First time sailboat owner

[Terry Cox]

He wished all SBO sailors a thank you for helping with the start of their new cruising life.

You're going to love the P42. Great boat, easy to sail, stiff and fast. We purchased our 1991 model year in 2002 and have cruised her thousands of miles all over PNW waters. At some point I'd like to hear how she is equipped.

1. Does she have midship cleats? Ours did not and I added them to help with solo docking and handling.
2. How about a Genset? Very handy for extended cruises. Ours came with an Onan 8KW three cylinder Kubota diesel. Keeps the house bank up as well as cooking and heating water while on the hook.
3. Heat pumps? Ours came with two, One for the aft cabin and one for the main and forward cabins. Great for heating and cooling the boat. Need the Genset for that purpose.
4. Furnace? Probably do not need one that far south but around here very handy for keeping the boat warm during our off season cruises.

Made several other mods to make her more comfortable.

 

[hatchclan]

Thank you, John for updating the forum for me. We are in our designated slip in Cape Marina, finally. Actually got into the slip fairy easily due to a lot of help from our new neighbors. The only problem was me grabbing a line that was hanging in the water to use to pull the boat backwards so that I could hook up the stern dock line on the port side. Being a rookie I grabbed the line and started sliding my hands down it pulling as I go. It had barnacles on it and they sliced my right fingers pretty good but I got it all squared away. Put some super glue on the cuts (burned quite a bit) and got a the rest of my stuff done yesterday. I am now sitting in a urgent care waiting have them care for the cuts properly.

 

[hatchclan]

You're going to love the P42. Great boat, easy to sail, stiff and fast. We purchased our 1991 model year in 2002 and have cruised her thousands of miles all over PNW waters. At some point I'd like to hear how she is equipped.

1. Does she have midship cleats? Ours did not and I added them to help with solo docking and handling.
2. How about a Genset? Very handy for extended cruises. Ours came with an Onan 8KW three cylinder Kubota diesel. Keeps the house bank up as well as cooking and heating water while on the hook.
3. Heat pumps? Ours came with two, One for the aft cabin and one for the main and forward cabins. Great for heating and cooling the boat. Need the Genset for that purpose.
4. Furnace? Probably do not need one that far south but around here very handy for keeping the boat warm during our off season cruises.

Made several other mods to make her more comfortable.

1. Yes, it has midship cleats. I am going to have to figure out a good way to dock solo in this 65 ft. slip (it was the only one available within 50 miles of where I work).
2. We have a 8KW Kohler that works well.
3. We do have fore and aft A/C.
4. And no furnace but don't expect to need one very often down here. When it does get chilly, we will just wrap up in blankets.

 

[JamesG161]

Yes, it has midship cleats.

That is the only one needed for solo docking.

Many can explain this maneuver, but short version.

1) Have a line tied to the Midship Cleat.
2) Approach the Dock , at dead slow speed. Put Engine in neutral as you move forward to the Cleat line.
3) Toss the Line over a Bollard , that knot can be explained.
4) Length of that Line on my boat is 15 feet.

Then your boat stops as that line tightens.

Jim...

 

[JamesG161]

3. We do have fore and aft A/C.

Most Marine A/C's are reverse cycle, Landlubber term is Heat Pump.

Those plus your 8KW Kohler is all you need for comfort.
Jim...

 

[Terry Cox]

I am going to have to figure out a good way to dock solo in this 65 ft.

Does your slip dock have cleats like ours? If so, I can describe what I've been doing for years without any serious mishaps. Our boat has a fixed three blade that does a wonderful job in maneuvering the boat. Some tips here: Hunter 42 Owner Modifications and Upgrades

Let me know if your dock has standard cleats and I will describe what works for me as a solo sailor.

 

[hatchclan]

Barnacles and me are NOT friends, lol.

 

[kappykaplan]

Barnacles and me are NOT friends, lol.

My fingers hurt just looking at your photo! Heal fast.

 

[hatchclan]

Ok, got another possibly silly question I believe I have 2 fresh water tanks, correct? If so, do I have to switch a valve to use the other one? Please forgive my ignorance.

 

[kappykaplan]

Yes, you should have to switch a valve. I have three water tanks on my boat and a manifold with three valves so I can select port fwd, port aft, or stbd aft.

 

[jssailem]

One of the things I love to do on my boat is open the cupboards, voids, and hatches - just to look inside them and see what is hidden behind the facade of pretty wood.

I have tracked unconnected wires, and hoses to no where. Then removed the useless discoveries.

A bright flash light can help track a hose to a tank or a valve. If the valve is attached to the hull then the water is "Raw". If the valve is attached to a tank then it could be fair or foul. Knowing these things about my boat empowers me.

I have two 50 gal fresh water tanks attached to a manifold and that permits me to control the source of my fresh water. I would suspect your boat to be the same... Unless the builder wanted to save some bucks and let the tanks be fed from a single source. It has happened before.

 

[Tally Ho]

It is like an Easter Egg hunt! You have to crawl over the boat, look in every nook and cranny, and see what is in them.

On my O’Day 322, I have 2 tanks, port and STB. There was a selector valve under the STB settee that selected th tank.

Greg

 

[hatchclan]

Thanks, guys! The valves are under the port settee and you are all correct; I need to spend some time just searching through the boat. We are almost settled in (still own too much stuff, lol) once that is done I expect to have more time to explore. My projects right now are: 1)Getting a better way to pull the boat over to the dock for my wife so that she doesn`t have to tie a knot. I bought a small block and tackle with a cleat on the single pulley that I think will work. What are ya`ll`s thoughts on gangplank/ladders? The tide moves about 3.5 feet here. 2)Removing the water hose the previous occupant left behind (it has corroded onto the faucet and the hose is junk). That will just take some force and patience. 3)We are thinking of backing the boat into the slip due to the fact that the dock does not run the full length of the slip so it does not reach the opening in the lifelines. The downside is that we sleep in the stern so that would put us closer to potential noise. 4)Some of this will be only temporary as we are moving to a 45 foot slip in about 2-3 weeks in the same marina.

 

[kappykaplan]

3)We are thinking of backing the boat into the slip due to the fact that the dock does not run the full length of the slip so it does not reach the opening in the lifelines.

I always reverse into my slip - makes embarking and disembarking much easier (and safer!).

 

[Davidasailor26]

3)We are thinking of backing the boat into the slip due to the fact that the dock does not run the full length of the slip so it does not reach the opening in the lifelines. The downside is that we sleep in the stern so that would put us closer to potential noise.

There are pros and cons to that. We prefer to go bow in as the view is better when sitting in the cockpit. But you might find that in some wind directions waves can hit the stern and make a noisy slapping sound. Going stern in is more likely to protect the stern from that.

 

[hatchclan]

Does your slip dock have cleats like ours? If so, I can describe what I've been doing for years without any serious mishaps. Our boat has a fixed three blade that does a wonderful job in maneuvering the boat. Some tips here: Hunter 42 Owner Modifications and Upgrades

Let me know if your dock has standard cleats and I will describe what works for me as a solo sailor.

My dock does not extend out far enough for that maneuver, I am afraid. It only reaches about 15-20 feet. The stern pilings look to be about 1 foot square with pointed boards on 2 sides (to make it easier to get a line over, I presume).

 

[hatchclan]

This is an old Google map picture but my slip would be where the 6th boat from the top is (on the right side of the middle pier). as you can see; the dock is very short. I am planning on taking Hosanna! out this afternoon and backing it in when I return.

 

[kappykaplan]

You should be able to rig a spring line on the outer piling on the same side as the finger pier. Put another spring line on a cleat at the base of the finger pier. Once you're docked, mark each of the spring lines with a piece of white tape (I use rescue tape) for the location of the lines with respect to their cleats. Another option would be to rig the spring lines so the loops are in the correct position for the boat's cleats.

 

[Terry Cox]

The valves are under the port settee

Our P42 came with two water tanks; forward beneath the vee berth holds 65 gallons, mid tank beneath that port settee holds 85 gallons. There is an upper and lower hatch under the bunk mattress to gain access to the forward tank bib (you will find a very nice storage compartment beneath the upper hatch for storing contraband). Once every other season or so I remove that bib to clean out white chunky stuff that tends to clog it. I can remove it for cleaning without draining the tank. At some point I can explain what I do.

I have never removed the section of sole beneath the mid hanging locker next to the nav station and port settee that gains access to the tank. Others have. The valves you refer, on our boat the outboard one controls the forward tank the other the mid tank. Both have screens that filter debris from the water to help protect the water pump. Those need to be cleaned periodically, especially the forward tank screen. I alternate tank use to keep water as fresh as possible rather than leaving both tank valves open.

When we first purchased our boat in 2002 we used Peggie Hall's recommissioning procedure tp clean the tanks and water system. Water remains clean and odor free to this day after that one cleaning.

 

[hatchclan]

We got out of the slip and back in without tearing up our boat or anyone else's Our neighbor helped immensely so we bought him and his girlfriend dinner. I have to admit that it did not go as smoothly as I had hoped. I almost banged the stern straight into one of the pilings due to getting confused on the helm.

Kappy, I will be doing that when we get over to our permanent slip in about 2 weeks. Thank you for the suggestions.

Terry, those are some very good tips that I will attempt to keep in mind. It is looking like I am going to have set reminders in my calendar for maintenance. My memory has never been good and is not improving with age, lol.