The Official "What Did You Do To Your Mac Today" Thread!

[walt]

I dont have a pulley at the sail clew for the outhaul but its also where the line moves the least so I think overall fine. I may replace the black line in one of those pictures (that goes through the clew ring) with some type of rope that slides easier since no pulley there - if I need a project one of these days (which I will ...you will understand better when you retire next year LOL).

Going to the roller furler this year somewhat put me over the line for easy set up. About a week ago a few boats went to a cove for a campout.. which I really like doing (campfire on the beach.. etc). But the thought of rigging the sailboat was just too much. Im admittedly just a little too relaxed now days however..

 

[BudGates]

I think I have a block attached to my clue, but then I haven't looked at it since November.

Unfortunately my retirement date got moved back. I now have 14 months 0 days instead of 11 months 0 days. Not that I'm counting or anything. If the past 8 years are any indication (Our 8th anniversary was Tuesday.) I don't think I'll have any problem finding projects after retirement. I may, however, have trouble making time to work on my own projects. She promised that she'll limit her projects to only taking up 2 days a week of my time, but that remains to be seen. I'm hoping to be able to do some sailboat camping like you described when we get to Minnesota.

 

[walt]

snowbird with pocket cruiser sailboat = good thing..

 

[RussC]

Just so you don't think that ALL I do is work on the boat it was a beautiful day at the lake yesterday. light winds but wonderful rays from above all day. nothing exciting, but Awwwwww what a feeling.
I like to sit on the pulpet and steer with my feet (aka the ghost captain).

 

[walt]

You guys need to lower the stress level.. (OK.. looks pretty low stress already).

Russ, in your video you have a fold out chair on your cockpit bench. I have the cockpit cushions that came with my boat and they look nice and in place until you start to sail and move around on the boat. Then your are constantly re-arranging them, the higher the wind, the more pain in the axx they are. So.. Ive tried several times to "like" those cushions.. but I dont and they are no longer in the boat.

I had an old folding padded chair that I think looks similar to the one you are using and decided to try it in the boat. The problem then is that each time you go to use it, it has folded down. So I cut it in half, did a little hand sewing and made two one person seat cushions - one for each side of the boat (purple pads shown in the picture below). These are on a tether and can slide along the seat so I can put it all the way to the back for motoring or way forward for sailing. I used these all winter and they really worked out nicely. When Im sailing I always wear a life jacket and it has a pad in the back - also no need for the back rest. In the marina the standard cushions might be better but when your out sailing, tacking, heeling over, windy... a one person cushion I think work way better. Added benny.. both of those seat pads are stored in the Laz.

edit.. this is what we did today. A friend (Gary Meyers) took this shot. Hosted on FB so Im not sure if you can see it or not.

 

[RussC]

You guys need to lower the stress level.. (OK.. looks pretty low stress already).

We're tryin', but this retirement thing is just so darn stressful.

Russ, in your video you have a fold out chair on your cockpit bench. I have the cockpit cushions that came with my boat and they look nice and in place until you start to sail and move around on the boat. Then your are constantly re-arranging them, the higher the wind, the more pain in the axx they are. So.. Ive tried several times to "like" those cushions.. but I dont and they are no longer in the boat.

I had an old folding padded chair that I think looks similar to the one you are using and decided to try it in the boat. The problem then is that each time you go to use it, it has folded down. So I cut it in half, did a little hand sewing and made two one person seat cushions - one for each side of the boat (purple pads shown in the picture below). These are on a tether and can slide along the seat so I can put it all the way to the back for motoring or way forward for sailing. I used these all winter and they really worked out nicely. When Im sailing I always wear a life jacket and it has a pad in the back - also no need for the back rest. In the marina the standard cushions might be better but when your out sailing, tacking, heeling over, windy... a one person cushion I think work way better. Added benny.. both of those seat pads are stored in the Laz.

We're still working on those issues ourselves. you may have noticed that I made full bench pads from the Lowes grey runner carpet. because of the rubber backing, those stay in place pretty well wile sailing and give the stadium seats a little bite also, but………. we also find it irritating that the seats fold down at inopportune times etc., and it is a pain to have to lift the carpet to gain access to the laz.
I'm not sure this is really what you meant by a tether, but the idea came to me because of your comment, so I'm giving you credit regardless . a small diameter shock cord strung tightly along the back rest of the bench, secured at both ends, and fed through a sleeve sewed into the back of the stadium seat material. this would allow the seat to be slid for and aft as desired, as well as holding the seat back in the upright position….. a snap, on at least one end of the shock cord perhaps………….. I've got my project for tomorrow.
thanks Walt.

Russ

 

[RussC]

As for todays project: Back when I purchased our 14.2 Capri the guy gave me a really nice whisker pole that was way to big for the Capri, but just right for the Mac . I carved out a mast ring from a piece of aluminum angle and secured it via the boom attaching bolt. a second (hidden) 1/4" countersunk bolt is threaded into the mast to prevent the ring from rotating on the main bolt.

I was wishing I had one yesterday at the lake. I've never used one before, but I'd like to, and it seems like a simple enough concept

Russ

 

[Greengas]

Today I put on the new motor mount wood. Looks pretty good if I do say so myself. Not perfect, could always be better, but considering what was there, it is clearly TANFASTIC! as the before and after pictures will show. Of course, looking at the before and after pictures I just realized that I put the new one on upside down. Oh well, I've got to head out there tomorrow to keep working on other issues and that's an easy fix! Like I said, not perfect - yet!

 

[RussC]

Aw heck Greengas. you coulda gotten a couple more years out of the old one. The new wood looks great.

today was another beautiful weather day so Jennifer and I went for a drive and hike near another local lake we like. boat ramp there is closed until May 1st, but we still like the area trails and scenery. man we are lovin this (mid 70s) warmer weather. cooler and perhaps some rain for a day or two now but then back to high 70 and maybe low 80 for the next few days after that. anyway… I did still get time to install the idea I got from Walt on the seats. installed a shock cord into the back rest area and ran it through some melted in holes in the stadium seat backs. the seats can slide along the cord, but will stay on the benches with the back rest held up in place now. I think it will work out real well for us, but we'll test it out next week.

 

[walt]

the seats can slide along the cord, but will stay on the benches with the back rest held up in place now.

Good way to keep the back up, move it around and keep it from blowing away in higher winds.. Seems like a great idea to me.. I single had most of the time and sit in close to the same spot on either tack. So I just go back and forth to the seat pad on either side. But if you have two people who are both involved in sailing (always two people on the upwind side), you almost need four chairs. But.. with your tether idea, two on a side exactly where you liked to sit maybe would work fine, be nice.. Because we only had the two pads, when my wife went, we would just both stay on the pads on either side of the boat - ie, there was no switching sides by either of us. This was mostly because of the pad, slightly more comfy.

 

[walt]

I wonder how those seats do with the UV over time.. Hmm.. .
http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-20000...528&sr=8-7&keywords=stadium+chair+pad+folding 1.5 pounds each seat (6 pounds total for four)

http://www.amazon.com/ALPS-Mountaineering-ALMWS6i-PAR-Weekender-Seat/dp/B007X0957Y/ref=pd_sim_468_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=41J3MJ2bYWL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR149,160_&refRID=06R466G8C0R0K2P8NZ03

and at only 21 ounces (1.31pounds each)

 

[RussC]

?

The Coleman is made from a pack cloth type material and should hold up well IMHO. price, seat pad thickness and everything else factored in I think the Coleman is a much better deal. I think the Coleman was available in blue so it would match your boat also . in fact if you order blue it's only $12.77 on Amazon huummmm. I got my red ones on sale from Walmart for 12 something also however.

 

[walt]

Well.. it will be interesting to hear how that seat setup works out.. but I think Im also going to go that route (with your idea of the shock cord along the seat backs). I almost ordered four of the coleman but the color didnt show up in the order.. (maybe I just didnt see it). Im already liking that setup just looking at the picture.. Four of those seats will also store easilly on the boat. Maybe just put some SS hooks on the end of the shock cord for easy setup and take down.. I dont know what the stock seat pads weigh but Im guessing its well over 6 pounds.

Another benny... my wife doesn't sail with me enough to get in a routine of where exactly to sit. With those seats that are easily moved back and forth on the tether, I can put the seat exactly where I want her to sit.. No confusion when we are both going back and forth port or starboard between tacks.

 

[RussC]

I almost ordered four of the coleman but the color didnt show up in the order.. (maybe I just didnt see it).

over towards the right side below the price it says "3 colors red" and a diamond to click to give you the other color options.

Another benny... my wife doesn't sail with me enough to get in a routine of where exactly to sit. With those seats that are easily moved back and forth on the tether, I can put the seat exactly where I want her to sit.. No confusion when we are both going back and forth port or starboard between tacks.

I had that exact thought when I was setting mine up this way.

Russ

 

[walt]

The stock cockpit cushions are about 13 pounds (just weighed them) so four of those stadium seats are about half the weight. I think Im going to go ahead and order four of Coleman. Ill keep the stock cockpit cushions for the next owner (if there is one, Im enjoying that boat a lot at the moment).

 

[fred1diver]

anyone ever try these?
FLATY COCKPIT CUSHION S35.
I'm also looking for new cockpit cushions and wondering if these would be good

 

[RussC]

I need to go sailing. all this creativity is giving me a headache.
It drives me nuts having equipment tossed in a pile that's underfoot when not needed and has to be hurriedly found and dug out when it is needed/wanted. the idea for this whisker pole storage solution hit me the other day wile I was setting up to be able to use the pole, so today it became a reality. I had a piece of 2" thin wall 7075 anodized aluminum laying around that was just the right length, so holes were drilled, burs were sanded, screws were…. well… lets just say: now that it's done I'm smiling and crave a cigarette.

 

[THECUSCUS]

That's a good pole storage idea. You now have a curtain rod too! I like multi purpose mods. One on port side for a boat hook??

 

[RussC]

That's a good pole storage idea. You now have a curtain rod too! I like multi purpose mods. One on port side for a boat hook??

The curtain rod idea crossed my mind as well, but I recently spent a lot of time replacing the windows with clear polycarbonate, and removing the existing curtains in order to see out better wile on the hook, so....
It is always nice to have the boathook at the ready. mine's in a pretty good spot where it is, in a pair of clips attached to the ceiling, just inside the pop top opening (see interior photo), but that could change some day also .

 

[willsnow]

I made it this far on my core replacement:

What an awful, dusty, itchy, sweaty, job this is!
So far I've done:
2 out of 3 layers of bonding the trunk to the deck (rather than silly trim piece)
pre-shaped the curve for the final layer of glass from trunk to deck
ground out and re-glassed stress cracks around deck hardware
filled holes where old VFH and mast connection went through deck (they'll get moved closer to mast)
replaced rotted wood core with new core and glassed it in

There's lots more pictures in my album, I didnt think I needed to take up this whole thread in one post...