A "Refit" year, final decision.

[Ed Schenck]

That's my final decision. Life dictates that the boat stay on the cradle this year. Kind of sad because I have hardly seen her in three years let alone sailed her. But with so little time, the cost to get there, and all the planned work it is the right move. I just learned that I am going to lose the next few weeks to issues here at home and cannot even get to the boat. So I will drag out my Highlander and get my sailing fix that way. When Ladylove next goes in the water she will be like a new boat.

Standing rigging and new Harken furler all but ordered. The handrails need one more coat of varnish. The keel is scheduled for soda blasting. I'll get the booms home for paint. This will give me time to paint the mast. I'll splurge on new running rigging. Time to finish the radar and ham radio installations. Maybe even rebuild the Hyde furler and install it for the staysail. All will be good. I'm good with it.

 

[rivettw]

Sorry to hear about your "Ladylove" sittin' up this year Mr. Ed. I'm sure she'll look like new when you get her back in the water. I've followed your exploits in reconditioning for awhile now and have applied many of your techniques to my own Fantome, the latest being portlight replacement. Please keep us updated on her progress and yours. A lot of my own satisfaction comes with the "work" on it as well as sailing. I'm sure its the same with you. Good luck to you.
Wally

 

[sandpiper10471]

Sorry to hear the sad news, Ed. I have always loved your excitement when you've posted and posited here. If you get a break this summer, come sail the North Channel with me. It is the most beautiful place in the world I have ever sailed and not all that far from Ohio. For a tease, check out the slide shows on www.explorationsail.com.

 

[Ed Schenck]

It has always been my plan to sail to the Georgian Bay and North Channel Bill. I have an added incentive now. My friends and dockmates retired and went home to Canada. They built a new home in Penetanguishene. They sailed their Westerly 32 back there and I want to sail with Garry and Ann up there.

 

[Bill1565]

Glad you have settled on a plan of action. Keep us posted.

 

[Jim Legere]

Ed, I am jealous - I wish I had a catch-up year to get everything done. My mast also needs repainting, my rigging also needs replacing and list goes on. I am struggling to get everything ready for launch later this month. The yard placed me in the "number one slot" last fall so that repairs could be made to the damage sustained during Hurricane Earl last year...and, of course, they want to launch me number one too! I have to be away on busness for a couple of weeks come Tuesday, so this weekend is it for me.
I have the bottom painted. I have to polish the port topsides tomorrow or Monday. Insurance will take care of the starboard side.

The old toerail was removed and the new one will be going on soon. The Crest Aluminum C-2821 is an exact replacement - too good in fact! The bolt hole are more accurately drilled that the original, which was +/- 1/32", adding up to some variance when added at every 6 inches over 36 feet; as a result some of the holes on the boat have to filled and re-drilled. They are also going to bed the new rail in Sikaflex 291 LOT (the old was butyl tape) and fill in the gaps on the hull to deck flange at the same time (I don't think the gaps go very far under the flange otherwise I would have had leaks). The new stanchions haven't arrived yet, but I hope they will be identical. The damaged woodwork on the rubrail has been cut out and will be replaced this week. Then the new SS caprail will go on.

Oh for a whole year to catch up on the to do list...

 

[Ed Schenck]

So you're the one! Someone asked recently about adding a rub strake. I could not remember where I had seen one. Now I see it was your boat. Do you think that was original from the factory? How is the wood attached to the hull?

I could agree with you about having a year just for projects if 1) I had been sailing the boat for a couple of years and 2) had the time to actually work on the boat.

 

[Bill1565]

It was us. Jim, did you add the rub rail?

 

[DianaOfBurlington]

Ed-- welcome to my world. I actually got a 3-gallon fresh-water tank with which I can flush the toilet whilst 'on the hard'. Glad to have company in the land of the too-long and too-much-needed restoration project.

But here is my rule-- which I have learned only the hardest way possible. Focus ONLY on the things that keep you from going sailing. Everything else will take care of itself and/or can be done later. I wish I'd figured this out 4 years ago.

 

[Jim Legere]

It was us. Jim, did you add the rub rail?

Bill, the boat had the rubrail when I bought her. She came from the northern Chesapeake - apparently such rubrails are quite common there as they often tie up between pilings. I think it was put on in Rock Hall MD by the PO. It didn't come from the factory that way.

The rubrail is triangular in cross section, milled from 2 x 2 teak. there is a SS cap rail at the outboard edge. It is through-bolted to the hull and bedded in 5200 (wish they had used something easier to disassemble). It sure saved my bacon (or rather, the boat's...) when a J30 broke loose and fetched up beside me during Hurricane Earl last summer. BTW, the J30 didn't do well - looked like someone had taken a shotgun to it after its encounter with an H37C. I had largly cosmetic damage to the rubrail, toerail and some bent stanchions - no cracks in the gelcoat, scratches, or anything.

 

[rardiH36]

.... Life dictates that the boat stay on the cradle this year...The handrails need one more coat of varnish...

Hi Ed:

Sorry to hear about your year on the hard instead of blissfully blasting through the H2O.

You have my sympathies. To rub it in a bit -- my wife and I had about 15 great miles with 20-30 kt winds on San Francisco Bay today. The mainsail was on the 2nd reef and we had only 2/3's of the Genoa out but the knot meter most of the time was in the 7-8 kts range.

However, the skipper of a sleek red racing boat that we watched while the winds ripped the clews out of its gorgeous yellow spinnaker off of Alcatraz Island might not have had the best of days/races.

I presume that you will keep your labor-of-love newly finished hand rails safe indoors until just before you are ready to splash again?

Lots of boat owners around me are bright-working their teak right now. The results are wonderful. But I always think its unfortunate that the beautiful work stays really new looking for only through summer and fall. Then still presentable through maybe next summer. And its time to do it again. Despite all our modern high tech, formulating a product that can stand up to the UV still is elusive.

Stainless Steel.

rardi

 

[Ed H]

Hey Ed S- You mentioned new "standing rigging". Did you ever re-do your chainplates and the deck openings for the chainplates? I saw an old post ('09?) of yours discussing the problem. Were you able to use MS's techniques to pot the core and yet maintain the open "channel" for the chainplates? Ed H

 

[Ed Schenck]

JC, I have always worked that way. Finish the bottom and the topsides and in the water by May 1. It is much more fun working on the boat in the slip opposed to out in the boatyard someplace. Not this year though.

Rardi, I changed my avatar to reflect how I will be sailing this year. On THE Bay I would need you and four others on that rail. But we would be doing 10 knots!

And no Ed, I continue to pull the chainplate covers every season and caulk. I push the silicone down and around liberally. Heavy on the top so it squeezes out when I screw down the plates. I use clear and it cleans up easily. Same around the mast.

 

[rardiH36]

Hi Ed:

I forgot that I had previously noticed your avatar change and that I assumed it meant you might be doing some friskier sailing this year than we normally experience in our grand yachts. As the summer progresses let us know your experiences sailing closer-to-the-elements.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Step2, drag the Highlander to the lake. This spring(?) sucks! It was 45 today and rained the whole time. Forecast is for lots more and the lake is already so high that they can't put the docks in. Normally the parking area in front of the club is full of boats waiting to go in. Mine is the only one. And its not just the boat, I hate exercising inside. More trips to the YMCA I guess. I know I shouldn't complain, we haven't had any tornadoes or fires or earthquakes.

 

[Ed H]

And no Ed, I continue to pull the chainplate covers every season and caulk. I push the silicone down and around liberally. Heavy on the top so it squeezes out when I screw down the plates. I use clear and it cleans up easily. Same around the mast.

Here are what mine look like- tons of silicon and smeared onto the deck. I hope to clean it up this summer. Ed H

 

[Ed Schenck]

Very similar to mine Ed.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Finally got on the water! Sad to say it was only to sit on my buddies' H28.5 while I ate my lunch. He was away and I didn't have the key. In the low 60's with a stiff SW breeze I woulda' been out there. There are only four masts in the water and not a single boat on the lake. I did manage to get one coat of varnish on the rub rails. And only three hours before the next rain. More rain tomorrow(Saturday).

 

[Mathurin]

I agree with Ed, this spring sucks ! We've been stock in Castleton on Hudson (NY) for the past week and a half. With all the water that fell this years, all the canals are flooded. Champlain is closed, Lake Champlain is still flooded and the Richelieu is at record high water level. Champlain canal might open during the week of may 23rd, but that is far from likely (it's still pooring rain). We might end up taking the Erie Canal - Oswego canal (Oswego canal is still closed as of now). That is really frustrating, we did 2200 nautical miles in one month flat just to be back early....

 

[Jim Legere]

Re: A "Refit" year

I have to agree with everyone - its been an awful spring in Nova Scotia too. I guess we have to count our blessings though - no tornados or floods here! Anyway, my spring refit was complicated by the weather, which slowed repairs to the damage from last years Hurricane Earl (more weather woes!). My guy finally found enough dry days to glue in the teak scarf repairs to my rubbing strake. He also replaced the entire starboard toerail, 3 stanchions and all the lifelines. In addition to the usual spring bottom work, I removed the vinyl striping on the blue shear stripe port & starboard. Now I just need a few dry, warm days to repaint the blue stripe and reapply new vinyl stripes. Then maybe some sailing...