First launch next spring--top 10 items of importance

[Windtherapy]

OK so I have owned many powerboats throughout my life but got tired of them and have always loved sailboats so I bought a 1985 O'Day 26 this last May and decided not to launch but to rebuild/repair EVERYTHING (my wife always tells me I am way to much of a perfectionist). Below is a list of what I have done so far and I have many other things to do before winter and early next spring. As I sit at night, I try to think....what am I missing and then it hit me...I need to ask experienced sailers what I am missing and what are the top 10 things I should make sure to do either before launch or right after launch and before that first sailing adventure.

No I haven't taken the ASA 101 class nor do I really have the time (a week and 2 1/2 hours away). I have read 3 sailing books twice now and will probably read them again over the winter. I am not really worried about learning to sail but more of getting into trouble quickly. I purchased a 36 foot slip on Lake Huron as well and hope to find an experienced sailer there to go with me and/or a old family friend who taught sailing at the local college (Michigan State University--GO SPARTANS) who still owns 2 sailboats. After reading what I have done you can see that even though it is nice, none of it except maybe the thru hulls have really nothing to do with the safety of sailing. I need to check standing rigging yet and have never done that and hear about this so called tension tool. Still have to also learn how to raise the mast and get the CDI roller furling set up correctly.

So with all of this, what do you think are the top 10 or even 5 things I better do before my first launch or sail next May?

Items complete:
all new electric including lights (to LED) and fuse panels
remove and rebed mast tabernacle
all new fresh water lines and drains and added drain valve near water tank
installed 4 drink holders in cockpit
installed exterior speaker in cockpit from ship-to-shore radio
installed Whale Gusher bilge and hose out starboard side
pulled and resealed port lights and installed new windows
new acrylic tinted hatch boards
new foward hatch
scrubbed deck
new teak hatch rails
refinished all other teaks (removed, scraped, stained and clear coats--Cetol)
installed LED masthead light
complete new sanitation system including head & hoses
installed battery meter in cabin
replaced all 3 thru hulls (1 1/2" dump capped and wired shut)
NSF hull, compounded and finish paste
replaced entire rub rail
repaired depth finder cables
repaired ship-to-shore radio antenna wire
relocated ship-to-shore and AM/FM (bluetooth) radios
secured all shore power wires and encased in raceways
rerouted speaker wires and in raceways
stripped, sanded and repainted outboard motor cover
replaced outboard sparkplugs, oil and lower unit oil
teak oiled all wood in cabin
covered interior speakers and depth finder with white cones
added anti slip strips to companionway steps
installed 2 blue LED cockpit lights (for those nights drinking Corona)
routed galley cooler drain from bilge to galley sink drain with isolation valve
cleaned all storage areas with Acytone

Items left to do:
wax entire hull
pull and reseal tinted main cabin windows
replace chain plates
build gin pole and mast raising system
remove outboard wedge, replace with Starboard and new Garelick mount
replace all lines (sheets)
*many other small items as well (which I lived south so I could work all winter)

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Hard question to answer without looking at the boat, but...

Chain plates through deck? Is deck wet?

Keel bolts integrity?

Have rigging inspected if old.

As the rigging tension, close enough is good to start. Just make sure there is no slack on the leeward sides once you start sailing.

Rudder hardware and mounting should be inspected.

Just imagine everything which can break as it very well may...

 

[Jackdaw]

How about sails?

I see lots of people spend 1000 hours redoing an old boat to Bristol condition, then go out with sails that were built in the Carter administration.

 

[Windtherapy]

Riggings look new, chainplates are new by me and deck is fine as well as no sink at all at the tabernacle and I will be inspecting all rudder components. Keel bolts are fine and I am having the marina down the road strap it up for me so I can drop the keel for inspection and change the pendant and sheave. Sails--well, I took them out and they look pretty good. I will see when they are up but if they could last a few years that would be great. I know they are not the originals so at least that's a start. When I bought the boat the PO just had all 3 sails shoved down below so I immediatley pulled them out, inspected them and flaked them all.

 

[Meriachee]

How about sails?

I see lots of people spend 1000 hours redoing an old boat to Bristol condition, then go out with sails that were built in the Carter administration.

What's the website for Carter Administration sails? I have a bone to pick with them.

 

[DougM]

Murphy says that no matter how much forethought you put into the initial preparation, something will break!

I would add to the mix that you thoroughly inspect all of your running rigging and related hardware for wear and tear. Lines tend to fray and blocks do wear out and/or seize.

As for the sails, I would recommend that you take them to a sailmaker over the winter. Have them inspected and cleaned . If they are stretched out of shape, it may be possible to have them recut and get another season or so out of them. The UV cover on the jib may need replacing as well. There may be some cost involved, but if you are just beginning to sail, it's going to be difficult to determine if your sails are properly trimmed, though not impossible.

The rig tensioning tool you are referencing is called a Loos Gauge. I agree with the writer who said that it really was not an absolute necessity. Besides, someone nearby always seems to have one you can borrow. Your initial setup can be done without one.

 

[jwing]

My observation is that your projects have been primarily focused on the hull and its amenities, while not doing much about the sailing aspect of the boat. That's OK, but you did ask for opinions. My opinion is that your next project should be to get good at sailing. While you are doing that, the high priority projects will become evident. Here are a six things you should do before you sail (you decide which one to leave out if five is your limit):
1. Update your safety gear, if necessary. Stow it accessibly in the boat.
2. Update your first aid kit and stow it in the boat.
3. Inspect/replace all running rigging (not just sheets), especially the halyards and whatever else is attached to mast higher than you can reach. Test all winches, blocks, tracks, and cleats, especially cam cleat operation.
4. Study docking procedures and how to tie your boat to the dock/pilings. Buy the appropriate docking lines. Also, buy extra rope to have on board for unforeseen purposes.
5. Study boating rules of the road. Presumably you are knowledgeable form your motorboating experience, but there are sailboat-specific rules.
6. Build an onboard tool and spare parts kit for away-from-shore repairs and temporary fixes.

 

[cb32863]

At least you have the drink holders taken care of.

As others have said, make sure those deck penetrations are sealed up and dry. I am a former O' Day owner that got to swap out bulkheads. So yeah, keep an eye on that stuff. Get a quote on the sails, if you don't know how old they are then, they probably are old.

You will never be "done" with your boat as once you get it the way you want, you will always be wanting to add more and change this or that. It's part of the deal of owning a sailboat. Welcome to the asylum.

Oh and pics.... lots of pics.

 

[shemandr]

If you're going to sleep aboard I would re-seal those cabin windows. Maybe even if not. A dry boat interior is a wonderful thing.
You have a slip so the gin pole thing can wait.
Lines and sheets? Halyards if existing aren't very low stretch. Sheets if necessary.
I agree about the sails but I would probably use this boat a season before. Maybe you won't like the boat or it doesn't fit your needs. You probably won't get that money back.

 

[Windtherapy]

To answer the last 3 replies: safety is #1 to me. I have 2 throwables and 5 wearable life jackets all brand new. I have a huge first aid kit onboard and I have studied the rules of the sea for sailboats and docking tie up procdures but will study those again thrugh out the entire winter. I forgot to list on my "Left to do" list to pull all deck hardware and rebed with butyl. As far as cabin windows, new forward hatch and I am just finishing resealing the side tinted windows and I have new acrylic tinted hatch boards with the beveled joint. I have added a toolbox to the boat and will add more to it as I sail and see what I need but it does include everything Honda shows in their tool kit for the 9.9 4 Stroke I have.

Lets see what else...oh ya..sheets and haylards....I will be replacing all of these in the spring before launch and will make sure all deck hardware is tight and functioning properly. I do not have any clam cleats on my boat but I for sure will be adding some. Regarding gin pole and mast raising system; even though I own a slip and can hard the boat there over the winter, the ramp is outside of the marine and one has to pass under power lines to get back into the marina so I have to take the mast down every fall which might not be a bad thing to update or repair anything and I have heard others state mast down in the winter is better but maybe it doesn't matter. Either way I have to drop it each fall and raise it each spring so I need to build an easy and safe set up to do this.

Sails--I'll sail for ne year and then have them looked at and repaired or ust replace them. I plan on having this boat for at least 5 years until my kids get doen with college and I retire in 6 years. Then who knows. I am sure I will be looking for a 34+ footer at that point.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Clam cleats or cam cleats? I find clam cleats are useless and dangerous.

You would do well to buy this book, best I've ever read:

http://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?51998/

Good luck, sounds like a nice boat. We had a Catalina 25 for 13 years, pretty much the same boats. Don't worry about outgrowing it yet, you have some time....

 

[Windtherapy]

Clam cleats or cam cleats? I find clam cleats are useless and dangerous.

You would do well to buy this book, best I've ever read:

http://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?51998/

Good luck, sounds like a nice boat. We had a Catalina 25 for 13 years, pretty much the same boats. Don't worry about outgrowing it yet, you have some time....

Whoops---cam cleats. I love fried CLAMS though.

 

[Joe]

I like clam cleats for certain applications but definitely not halyards.....I use clam cleats for vang, Cunningham, tweakers, secondary sheet winches, jib down haul... etc... they fit well in tight spaces.... The cleats don't work well with hi tech, shiny cordage... nor with laid/twisted stuff.
I also really like "jam cleats" ... narrow and low profile.. I have them on boom for aft reef lines. Many older boats came with jam cleats for use with sheet winches.

 

[woodster]

To answer the last 3 replies: safety is #1 to me. I have 2 throwables and 5 wearable life jackets all brand new.

make sure you have the plastic packaging off and the jackets ready to wear just in case you get stopped and inspected they will gig you on that one its ok to store them below but be able to get to them reasonably fast

 

[Meriachee]

In 20+ years of maintaining a mooring on the lake, I can say fairly that we have never been inspected, stopped or asked by anybody in any official capacity about safety gear. That's far from saying we don't have such, and maintain it, it's just disappointing that the state of affairs up north here are in the place they are, and while it's all well and fine to find a bunch of significant historical property way up north, I don't necessarily believe that our coast guard should be a taxi service.

 

[FasterHorses]

Windtherapy, First I would like to welcome you to the world of sailing!!!!!! You will enjoy it for sure, and here is a phrase that you may come to hold dear as I have.....REAL BOATERS DON'T NEED MOTORS!!!!!!
With that being said, I must admit that with all the advice you have received, no one has mentioned the one thing that I and my ADMIRAL hold most near and dear to our hearts- TRAINING. Formal training from an ASA certified sailing instructor is invaluable and could, should, and would be able to address those situations that you would worry about. Your experience in motoring may or may NOT be suitable for situations that you will encounter while sailing your vessel. You mentioned in your post that you "have read 3 books on sailing....", If those books were not "Sailing for Dummies", ASA Basic Keel Boat training manual, ASA Basic Coastal Cruising, or "Weekend Navigator", I would highly suggest that you add those to your winter read list for starters. I was very fortunate to have had this training, from an old salty who, not only taught me the first three ASA certification courses, but also offered me the opportunity to crew on a delivery from Fla. to Mystic, CT aboard a 34 ft. catamaran for some real life experience. If you wish to contact me, my old salty left me with more manuals for ASA courses than I know what to do with when he retired his business. As far as being too far away to take a course, please reconsider this. You wouldn't want to find yourself sitting in a slip forever, or too far away from it to know what to do.

Fair winds fellow sailor,

 

[Ward H]

Wind, two things I noticed missing off your list was checking life lines and inspect the mast head sheaves. Make sure they are in good shape and spin easily. With everything else your doing consider new standing rigging. D &R Marine has it for a decent price.

 

[Boomer54]

Windtherapy, First I would like to welcome you to the world of sailing!!!!!! You will enjoy it for sure, and here is a phrase that you may come to hold dear as I have.....REAL BOATERS DON'T NEED MOTORS!!!!!!
With that being said, I must admit that with all the advice you have received, no one has mentioned the one thing that I and my ADMIRAL hold most near and dear to our hearts- TRAINING. Formal training from an ASA certified sailing instructor is invaluable and could, should, and would be able to address those situations that you would worry about. Your experience in motoring may or may NOT be suitable for situations that you will encounter while sailing your vessel. You mentioned in your post that you "have read 3 books on sailing....", If those books were not "Sailing for Dummies", ASA Basic Keel Boat training manual, ASA Basic Coastal Cruising, or "Weekend Navigator", I would highly suggest that you add those to your winter read list for starters. I was very fortunate to have had this training, from an old salty who, not only taught me the first three ASA certification courses, but also offered me the opportunity to crew on a delivery from Fla. to Mystic, CT aboard a 34 ft. catamaran for some real life experience. If you wish to contact me, my old salty left me with more manuals for ASA courses than I know what to do with when he retired his business. As far as being too far away to take a course, please reconsider this. You wouldn't want to find yourself sitting in a slip forever, or too far away from it to know what to do.

Fair winds fellow sailor,

I would strongly echo this advice. I too spent a great deal of time in power boats but was a padewan regarding sailing. ASA 101, 103 and 104 are terrific courses. I insisted the Admiral take them with me...she is now an able sailor and partner. We did 103/104 together in the BVI-superb sailing grounds. There are at least 2 ASA schools in the BVI. I know there are also ASA instructors in Traverse City too.

 

[Indysailor]

Gudgeons and pintles; inspect them. ODay went a little light for some people's liking in this area, so you'd be wise to look at them and make sure they are in good shape. You will be down in that area under the cockpit anyway. Also, I suggest tightening your aft cleats and adding a backing plate when you replace your outboard mount. And I am not sure of the 26 cockpit drain hose goes down through that area like it does on the 22-25 footers, but if it does, make sure to inspect it thoroughly. And anything else you happen to see while you're down there.