Short video clip of yesterday's first sail.

Launched and Sailing

On Friday the boat yard launched “Thanks Dad”, stepped and tuned the mast.  They asked me to come up because they had a couple questions. So I left work at 10:00 am and got there at 11:00am. It turns out that an important piece of hardware was missing from one of the “shrouds” (cable that support the mast at the sides).  The missing piece was a metric M10 left hand turnbuckle jaw.  They don’t have them and couldn’t find a supplier who had then either.  So they are going to make a new shroud using American standard fittings.  It will be a couple days until they get the parts, but I could still go sailing without that shroud.

Guy tuning the mast

Mast is up and the boom is on

On Saturday, my brother had to work, so I asked an experienced sailor friend from work to help me move the boat from the boat yard to its new home at the Waukegan marina (a short trip out of the Waukegan channel, into the lake and south to the marina. ) Everything went smoothly until the engine died once we got into the lake.  We restarted it, but it would die after about a minute or 2.  This occurred 6 or 7 times, then I decided to drop the anchor until we could figure out what the problem was.  I called my dad in Maryland using my cell phone and ask him if he had any ideas.  He suggested all the things we had already tried, then said we should bleed the fuel line.  We did and everything worked fine after that.

My friend bringing in the mooring lines

Me at the helm coming out of the Waukegan harbor channel

We got into the marina and tied up at “Thanks Dad’s” new address, Dock 6, slip 3.  My friend had to leave and I spent the rest of the day doing a few odds and ends, like wiring the mast lights to the boats electrical systems, priming and then painting the area in the cockpit where the cockpit seat backs would be mounted.

Thanks Dad's new home0

On Sunday, my brother and I spent most of the day mounting the cockpit seat backs (which I now know are call the cockpit’s coaming) and wiring the VHF marine radio.  I also rigged a temporary fix for the missing piece of hardware on the shroud.  We then put the mainsail on the mast and boom, and rigged the jib.  Finally at 4:45pm we set out for our first sail!  Yipee!!!

We motored out of the marina for about 15 minutes, then raised the sails and headed mostly east for 45 minutes. We came about and head back to Waukegan which took another 45 minutes and then motored 15 minutes back to the boat yard. (they will be installing the new shroud this coming week). So we sailed for an hour and a half….it was fun : )

Temp shroud fix.  You can see the normal hardware on the 2 shrouds just forward.

My brother took us out of the marina

and he was at the helm when we put up the sails heading east.

I took the helm when we started heading back.

Back at the boat yard to wait for the new shroud later next week.

You can see the newly varnished cockpit coamings installed

Long weekend of work but we’re ready for launch!

My brother and I took Friday off from work.  We really wanted to finish all the prep work this weekend and get this baby in the water.

On Friday we finished up all the thru hull fitting work.  We had to reconnect the cockpit drain tubes to the new thru hull fittings.  We also finished the cooling water intake for the engine and all its connections.  There is a water filter in the cooling water system for the engine.  We needed a new 0-ring for it and luckily, after some digging in their stockroom, the guy at the boat yard’s parts dept found what we needed.

Port side cockpit drain all done

My brother touched up the paint that had gotten under the tape when I painted the rub rail last weekend.

Rub rail looking sharp

I did the terminations and wiring of the anchor light and antenna at the top of the mast and the steaming light that is half way up the mast.

Anchor light and antenna wiring

Steaming light wiring

I also reinstalled the tabernacle that I had sandblasted several weeks ago.

Tabernacle installed

We installed new gate sections for the lower lifelines. 

Lower lifeline gates

I installed and painted new “plugs” on the cabin wall just outside the starboard side of the companionway. There are two 4” diameter holes there where long gone instruments had been mounted. Maybe at some point in the future we will put new instruments there.

I also put the newly modified, sanded and varnished companionway hatch boards on.  Looks pretty nice.

Companionway hatch boards installed
and cabin wall "plugs" installed and painted

Looking sharp!

Saturday was a short boat day.  I rewired and tested the bilge pump and cleaned the bilge area while I there.

Sunday was the long day.  Left the house at 9:00 am and got home at 10:00 pm.

My brother cleaned the area under the cockpit sole where the 2 boat batteries are located and installed new straps for them.

He also did some work on the deck drains that necessitated him climbing into the port side cockpit locker.  It is a pretty tight space.  Especially for an old guy.

Old guy in port locker.
Battery straps installed.

I installed the antenna and windex (aka wind vane) at the top of the mast and then tested the antenna and the lights.  Everything worked.

Antenna & Windex installed and anchor light working

Steaming light works too

We also installed new “spreader boots” on the mast.  These protect the forward sail to help prevent tearing or chaffing.

Spreader boots installed

We installed a new shore power system.  It charges the boat batteries and provides power to the boat’s 12volt system when docked and plugged into 115VAC.

My brother greased the ”stuffing box”.  The stuffing box is the box like device where the propeller shaft passes through the hull from the inboard engine to the propeller.  The grease helps to minimize water from leaking around this area.

I rewired and tested the navigations lights.

The last thing we did (as  the sun was setting in the west) was to put the name on the boat.  My oldest daughter got a thing call a “Silhouette”. It is like a computer printer, but instead of printing it cuts things.  Paper, fabric or in our case adhesive backed vinyl.  We picked a font, size and design and she cut a template out from the vinyl.   We put the template in place and painted the name on the back of the boat.

My brother pealing the last of the name template away.

So “Thanks Dad” is ready to be launched. I submitted the paperwork to the boat yard to schedule the launch.  They will also “step the mast” (meaning they will put the mast up) and “tune the mast” (meaning they will make the adjustments to insure the mast is straight and has all the proper tensions on the stays.)

Ready for launch!

 If all goes well we should be able to move the boat from  the boat yard to the marina on Saturday.

Productive Week

On Wednesday this past week my brother took the day off work and finished painting the deck and cabin top I primed last weekend.  Looking good!  It was a hot day and he also had a 2 Advil day and slipped on the ladder twisting his foot.

Newly painted deck and cabin top

 The three day weekend was helpful in getting things accomplished.

Saturday morning it was raining at the boat yard so I stayed home and fashioned a replacement section of rub rail to replace the missing piece on the starboard side. I was 3 feet long. I was able to use my router to get the main contours and cut-out, but had to hand sand the section to get the profile to be the same as the rest of the rub rail. It had stopped raining by late morning so I headed up to the boat yard to install the new rub rail section.

New section next to a piece of the old broken section

Before

After installing the new rub rail section

On Sunday I taped and painted the rub rail and I also reinstalled the newly varnished companionway hatch and the forward hatch.

Port side taped and painted

Port side with tape removed.  Some of the red paint
got under the tape, so we will need to do a little touchup.

Hatches reinstalled

On Monday my brother and I put the boot stripe (accent stripe above the water line) decal on. It is 2.5 inches with a metallic charcoal stripe that is 1/8, a silver stripe that is 1/4, a red stripe that is 3/4 with another slightly darker red stripe that is also 3/4 wide.

New boot stripe

 We also installed 2 of the 3 thru hull fittings with new valves that needed replacement. We completed the 2 larger (1”) cockpit drain thru hulls and only dry fitted the smaller (1/2”) engine cooling water intake before we had to leave for the day.

Red arrows show where the thru hull fittings are.
This is under the cockpit sole (floor).
Not much space to work in.

Starboard side bottom showing the larger cockpit drain thru hull
and the smaller one for the engine cooling water intake.



Port side bottom showing the cockpit drain thru hull.

All in all a pretty productive week.

Started the painting process for the decks and cabin top

This weekend it was hot! Temps in the high 80’s near the lake and very very sunny.

On Saturday I washed, sanded and wiped down (with acetone) the decks, cockpit and cabin top.  I then primed the forward and port side decks and the port side half of the cabin top.  Did I mention it was hot?  It was hot.  I think I lost half my body weight in perspiration.  Also I was very sore from all the ups and downs and contortions necessary to prime the decks. It was a 2 ibuprofen evening when I got home.

On Sunday I finished priming the decks and cabin top (starboard side).  I did not get to do the cockpit as the weather forecast was calling for storms in the afternoon starting at 3:00 pm.  I stopped priming at 1:30 in order to make sure everything had a chance to dry before the rain hit.

I did a few small things until 3:00, then “buttoned up” the boat and went home.

Once home I put the first coat of varnish on the companionway hatch boards.

Sunday was not as bad as Saturday for the heat and I finished 3 hours earlier so it was only a 1 ibuprofen evening.

Decks and cabin top primed.

Inventory and more painting

This weekend on Saturday it was too wet for painting, but I was able to remove a broken thru-hull fitting with a bit of an effort, a file and a hacksaw.  I also took inventory of the lines and bumpers stored in the cockpit lockers.  Plenty of lines, but need to buy a couple bumpers.

The weather on Sunday was beautiful!  My brother and I painted the hull above the waterline that we had primed last week.  Last thing we need to do in terms of the hull is repair the missing section of rub rail, and then add the boot stripe and name.

Doesn't look much different than it did after the priming except it is shinier.
You can see reflections in the bow area.

Started Painting....Finally!

Finally the weather forecast calls for a few days of good temps and no rain!  My brother and I took the day off work and primed the hull above the waterline and painted the bottom.

Me priming the starboard side hull

My brother painting the port side bottom

Done for the day.  Bottom painted and the hull primed.

Too much rain and more woodwork

Saturday my wife, my oldest daughter and I went to the boat yard to start painting....finally! We left the house at 9:30am made a couple stops and got to the boat yard at 11:30. Prior to leaving, weather.com said the morning fog would go away by 11:00am and we would have partly cloudy skies until 5:00pm when scatter showers would be likely. Since we would only be priming, this was a good forecast.  We got there and it was raining/misting.  I checked weather.com again and now it said rain all day.  We turned around and went back home.

Since it also rained most of the day Sunday, this weekend turned out to be a woodworking weekend.

I put another couple coats of varnish on the Companionway and forward hatches.

Companionway hatch with 3 coats of varish

Forward hatch with 3 coats of varish

I also added a piece of teak to either side of the companionway hatch boards to make them wider to fit in the new companionway with the aluminum extrusion slots.

Companionway hatch boards before

Companionway hatch boards after sanding and adding a piece of teak to both side

Companionway hatch boards after oiling them with teak oil.

Woodwork

This weekend I removed both the forward hatch and the main companionway hatch to bring them home to sand, oil and varnish them.

Once they were removed I had to make temporary hatches to keep the weather out of the boat.

Temporary forward hatch

Temporary companionway hatch

After I got them home I sanded them.

Forward hatch half sanded

Forward hatch fully sanded

Companionway hatch half sanded

Companionway hatch fully sanded

I will oil and start varnishing them later this coming week.

The weather is not cooperating.  I would have hoped to have painted by now, but we haven't had 2 consecutive dry days with the temp above 40 degrees for some time.  This weekend at the boat it rained both days.  On Saturday I ended up having to make the temporary forward hatch inside the boat to get out of the rain.  On Sunday I had to bring my shop vac up to the boat to vacuum up all the saw dust from working inside the boat on Saturday!