Hi all, my first post on the forum - thought I'd share my experiences in my first year with Kismet.
I'm the third owner - boat was in great shape but showing it's age (2002) and needed some fixes and upgrades.
Sails: I have a roller furling main and I couldn't get it to wrap properly - kept jamming. Read a bunch on this forum and tried all recommendations - boom angle, tension - nothing worked. Figured the sail was shot - bagged out and too bulky to wrap. Further reading suggested a cruising laminate was the way to go - that was right. Got a North cruising laminate and all my problems disappeared - best practice is boom on port side, a little boom angle, light tension, but it will furl from anywhere in any condition. Worth the money.
The 150% genoa was shot - seams unraveling and tears starting to appear. I went with a new Dacron 130 - I think this is a case where less is more - the 150 was a pain to tack and too much sail much of the time. Very happy with the 130.
Unfortunately, I found the head furling assembly was jammed. Again, read the forum and tried all recommendations to flush and lubricate the bearings - nothing worked. Bought a new bearing assembly for ~$250. Replacement was straightforward after summoning the courage to remove the forestay - but no big deal.
Head: The PO had someone install an electric head. It was a piece of crap (pardon the pun) - plumbed incorrectly with dangerous wiring. I went with a Raritan Marine Elegance - electric head with fresh water flush. Great investment - easy to use, no odor - well worth the investment. It's a little large for the space, even though it's the compact model, but not too bad - love it!
Exhaust riser: The riser was 20 years old so figured it was time. Read where folks used plumbing parts to replace it so thought I try it rather than the $600-$700 for one from Catalina Direct. This turned out to be much easier than I thought it would be - went with stainless using the design mentioned on this forum (image attached). Easy to remove the old - I have the V-clamp style - and easy to make the new one and install. BTW, the old one turned out to be in pretty good shape!
Shower drain: The shower wouldn't drain reliably and diagnosed it to be the Y-valve under the galley sink. Again, simple to replace and all is well.
Boat cover: Had a custom cover made by ShipShape Canvas - fit perfectly and is easy to put on.
We had a great season of sailing the bay and ocean and we stayed half the summer on-board - love it. Kismet is now snoozing under its new cover and can't wait to get back out next season.
I'm the third owner - boat was in great shape but showing it's age (2002) and needed some fixes and upgrades.
Sails: I have a roller furling main and I couldn't get it to wrap properly - kept jamming. Read a bunch on this forum and tried all recommendations - boom angle, tension - nothing worked. Figured the sail was shot - bagged out and too bulky to wrap. Further reading suggested a cruising laminate was the way to go - that was right. Got a North cruising laminate and all my problems disappeared - best practice is boom on port side, a little boom angle, light tension, but it will furl from anywhere in any condition. Worth the money.
The 150% genoa was shot - seams unraveling and tears starting to appear. I went with a new Dacron 130 - I think this is a case where less is more - the 150 was a pain to tack and too much sail much of the time. Very happy with the 130.
Unfortunately, I found the head furling assembly was jammed. Again, read the forum and tried all recommendations to flush and lubricate the bearings - nothing worked. Bought a new bearing assembly for ~$250. Replacement was straightforward after summoning the courage to remove the forestay - but no big deal.
Head: The PO had someone install an electric head. It was a piece of crap (pardon the pun) - plumbed incorrectly with dangerous wiring. I went with a Raritan Marine Elegance - electric head with fresh water flush. Great investment - easy to use, no odor - well worth the investment. It's a little large for the space, even though it's the compact model, but not too bad - love it!
Exhaust riser: The riser was 20 years old so figured it was time. Read where folks used plumbing parts to replace it so thought I try it rather than the $600-$700 for one from Catalina Direct. This turned out to be much easier than I thought it would be - went with stainless using the design mentioned on this forum (image attached). Easy to remove the old - I have the V-clamp style - and easy to make the new one and install. BTW, the old one turned out to be in pretty good shape!
Shower drain: The shower wouldn't drain reliably and diagnosed it to be the Y-valve under the galley sink. Again, simple to replace and all is well.
Boat cover: Had a custom cover made by ShipShape Canvas - fit perfectly and is easy to put on.
We had a great season of sailing the bay and ocean and we stayed half the summer on-board - love it. Kismet is now snoozing under its new cover and can't wait to get back out next season.
