And so it begins

[SailingCal21]

I'm sure that you could recoup enough monies to at least cover the cost of a passport

Was at our marina after one snow Joe, you're correct it is kinda magical.

 

[Panta Rei]

Joe,
You MUST write a book. My sister in Law did it and is now getting booked for speaking engagements. Reading your posts were encouraging, technically very helpful, and most of all entertaining.
Visiting you at sunk-works central was a highlight of my trips. Your other choice would be to take on a larger boat. (think of the many hours/days of sanding).

 

[Kermit]

Ya think? Pretty bad when the skipper was the only one without one. At least the Canadians are polite. Here in the U.S. I would be flogged, beaten and thrown in a dungeon I imagine.

You would also be given food stamps and free health care.

 

[25yearslater]

Hi Todd. I am actually considering a short book on the why and how I went about the whole affair. In as much as I enjoyed sharing my sojourn into low cost boat ownership, two terms seemingly at odds with each other, I am thoroughly enjoying sharing the fruits of my labors with others. One gal being quite a witty sort commented on seafood passing by the cabin windows on a particularly blustery day. Another elderly fellow who is newly diagnosed with Parkinsons and is probably diabetic as well has joined me several times since he can no longer operate his own little boat. His smile and gratitude are priceless considering YOT and I are giving him so much joy in his twilight years. Along with my own two lads who have a propensity for feeding the fish on one voyage are always willing to try it again. Some of the others who go with me have never sailed before and are often enraptured by the tranquility and exhilaration of sailing. So a book isn't really out of the question as I continue my quest to keep a really cool pastime alive and well. By the way, when are you heading down this way to go for a test drive? It would be great to see you again.

 

[25yearslater]

You would also be given food stamps and free health care.

Ha Kermit! I think we should all qualify as soon as we tell them we own a boat. Of course if they read my blog here I am sunk anyway with the poor boat owner line.

 

[jibes138]

Joe, When do you think the book will be ready so I can pre order a copy? :>)

Can we make suggestions. For example I think it should start "It was a dark and stormy night, the wind was howling through the barren tree branches while the wind driven snow swirled in the street light outside my window...."

 

[25yearslater]

I was kind of going another way jibes. "It was a stormy night at sea. The tempest howled. The crew was wracked with nausea. The captain cried out to his god to deliver them from the wrath of the storm." How's that for a real joy killer to start? That or like all fairy stories, "Once upon a time."

 

[jibes138]

Fantastic, maybe you can interweave something about a giant white whale, some buried treasure on Oak Island, Cape Horn, and Rum!

 

[Ward H]

This is too easy. "25 years ago......"

 

[Panta Rei]

Hi Todd. I am actually considering a short book on the why and how I went about the whole affair. In as much as I enjoyed sharing my sojourn into low cost boat ownership, two terms seemingly at odds with each other, I am thoroughly enjoying sharing the fruits of my labors with others. One gal being quite a witty sort commented on seafood passing by the cabin windows on a particularly blustery day. Another elderly fellow who is newly diagnosed with Parkinsons and is probably diabetic as well has joined me several times since he can no longer operate his own little boat. His smile and gratitude are priceless considering YOT and I are giving him so much joy in his twilight years. Along with my own two lads who have a propensity for feeding the fish on one voyage are always willing to try it again. Some of the others who go with me have never sailed before and are often enraptured by the tranquility and exhilaration of sailing. So a book isn't really out of the question as I continue my quest to keep a really cool pastime alive and well. By the way, when are you heading down this way to go for a test drive? It would be great to see you again.

Sailed to Isle Royal this summer. We will spend next year in the Apostle Islands and then start heading your way. Not traveling much out your way for business but that can change anytime.

 

[25yearslater]

Little things that can make a big difference are always lots of fun. This year as I have been introducing many new folks to sailing one common theme has been recurring. "Which way do I move the tiller to make the boat go right or left?" By having them begin with following telltales on the jib it becomes second nature to them in short order. What I have them do is to point the tiller at the side of the boat that the telltale is dancing on. As they luff the direction of the tiller is toward the inboard side of the boat the telltale is on and as they fall off they point the stick to the outboard side. Within a very short time (A few hours) a novice with zero experience can grasp the concept and become a reasonable helmsman. Point at the dancer is surprisingly simple.

 

[Indysailor]

Little things that can make a big difference are always lots of fun. This year as I have been introducing many new folks to sailing one common theme has been recurring. "Which way do I move the tiller to make the boat go right or left?" By having them begin with following telltales on the jib it becomes second nature to them in short order. What I have them do is to point the tiller at the side of the boat that the telltale is dancing on. As they luff the direction of the tiller is toward the inboard side of the boat the telltale is on and as they fall off they point the stick to the outboard side. Within a very short time (A few hours) a novice with zero experience can grasp the concept and become a reasonable helmsman. Point at the dancer is surprisingly simple.

Great idea. I was taught to treat telltales like a spouse; when they start to get agitated, turn away from them. It's a great pleasure to take people out to sail, to see the way they marvel at the beauty of it. My goal is to introduce as many people as possible to this great pastime. You must be having great fun on Yot, I would love to experience what it's like to lay hands on the shiny gelcoat of such a good led boat. And I'm glad to see you back here checking in now and then.

 

[25yearslater]

Well with one more weekend prior to closing out the third year of sailing YOT with carefree abandon in all sorts of weather it dawned on me that something was seemingly strange. All the talk of this or that breaking or needing replacing or fixing has been relegated to the realm of myth. Perhaps it was my simplistic approach to my idea of sailing or perhaps my experience fixing machinery all my working life led me to the KISS premise. Mind you the only luxury I have aboard is a 10 year old tablet and GPS puck for an occasional look see at how fast is this gal going. For those unfamiliar with the term KISS it means, "Keep it simple; stupid." I have found the more complex one makes something or adds another fixture or feature it requires maintenance and Murphy will undoubtebly strike. I purposely kept YOT simple for this reason. No travelers, fancy electronics, latest go fast gadget or even a compass. The result has been replacing the mast plug which I should have done during the restoration and the stern light that met its' demise at the feet of my son as he helped guide in the Sheriff's boat during a nasty cross wind. Other than those items I have not had one single equipment failure and I can assure you there has been no go easy on the old gal. So gladly I can say that I don't suffer a boat that resembles what I do for a living. Is this approach the only one? Definitely not. It does open the dialogue on what one deems essential in the context of what am I willing to fix or have fixed. Sooner or later everything breaks. The more there is the more there is to break. Just one more way a boat can be a joy to own without busting the budget. Dah yum that sounds pessimistic but i prefer realistic.

 

[jibes138]

I'm with you on this one Joe. KISS has a lot of advantages in time and money. But I take exception to lack of a compass. At the very least get a hand bearing compass. In pea soup fog one day I had a guy and his family approach in the open ocean in a 17 foot bow rider asking which way was it to the beach. I had a little ball compass on my keychain so I threw it to him. Without a compass he could have easily headed for England until running out of gas. Given your location I am sure fog will envelope you some day, a compass could keep you from ending up in Canada and as far as I am concerned the war of 1812 is still active.

 

[25yearslater]

I am definitely going to add a compass this year Jibes. I am looking for a compass that I can set down and not have it slide off the cockpit seats into oblivion. My more immediate issue is finally replacing the rudder. Yup, she's a kaput. With cracks developing along the seams I figure I have stretched the life out of it long enough. I have been in contact with Ruddercraft and Foss Foam and they are unsure of what model rudder this is. Another thread pointed out that Rudy believed there were Cal rudders used in the manufacture of the Oday 27. So off went my pathetic attempt at a drawing of the rudder to see if they can identify it.

 

[jibes138]

if the boat is on the hard for the winter just pull it out and send it to them. They should be able to make a reverse mold of it using foam, some plywood, and a few 2x4's.

 

[25yearslater]

Update time for my fellow Oday owners. I have now worked through the rudder identification. I gave up! Yup, I said this is ridiculous and went to Rudder Craft. Working with Richard Warren I drew out the rudder and it's dimensions and angles and with several phone calls and emails we now have the blueprints for the Oday 27 stub skeg rudder with 2" rudder post. A bit pricey $1638.00 including shipping but well worth the price to have the super duper high performance galactic go fast and highly balanced polyethylene neutral buoyancy for crisper tacks and less drag rudder. So if ya need a rudder for your 27 they got the print. Your welcome. Forgot my humble pill prescription apparently. Best part is it has a lifetime warranty for the original owner and I don't have to worry about the current rudder exploding and the embarrassment of getting towed into the harbor.

 

[Panta Rei]

Update time for my fellow Oday owners. I have now worked through the rudder identification. I gave up! Yup, I said this is ridiculous and went to Rudder Craft. Working with Richard Warren I drew out the rudder and it's dimensions and angles and with several phone calls and emails we now have the blueprints for the Oday 27 stub skeg rudder with 2" rudder post. A bit pricey $1638.00 including shipping but well worth the price to have the super duper high performance galactic go fast and highly balanced polyethylene neutral buoyancy for crisper tacks and less drag rudder. So if ya need a rudder for your 27 they got the print. Your welcome. Forgot my humble pill prescription apparently. Best part is it has a lifetime warranty for the original owner and I don't have to worry about the current rudder exploding and the embarrassment of getting towed into the harbor.

The price of the rudder just highlights the value of these maintained older boats. For me, I would never be interested in a new model regardless of the technological advancements. It just does not meet my $$/enjoyment ratio. I have often thought of purchasing older boats and parting them out to keep the fleet going. The sticking point has always been disposing of the hull. I need a massive cutting/chewing machine. Joe , what would be your lead time for development and construction of such a device?

 

[jibes138]

Panta Rei, such machines already exist. They take whole automobiles and chew them up and spit out little one inch slugs. This includes the engine and tranny, etc. http://wendtcorp.com/products/auto-shredders/
I don't think the SBO store carries these however.

 

[25yearslater]

Hi Todd, good to hear from you again. I could probably concoct some machine that could chew up leftovers for a much more reasonable price than the monstrosity jibes has in mind. Although, more power isn't always a bad thing. Man, what that does to cars is impressive. So what pushed me over the edge was the long crack along almost the entire seam of my rudder. I knew three years ago this day was coming and I am surprised I could squeeze just a bit more out of it. I agree with Todd on the older boats. The newer designs seem to be following the trends in racing. They are fine and dandy if you have a full crew but they beat the hell out of their crews. You are always wet as these plumb bows split the wave and in many cases careen over the decks. I can't get my 27 to heave to worth a darn so I can't imagine the modern boats having much chance. That puts a sea anchor on my list of good things to have. Number one killer offshore is exhaustion more than any other factor. Look at what happened to Vestas Wind during the past Volvo Ocean Race. Oh and there is this guy Michael Riley from Maine who has been going back and forth across the Atlantic several times in a stock Oday 27. Lost his rudder on the first trip and rigged a spare out of a bunkboard and a whisker pole. He does it in an antique and the pros in the hot snot boat pile up on an island in the middle of an ocean.