stopped it before it sucked in any water.
The outboard is too far away from the tiller (see photo in first post) to be able to attach the kill switch to me so that isn't feasible, and there was 5 people onboard at the time.

As far as the race went, we were 3rd over the finish line in a fleet of 10 boats, while still learning the boat and some conservative option taking.
Well, conservative other than the port start crossing the entire fleet across the startline

[Slacko]

Re: This one could be fun

I replaced the spark plugs in the outboard and it started 3rd pull. Long may that continue!

I cut some plywood spacers for the transom, so the outboard can clear the scoop.
IMG20220403154254.jpg

Mount sitting on the spacers.
IMG20220403154301.jpg

I've glued them together, shaved the edges off and am now hot coating with an epoxy sealer.
I'll get 4 coats on tonight.
IMG20220405200940.jpg
Lots of coach bolts will be employed to spread the load around.
I'm thinking I'll varnish the plywood pad once it is mounted.

The bench paint effect is getting to look pretty cool. Jackson Pollock anyone!

[Slacko]

Re: This one could be fun

It's been awhile.
The outboard bracket has been successful. The outboard on the other hand has been playing up.
It has only run on one cylinder since the dunking (probably related).
There was no spark so the following path was taken.
-Swapped coils - no change
-Scoured internet for solutions - usual sketchy results
The outboard has 3 electronic components, 2 of which have only 2 wires each that got to the 3rd (the CDI box)
-After measuring the stator and trigger as per sketchy results from the internet, I felt they were OK so purchased a new CDI box - Ouch!
-No change
Further online searching made me decide the fault was the trigger (Equivalent to the Top dead centre sensor on modern cars)- not quite as painful price.
-No change
Check all the connections and coils again just in case. Nothing obvious.
-Purchase the stator (equivalent to generator). Back to ouch price!
Finally running on 2 cylinders and back to health.
To me this was the least likely cause of 1 cylinder not sparking, but there you go.
This part came with the faultfinding procedure sheet in the box, which may have helped get to it sooner but could help in the future. The test procedure wan't too different to the advice I found online.
Now I am stuck with the non-faulty parts as the supplier rightfully won't accept electronic parts back that have been opened.
After sitting on the engine stand in the garage, there is a small pool of scungy oil sitting under the prop. So now I have to do the oil seals on the gearbox.
I've always disliked outboards by the way!

On a happier note I purchased a nice new 80% jib, Norths 3di raw carbon at 1/2 price as it was built incorrectly for another customer.
It fits perfectly and we won the race first time out with it, Woop!
The winter series starts in a couple of weeks, so happy days.

[Slacko]

Re: This one could be fun

Photo's from last weekend.
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Shiny black sail, mmmm!
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[Andrew Donald]

Re: This one could be fun

I didn’t think NZ boats had reefing fitted