Moving day

24 October 2014

I have not been happy with the boat's being where it's been.  This is sort of the 'swamp' of the yard.  Well-- it is not really a swamp-- Diana has been sitting on good solid packed gravel-- but the ground immediately beside her is low and tends to fill up in any rain.  This, in addition to the constant mosquitoes, makes doing boat work after 4.00 pm and on weekends less than fun.  So I contracted the guys to relocate Diana to a drier, happier place, especially with regards to facing another (her last?) winter on land.

Here in the Northeast, when placing a boat for the winter season, it is best to situate her nose-into the weather.  This is better for the boat, for any covers, for the stowage of gear on deck and on the ground, for persons entering the boat in the off-season, and for a host of a million other reasons.  Diana, especially, with her low-profile deck and cabin, heads to weather very well-- but all my covers and the cockpit have taken a beating over these (too many) years sitting stern-to the weather, which here in Delran comes to us on a direct line from Philadelphia (bearing from W/SW) in summer and from W and NW in winter.  The compass in the bulkhead shows her facing E/SE.  Enough said.

This is Diana's old spot, in 'The Swamp'.  Here Jerry's C44 Second Alarm has been moved to his new spot and I was standing, for the first time in two years, where his boat had been.  Together these boats and the others in this photo weathered Superstorm Sandy and all the rest.

Now I know how these guys work.  The guys from Riverside Marina come over, back the hydraulic boat carrier to the front of your boat, and then-- wait for it-- remove all the stands.  I mean all of them but the very back and the very bow.  I've seen them do this even on windy days, with the rig up.  Yikes.

Watching them do this with a C44 or Ben's Rhodes Reliant (with that narrow transom!) is unnerving.  Watching them do it with my own boat is an automatic case of the heebie-jeebies.  I was so paranoid that I subtly replaced the stands in the very back with a pair a little closer forward, though they were not at any bulkhead, just to persuade them to leave those as the last two.  But they moved them back (to right where they were before), saying they couldn't get the truck under it.  I was near fits.

Then, to really bring on the stomach acid, the forward pads on the truck would not find the boat.  I've seen this thing in action many times but always thought that for smaller boats the pads would angle inwards.  Apparently, they don't.  The picture shows the back ones too far forward and too low, the front ones way too high, and the keel (read that: whole weight of the boat) on a 3-inch-wide strap spanned between the wheels of the truck thing.  Sheesh.

Meanwhile, between snapping photos (which I did not really do so much) I was worrying that the pads in front are pushing against the v-berth shelf, probably popping off the rode-locker bulkheads I 'glassed there, and definitely scraping off the newly-applied primer paint.

Then Jeremiah in the shop says, 'It better not be scraping off the paint.  It's epoxy.  If they're scraping it off, it wasn't applied right.'  And it was applied right.

End result: Diana arrives across the yard safe and sound.  There was a problem with blocking her, as the guys could not get the strap out from under the keel without blocking the keel bottom in the same place as before-- meaning I still can't scrape, prime and barrier-coat the very bottom.  But I can sort that out another day.  The bulkheads forward were fine (of course).  And the epoxy primer survived very well-- the traces of black wiped off with one hand while I was talking on the phone.  No worries.

In this location the barn part of the shop will block most wet snow.  The weather now comes from off Diana's nose or from slightly to port.  I will have this shrink-wrapped by the end of November (after topcoat on the hull).

The few odd places where the barrier coating was sanded through are the repairs I had to make for the cracks; this is reported elsewhere.  Jerry gave me some leftover stuff so I may not need to go into the quart kit of Pettit Protect that I bought for these (and for the rudder).  The gray cover is because of the instrument holes in the back of the cabin and because the forward edge of the hatch hood is still open (needing woodwork, the last major job to be done to the deck).

On the deck there is a bucket upside-down over the mast step.  The step will be removed for the deck to be painted and then reinstalled with 5200.

The holes forward, where the running lights were mounted, are to be covered with Plexiglas panels, as Diana's eyes (more on this 'secret' later). 

The foredeck hatch is slid open in this picture.  I have to put hinges on it, then remove them, then varnish the whole thing, which, with the boat under shrink-wrap, can easily be done in the shop.

Little Diana likes her new spot in the sun!

In the background can be seen the CY spars rack, welded and bolted to the side of the former storage trailer that is now the lumber-storage room for the shop.  On this rack are C44 spars, the ones for Dave's Reliant, and a few others.  Jeremiah puts each up there with the forklift (another operation that has to be seen to be believed).

I prefer six stands, not four (not counting the bow) because it's simple to pull one down to paint the bare spot.  The plywood steps came over from Diana's old place because I used them to fill and fair the old bow damage and will use them now to reinstall the section of toerail, the stem fitting and the anchor roller.  In this photo I have not yet moved the spars and the workbench to the new spot.

The half-gallon of iced tea is Turkey Hill from 7-11-- the very best cold green tea you can get!  :)

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Hunkered down

15 October 2014

Bill Robinson, editor of Yachting for many years, wrote a terrific book in about 1980 about cruising, using his own experiences including those of sailing the NJ Shore.  One sage observation he made was that the NJ Shore suffers one 'major weather event' every autumn, like between mid-September and early November.  Superstorm Sandy was our dose for 2012.  This week we were promised another, high winds and torrential rain.  Naturally I did not expect it to rise to any proportion of what Sandy was like; but being prudent I took some precautions, moved, stowed or weighted down everything loose about the yard, snugged up the covers and tightened the stands.

In this pic taken from the scaffolding around Jerry's C44 Second Alarm, Diana (with all her attendant gear)  is hunkered down for another dose of ugly, land-based weather.  But she survived Sandy just fine (despite some intense worrying on my part) and this mess, really just an extended squall, proved inconsequential.

The tarp on top is really just because the deck, cabin and cockpit are not yet painted and the holes for the sailing instruments in the back of the cabin are still covered only with plastic sheeting (and plastic bags) taped over them.

One cool thing about flush-decked and semi-flush-decked boats is that they present very little windage, even when hauled out, to aggressive weather.  Diana's 'blister-canopy' configuration is even better in such conditions than is the modest trunk cabin of her sistership (which is within 2 weeks of Diana's age).

The cabin windows and new foredeck hatch do not leak.

The new cockpit drains work really well-- if the boat were not slightly tilted to port, there'd be no water at all in the cockpit after a blow like this.

I leave the old running-light holes in the bow uncovered, for light and air; the amount of rainwater they let in, which runs straight down to the bilge, is insignificant.

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Interior developments, 2013

I have not been on this site for some time!  Here are some photos of recent progress as this boat really is coming back together.

 

Anchor-rode lockers

I have long had the idea for relocating anchor rodes farther aft in the hull.  One of the biggest detriments to performance, especially in small boats, is in carrying heavy ground tackle at the pointy end of the boat.  Of course this is where it must be deployed, and from where it must pull; but nothing but some shortsighted concept of 'convenience' says it has to be stored there.  Ancient ships brought their anchor rodes aft to the foremast or even abaft it; but this was only because the ship was sufficiently wide there to allow for a human-powered vertical capstan.  When I designed Starchase (an 84-ft lug-rigged schooner) in 1981-82, I envisioned a whole full-width compartment aft of the foremast in which sails were stowed and through which the anchor rodes were dropped to a deep well under the sole, right in front of the ballast.  This is where such weight should be; but of course it entails the leading of chain aft along the deck, which can be a tripping hazard and much else. 

 

For Diana I had already given over the idea of using the V-berth for a two-person sleeping area.  Its foot is too cramped and the whole space is too hot.  And I had already committed the after outboard corners to plumbing and such for the toilet and holding tank.  Against the forward bulkhead is the toolbox locker (with microwave above, since it's the only place a microwave can fit) to one side and a hanging locker (the only one in the boat) to the other.  So I decided to extend these lockers forward and to make room for the anchor rodes as well. 

   

My first idea was to use common plastic trash cans for the rode bins.  They're cheap (and replaceable) and, if fitted with a plain nylon through-hull, can drain into the bilge or elsewhere.  I bought two trash cans; but after cutting out the V-berth hull shelf I realized they were just not going to fit.  So I concluded the sensible plan was to use the trash cans as trash cans somewhere else and to just drop the rodes into the spaces as they were. 

 

The two bulkheads are show here, each side, before the fitting of the longitudinal bulkhead that will finish them off.  Each side will be fitted with an access plate; but the bulkheads will be removable as well. 

 

This 'glass did not kick off immediately.  I suspect bad MEKP, or just an improperly light quantity of it, as my MEKP dispenser's pickup tube snapped off in the bottle while mixing.  (This happens with MEKP dispensing bottles when they get old.  No matter what it looks like, replace it at least every three to five years.)  These surfaces will be painted in gelcoat later; but for now this is what the work looks like. 

1. Port side 

  
The white stuff is 5200, with which I seal all edges of plywood before 'glassing them to the hull.  Water intrusion along the edges of plywood where they are 'glassed to the hull is the number-one killer of plywood bulkheads-- especially where chainplates are mounted. 
 
(If you think it's sealed against water, think again.  It's a boat.  Water gets everywhere. 

2. Starboard side  

  

Here is the toolbox locker, complete with fiddles to hold the all-plastic (no metal anywhere) Rubbermaid toolbox.  Ahead is the old rode locker, above which the rode deck pipe is removed.  Though I fitted a proper drain pipe in the pointy space, to lead dribbles aft to the through-hull sump, this will be dry.  Some light comes in through the 'eye' windows, where the old hull-mounted running lights were.  (More on that later.) 

 

The battery box fitted with a PVC tube and rolls of wire is my Wire-O-Matic (shop-use wire dispenser, typically made from a box or barrel).  It even has a proper lid (the lid from the battery box)! 

  

The hull-side shelf is cut out for where the plastic trash can was; but now it broadens the space so there is less chance of the rode becoming caught under its edge when running out by deploying an anchor.  

  

  

 Main cabin (aka 'saloon')

During one of the hottest weeks of July I came out to the boat each day at 6.30 AM before leaving at 8.30 for my contract job 50 miles east.  I managed to use up a whole quart of Easypoxy on the bulkheads, which has been a great relief because it's made the boat look closer to done.  
   

  
Nearly all of the brightwork was removed before painting.  The very intricate and delicate doorjamb seemed stuck to the bulkhead with varnish and I would not risk prying it off; so I masked it.  Along the baseboard to port some residual tape can be seen.  The baseboards are actually structural-- they help hold the sole joists down against the hull. 

  

The thermometer and hydrometer are from a cheap 'weather station' I found in the trash.  I dismantled the instruments, cleaned them and painted the shells in matte black.  They work great.  Above them, on the same centers, will go the clock and barometer.  Below them is a bulkhead-mounted compass (mounted in the bulkhead! --imagine).  I consider it vital to have a decent compass visible below, with which one can check courses and at-anchor bearings.  Below below this, above the drop-leaf table, goes a clinometer.
  

The second blue plastic outlet box is for a 12VDC outlet and USB-based chargers.  The stereo goes between the empty box and the (now absent) table.
  

The four-foot-long fluorescent shop light is, of course, temporary. 

  

  

In this view the saloon is being used as a varnish shop.  The large piece on top of the workbench is the top of the 'duffel-bag lockers' outboard of the toilet in the head.  The other plywood piece is the top of the galley bins.  The rest are just various bits of mahogany that go all over this compartment and in the head. 

  

Plugs have been added to the vertical grab posts (at last!).  Typically I varnish the main piece a few times before adding plugs so that the plugs receive a few coats less and so show as a lighter color.  This is just an aesthetic I happen to prefer; and I have always done it this way.  

  

The galley counter is still covered in cardboard.  I have decided to add ceramic tiles to that 3-inch-high bulkhead above the settee. 

  

The small red toolbox is the 'jewelry box', in which I keep all the cool rigging stuff (my favorite parts). 

  

Here too can be seen the side of the speaker box, at the forward edge of the hull shelf, and where I 'glassed the small athwartships bulkhead of it to the hull.  The white-pine stick, old iron C-clamp, and red-handled squeeze clamp (almost hidden from view) are currently holding this shelf up into position.  Like the ones in the V-berth these two did not match each other, sideto side; and this one sagged while the one to port tilted up.  The stick is forcing it up till the 'glass cures.  Hopefully this will remedy some of the problem; but the little mahogany block under the forward end of the shelf (partially painted white, because its proper replacement is undergoing varnishing) will assist in this.

  

Other stuff

Here is a pic I took, on my back, up at the new foredeck hatch with the old hatch, which fit only the original trapezoidal molded-fiberglass opening, on top.  Still waiting on white Sikaflex 295-UV to complete the new one.
  

The terminal blocks are junctions for the spar wiring.  These get screwed to the teak crossmember (now painted white) and enclosed in a cute little mahogany box with sliding door, currently undergoing varnishing.  

   

   
At the other end of the boat, I 'glassed a short bulkhead across the back end of the fuel-tank shelf, tucking it in just ahead of the fiberglass rudder-post tube.  The problem with all skegless rudders is that they are liable to catch something nasty, such as when shooting some dodgy inlet.  In this eventuality, there are two possible outcomes: one, the rudder will break off below the stainless-steel shaft (preferable) or, two, the rudder, tube and all will tear backwards and out of the boat (not good).  If this were to happen, there is little anyone could do to save the boat-- unless that water were able to be confined to a watertight compartment.  ALL rudder tubes should be isolated from the rest of the boat, so that intruding water cannot invade the rest of the hull and overwhelm the bilge pumps.  (We all did learn something from the Titanic; right?)  
  

 

This bulkhead is not high; and it will be fitted with a drain tube as well-- but in the event of a leak at a stricken rudder tube, the drain can be plugged and this compartment will contain much of the water before it is overwhelmed.  This may be enough time to shift weight forward, get something over or into the torn hole(s), or fix or reroute a pump to handle the inundation.  In any case it's far better a solution than that on most other boats-- which is to say it's better than nothing at all. 

 

The little block is just holding the bulkhead in place and gets removed.  In fact I painted this recently and probably should have taken a newer photo.

 

The little step in the foreground was added for climbing down into this locker through the cockpit-seat hatch, which I have done about 350 times since I have owned this boat.  I got tired of leaning over and lying upon the edge of a 3/8" piece of plywood.  Above this is the top of the under-cockpit locker, forward of the fuel tank, which is accessible through the quarter berth and, as of this writing, is now isolated from the rest of the under-cockpit space and its attendant gasoline fumes. 

  

 
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