pre-launch checklist/inspection. Im having a nightmare that she sinks!

[Mark15145]

" im gonna float her in the launch area for 3 days before i leave, and stay onboard. I asked and they said i could leave her in and stay aboard."
This is an excellent idea! Keep a good flashlight handy, and do not run any noisey fans, heaters, A/C units, etc. Have the bilge covers either off, or ready for quick inspection. Be sure your bilge pumps are functional, and that they will pump water out. It may seem silly, but I keep reading stories about pumps bringing water into the boat. The thread has covered double stainless clamps, through hulls, packing glands, etc. and your surveyor should help set your mind at ease. Think about where water could come in your boat. Does your head/ holding system use salt water? What about the engine cooling system, is there a vented loop? Are the through hulls for depth transducer, or speed indicator checked and lubed?
OK, your boat partially sank, but I am guessing it will float just fine. What does your fuel look like? Do you have extra filters? Are you familiar with how to change them? 3-Years can be hard on diesel. Fuel polishing is a great thing, but if money is getting tight, just find the inspection cover and take a look. You can siphone the old fuel out if necessary, and clean the tank by hand. I recently crewed for a proffessional Captain bringing a boat from Puerto Vallarta, MX to San Diego, CA. The boat was a beautiful, and well maintained, Passport 47, but the filters looked foggy and showed some paticlate debree. We popped the inspection plates on the main tanks and they were clean with good tranparent fuel. We popped the cover off the day tank, and it looked like turtle soup! We siphoned the bad fuel out cleaned up the tank, added new fuel and changed all the filters. We had a great trip up the coast. Stopped in Cabo, and Turtle Bay. Truly great fun!
I can not tell you the number of stories I have heard, where boats (and lives) were lost because engines failed to run at critical times. My simple point here is your check list needs to include the regular maintenance items as well. Not just those involving hull integrity. How long since the salt water impeller was changed? Engine fluids like OIL and Coolant should be at least topped off, but hopefully changed after three years. Trans fluid look good, with no mulcification? Did an fluid make it into the exhust during the partial sinking (most marine mufflers have a drain). If it was out from three years ago, did you put it back? Remmember, we do this for FUN
Mark Wieber (www.Goliard.us.com)

 

[RickFoley]

Ready for the water

Fuel......

How old is your fuel? Because of the the recent fuel reformulations even diesel has a short shelf live.

I have always maintained mu fuel with the proper additives and in the fall prior to lay up made sure the tank was full, to avoid condensation.

This spring, all appeared well. But I lost power in my engine. It came down to the injectors that I had rebuilt on 2001.

Long and the short. One is rebuilt one replaced. CAUSE: Short shelf life fuel. Injector center advised to remove all fuel at end of season. I know that I have some built up crap on the tank bottom, a tank that is 25 years old. So, I am replacing the tank with a poly tank. I an going to discontinue the old tank in place until the fall and then I will remove it. The poly tank will be installed in such a way as to assure easy removal at seasons end to allow for the complete empting and basement storage that will rule out condensation.

 

[rjacobowitz]

Check the head -- anti siphon loop?

Most boats sink at their mooring, and many from water siphoning in through the head. Once everything else checks out, open your head seacocks and flush some water through. Leave the seacocks open and observe. Does the head continue to fill w water? Close the intake seacock. Install anti-siphon loop.

 

[luvitt]

Im feeling better today! I really accomplished a lot. I got a fourth coat of seahawk cukote on the hull today. it took 4 gallons. I ran out and had to pay retail for the fourth gallon (expensive). It looks SOOOOO GOOOOOD! Im really satisfied with the job i did. normally im impatient and wanna hurry up and get things done. ive really been trying to do this stuff right.

I replaced my sea strainer too. the buck algonquin had a cracked top, and i tried to make a new top out of epoxy resin, but i never finished sanding it. I went to a local boat "junk" shop and found 3 of the Perko bronze strainers--the kind that is tall and sorta looks like a lantern. the guy wanted $20 apiece and i offered him $30 for all three. he took it!!! I used Mainesails how-to rebuild a perko strainer, and out of the three I built a totally nice one. I can still rebuild the other two! he also has 3 of the B.A. models for $20 each. I might buy them too and clean them up and sell them.

I have been at the boatyard since 5a.m., just left at 9pm. I have been telecommuting to work and doing all my reports & b.s. from home at nite, then skipping work during the day! my boss is getting frustrated, just one more day!!!

what do you think about AC sump pumps? i bought a 2300gph with a float and mounted it in the bilge today. just another precaution.

The boat is actually looking pretty darn good! I totally gutted all my junk, tools, work clothes, etc. I stripped it bare. then i vacuumed everything and polished the wood with orange-glo. Its never been this clean. even though the interior needs varnish and a little help, it actually looks okay after cleaning. it just looks a little overdue for some paint!

Well, the surveyor comes at 9a.m. tomorrow. Im gonna get there at 5am again (one more time, im so exhausted) and pressure wash the deck. Does a survey determine whether i can get insurance? what if his report says my boat is a piece of $h|+? will that mean i cant get insurance? guess i will find out tomorrow.

thanks everyone!

 

[petersea]

the survey won't necessarily determine if you get insurance but a very poor survey could prevent the insurance company from issuing a policy. However it would be extreme (structural damage or something else that would make the boat un sea worthy) It also should give a value of the boat in its current condition so that the insurance company does not over insure it. It will give notice to things that are not correct and advise fixes. (i.e. safety equipment missing or improper wiring etc etc). Your boat would have to be a "wreck" pardon the pun not to get insurance and with all the work you have done, I feel you will get a decent survey. Don't sweat the small stuff very very few surveys don't have some recommendation. Most boats will need some safety items or maybe a technical posting. (no oil discharge plaque etc ) the key to a survey is to follow up and make the necessary recommendations. The insurance company may require you to show proof you may the recommendation (i.e proof your purchased PFD's if the survey said you had none.) Good Luck !

 

[wrigby]

There is often a grease fitting on the rudder post. I would also check the steering cables by running a handfull of tissues along them to check for a broken strand. Should be some slack in cables but not too much. Oil and grease in appropriate places. (Edson has a useful web page with a steering gear check list). The survey is an excellent idea - don't sweat the small stuff just major components. At some point, you just need to go. Its about sailing, not working on sail boats. Good luck!!

 

[luvitt]

Yippeeee! Yeeeehaaaaaa!

never in my wildest dreams! the surveyor loved the boat. he went on and on about my wiring--so heavy and professional, waterproof connectors, etc. LOVED IT. the hull is totally solid, no moisture. all my systems are operational. he said he had to find something wrong to put in his report or the insurance company wouldnt believe him. he dinged me on the positive battery post was uiuncovered, missing ground from fuel fill, and i repaired a machined hole exactly the oppsite of the way the coast guard says to do it. i almost died when he put a guesstimate of $55k on the boat! he said he would provide a more precise estimate in the written report!

im in the emergency room now. ive been having a problem breathing, but i couldnt stop working to take care of it. now i can relax and get a little sleep and take care of myself. ive been operating on 3-5hours a nite. not good.

i launch wednesday. thanks everbody!

 

[Richard Bryer]

Re: Yippeeee! Yeeeehaaaaaa!

Great news, brobins- we have all been following your "chronicle" here. Watch out for your health- you want to enjoy the "fruits of your efforts"

 

[Mark15145]

Most of us have probably worked deep into the night, in freezing weather, and way too many hours in a row. Sometimes boats demand that or copious quantities of money so someone else can do it wrong.
I can not lecture you about a disfunction that I share
I also have worked myself into the emergency room trying to get the boat ready for a trip.
But I only did it once. Learned my lesson!
Sailing is a physical activity that demands reasonably good health. Take care of yourself first then go find some nice quiet anchorage, and take some time off. Sounds like you have earned it!!
Mark Wieber
www.goliard.us.com

 

[luvitt]

im so excited! i only paid $9k for this boat. i probably have about $20k total in it.

I went to the boat at 3am yesterday to pressure wash b/c the surveyor was coming at 9. He had to wait and drink his coffee while i finished! it looked so GOOD after i pressure washed. he said all the hull needed was a coat of wax, no big job of wet sanding or compounding. it had 2 years of grime protecting it from the sun i guess!

I got my slip today. I spent several hours picking it out. Im staying at South Carolinas largest marina. The U.S.S. Yorktown, Laffey, & Ingham are docked here. I got the perfect slip at the end of the marina near the ships. I have a huge fairway to turn into my slip. And the view is great. I am right next to the ships and have a perfect view of the Ravenal Bridge (Charleston pride & joy, North Americas largest cable stayed only bridge) and the sunset. This can be a tricky marina with sometime 5-7 knots of current coming, some of the worst on the east coast. but i used to work at this marina and got lots of practice docking all sorts of boats up to 60'. basically call the dockhands on the vhf so they are waiting for you, and ram the fingerpier!! the marina is so big, you gotta have a bike.

if any of you guys are in the area, look me up and come have a cerveza!! oh, that reminds me--i named the boat Ta-Keel-Ahhh.... I wanted to name her Lil'-Tip-Sea, but my wife overruled me.

 

[dvideohd]

there are TWO best days when dealing with boats..... :>

good luck!!

 

[sailingdog]

So, is she floating?? Any leaks?? what happened???

 

[luvitt]

So, is she floating?? Any leaks?? what happened???

No, I decided to wait til Wednesday. My monthly date at the yard is the 11th. so i got a few days to fix the minor items the surveryor found. he said it wouldnt prevent me from getting insurance, but he will come back for free and check them off. Nice guy.

Im just having trouble finding large clevis pins for two shrouds. the yard put the wrong size in. i told them not to rig/tune, so i guess i better not 8itch.

Im almost done with his to-do list, just need to re-repair a 1" machined hole near the keel (it was drilled to drain the hull). I originally repaired it with Matt, and used 5 layers of consecutively larger discs of matt. this was upon recommendation of Boeing Composite techs. and thats also the way i've always done it. He said #1 matt was the weakest stuff to use. I should use 17oz biaxle cloth, and according to the uscg I should layer it from largest disc to smallest. it doesnt make sense to me. what if the largest underlying disc of cloth were to be compromised? it could remove all successive layers right? if you go smallest to largest, the first layer is under 4 other layers that would have to peel off first. then he said i should finish it low and "mud" over it with thickened epoxy. If you guys agreed with me, i think what i will do is grind a little out and "mud" over it and call it a day?

anyway, im almost there!

 

[sailingdog]

No, I decided to wait til Wednesday. My monthly date at the yard is the 11th. so i got a few days to fix the minor items the surveryor found. he said it wouldnt prevent me from getting insurance, but he will come back for free and check them off. Nice guy.

Im just having trouble finding large clevis pins for two shrouds. the yard put the wrong size in. i told them not to rig/tune, so i guess i better not 8itch.

Using the wrong size pins is a huge mistake. Using too small a pin will cause stress loading and cause the tangs or chainplates to distort... not good.

Im almost done with his to-do list, just need to re-repair a 1" machined hole near the keel (it was drilled to drain the hull). I originally repaired it with Matt, and used 5 layers of consecutively larger discs of matt. this was upon recommendation of Boeing Composite techs. and thats also the way i've always done it. He said #1 matt was the weakest stuff to use. I should use 17oz biaxle cloth, and according to the uscg I should layer it from largest disc to smallest. it doesnt make sense to me. what if the largest underlying disc of cloth were to be compromised? it could remove all successive layers right? if you go smallest to largest, the first layer is under 4 other layers that would have to peel off first. then he said i should finish it low and "mud" over it with thickened epoxy. If you guys agreed with me, i think what i will do is grind a little out and "mud" over it and call it a day?

anyway, im almost there!

Never use matt alone to do a repair. With epoxy you can go either largest to smallest or smallest to largest—there are two schools of thought on which is better. On one hand, the largest to smallest school figure the longer fibers and more continuous repairs are likely to lead to stronger repair. Especially if the repair is slightly proud of the rest and needs to be sanded down fair. The other school, which believes going from smallest to largest is better, because the layers will more closely resemble the original layup.

In either case, I agree with finishing it a bit low... and then mudding it over, since you'll get a much more fair repair.

 

[Rick De]

Time to sail

You really need to chill out. You've probally done more than most people.It'll float, now put your sails on and go sailing.

 

[caguy]

5ill it with water, if it doesn't leak you're set.

 

[NC-C320]

Sinking Concerns

You are extremely concerned about sinking, but seem to have been very exacting in checking things out, so you are likely to be just fine. Someone suggested launching late in the day, but I would suggest that you get the launch first thing in the morning. That way, if there is a problem, the marina will be staffed so that they can help respond in an emergency. Sinking on launch is rare, but it does happen...I saw it on a brand new Endeavor 32 years ago. They put it in the water, and a few hours later found that it was taking on water from a improperly glassed hull area at the rudder. In your case, once you are in the water, but still in the slings, open the through hulls one by one and check the attached systems to see that there are no leaks. If possible, schedule your launch on a day that the yard is not going to need the lift or lift slip. That will give you a chance to see what is going to happen over a periord of hours while safely in the position for a quick pull out.

Whenever, at launch or anytime afterwards, keep all the thruhulls closed when you are away from the boat. That way, you are extremely unlike to have a sinking situation while you are away and unable to respond to the boat. Any leak would then be small enough that the automatic bilge pump can keep up with the situation.

Good luck! You'll be fine. Sinking is rare, and if you've experienced it before, it's not likely to happen to you again, assuming you (and you seem to) have learned from the situation before. You've got a good solid boat and it'll be fine.

 

[luvitt]

ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT!!!!!

I feel much more confident after the survey. And i think I made a new friend! He wants to come to the marina and "drink a cold one, and shoot the $h|t". He says he wants to make sure everything is ok for me.

He is a little concerned about my AC system, as the boatyard has a fault and he cannot tell if i have a fault as well. So he is gonna come check it out! What a nice guy. He lives on a 33' with his wife & 2 kids. I cant imagine that. I think my wife is gonna wanna run home every five minutes this summer! Not enough room for her clothes! good thing im only 10 minutes from the marina.

My buddy is gonna follow me in his 22' runabout on saturday. i think he could pull along side and tow me if something goes wrong. I couldnt afford a $150 towing membership!! I will get it next week. I had to take out a loan to pay off my boatyard fees & finish everything, get my slip, and im still a little short on insurance. Sucks. i have spent more money in the past 2 weeks than i normally spend in 6 months.

After this season is over, I think i will sell her and buy a bigger project!! Trade up! im hooked.

 

[Hermit Scott]

brobbins- you are not going to sink! If you saw the marina I am in, there are like 10 unattended piece of crap boats that just keep on floating even though no one cares about them. You have taken time and care about your boat.

 

[luvitt]

brobbins- you are not going to sink! If you saw the marina I am in, there are like 10 unattended piece of crap boats that just keep on floating even though no one cares about them. You have taken time and care about your boat.

thanks, i am feeling better. actually i feel pretty salty. Im almost 37, got my first piece of crap boat when i was 16. its been an off and on thing since then, mostly on. in some way or another i have been involved w/ boats/building/working. either owning a boat or working at a marina or giving on the water training, even taught MD state boaters safety course. I just get nervous when i have put so much into this thing. its definately an accumulation of my knowledge and help from this board. i had a 30' Carver that i tried to "restore", and it ended bad (not really my fault that it sank, shorepower died and batts died over 2 weeks), but i lived on it for 2 years, and if it floated--this baby WILL. i look back and think of all the mistakes and negligence--it was a learning experience. I have been around this stuff for a while, and i might not know how to do everything, or know everything, but I feel like i kinda got a sense about what is wrong and know when to ask questions. Next boat i get, im sure there will be systems and parts & pieces that i am unfamiliar with, but thats whats great about resources like this!

This is the biggest boat i have owned. its more complicated than what i have dealt with in the past (looking back, I now know every inch of this boat). but im learning, and im thinking of things everyday. reading your post made me go check my cleats. thats not rocket science, i just didnt think about it. I found my starboard bow cleat a little loose and will inspect & fix tomorrow. there are a million things im sure im missing, but i think i got the big seaworthy items done. I just went around and closed all my seacocks and will recheck wednesday. my hull is solid, i have done everything i can think of. im really proud of the job i have done. looking back, i remember trying to hurry on other projects. Not this time. This has been TWO YEARS OF MY LIFE!!!! i could have put her in where i bought her and sailed her home, but it would have sucked.

I am going to have the time of my life. and hopefully convince my wife to cruise away. im not much on this world/life. if i wasnt married, id probably already be floating and sailed away! i want to make everything as safe as possible b/c of her. then, if she likes, and i convince, off we go! i have a little cruising experience, not much, but im gonna spend the summer in the ocean. my marina is almost the ocean, somewhat protectected charleston harbor (doesnt sound as bad as CC). i wanna do some more stuff, but i hope to be offshore ready by august. I know the basics of sailing, self taught on a 22'-28'. I got lessons for my wife, b/c i end up yelling and she will hate sailing and me. I got free lessons on craigslist, you might try that. I got so many responses that i was able to choose the one that sounded best. the guy talks a lot, but he is a really smart old hippy type. gotta plan on 10 hours when we meet him. he is a former instructor for clemson university. i dont think he knows much more than me, and has even failed to heed my warning and run aground (he's not familiar with the waters) it is just his confidence level. thats what i need. and he has a big vocabulary.

ok, enough rambling (ive had about 12 cold ones!). i think i am ready! I imagine that this experience and that to come is going to be something that my grandchildren & their grandchildren talk about! im gonna do something special. We talk about my great, great, great, great (too many greats?) grandfather that was 16 and sailed here from England on his own vessel and started a rice & indigo plantation. maybe i can have some stories to tell. WHAT ELSE IS THERE?