1988 O’Day 192 Restoration

[GerryG]

I'd recommend it. We couldn't tell there was anything wrong with the hose until we got it off. The sealant was completely gone.

Where are you keeping your boat? We've been trying to figure out where to keep ours, but we're not residents of Babylon. Missed it by a block... Any tips would be appreciated.

 

[GerryG]

Also, we have an access port in the back center of the cockpit that allows access to the transom directly above the drain. Maybe you could put one in there.

 

[GSBNY]

I'd recommend it. We couldn't tell there was anything wrong with the hose until we got it off. The sealant was completely gone.

Where are you keeping your boat? We've been trying to figure out where to keep ours, but we're not residents of Babylon. Missed it by a block... Any tips would be appreciated.

I’ll be keeping mine at my house but check out Narrasketuck Yacht Club in Amityville. Very affordable summer dry and wet storage as well as winter storage. The whole club is O’Day Mariners and other 19’ day sailors, you’d fit right in. Ultimately I may end up getting a slip there because I think my canal may be a little tight to make a u turn in.

 

[GSBNY]

Ok so today was a good day.

Got the mast spacer drilled out on the drill press and countersunk them on the bottom so the butyl tape has room to seal the bolts up. If I haven’t mentioned it before, the spacer is 1” thick King Starboard so it’s very easy so work with.

Then put some butyl tape on and mounted it all to the deck.

After that I wasn’t sure what to do next but figured since I have a working mast step for the first time in a month I might as well use it.

Of course as we were ready to raise the mast it was dark out and had started raining. Since there was no lightning, nothing was going to stop me.

It’s officially a sailboat again!

With the inch off the mast and the inch added back with the spacer, the shrouds adjusted perfectly back to their normal spot.

Tomorrow when there’s light again I’ll work on tightening everything up once it’s settled.

 

[GSBNY]

And for anyone wondering what the base looks like up close, here it is:

I have to clean up the butyl a bit still but I’m liking how it came out. With the rig tensioned the mast base is locked down with no play. Perfect.

I spent a while staring up at the rig trying to figure out the right angles for the lazy jacks, boom vang, and the topping lift. Tomorrow I’ll raise the main to make sure everything is right before I take it all down to splice and finish up.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a day working on the boat if I didn’t discover water in the bilge after it rained. I’m running out of places it could be leaking from but I guess that’s a good thing.

 

[Will Gilmore]

I’m running out of places it could be leaking from

The deck/hull seam? Common spot on the Mariner 19, although calling it a 'spot' is perhaps too optimistic.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[GSBNY]

The deck/hull seam? Common spot on the Mariner 19, although calling it a 'spot' is perhaps too optimistic.

-Will (Dragonfly)

I had thought about that. The closest hose to the boat of course isn’t working so I’m going to have to roll the boat across the yard to get the hose to reach. Once it’s there I can have someone spray while I watch from inside. I was tempted to stay in the boat the other night while it was raining to see what happened but I was starving and hunger won.

 

[Brian S]

Alert on your picture of your mast step: I see a crack running down the port side of the step, in the corner of the raised step molding to the deck. I had worse cracking than what I see in your boat, and I believe water intrusion into the step. I haven't cut it apart yet to see what kind of wet ply is in there, but I'm sure I'm going to have to at some point. For the interim, I have laid up glass tape along the side of the raised portion down to the deck, and the mast step seems more stable. I've also installed a SS plate between the underside of the cabin top and the top of the compression post, and tried to move the compression post back so that it is more centered under the step, again in an attempt to stabilize it. As I recall, the compression post was just under the forward 2 step bolts.

Not as bad as the 222, which was supposed to have a SS tube from the mast step angling down and tying into the wood post of the half bulkhead at the foot of the v-berth (and which is not under the mast step), and which, on some boats, omitted the SS tube, leading to a good bit of mast step issues for a couple of owners.

 

[GSBNY]

Ok so the rig is almost complete. Raised the jib on the CDI furler and made sure everything was working. Then I finally raised the main for the first time so I could set up the topping lift, lazy jacks, outhaul, and reef line.

I kind of went freestyle on everything and in the end it all works great. I just need to do one more tweak to the lazy jacks.

The sheaves for the outboard end of the boom were missing so of course I called RigRight to order some more... but at $34 a sheave that was not happening. So I made a new sheave axle out of a stainless bolt and moved one sheave to the gooseneck end for the reef line and put the other 2 outboard for the topping lift and reef line.

Outhaul = Purple
Reef = Orange
Topping Lift = Red

The outhaul (purple) is tied to the empty spot on the sheave axle, run through a micro block that’s shackled to the sail, goes back through the cheek block, and gets cleated about 1’ in from the end of the boom.

The topping lift uses 2 lines. One is 7/64” Dyneema that’s spliced to the top of the mast on the same pin where the back stay is and hen is spliced to a tiny micro block about 1’ above the boom. Then the red line you see there is tied around the end of the boom, up through the micro block, down through the sheave in the boom and up to the gooseneck where I tie it off on the mast. It’s run through a horn cleat and there’s a line stop ball on it so I can just untie it and let it run out to the stop when the sail is up.

The lazy jacks took a bit of thinking but came out great. In the picture above, the main halyard is clipped to the thimbles in the lazy jacks so it doesn’t slap on the mast. The first run of Dyneema goes up the front of the mast, through 2 eyes I installed on the spreader brackets, and then come down to the boom. There are thimbles in each side so the second line that goes forward can slide easily as it’s adjusted. Since the primary line is looped around the boom, both ends of it are coming down the mast. I stripped the jacket off another piece of line and I’ll run both lazy jacks through that jacket so that the part you pull to adjust is just a single line and not two thin pieces of Dyneema. The sail cover fits around the sail with the lazy jacks slightly loose which is why they look so low on the rig.

So close to getting in the water finally. Just working on the cockpit drain leak and of course dealing with motor issues. Also need to figure out my vang setup.

 

[Brian S]

Ooooo, FSE Robline Dinghy Control! Gettin' spendy! You should consider some New England Ropes Salsa for your mainsheet and jib sheets. Ugly as sin, but feels super nice on the hands, runs through sheaves like a dream (Hobie 16 sailors use it for 10:1 mainsheet blocks), and it is basically a single braid that doesn't collapse flat in cam cleats.

Also, for your topping lift, keep it adjustable. Since we don't have travelers, you can control leech tension and twist in the main by balancing the boom between topping lift and vang. For light wind, lift the boom some to reduce leech tension and allow the top to twist off. Then you can sheet in as hard as you can for pointing. Vang sheeting isn't as good as a traveler, but it's what we get unless we want significant mods.

 

[GSBNY]

It’s good and bad to work in the sailing industry. I can save on parts and line but I’m slammed with work on customers’ boats in the summer. That’s why I’m kind of taking my time because I’m planning on doing most of my sailing in the fall. Hopefully it’s a quiet hurricane season and I can stay in the water a long time. I have a few hiding spots locally that the boat can ride out some moderate stuff in.

I thought about Salsa (it is super ugly) but I think I’ll hold off for now, the main sheet on the boat is ok. Next year I’ll replace the rest of the lines (halyards and sheets). Since my girlfriend will be in charge of the jib I may make them a 2:1 purchase to make trimming easier without winches. We never really have light winds on the Great South Bay so I’m working to make sure all the rigging is set up for medium to heavy wind.

I think the goal either this year or next is going to be to sail from Amityville to Sag Harbor. Since the boat draws no water I can sail inside the bays the whole way from the Great South Bay and into the Peconic through the Shinnecock Canal. I’ll have to drop the mast real quick to get through one bridge and then I’m good to go. It’s about 70 miles which I would do over a few days with stops on Fire Island along the way. My girlfriends family has a house in Sag Harbor so we could spend a few days sailing / on land before hopping back into the boat and making the trip home.

 

[Brian S]

I thought about Salsa (it is super ugly) but I think I’ll hold off for now, the main sheet on the boat is ok. Next year I’ll replace the rest of the lines (halyards and sheets). Since my girlfriend will be in charge of the jib I may make them a 2:1 purchase to make trimming easier without winches.

I replaced the Shaefer jib cam cleats on the back of the house with some Viadana cam cleats fitted with high angle fairleads. These are the same design as Harken H150s. With the standard 110% jib (hank on) I've never felt it was too hard to sheet down the jib. And if it's blowing that hard, I probably haven't hoisted the jib anyway. Then again, with two people on board, you can carry more sail. Here's a pic:

Also, I was very disappointed that the red/white/blue Salsa was only available in 5/16", and not also in 3/8". For a brief time, I thought Vela was going to be able to order a roll of r/w/b 3/8" but apparently the guy who was going to do it left. So I have the 5/16" on the jib, and grey 3/8" Salsa on the mainsheet. Someday I'll replace the jib sheets to match. My boat is obnoxious with the line colors: mix in some bright yellow Marlow pre-stretch for a spinnaker halyard up there at the mast. I used to think that red/green combo for halyards was good, but I'll go back to more of a Seldén standard of white, blue, and black for halyards when I next need to replace them.

 

[GSBNY]

I’ve been busy lately, so here’s what got done:

I added another piece to the lazy jacks to support the sail better as it’s lowered.

Then with that added and everything working nicely, I put a 5/16” jacket over the two 7/64” pieces of dyneema that come down the mast to the cleat. This makes it so much easier to hold and cleat with the fat jacket and being a single line instead of 2 slippery ones. Once the jacket was on I stitched it all together.

Up next was finally adding a boom vang. Luckily my dad found some good blocks at the local marine consignment store. I threw some new line on it and it was ready to install, except there was no lower attachment point. So, here’s the solution: 1/4” dyneema through an eye on the front of the mast base casting and spliced to a shackle.

And today’s fun project was working on the cockpit drain. I was able to reach it from the port hatch but man that was a stretch. So I cleared it out and climbed on in. Talk about tight fit, thankfully my dad was there because he had to pull me out by my feet and then my belt. He went in for the final tightening since he’s a bit smaller than me.

There was zero sealant on the through hull fittings. Literally zero. I’m not sure how the previous owner never found water seeping in. The hole for through the hull was oversized for the fitting and there was nothing to seal it up at all. So after a few hours we were able to put a new hose in and rebed everything with copious amounts of 4200.

While working under there the lower gudgeon was also resealed and everything was snugged up a bit.

I also figured out that the random pieces of tubing in the hatch was a ladder that perfectly fits the mounts on the transom so tomorrow I’ll put the puzzle back together and get it back on the boat.

 

[GSBNY]

Ok so here’s some updates, a lot has happened since the last one so it’s going to be in 2 posts:

When I got the boat there were some random pieces of aluminum tubing in the hatch and 4 mounting points on the transom. I figured the mounting points were for a ladder so I tried looking for one online that would fit until I came across a picture that looked like it was made up of the random pieces I had. So put the puzzle together and got this:

But I didn’t really like it. I’m in shallow water and a full ladder isn’t really needed. So I decided to make a mini swim platform out of the existing ladder parts. The ladder mount points are still there if I need to use the full ladder and I have 1/4” quick pins in place so I can pop it on in a few seconds.

Up next was the electrical system. I decided to check things out behind the panel and found this in the middle of the wire harness. Yikes.

After cleaning it out I installed a solar panel regulator. This setup is great, it gives me the output for the solar panel, the current voltage of the battery, and gives me 2 USB ports to charge things from. The regulator keeps the battery charged and can run the USB’s solely from the solar panels when there’s enough juice coming out of the panel.

Up next, the centerboard had a small chunk missing from hitting the trailer frame.

So I grabbed some marinetex and Saran Wrap and went to work. I used a dremel to open up the cracks and clean out the area. Then I slapped a big ball of wet marinetex on the area and immediately put the Saran Wrap around the edge of the centerboard. With the clear saranwrap, you can see where it’s settling and push it around into place without making a mess. Plus it gives you a nice smooth finish when it cures.

With minimal sanding and a coat of bottom paint, here’s the results.

After a lot of thinking about the outboard, I finally decided on the plan. I ordered a new Tohatsu 5hp SailPro Propane version. To get ready for it I decided to check the motor mount over again and didn’t like the mounting bolts so I replaced them with new ones.

And here’s the new motor hung on the mounts:

I had to do a bunch of research to find a propane tank that would fit in the gas locker and finally found one - the Worthington 5lb tank. Its small enough to fit standing in the locker and leaves enough room that I can fit another tank for a 10lb capacity. 10lbs of Propane should run the motor for about 5 hours of WOT.

 

[GSBNY]

And finally, after a few months of work, it was time to launch. So I dropped the mast and prepped the boat for a short ride to the boatyard. I decided that after doing all the work myself, I was done and willing to pay to have the boat put in the water for the season.

So Monday night I brought the boat to the yard and ended up parked next to this guy for the night.

Tuesday morning at 9am I showed up to the yard and before I knew it the boat was in the water. I started up the propane SailPro on the first pull and motored up the canal to my dads house to finish rigging.

Here’s my 192 next to his Flicka 20 while we rigged.

While we were rigging we noticed that the new outboard had the bow up and transom a little low. So we added 120lbs of lead to the storage compartment under the v-berth right at the base of the mast. This means I’ve got 520lbs ballast in the boat compared to the normal 400. The extra weight made for a very smooth ride later on and has the boat sitting just right.

Once it was rigged the plan was to do a short sail over to the dock I’ll be keeping it at but of course the conditions were perfect so out 20 minute sail turned into a 4 hour cruise down the Great South Bay.

So there’s a few tweaks left to do still but overall, I’m very very happy with the boat. It sailed great and the 17” draft was perfect for the shallow bay. I was able to avoid sailing in the boat channels and had the flats and clean air all to myself.

The Tohatsu was a champ. It’ll run for hours on my 5lb tank at WOT but the good news is I never gave it more than 1/4 throttle and we were moving along at 4kts in a breeze. Plenty of power and the extra long shaft never let the prop leave the water when the chop picked up.

It was a ton of work but in the end I’m so happy with the result. The boat is set up the exact way I wanted it and it sails great. I can’t lie, it was a bit nerve wracking doing all this work without ever sailing the boat but it was 100% worth it.

 

[GerryG]

Looks great, man! Congratulations! See you out there!

 

[GSBNY]

Went out for a sunset sail and anchored out for some fireworks near by and it was perfect. I really love this 192, it ended up being exactly what I was looking for. The lazy jacks and roller furling make sail handling fast and easy.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Absolutely beautiful.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Brian S]

Not gonna argue with you. I love my little 192. She does just perfect for me. A couple years ago I rented a house with friends at Holden Beach, NC. Driving in to the house, I spotted a 192 in a driveway. Later that week, I rode my bike past, and someone was in the yard, so I pulled over to chat. They had bought the boat new in '86 or '87, and have kept her all this time, with no desire to change. On good weather days they sail out of the ICW onto the Atlantic.

 

[GSBNY]

So my starboard lower stay has been looking a little funky lately. At first it seemed like it was unwound a bit but it was still holding tension so I thought it was ok. But after another sail it looked even worse. So I ordered up a new stay from D&R and went to work.

Luckily the Z Spar rig uses hooks for mast terminals so I was able to use a boat hook and line to unhook the old stay. Then with some butyl and line on the boat hook I was able to hook the new one in, all without dropping the mast.

So here’s what I found:

Strange, how could the wire unbraid itself in a terminal? Let’s pull back that tape that’s been there a long time and find out.

So all I can think of is that the previous owner sailed like this with just tape over it. Granted it’s a lower but that’s not even a third of the wires still taking load.

Many thanks to D&R for shipping the stay so fast. This weekend is predicted to be some stiff wind and I don’t plan to be at the dock. First overnight should be Monday into Tuesday depending on the wind.