Following a major upheaval in my life, largely beyond my control, I've been forced to ditch my dream of saying Bohemian on to the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean or beyond.
Her new owner is Bill Anderson, who circumnavigate on a self-built plywood yacht named Valiam but wanted something he could manage singlehanded.
I'm not done sailing though, ha ha, I have a Hunter 19' trailerable sloop which will become the focus of my blue water dreams.
Peace, love and happy sailing.:)) and choose your "crews" carefully.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Saturday, February 4, 2017
The Low Down on Chain Plates
Typical, you never hear of the problems until after you experience it. Or, you did hear about it but thought it would never happen to you. Apparently folk, the chain plate is one of the most often overlooked on the list of must do' s on boat maintenance lists. T make it worse, stainless steel (the material of choice for all modern chain plates) is widely misunderstood metal. Can you believe that some people believe that s/s doesn't rust? Fools, I'd never do that 8)).
Anyway, I've been reading up on chain plates after mine failed and here's the rub.
The Problem:
Chain plates are routinely inserted through the deck with lashings of sealant. The sealant will do two bad things that can lead to failure of the chain plate: one, it can breakdown and trap moisture against the s/s, the wet coding material will offer a perpetual sponge bath. Secondly, the sealant will starve the s/s of which allows corrosion to take place.
Many sailors believe that chain plates are designed t last the life of the boat. That's not true, they should be removed and inspected regularly.
The Cure:
Remove each chain plate ( this can be done with the mast standing), inspect it for signs of corrosion, pitting or fatigue. Replace it or polish the old one to enhance rust resistance. Next, do the Standard Method for Installing Deck Fittings in Fibreglass Boats ie: Drill an over-sized hole, gouge core material out further, fill the cavity with thickened epoxy, redrill and insert fitting using polypeptide sealant.
Consideration should be given to installing new chain plates through the hull with large diameter bolts, long backing plates and neoprene gaskets.
References:
"Chainplates 101: Inspect and Refit" Cruising World, Tom Zydler 15 Nov 2013.
"Service the Chain Plates" The Rigging Company blog, 2 FEB 2015.
Anyway, I've been reading up on chain plates after mine failed and here's the rub.
The Problem:
Chain plates are routinely inserted through the deck with lashings of sealant. The sealant will do two bad things that can lead to failure of the chain plate: one, it can breakdown and trap moisture against the s/s, the wet coding material will offer a perpetual sponge bath. Secondly, the sealant will starve the s/s of which allows corrosion to take place.
Many sailors believe that chain plates are designed t last the life of the boat. That's not true, they should be removed and inspected regularly.
The Cure:
Remove each chain plate ( this can be done with the mast standing), inspect it for signs of corrosion, pitting or fatigue. Replace it or polish the old one to enhance rust resistance. Next, do the Standard Method for Installing Deck Fittings in Fibreglass Boats ie: Drill an over-sized hole, gouge core material out further, fill the cavity with thickened epoxy, redrill and insert fitting using polypeptide sealant.
Consideration should be given to installing new chain plates through the hull with large diameter bolts, long backing plates and neoprene gaskets.
References:
"Chainplates 101: Inspect and Refit" Cruising World, Tom Zydler 15 Nov 2013.
"Service the Chain Plates" The Rigging Company blog, 2 FEB 2015.
Stainless Steel Failure
The heat was just bearable, definitely awning weather, so up it was over my new boom cover and mainsail. From the time of my first glance at Bohemian, then Raesade, below decks I was struck by the ugliness of the pothole trims. White decks, white interior, yet the edge of the ports was trimmed in black. Oozes of dried silastic and occasional runs of black mould camouflaged by the trim made it appear unsafe, unsightly and unhygienic.A few minutes work with a knife and sandpaper, masking tape and white polyurethane paint had it looking clean and unremarkable. I like unremarkable, just like a sailor returning from a circumnavigation reporting proudly that he/she had stayed out of the news headlines and any trouble for the entire voyage.
The heat and tiredness from my first serious horse riding lesson earlier in the morning, had me feeling very lethargic, so I set the cushions in the cockpit, poured a cup of Joe, and retired to read about Hiscock on Wanderer II. Zzzzz.
Anyway, a little while later woken by toasting feet and roused by a distant rumble, I made a decision to decamp due to a rising,temperature, a drop off in the wind ( a cooling 6 knot S), and imminent storm. I packed up, made a list for my next visit, and clambered over the side. As I gripped the pushpit and backstay and manoeuvred the dinghy with my foot, the backstay let go. a quick glance showed that a 3/8" ring bolt on the port side chain plate had given way. Back on board it was an easy fix: new ring bolt, large washers and a nyloc nut. But what worried me more, and I guess is the reason for this post, is that the old bolt had rust across the entire fracture. That means, that for some considerable time the bolt had been completely sheared off and I'd been sailing flat water, but possibly even offshore. Under the weight of the main, such a failure would probably lead to a dismantling, at sea, on an engineless sailboat.
The point is, that the bolt's twin, on the starboard side, looks ok. There are no fractures or signs of decay, the sealant looks intact. Sweet? No, not sweet, it could be cracked through too. This is the great failing of stainless steel rigging, normal steel will show signs of weakness, rust, bending, fatigue, even an audible warning, that it's under duress. Stainless steel does scary stuff, it will sit quietly for years, no rust, no pitting, no bending, stay silent under load until one day it fails totally.
Unfortunately the "simple" almost Zen like rig of the Folkboat, one stay in all four compass points plus a lower shroud, allows no room for even a small failure in fixing bolt, eye, swage, shackle, turnbuckle or chain plate. At any point in the stainless steel network, a catastrophic failure can occur at any time.
Short of stripping the entire rig and replacing it, there other types of inspection and maintenance that the Skipper of an old fixer-upper can do. I just need to figure what they are, I suspect that pulling all the through-deck fastenings and checking them would be a necessary point to begin.
The heat and tiredness from my first serious horse riding lesson earlier in the morning, had me feeling very lethargic, so I set the cushions in the cockpit, poured a cup of Joe, and retired to read about Hiscock on Wanderer II. Zzzzz.
Anyway, a little while later woken by toasting feet and roused by a distant rumble, I made a decision to decamp due to a rising,temperature, a drop off in the wind ( a cooling 6 knot S), and imminent storm. I packed up, made a list for my next visit, and clambered over the side. As I gripped the pushpit and backstay and manoeuvred the dinghy with my foot, the backstay let go. a quick glance showed that a 3/8" ring bolt on the port side chain plate had given way. Back on board it was an easy fix: new ring bolt, large washers and a nyloc nut. But what worried me more, and I guess is the reason for this post, is that the old bolt had rust across the entire fracture. That means, that for some considerable time the bolt had been completely sheared off and I'd been sailing flat water, but possibly even offshore. Under the weight of the main, such a failure would probably lead to a dismantling, at sea, on an engineless sailboat.
The point is, that the bolt's twin, on the starboard side, looks ok. There are no fractures or signs of decay, the sealant looks intact. Sweet? No, not sweet, it could be cracked through too. This is the great failing of stainless steel rigging, normal steel will show signs of weakness, rust, bending, fatigue, even an audible warning, that it's under duress. Stainless steel does scary stuff, it will sit quietly for years, no rust, no pitting, no bending, stay silent under load until one day it fails totally.
Unfortunately the "simple" almost Zen like rig of the Folkboat, one stay in all four compass points plus a lower shroud, allows no room for even a small failure in fixing bolt, eye, swage, shackle, turnbuckle or chain plate. At any point in the stainless steel network, a catastrophic failure can occur at any time.
Short of stripping the entire rig and replacing it, there other types of inspection and maintenance that the Skipper of an old fixer-upper can do. I just need to figure what they are, I suspect that pulling all the through-deck fastenings and checking them would be a necessary point to begin.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Sea Monster Sinks Boat
In recent weeks, while visiting Bohemian to measure and fit her new boom cover, I notice a little yacht had sunk on her mooring. It's a sight that rocks the soul of any owner of an older boat.
Strangely, this little boat was fully submerged, sitting on the bottom with most of her mast sticking out above the water. Anyway, I noticed someone had begun relocating her lashing a 1 000 litre Appleton to her. I also noticed a row of drums in a tiny cottage directly ashore, and as the resident old fellow there used a walking frame, I decided to ask if he needed a hand. And he told me some things:-
- she was a Bluebird 22' in GDP, had no through hull fittings and he couldn't work out how she sank.
- he'd had her 10 years and had been sailing and doing her up until his health failed him. He developed diabetes and his legs had "carked it" and he was prone to collapse. He'd hoped to get over it and resume sailing until this happened.
- he rang a local workboat operator over the holidays but has since found out he died on Christmas Day.
- with several helpers thirty lashed two ballrooms and a dozen 44 gallon drums to the boat but "she never budged. I reckon her keel is about two feet into mud and it just won't let her go".
Then so said, "it sounds like a monster from the deep has grabbed her by the keel and won't let her go". And with a solemn serious look he agreed: "Yeh it does".
Motto: Sail when you can and don't let the old man in.
Strangely, this little boat was fully submerged, sitting on the bottom with most of her mast sticking out above the water. Anyway, I noticed someone had begun relocating her lashing a 1 000 litre Appleton to her. I also noticed a row of drums in a tiny cottage directly ashore, and as the resident old fellow there used a walking frame, I decided to ask if he needed a hand. And he told me some things:-
- she was a Bluebird 22' in GDP, had no through hull fittings and he couldn't work out how she sank.
- he'd had her 10 years and had been sailing and doing her up until his health failed him. He developed diabetes and his legs had "carked it" and he was prone to collapse. He'd hoped to get over it and resume sailing until this happened.
- he rang a local workboat operator over the holidays but has since found out he died on Christmas Day.
- with several helpers thirty lashed two ballrooms and a dozen 44 gallon drums to the boat but "she never budged. I reckon her keel is about two feet into mud and it just won't let her go".
Then so said, "it sounds like a monster from the deep has grabbed her by the keel and won't let her go". And with a solemn serious look he agreed: "Yeh it does".
Motto: Sail when you can and don't let the old man in.
Boom Cover DIY
The project that has most of my attention of late is a boom cover. A boom cover is most handy because it allows the mainsail to be stowed in place, ready to go at all times, while being protected from dun damage. For a singlehanded it's great because you can get sailing in a fraction of the time.
The trick with making a boom cover is its shape, thin down aft then bulging slightly as you go f'ard until 3 feet short of the mast where the bulk of the mains'l is and she tapers up and out rather drastically. So measuring up is crucial.
I broke the boom into increments of a foot, the with main flaked over the boom I measure the girth at each interval, allowing a four inch drop on each side. At the mast, I broke the vertical into 6 inch increments and measured them off.
At home I transferred the measurements onto sheets of newspaper taped together. I then joined the dots using a straight edge or piece of double-braided rope for a nice curve. The pattern is cut twice because the cover has a seam along its top edge.
The pieces are sewed finished faces together. I used a heavy duty tarp and had to have a join two-thirds of the way along, but if you can get a boom length tarp, using the edges of the yard as your finished cover, you can get away with one seam. Then hem the top that wraps around the mast. I fitted 1 inch webbing ties along the bottom and leading edges, once I knew it fitted well enough.
The finished result is really very good. It fits more snug than a professionally made cover I had done years ago, it's heavy duty, a fraction of the price and I can say I made it myself.
T
The trick with making a boom cover is its shape, thin down aft then bulging slightly as you go f'ard until 3 feet short of the mast where the bulk of the mains'l is and she tapers up and out rather drastically. So measuring up is crucial.
I broke the boom into increments of a foot, the with main flaked over the boom I measure the girth at each interval, allowing a four inch drop on each side. At the mast, I broke the vertical into 6 inch increments and measured them off.
At home I transferred the measurements onto sheets of newspaper taped together. I then joined the dots using a straight edge or piece of double-braided rope for a nice curve. The pattern is cut twice because the cover has a seam along its top edge.
The pieces are sewed finished faces together. I used a heavy duty tarp and had to have a join two-thirds of the way along, but if you can get a boom length tarp, using the edges of the yard as your finished cover, you can get away with one seam. Then hem the top that wraps around the mast. I fitted 1 inch webbing ties along the bottom and leading edges, once I knew it fitted well enough.
The finished result is really very good. It fits more snug than a professionally made cover I had done years ago, it's heavy duty, a fraction of the price and I can say I made it myself.
T
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
A Kindred Spirit - a single berth sailing boat/ a single seat Harley Davidson
The following are excerpts from an online forum. The first refers to preamble of the first OSTAR:
"The Val Howells reference is what it is about, I guess, and the stuff about "those who abhor the rules, regulations and general 'nannydom' that threaten our freedoms" and "the lack of expectations on others" all resonates very well.
He then describes the type of sailing boat he wants:
"I am look for an economical, singlehanded, bluewater sailboat and not "caravan on keels".
I don't mean to offend anyone else's taste and requirement, and I understand there are perfectly good reasons to go for comforts...
It seems the vast majority of boats are aimed at stuffing in as many people in as possible, including the wife and her kitchen sink, and that the 4 birth-er is the industry standard form. I'm not after that. I'm looking to escape her ... kind of like when a man has a mid-life crisis and buys a Harley-Davidson with a single seat to make the point clear.
I'm looking for a singlehander with good long distance bluewater capacities and am willing to accept low head heights and spartan facilities, e.g. single bunk but more storage/tank space. (However, I am headed off to warmer places and would prefer some ventilation, meaning that some of the more airless low-profile cabin designs are out). In terms of preference, I'd say; wood, steel, GRP (... or if it has to be GRP to have a lot of wood in the cabin) with an inboard engine and a proper head not a portapotty.
I'm aware of most of the obvious good choices around the 28 foot mark and, at present, Folkboat or FB derivatives seem to be the more obvious choice."
Well well, a kindred spirit!
"The Val Howells reference is what it is about, I guess, and the stuff about "those who abhor the rules, regulations and general 'nannydom' that threaten our freedoms" and "the lack of expectations on others" all resonates very well.
He then describes the type of sailing boat he wants:
"I am look for an economical, singlehanded, bluewater sailboat and not "caravan on keels".
I don't mean to offend anyone else's taste and requirement, and I understand there are perfectly good reasons to go for comforts...
It seems the vast majority of boats are aimed at stuffing in as many people in as possible, including the wife and her kitchen sink, and that the 4 birth-er is the industry standard form. I'm not after that. I'm looking to escape her ... kind of like when a man has a mid-life crisis and buys a Harley-Davidson with a single seat to make the point clear.
I'm looking for a singlehander with good long distance bluewater capacities and am willing to accept low head heights and spartan facilities, e.g. single bunk but more storage/tank space. (However, I am headed off to warmer places and would prefer some ventilation, meaning that some of the more airless low-profile cabin designs are out). In terms of preference, I'd say; wood, steel, GRP (... or if it has to be GRP to have a lot of wood in the cabin) with an inboard engine and a proper head not a portapotty.
I'm aware of most of the obvious good choices around the 28 foot mark and, at present, Folkboat or FB derivatives seem to be the more obvious choice."
Well well, a kindred spirit!
Friday, January 13, 2017
Heavy Weather Sailing Prep
when choosing heavy weather tackle the trending application among cruising folk is the Jordan Series Drogue (JSD);long warp laced with cone-shaped and a chain weight. The sales banter claims, "no vessel with a J.S.D. has ever been lost". That's a loud boast, almost a guarantee; carry one and you will not lose your vessel. Wouldn't we all love a guarantee that we'll all return from sea intact? Well ultimately it's a rubbish claim because a) it may have happened but no-eventualities has survived to report it, or b) it just hasn't happened yet.
anyway, the hype did get to me, so I wrote ACE Sails for a quote: 100 cones will cost $US700 plus $US110 postage. add that, and 200' of 16mm double braid = app. $1500 Australian.Well. my Folkboat is,only worth a little more than that, so a JSD won't becoming aboard Boho' ... unless I can salvage one from a stranded yacht.
Fortunately, there are other options locally: $250 + warp for the Burke Seabrake.It also is well endorsed by a largely unheralded Aussie Jon Sanders (singlehanded record holder for double and triple non-stop circ' s, the last the hard way, currently on his thirteenth circ., now in his senior years), and I believe the Pardys made positive mention of it in their book on heavy weather sailing. So the Seabrake will be on my shopping list.
anyway, the hype did get to me, so I wrote ACE Sails for a quote: 100 cones will cost $US700 plus $US110 postage. add that, and 200' of 16mm double braid = app. $1500 Australian.Well. my Folkboat is,only worth a little more than that, so a JSD won't becoming aboard Boho' ... unless I can salvage one from a stranded yacht.
Fortunately, there are other options locally: $250 + warp for the Burke Seabrake.It also is well endorsed by a largely unheralded Aussie Jon Sanders (singlehanded record holder for double and triple non-stop circ' s, the last the hard way, currently on his thirteenth circ., now in his senior years), and I believe the Pardys made positive mention of it in their book on heavy weather sailing. So the Seabrake will be on my shopping list.
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