2016 Season Over... Now What...?

[Gazmn]

I pulled the boat out today...
Marina end of season party is Sunday, October 30th...

No: motor purchases, Florida trips planned...

Now, what are you gonna do; So you won't lose your mind over the Winter - that's Mac related


Inquiring minds would like to know...

[THE CUSCUS]

Sounds like you need to plan a trip then

[Tomfoolery]

I'm going to start with shoveling snow. Off the boat. And winter hasn't even gotten here yet. I hauled it last night, and this is what I found this morning.



Winter to-do list includes:

Replacing the nav lights on the deck. Stern light stopped working due to bad splice to the leads, and they're both badly yellowed anyway, so some new lights are on the list. The factory glued the stern light, and presumably the bow bi-color, to the deck.

*** Technical bulletin - the OEM lights are not certified for sailboats. At least not for sailing. When heeled, the intensity may drop too much. But there are plenty of others that are. Like the ones used on the M boats. ***

Retasking a spare plug-in pole, all-round white nav light to a permanent anchor light on the mast. My flag staff is a pole nav light, and I don't need the nav light portion (just the plug-in pole), so I'll make a knob for the top, and make a mount for a stub tube with light. Gonna try melting down a bunch of laundry detergent bottles (HDPE, same as Starboard), and turning a mount on my wood lathe.

Fresh water tank has fill and vent hoses to the deck. Which look horrid, looping up from the galley to the deck. But I have to pull out the galley 'cabinet' to get to the connections. And since that cabinet looks like crap, I guess I need to build a new one, that doesn't waste as much space, both under the counter, and above the hull.

This was taken before I cleaned it all up, replaced the DC panel, and added a new AC panel next to it, and stripped out the surface boxes held on with drywall screws with exposed wiring. Those hoses look worse in real life than in pictures, and they look pretty bad in pictures. I usually fill the tank through a port in the top of the tank anyway, and rarely bother with the external fill port, so plugging the big fill line and a short vent line up under the sink (hidden) should be just fine. Then I need to find a way to disguise the holes in the deck, or outright repair them, though that will never look right (if I do it).



After most of the cleanup work, but before removing the old electrics. Holes for the hoses are easy enough to mask on the interior, but I may have to just leave the fittings on the outside (cut the barb fittings back), and cover the holes on the inside.



And lastly, the cockpit canvas needs a lot of TLC. Restitching, cleaning, and replacing the clear plastic on the dodger. But I need a sewing machine. Cheap. Maybe an old Singer 201 or something like that.

Pretty full basket of chores. Plus new bottom paint this spring.

[C Buchs]

I need to get some sail work done. The stitching holding the Sunbrella to my roller furling jib is coming off. I'm thinking of having the main looked over and refurbished while I'm at it. Can anyone recommend a sail loft in the Portland, OR area?

My anchor chain broke the navigation light on my bow loose when we were anchored on a beach. I've also got an anchor roller (hand me down from my father-in-law's boat) to install. Do I need to make an access hole above the v-berth to install this right? I've read that the BWY anchor roller is attached to the deck with lag bolts and 5200. Is this good enough?

We have the original cushions and they need replacement. I talked my wife into outdoor furniture fabric for the inside. On the outside we are thinking of using marine vinyl for the seating surfaces and vinyl mesh like is used for sling chairs on the bottom surface. We're hoping the vinyl mesh will drain any water that gets into the foam. Anyone have thoughts on how this will work?

Jeff

[Catigale]

Lag bolts and 5200 for an anchor roller, no way.

It needs a backing plate on bolts and nuts to be proper.figure a max load of 500# and you can swag how much backing plate you want.

[Gazmn]

Sounds like you need to plan a trip then

'Get behind me Satan!"



Man that was a great trip! - & I hardly moved my boat in 6 weeks

I do have a crazy amount of mods & maintenance to do. Many will have to wait till spring. Major purchases will include the following:

1. http://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Accessori ... TVXL2.html Trailer Valet XL Trailer Dolly with Chain Drive - 2" Hitch Ball - 1,000 lbs TW

2. https://www.scaffoldmart.com/boat-boat- ... 0-lbs.html Boat Lift/Trailer Removal System-5000 lbs

I have major bottom work to do - again

Hence, the above boat bucks

New Raymarine hydraulic auto pilot install

I haven't had cabin lights for years

& I don't think it will be this year, but I'm considering an above water paint job. Topic to come

It's still gonna be a long Winter, let alone the threat of snow...

[THE CUSCUS]

'Get behind me Satan!"




I'm planning a week long trip up the Buzzards Bay area for 2017 to sail around with TSATSUE. You are half way there already

[Catigale]

Lots of Canadians moving theur boats down the Hudson river today. NW fresh breeze so lots of them have a genny out and are motor sailing

[Tomfoolery]

Lots of Canadians moving theur boats down the Hudson river today. NW fresh breeze so lots of them have a genny out and are motor sailing

And Chicago has another Chicago River bridge opening scheduled for tomorrow morning. It must be something to see all those bridges opening and closing in sequence to let the knot of sailboats through. Wednesday and Saturday mornings, September 17 to November 12 (subject to confirmation). Be there, or be stuck there for the winter.

[K9Kampers]

...My anchor chain broke the navigation light on my bow loose when we were anchored on a beach. I've also got an anchor roller (hand me down from my father-in-law's boat) to install. Do I need to make an access hole above the v-berth to install this right? ...

When I rewired my bow light, I was able to reach up thru the triangular space between the overhead and cabin-side liners to the area you need to work in. Having a long skinny arm and the ability to contort like a pretzel will aid the person placing the backing plate & holding the wrench while the helper above tends to the topside hardware and tools.


K9 words of wisdom: It ain't drinkin' alone when the dog is home!

[sunshinecoasting]

It's simple people, move to where seasons make no difference like us lucky folk down here in Queensland Australia, the only difference with seasons down here is whether or not the wind is blowing from the north or the south.

[Catigale]

I don't live in countries where spiders eat mice....

[Bilgemaster]

I'll admit I've been rather perversely looking forward to winter to really get cracking on my "Foundling" Com-Pac 16. Here she is after her first tentative cleaning. She actually looks even happier nowadays, next to her Big Sister in the lot, with a fresh coat of bottom paint and a couple-few coats of wax and laquer on her brightwork:



Now that's she's pretty much aired out and dry as a bone, having been flooded to the bunks due to a missing companionway hatch cover before I got her, she's sorely in need of a little interior woodwork.

Of course, there's always something to do on the 26X (still have to hook up that pressure water system, install a handy little 12V ciggy lighter style power station plus USB power thingamabob into the pedestal, etc., &c., et cetera.).

When the glaciers really come a-calling, I might also dust off that file of sketches and images and tartans and take a crack at cobbling together some sort Mac-Tattoo burgee: my working notion is of a Clorox bottle pig with wheels and a sail on a MacGregor tartan background...maybe a naked mooning puffin on deck, because...well, just because, I guess. The whole puffin fetish thing's never really been clearly explained to me, but I am nevertheless led to understand that some feel strongly about it.

So, yeah. I hope to be adequately distracted by needful things whilst the icy winds blow.

[Wind Chime]

Here's what I'm doing to start the "off-season" ... I've turned our library into a sail loft! Well just temporarily to double dry all 10 sails we own. 2 for the Walker Bay sailing dingy, and 8 for the Mac-X (2-mainsails, 1-genoa, 1-staysail, 1-storm jib, 3-spinnakers)

Hope you're doing the same - it breaks my heart to watch sails turn green with moss on other boats at the marina from neglect over the winter.

[sailboatmike]

What do you mean the season is over, its just beginning.

The yacht club had opening of the season on Sunday, no sail past due to gale force winds, but we have had a lot of that this spring.

Here is to a great season with lots of hours spent on the water sailing my beautiful boat